Siska’s message hit Rian in the chest like a bolt of lightning. Overwhelmed by a surge of emotion, Rian worked up the courage to confront Valeri in her lavish office.
Without beating around the bush, he demanded to know whether the information was true—whether Siska’s suffering, the losses suffered by her company, and the desperate situation facing her mother were all part of Valeri’s cold scheme to trap him and make him hers.
Valeri was shocked. The usually calm lines of her face suddenly grew tense.
Without wasting any time, she called in the internal audit team and legal department to investigate the subsidiary in question.
The results were startling: the subsidiary had been operating rogue under corrupt directors who had exploited loopholes without headquarters’ oversight.
Valeri had known absolutely nothing about the fraud, and she immediately took decisive action to clear Siska’s name and turn the perpetrators over to the authorities.
As she looked at Rian, Valeri lowered her defenses and spoke with an honesty she had never shown before.
Her possessiveness and desire to bind Rian to her hadn’t come from malicious intent, but from a deep loneliness she had carried for years at the peak of her career.
The companionship, innocence, and sense of security Rian gave her were extraordinarily rare emotional needs in her cold world.
Rian was stunned. The fact that Valeri wasn’t some evil mastermind only made the turmoil inside him more complicated.
Without realizing it, Rian lowered his head. “I’m sorry for accusing you, and I’m sorry about Siska. She’s the reason I started asking these questions, and she gave me the courage to confront you directly. And…”
Before he could continue, Valeri cut him off.
“It’s all right, Rian. Because of this incident, I found out that something at my subsidiary wasn’t what I expected.
“And because of it, I can punish the people responsible for the problems at that subsidiary.
“So, indirectly, I have you to thank, Rian.
“Not for Siska.
“And why did you break our agreement? Didn’t you hear me say I wouldn’t allow you to meet Siska, much less ride with her?”
Before Rian could answer, Valeri said, “Now leave me. Let me rest for a while.”
Rian left. Though he was still bound by an unspoken promise and a debt of gratitude, he had to continue playing that role. Even Rian couldn’t deny that his intimate experience in Bandung had awakened another side of him.
As an adult man who had initially been inexperienced, he felt a quiet hunger for passion and physical satisfaction that had left its mark, making him briefly imagine that moment happening again.
Yet doubt continued to haunt him. Who was Rian in Valeri’s eyes, beyond someone bought with money?
Amid the turmoil of his feelings for Valeri, the image of Siska—the woman who always offered him sincere support and carefree laughter atop her beat-up motorcycle—never truly faded from Rian’s memory.
Several days later, Rian arranged a secret meeting with Siska in a quiet place. There, he told her the truth: Valeri wasn’t involved, and Siska’s name had now been completely cleared of all accusations.
Relief spread across Siska’s face, but when her eyes met Rian’s, a deep longing that could no longer be hidden shone in them.
Rian’s close presence rekindled the sparks of feelings that disappointment had once forced them to hold back.
They were no longer two innocent teenagers hesitating uncertainly; they were two adults tempered by life’s bitter and sweet experiences.
When Siska’s fingers touched Rian’s across the table, the thought of surrendering to their feelings swept powerfully through both their minds.
At that moment, Rian’s phone rang……