The warm, fragrant aroma of black coffee and the crisp scent of fresh paper filled the private office on the forty-fifth floor of the Pratama Group building. The glass-walled room was located directly beside Rayhan's main office, separated only by a short hallway and a thick stained-glass partition.
Clara Anindita set her laptop on the prepared wooden desk. Her slender fingers moved deftly across the keyboard as she reviewed the asset allocation draft her team had sent the night before.
"Clara, are we seriously going to be working here for a month?" Maya, one of the junior consultants on her team, asked as she gazed around with sparkling eyes. "The facilities here are insane. Our office is huge, the view looks straight over downtown, and the coffee machine is premium-grade."
Clara offered a faint smile without taking her eyes off her laptop screen. "Good facilities mean higher client expectations, Maya. Don't let your guard down. We have one priority: finish the audit before the deadline."
"You got it!" Maya chuckled softly before returning to her desk.
Clara drew a slow breath and leaned back against her ergonomic office chair. She knew exactly who was behind all these lavish, almost excessive amenities. Rayhan Pratama. That man always used power and luxury to control everything.
But to the Clara she was now, none of it meant anything. This room was simply where she earned a living to pay for her mother's treatment. Nothing more.
Click.
The glass door opened. Rayhan stepped inside accompanied by his secretary. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark dress pants. He looked casual, yet still radiated a powerful, commanding presence.
Every member of the consulting team immediately stood to greet him.
"Good morning, Mr. Rayhan."
Clara stood as well, offering him a perfunctory smile as she greeted him.
"Good morning."
Rayhan stopped directly in front of Clara's desk. His eyes traced her face, searching for any sign of discomfort or awkwardness at working so close to him. But all he found was pure professionalism.
"Good morning," Rayhan replied. His voice was low and deep. "I just wanted to make sure all the facilities in this office meet the standards required by the Nexus Advisory team. If anything is missing, just tell my secretary."
"Everything is more than sufficient. Thank you for the accommodations," Clara replied plainly. "Our team has already begun processing the initial audit data."
Rayhan clenched his hand inside his pants pocket. Clara's highly efficient, matter-of-fact attitude kept striking at his ego. In the past, whenever Rayhan visited Clara at work or at home, her eyes would immediately light up as she asked whether he'd eaten or whether he was tired.
Now, Clara did not even ask why Rayhan had chosen to place the consulting team on his executive floor instead of on a lower operational floor, as outside teams usually were.
"Good," Rayhan said coldly, trying to conceal the turmoil in his chest. "Regarding last year's financial reports, there are several physical documents stored in my private archive room. I want the team leader to pick them up personally this afternoon."
Maya and the other consultants exchanged brief glances, realizing there was something odd about the CEO's request. Retrieving physical documents from an office was usually a staff member's or secretary's job, not that of a senior consulting team leader.
Clara, however, showed not the slightest sign of refusal. Her expression remained calm and impassive.
"All right, Mr. Rayhan. I'll come to your office at two this afternoon to collect the documents," Clara replied without hesitation.
Rayhan watched Clara for several more seconds, trying to find the slightest crack in the woman's defensive wall. But Clara continued to stand straight, her gaze level and politely composed.
"I'll be waiting," Rayhan said curtly before turning and walking out of the room.
As soon as the glass door closed again, Maya approached Clara's desk anxiously. "Clara, I don't know why, but something feels kind of strange. Mr. Rayhan seems really stern, but the way he looks at you... I don't know. It's like he's paying very close attention."
Clara gave a small chuckle as she casually straightened the stack of papers on her desk. "He's the perfectionist, controlling type of leader. That's normal for a major client like the Pratama Group. What's important is that we get our work done."
"Oh! I see," Maya said, nodding earnestly.
Clara sat back down in her chair, her fingers dancing over the keyboard once more. Beneath her utterly calm exterior, Clara reflected quietly. She knew exactly what Rayhan was trying to do. He wanted to assert his dominance, to provoke emotions or memories of the past from her.
But Rayhan didn't understand. Clara's heart no longer held any resentment or anger he could provoke. The love that had once burned fiercely within her had died and frozen over, replaced by a single, unwavering resolve: to survive and heal her mother.