Chapter 5 RAY 5

Riana glanced at the beautiful circular watch on her wrist. She remembered that there was an important meeting scheduled for today that she needed to attend.

After Ahmed was proven guilty and served his prison sentence, the leadership of Aslan Group inevitably passed into Riana's hands. According to the law, Marwa was entitled to have full control over the company since all the assets of the Abdullah family came from Maryam Alattas, Marwa's mother who had passed away a long time ago.

However, Marwa chose Riana to continue running Aslan Group as she wanted to focus on developing her boutique business. Besides, Riana's education supported the position she was about to take.

"Good morning, Miss Riana. All the meeting participants are already gathered in the conference room," Tiara greeted as she saw Riana entering the Aslan Group building. Tiara was Riana's personal assistant, personally chosen by Ashraf.

"Okay, I'll head straight to the conference room then." Riana paused for a moment and turned to Tiara. "Please remember, don't call me 'Bu' (a polite title for 'Mrs.') anymore. Just call me Miss or something else, so it doesn't make me sound too old. I don't feel comfortable with it."

Tiara chuckled softly. It was indeed amusing to address the young Riana with a title reserved for older women. But there was nothing she could do; it was an office rule.

"But, if I don't address you properly, Miss, I might be seen as disrespectful, and I might get reported to Mr. Ashraf for breaking the rules."

Riana laughed in response and lightly patted Tiara's shoulder with her right hand. "It's okay, don't worry. Ashraf won't be angry. I'll take responsibility."

Tiara nodded understandingly, not arguing with the order Riana gave.

"Well then, Miss Riana, shall we go to the conference room?"

Riana resumed her confident stride toward the conference room, preparing to meet two business partners who were going to collaborate with her company.

However, when Riana entered the room, she was momentarily taken aback. Her eyes caught sight of a man she knew all too well. Without hesitation, she offered a smile as if she had been waiting for this meeting today.

"Miss Riana, these are the two partners who will present their business proposals to collaborate with our company," Tiara introduced, attempting to introduce each representative from the companies that would work with Aslan Group. "On the right is Mr. Andrew Prakasa, representing Kimia Medika. He manages the distribution of premium pharmaceutical products to International hospitals."

Riana nodded politely. "Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Andrew."

"And this is ..." Tiara continued. "... Mr. Daniz Oemar Alhabsyi. He represents Dexa Pacific, a company that distributes specialized pharmaceutical products for export to foreign countries."

Riana remained composed. For a moment, she was silent. Even when Daniz extended his hand to shake hands, she seemed reluctant to respond.

"Nice to meet you again, Miss Riana. It's been a long time since we last met," Daniz greeted. It was unclear if he genuinely meant it or if he was just being formal. "I hope you've been doing well."

Riana smiled somewhat bitterly. She wanted to curse or even shout at Daniz's face about the pain he caused with his past betrayal. But instead of replying, Riana just smiled and nodded. Then she calmly walked over to her usual seat.

Throughout the meeting, Riana admitted that she couldn't fully focus on listening to the presentations given by each representative. Especially when it was Daniz's turn to explain the collaboration model his company proposed. Her mind wandered somewhere else. She just wanted to end this meeting.

"Miss Riana," Daniz interrupted. He seemed to be aware of what was happening to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Riana replied, reflexively nodding in response. She struggled to maintain her composure, not wanting to show her true feelings. Daniz's presence today at her office reopened old wounds that she had painstakingly healed.

"Ehemm..." Tiara cleared her throat, seemingly trying to divert everyone's attention away from Riana. "Since all the presentation materials have been presented, it's time for Aslan Group to make an evaluation and decision." Once the situation had calmed down a bit, she then turned her gaze back to Riana. "What do you think, Miss Riana? Should we announce the decision right now, or do we need a few days for evaluation and negotiation?"

Riana shook her head gently. She thought she didn't need much time to make a decision today. "After hearing the presentations from our partners just now, I have decided to accept the collaboration today. For the signing of the MOU and other important matters, we'll do it in the next meeting."

Riana stood up, politely nodding and smiling at each meeting participant in the room. After finishing, without hesitation or engaging in further pleasantries, she chose to leave the conference room and go to the coffee shop located right next to the Aslan Group building. She thought it would be a good idea to calm herself down for a moment before continuing her work.

"Riana is so complicated and naive. She won't even let me sleep with her like you. She says it's a sin and not the right time yet. She's such a hypocrite. She agreed to be engaged to me just for the money. Who wouldn't like a loyal girl like her."

"I intentionally agreed to be arranged with her just for the money. Besides, who wouldn't like a loyal girl like her."

Riana took a deep breath repeatedly. As she sat there, lost in thought, instead of fading away, memories from the past resurfaced and played in her mind. What Daniz had said in the past now came back, unbidden.

"I'm sure you're not okay, Na," someone's voice snapped Riana back to reality. When she looked up, she saw Daniz sitting right across from her.

"I've finished my work. So, please don't bother me," Riana firmly stated.

Daniz smiled, the same smile he used to show Riana frequently in the past.

"Aren't you missing me?" Daniz suddenly asked. "Up to this moment, I still can't forget you, Na."

Riana grimaced. After being betrayed so openly, Daniz acted as if nothing had happened in the past. Was he suffering from amnesia, forgetting how his words and actions traumatized her?

"Why should I miss you? Besides, your life is none of my concern now," Riana replied.

Daniz shook his head, trying to refute what Riana said.

"No, I'm sure that up to this moment, you can't forget or even still love me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Daniz! We have nothing to do with each other anymore. So please, don't bother me again."

"But, Na, I still love you. I want to fix our relationship, or if needed, restart our engagement that was once canceled. Forgive me," Daniz pleaded. "

As Daniz attempted to reach for Riana's wrist lying freely on the table, another hand quickly intervened, pushing him away and pulling Riana to move away from him.

****

Rayyen's plane had just landed at Soekarno Hatta Airport. Instead of heading home to rest, he asked the driver to take him directly to the Aslan Group building. For some reason, he really wanted to meet Riana this afternoon.

Without giving prior notice, Rayyen confidently walked into the building, looking for Tiara to inquire about Riana's whereabouts.

"Is Riana in her office?" Rayyen asked as he met Tiara in the lobby.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Rayyen. Miss Riana is having her lunch break. She usually spends her time in the coffee shop next to the building."

"The coffee shop on the right side of the building?" Rayyen double-checked.

"Yes, that's right. You can follow her there."

"Okay. Thank you for the information, Tiara. I'll head there right away."

It didn't take long for Rayyen to find the coffee shop Tiara mentioned. Taking confident strides, the tall man walked in, scanning the area to find his future wife. Before long, he spotted Riana sitting in a corner of the cafe with an unfamiliar man.

Quietly, Rayyen approached them and overheard Riana seemingly arguing with the man in front of her. As he noticed the man trying to reach for Riana's wrist, Rayyen quickly stepped in, blocking his actions and pulling the beautiful woman to stand up from her seat.

"Kak (a term used to address an older brother), Rayyen," Riana addressed, clearly surprised by Rayyen's sudden appearance. "Why are you here?"

"I came to pick you up on purpose," Rayyen answered shortly. He then turned his gaze to Daniz, who was still seated. "Are you Riana's friend?" he asked.

Daniz stood up confidently and offered his hand to Rayyen. "I'm Daniz, Riana's ex-boyfriend."

Rayyen nodded in understanding, smiling as he shook hands with Daniz. "I'm Rayyen. Riana's future husband."

Daniz couldn't help but cough after hearing Rayyen's statement. He probably didn't expect that Riana, whom he had disregarded in the past, had now moved on and was even getting ready to get married.

"Oh, I see..." Rayyen continued. "I just want to warn you, never try to see Riana again. Especially don't ever dare to force her to get back together like you did just now. Remember, it will never happen as long as I'm still alive."

Without waiting for a response, Rayyen immediately guided Riana to leave. He took the initiative to drive her home, as he was sure that his future wife's mind was currently in turmoil.

Indeed, throughout the journey back home, Riana remained silent. Not a single word came out of her lips. Rayyen wondered what was troubling her mind, but he chose not to ask too much, trying to understand her without probing. Eventually, they arrived at Riana's residence.

"We've arrived," Rayyen said as the car came to a stop right in front of Riana's house.

Riana glanced briefly, then proceeded to unbuckle her seatbelt that was wrapped around her slender body. She then looked up, offering a smile to Rayyen.

"Would you like to come in, Kak Rayyen? Let's talk inside," she offered.

"No, I'll just go straight home. You should rest and calm your mind first."

"I apologize..."

"There's nothing to forgive, Riana," Rayyen interrupted. "You don't need to explain anything to me. I understand how you're feeling right now. After all, he's just your ex, right?"

Riana nodded slowly. She felt a tinge of guilt creeping into her heart. She was afraid that Rayyen might misunderstand, get jealous, angry, or even annoyed after seeing her sitting and talking with Daniz.

Throughout their relationship, Riana had never brought up Daniz or any past issues to Rayyen. It wasn't that she didn't want to be honest; she just felt that there was no need to discuss painful matters again.

"Yes, Daniz is my ex-boyfriend, Kak. An ex who caused me trauma. We were in a relationship for years, and it turned out he was just using me."

Rayyen sighed softly. He had intentionally avoided discussing this because he knew it would make Riana sad.

"Enough, we don't need to talk about it. You don't have to explain anything to me. You'd better rest now, take a shower, perform your prayers, and then rest. If you feel better later, don't forget to contact me."

Riana smiled. Perhaps what Rayyen said was true. She should take a short rest to calm her mind and repair her mood, which was affected by Daniz's actions.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in, Kak?"

Rayyen shook his head again. "No, I'll come here tomorrow. I'll take you to a celebration party held by one of our clients."

"A party?" Riana repeated.

"Yes, like a dinner event. Can you make it?"

Riana nodded confidently, accepting Rayyen's invitation. It was common for her to accompany him to various celebration parties and important event invitations.

"Okay, let me know what time I should pick you up. Anyway, Riana, you can go inside now."

The woman gracefully stepped out of the car. After making sure Rayyen's figure was out of sight, she decided to enter her house.