Chapter 3 PART 3

Part 3 - Loyalty is Indeed Admirable

At the end of the month, it was a busy day for Anindya. She had to close sales and calculate sales commissions for each salesperson. Until lunchtime arrived,

"Hey Nin, want to have lunch together?" Novi, Anin's colleague, entered her office.

"Just go ahead, I'm still caught up here." Anin didn't even look in Novi's direction, busy studying her computer screen.

"Alright then." Just as Novi was about to leave the room, she turned back to Anin.

"Hey, Nin, there's a handsome guy in Mr. Hendar's office. The sales promoter here has been going back and forth to check him out."

"Hmmm." Anin just cleared her throat. Novi shook her head, knowing that Anin was in her zone, and she wouldn't care even if there was a commotion outside, except maybe for an earthquake.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave a message?" Novi asked again. Anin simply waved her hand, signaling for Novi to leave immediately.

Anin was still busy cross-referencing data on the paper she held with her computer screen when she heard someone entering the room. Irritated, Anin complained,

"Oh, Nov, can't you just leave me alone!" Anin put down her files and looked towards the door.

"Oops, sorry, am I disturbing?" A well-dressed man smiled at Anin.

"Wait, Mr. Setia?" Anin hadn't anticipated at all that Setia would be the one entering her room.

Anin quickly tidied up the documents on her desk. When she worked like this, her desk was always full of papers, to the point where she sometimes struggled to find her pen that seemed to disappear somewhere.

"Busy as always, Nin?" Setia entered the room.

"Why is Mr. Setia here? Oops." Anin reflexively covered her mouth.

"Sorry. I mean, is Mr. Setia here for a meeting or..."

"Yes, I usually meet with your boss, but by the way, am I bothering you?" Setia glanced at Anin's desk, which had been a mess as if hit by a storm. Anin had a habit of not keeping her workspace tidy when working.

"Mmm... no, not at all, Mr.. Besides, it's already lunchtime." Anin glanced at her watch.

"Well, that works out nicely then. How about having lunch together? Do you know a good place?"

Anin seemed to have misspoken. In this situation, she couldn't refuse, or she might come across as arrogant.

"I think I'll just eat near the office, Mr.. How about that?"

"Sure, that works, as long as I can be with you." Setia smiled.

Anin sighed as she walked out of the room, noticing that the area in front of the office was empty. If not, there might be gossip. She didn't like being the subject of gossip. If she joined in, who knows what might happen?

She chose a somewhat quiet cafeteria to avoid meeting her coworkers, especially Novi, who was overly curious.

They ordered grilled chicken, Anin's favorite dish.

"How long have you been working here, Nin?" Setia asked.

"Umm... it's been almost three years, Mr.. Luckily, my boss is nice, so I feel comfortable."

"Who picks you up when you work like this?" Setia asked.

"A Gojek driver, hehehe." Anin said while taking a bite of her chicken.

"If I pick you up later this afternoon, how about that?"

Anin struggled to swallow the chicken she was eating. She quickly grabbed her water. Did she hear correctly? Setia wanted to pick her up?

"Does Mr. Setia need something from Mr. Arvin or your dad? Or..."

"Mr. Setia's need is with you, that's why I'm picking you up. As for my dad, that might not be necessary yet, we're taking it step by step." Setia spoke while eating heartily.

Anin frowned. Now she was the one who lost focus. Was she slow to catch on, or was Setia's way of speaking just...

"Let me pay, Nin. After all, I'm the one who invited you to lunch." Setia said as Anin was about to take out her wallet.

Anin was getting ready to head back to the office.

"Is Mr. Setia still needed at the office, or are you heading back now?" Anin asked.

Anin secretly hoped that Setia would just go back to the office, rather than accompanying her.

"I still need to be at your office, there's something I need to discuss with your boss," Setia replied.

Anin swallowed hard, hoping that the office was still relatively empty.

They walked side by side into Anin's office. Anin noticed from a distance that the office was bustling with other employees. She walked a bit ahead, hoping that nobody would think anything of it. It would be disastrous if it got out that Anin returned to the office after having lunch with a man. She could still hope that she might run into Setia at a corner or while entering the office. Well, Anin could only hope.

Anin smiled at her colleagues who looked at her with questioning eyes, especially Novi. But Anin made sure there were no office gossips about her. She had to walk calmly, take slow breaths, and relax as she walked. However, when passing her boss's office,

"Nin, I'll pick you up later this afternoon, don't forget!" Setia called out to Anin from behind.

Anin immediately stood up straight and turned her body to face Setia.

"Y-yes, Mr.." Anin smiled as sweetly as she could manage.

It seemed Anin had to accept that the gossip about her was about to start. She dropped her head onto her desk.

"No, Nov, I don't have any kind of relationship with Mr. Setia."

"Mr.? Mr.? Everyone at the office calls him Mr. Setia, not Mr... SETIA," Novi said as if giving a speech.

Anin covered her face.

"Then what was that, huh? I heard him call you 'Nin.' It felt like you two are already close."

Anin was getting more frustrated with Novi, and she threw a pen in her friend's direction.

"Gossip, always gossip... They really love using me as the subject."

"Sweetie, who wouldn't get annoyed by that? Let me tell you. Everyone in this office, when Mr. Setia comes around, they all get curious, want to see him. He's young, good-looking, with a high position. I think I've chatted about him with you before, gossiping about him, and here you are, acting all clueless, surpassing even the most naive person, spending lunch together and leaving the office together. Oh my... I've been out of the loop on the gossip."

"Well, I didn't know that the person you were talking about was the same Setia." Anin muttered.

"By the way, where did you get to know Mr. Setia? Why didn't you ever mention it to me?" Novi chattered, emphasizing her words when saying 'Mr.'

"He's a friend of Mr. Arvin, Wina's husband. How would I know that he's the guy you like to gossip about? Besides, I can't even remember the names of the people you make a fuss about."

Anin never cared about office gossip, especially about guys. Because she had Arjuna in her heart, so why waste time gossiping about other guys? It's different with Novi since she's a true singleton.

"Are you trying to get close to Mr. Setia? What about your beloved Arjuna? Where does he fit into this?"

"Ugh, Novi, who's trying to get close? I'm still with Arjuna. He's just picking me up because there's something he needs to discuss with Mr. Arvin."

Novi looked at her friend skeptically.

"It's true!" Anin insisted, looking at Novi earnestly. She had to play it safe since Novi was the type to ask more and more bizarre questions.

Novi gave a sly smile, trying to believe Anin even though she still had her suspicions. On one hand, Novi was certain that Anindya wouldn't easily turn her heart away because Novi knew about Anin's feelings and hopes for Juna.