Chapter 3 The Charm of a Handsome Man

In the morning, Hera was seen getting off the bus in the Sudirman area of central Jakarta, Indonesia, wearing sporty clothes. She walked confidently with a backpack on her back towards one of the buildings in the central business district.

Upon arriving in the lobby, she headed to the receptionist and inquired about the location of the secretary's office. The receptionist asked for her name and purpose, and Hera answered all the questions.

While waiting for the receptionist to finish a phone call, a sleek black car parked outside caught everyone's attention, including Hera's. A handsome, tall, and charismatic man, the new CEO, stepped out of the vehicle. Everyone was mesmerised, including Hera, who secretly admired his charm. However, she refocused on her purpose in the office.

As King passed by, he didn't spare a glance at her, but everyone else in the room had their eyes on him. "Excuse me, miss?" Hera called the receptionist, who was still awestruck by King's presence. "Oh, yes, sorry, Miss Hera. You're expected to be in Wina's secretary's office. Come, let me escort you there," she said.

Hera followed the receptionist to the elevator and pressed the button. They arrived at their destination floor. The receptionist directed Hera to Wina's secretary's office on the left. Hera followed the instructions and found herself in front of Wina's office.

She knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in." She entered the room where Juyan, the bodyguard, and Wina, the secretary, were present. They welcomed Hera and gestured for her to sit.

Juyan explained to Hera that the room she had designed was the CEO's office. Hera opened her laptop and displayed her interior design work. Unsurprisingly, she realised that the CEO's office belonged to a man. She had assumed she was designing a space for a female CEO due to the girly impression of her design.

Suddenly, Hera felt a knot in her stomach and excused herself to the restroom at the back of the large room. After coming out, she intended to return to the office. However, someone called her. "Hey you," Hera glanced in the direction of the voice and was shocked to see the handsome man she had seen in the lobby.

Hera looked around to confirm if someone else was being addressed. "Yes, you, I'm talking to you!" he said firmly. "Me?" Hera was surprised. "Yes, you. Is there anyone else here? No, right?" King snapped angrily.

"You're the office girl, right? Make me coffee, hurry up! And make sure it's perfect, or I'll fire you!" he said, growing angrier.

"But I ..." Hera tried to respond, but King's intimidating words made her nervous. She quickly went to the pantry she had passed on her way to the restroom and made coffee for King. When she finished, the regular office girl, who usually worked in the CEO's office, returned to the pantry. Wina had asked her to buy chicken porridge for her.

Hera handed the coffee to the office girl and explained that the most handsome man in the building had requested it. "She thinks I'm an office girl here," Hera said. "Maybe because you're dressed sporty," the office girl replied. "Could be," Hera thought to herself.

They parted ways in front of King's office. Hera walked away and returned to Wina's office. Meanwhile, in the CEO's office, the office girl placed Hera's coffee on the table per King's order. King didn't glance at her and focused on the reports before him.

He sipped the coffee slowly. "Why does this coffee taste familiar?" He tried to leave his office and find the person who made the coffee, but he couldn't find her.

King recalled his memories; the taste of the coffee he was drinking was just like the one Gladis used to make for him. He was curious about the woman who made the coffee, but he couldn't see Hera's face as she had her back to the CCTV.

Hera returned to discussing the interior design details with Juyan, informing him of the requirements to start designing King's office. Juyan also mentioned that the materials would be ready the next day, and the work was scheduled to begin the following morning.

The next day, Hera returned to the Quality TBK company by city bus. She went straight to the top floor. Following Juyan's previous instructions, several people assisted her in designing King's office.

She stayed up all night to complete the mini apartment design within King's office. Finally, at 4 a.m., she finished her work and immediately sent the design to Juyan's email.

Lunchtime came, and Wina invited Hera to have lunch together. They enjoyed the chicken noodle soup Wina had ordered through an online food delivery service. Suddenly, Juyan appeared at the door, about to enter Wina's office.

"Good afternoon; sorry to disturb your lunch, but I need a moment with you, Miss Hera." Hera immediately stopped eating and followed Juyan out of Wina's office. She followed him into a room.

Juyan asked her to sit, and Hera complied. He displayed Hera's design on a large LED screen in the room and looked at Hera with scrutiny. "Miss Hera, where did you know that Mr King likes the colours peach and brown?" he said. Hera was instantly confused by Juyan's words. She explained that King was the new CEO of Quality TBK, and she had designed the room thinking it was for a female CEO. She insisted that her design was her creation without any external influence. "If Mr. King is not satisfied with my design, you can find someone else to design his office," Hera said, frustrated by the accusation of plagiarism. She opened her laptop and sent a soft copy of her design to Juyan's email. "Please check your email later. Excuse me," she said before leaving.

In another room, King was infuriated by Hera's words. "Such arrogance!" he thought. Secretly, he watched the argument between Juyan and Hera through CCTV, but he couldn't see Hera clearly because she had her back on the camera.

Hera hurriedly left the Quality TBK company and headed to a nearby park, where she started to cry. She realised how difficult it was to gain the trust of others.

Unbeknownst to her, there was someone else in the park: Fred, a young manager working in one of the companies in the business district. "Hello, miss, why are you crying?" he asked, offering his handkerchief to Hera. Hera was surprised and wiped her tears with her fingers. "Use this," Fred pulled Hera's hand and placed his cloth in her palm. Hera wiped her tears again with Fred's handkerchief.

"I won't ask why you're crying, but sometimes shedding tears can make us feel better," he said. "Thank you, sir," Hera replied politely and tried to return the handkerchief to Fred. "Keep it. You might still need it," Hera simply nodded.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fred," he said, extending his hand to Hera. They introduced themselves,