Chapter 4 The CEO Who Loves to Date

I delivered coffee and some sweet treats to Mr. Malik. He was reading his 2022 annual financial report when I entered his office.

Her face was beaming with joy as last year's sales achievement reached one hundred and fifteen percent of the company's target, with sales growth 37.7% higher than in 2021. This was influenced by the many entrepreneurs who had established new brands in the cosmetics and skincare sector, and they entrusted their production to Pecitra.

"Alba... sit down!" He closed the report and looked at me.

"Yes, Sir." I sat on the sofa which was not far from the door.

Mr. Malik came to me carrying a file containing the data of single women that I gave him a few days ago.

"I might need to spend a hundred years dating them." He sat down beside me.

"I don't want to waste years of dating." He pointed at me. "You schedule meetings with them. Set them for seven in the morning, at lunchtime, and at eight at night, every day."

He returned to his desk, sipping his coffee. "Beyond that, schedule one woman every thirty minutes from eight in the morning to seven at night on weekends."

Oh my God!

I wondered what Mr. Boss really went through. He was just a human being who cared about nothing but money and his company. Why did he become so concerned with blind dates?

Maybe the boss be celebrating his company's success by having fun with the ladies? Or perhaps he was trying to reduce his risk of prostate cancer later in life?

***

In accordance Mr. Malik's orders, my days became extremely busy due to my additional work as an impromptu matchmaker. On Monday, my boss met with Sinta, Shandy, and Sherly. On Tuesday, he met with Mikha, Marsha, and Monica. And so on until my boss found the right woman.

Arranging dates between Mr. Malik and the women of his choice had to be done carefully, lest they find out that my boss was going on blind dates three times a day like taking medication.

There was one more thing that was no less important, I had to make sure that Mr. Malik remembered the personal data of the women he meet according to the schedule, didn't let him forget just their names, let alone got one woman mixed up with another.

***

Two weeks into my role as Cupid's warrior, my body felt like it was going to collapse. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion, but also the moral burden of having to stand on both sides.

On the side of Mr. Malik, my superior, there was a pressure to successfully match him with the ideal woman who met his criteria. As for Mr. Malik's female partner, deep down, I felt guilty for matching her with a man who was inexperienced with women and therefore didn't know how to behave properly.

I was utterly exhausted because Mr. Malik's personal assignments haven't yielded satisfactory results. Of all the women I've arranged dates with him over the past two weeks, not a single one had managed to capture the CEO's heart.

"Oh my God! Where else am I supposed to find a woman for Mr. Malik? The list of names is already finished." I covered my face with the paper containing the list of women.

"Your words are truly extraordinary. If others were to hear me, they would surely think I'm a metropolitan lecher." He threw away the paper covering my face.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest because Mr. Malik was positioned directly behind my desk. The shock he caused was as intense as seeing a ghost in broad daylight. Furthermore, Mr. Malik's words sounded like thunder amidst a volcanic eruption.

"Sir...!" I got up from my chair.

"Why..." Mr. Malik stepped forward and sandwiched my body between himself and the table. "You look really nervous?"

Who wouldn't be nervous when such a handsome man is standing so close to me? He even pressed his body against mine, pressing us together. To avoid unnecessary physical contact, I lowered myself onto the table and accidentally knocked over the picture frame on it.

"Who is he, Al?" The boss pointed to the picture frame that had been knocked over.

"Oh, this is..." I pushed Mr. Malik away and picked up the picture frame in question. "He's my husband, Sir."

His right eyebrow raised, and his face turned slightly. "You guys married underage?" He looked at me again.

"What do you mean?" I thought his brain had a little damage.

"You've been working for me for ten years, and you've never asked for a leave of absence, right?" He snatched the frame from my hand.

The boss stared intently at the portrait of the man there. A handsome man, scattering confetti for himself on the red carpet. Who knows what was going through his head that prevented him from blinking.

"Call the Finance Manager to my office... now!" The CEO returned to his office with a photo of my 'husband' with him.

***

"Alba!" Aulia exclaimed. The woman had just emerged from the CEO's office. She walked over to the chair where I was sitting.

"Did you know?" She leaned over and whispered in my ear. "The boss asked when you're getting married."

"How would I know when I'll get married, I don't even have a husband to be." I rolled my eyes.

Aulia got up and leaned against the table. "Then I said, 'I don't know, Sir. Alba hasn't given me an invitation yet.' And do you know what he did after that?" The woman was very enthusiastic.

I didn't say anything, just shook my head.

"He gave me this." Aulia showed me the portrait of 'my husband' that Mr. Malik had brought a few moments ago. "Then I said, 'This is my husband, isn't he handsome, Sir?' But then he got annoyed." Her face looked confused for some reason.

***

A moment ago, I heard something from the CEO's office...

"Alba said earlier that this man was her husband, and now you're claiming he's yours. Are you playing with me, or are you two really sharing a husband? You have to answer properly if you don't want me to transfer you to Sulawesi," Mr. Malik shouted at Aulia.

"Sir... don't, Sir, please," Aulia pleaded with the CEO, but the man refused to speak. Even though I couldn't see him directly, I could feel his eyes sparking with lightning bolts containing static electricity.

"What's his name? What does he do for a living? Where does he live?" Mr. Malik demanded answers like a father interrogating a prospective son in law.

"His name is Jin, Sir. He's a singer and lives in South Korea. Actually, the man in the photo is just our imaginary husband," Aulia explained.

***

"Morning, Miss Alba!" It's Dian, a staff member of the Finance Department.

The girl's call brought me out of my reverie as I waited for the coffee machine to brew. My mind was consumed by questions swirling around about which another woman I should match Mr. Malik with.

"Morning, Dian. What's up?" I saw her carrying a lot of things, so I assumed she was going to be selling things in the office area.

"Ma'am, just take as much as you want. This is the leftover cake from my engagement last night," she said.

I was wrong. Sorry, Dian.

"Congratulations, I'm happy for you. I hope everything goes smoothly until the big day." I gave my best smile.

"Thank you so much, miss. I actually didn't expect him to propose to me so soon," he said.

Oh, this woman! I was having a hard time finding a partner for Mr. Malik, but you're showing off yours. How cruel!

"Oh, really? Why is that?" I asked.

Not going to lie, I was curious about what she was doing. Maybe I could use the same method to find a woman for Mr. Malik.

"Honestly, we've only known each other for three months, so when he proposed to me, I almost couldn't believe it," she said.

I didn't care what I had to learn, as long as I had the method she used to find a life partner.

"Dian, how did you meet your fiancé?" I asked probingly.

***