Chapter 5 Don't Refuse Me

Talking with Dian gave me a well of inspiration. If Mr. Malik agreed with the idea, my work would run more smoothly without any significant obstacles.

"Sir, I have something to tell you," I said, after delivering coffee and snacks to the CEO's office.

Mr. Malik didn't respond. He was busy with the signed documents in his hands. Damn it! I would have loved to smack his head to make him focus on me.

"SIR!" This time my voice was louder than before, making the boss sigh and close the document.

"Alba! I'm not a ceremony instructor you need to shout at," he scratched his hair in frustration.

"Just speak normally!" He pointed to his left earlobe. "My eardrum is still vibrating normally, you know! What do you want to talk about?"

Before I got to the main point, I took a cake and fed it to Mr. Malik. "Is it good, sir?"

No words came out of his mouth. His lips seemed to be pursed.

I was tired of the CEO's silent reaction. He just nodded with a confused expression. I wanted him to make a sound, or I'd go crazy talking to myself.

"This is Dian's engagement cake," I said.

I took out my cell phone. "Did you know? She met her fiancé through an app?"

I opened the dating app Dian used and showed it to Mr. Malik. "I've set up your profile. All you need to do is swipe right on the profile of a woman who matches your criteria."

I was so grateful at that moment that God had given me such a brilliant mind. My handsome boss must have loved my brilliant work ethic.

"Thank you. I'll check it out after I get the call." He waved me off, motioning me to leave the room.

***

"Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?" I asked, answering the intercom from the CEO's office.

"Cancel all my schedules for today, then book the closest flight to Singapore. You'll come with me!" Mr. Malik ordered.

"Yes, sir. I'll reschedule your schedule, book flights to Singapore for two, and arrange for a car to pick you up at your destination airport," I replied.

I was thrilled to be traveling abroad for free. This would be fun, I thought.

***

Upon landing in Singapore, we headed to one of the country's major hospitals. Upon arrival, Mr. Malik immediately headed to one of the VIP rooms.

Before entering the patient's room, Mr. Malik stopped in front of the door. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Mom..." Mr. Malik spoke to the woman lying in the patient's bed. She laid weakly, with an IV drip and a respirator by her side.

"How are you feeling, Mom?" Mr. Malik asked, holding his mother's hand.

"Rara... I'm fine," she said, then looked at me. "Who is this woman?"

Mr. Malik pointed to me. "This is Alba, Mom. My secretary."

I nodded to the woman. She was Mrs. Susan, the mother of my boss and as well as the owner of Pelisia.

In the ten years I worked for Mr. Malik, I had met his mother several times, but we had never spoken in person. So, it was natural that she didn't recognize me.

"So, you're just a secretary?" The woman looked disappointed.

She scanned me from head to toe, then shifted her sleeping position, facing away from her son. "I thought you were my future daughter in law," she muttered.

It was then that I realized the reason Mr. Malik was trying so hard to date was because his mother was demanding that the man give her a daughter in law. I felt like I was watching a live drama.

"How can she be your daughter in law if you're already so unenthusiastic about meeting her as a secretary?" Mr. Malik took a glass of water from the table and handed it to his mother.

"If I introduced Alba as your future daughter in law, I'm sure you'd reject her outright," he said.

Only because I was just a corporate slave, they talked about me as they please. They compared me to a secretary and a future daughter in law. They thought I'd be willing to be part of their family, just dreaming.

Who would want to be the wife of a weirdo like Mr. Malik? He's inconsiderate and insensitive to women's feelings. If any woman were willing to marry him, she'd be a dog.

I sensed an unpleasant premonition in that room. I felt utterly uncomfortable being there, as the mother and his son gossiped about me in front of me.

"How could that be!" Mrs. Susan shouted.

"I'm not some old-fashioned rich woman like in the dramas," she continued.

Mr. Malik turned to me, then used his glance as he looked up and then glanced over his right shoulder as a signal for me to stand beside him. I had no choice but to follow his instructions.

I felt like I'd been electrocuted as Mrs. Susan's son grabbed my waist as soon as I was beside him. I tried to break free, but Mr. Malik only held me tighter.

"Mom, Alba and I are actually in a relationship." This time, his left-hand gripped mine.

The quiet patient room turned into Pelisia's son's playground, with the 101-decibel noise assaulting my ears. I couldn't help but wonder what demon possessed my boss to suddenly tell a lie.

"I'm sorry I kept our relationship a secret. I was afraid that Mom wouldn't approve of us because of our family backgrounds." Mr. Malik leaned his head on my arm.

I couldn't help but gasp. I had to smack the man next to me on the head to make him come to his senses and stop recklessly bringing my name into his family's affairs.

The moment this man told me to find a date was still fresh in my memory. No matter how unsuccessful any woman became, it didn't mean I had to be the one to blame. It was his fault that he had such unique tastes in women, or maybe he just didn't have any taste in women, who knows.

"Is what my son said true?" Mrs. Susan asked me.

"No!" I said bluntly.

"NOT WRONG!!" Mr. Malik immediately snapped at my words. He signaled for me to shut up and nod.

***

Mr. Malik took me to a luxurious restaurant located on the 39th floor of a rooftop building. There, we could watch the beautiful sunset over the Singapore skyline. As night fell, diners would enjoy the city's skyline, with its tall buildings showing their charm.

The shade of the rooftop, filled with shady plants, created a sense of calm. They could experience the natural beauty of the city center, as if they were in two different environments at once.

"What did you mean by saying that to your mother?" I slammed my fist on the table.

Even though Mr. Malik had taken me to a restaurant that was truly pleasing to the eye, I wouldn't budge. He had trampled on my dignity as a professional worker by calling me his girlfriend. Worse yet, Mrs. Susan had immediately demanded us to get married.

"Just as you heard," he said, then devoured the spicy lobster as if he felt no guilt towards me.

I stared into his eyes sharply. "I'm not willing." My anger was at its peak.

"One year... just be my wife for one year, then we can sign the divorce agreement, how about that?" he asked.

This guy must be joking. I didn't even want to get married, let alone divorce.

"I don't want to," I replied firmly.

I looked away, didn't want to look at his face. Meanwhile, he clenched his fists as he took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply.

"There's no refusal, you have to do it. Remember the employment agreement you signed? It said you were willing to carry out personal tasks for your boss if needed." The boss smiled triumphantly.

When I signed the agreement, I thought the personal duties referred to would only involve taking care of my boss's clothing and food needs. Unexpectedly, the bastard sitting comfortably in front of me would use this clause to trap me into marriage. How ridiculous.

"That doesn't make any sense at all! If you want to get married, you can marry one of the women you dated a few days ago," I suggested.

Don't expect me to give myself up to a loveless marriage!

"There was no one who suits me," he replied lightly.

I turned on his phone and showed Mr. Malik the screen. "You can still find someone else through the dating app I told you about this afternoon."

"No way," he pushed my hand away.

Ugh... this guy is so difficult to negotiate with. I desperately tried to think about what to do to get him to give in. Threatening him to pretend to commit suicide might work.

"I'd rather die than marry someone I don't love." I stood up and walked to the edge of the building's roof.

"Five percent," he said.

I stopped in my tracks after hearing Mr. Malik's words.

"I'll give you five percent of Pelita Lestari's shares," he whispered, sounding very close as he hugged me from behind. "Don't refuse me again, okay?"

***