A Baby for Mr. Hanzel

Knock..knock..knock..

Laura saw the man sitting in front of her, touching his fingers on the table several times. It had been almost half an hour, the two of them were in the same position and neither of them had started to talk. Laura just lowered her head, not daring to look at the man directly.

"What's your name?"

Finally, the man spoke and immediately made Laura startled. Laura raised her head and accidentally looked directly into the man's eyes, causing their gazes to meet for the first time.

"La.. Laura," answered Laura briefly, not mentioning her full name, namely Laura Manuella Ziel.

Laura swallowed harshly. She really wanted to ask again about the name of the man in front of her but she didn't have enough courage. Just hearing the man's voice made her tremble.

"Are you okay? Your face looks pale," said the man with a suspicious look as he watched Laura carefully.

Laura nodded her head quickly.

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered carelessly.

"Have you eaten?"

"Hm... not yet."

Laura saw the man exhale roughly when he heard her answer.

"What do you want to eat?" asked the man again.

Laura bit her lip when she heard the question. It felt like the man in front of her was the first person to ask what Laura had always wanted to hear from the person she loved. Laura looked at the menu for a moment then decided what she wanted to eat.

"Just cream soup, chicken sticks and mineral water," said Laura in a slightly low voice.

Laura saw a waiter taking her order. Oh! Laura didn't even realize when the waiter arrived. The waiter then took down the order of the man in front of Laura whose name Laura still didn't know, then the waiter left.

"My name is Jonathan Hanzel. You can call me, Hanzel." Hanzel's voice amazed Laura because it sounded so authoritative yet gentle.

Laura nodded her head for a moment but still didn't dare to raise her head. Since then, she hasn't seen Hanzel's face directly because she is embarrassed.

"Are you going to continue like that, lowering your head and not looking at me? Is that how you treat your future husband?"

This time Laura's eyes widened and she subconsciously raised her head so she could see Hanzel's face clearly. Laura immediately felt heartburn when she heard the words 'future husband'.

"Do you agree to this marriage?" Laura asked in a barely audible voice.

"If I didn't agree, I wouldn't have come here. That means I'm just wasting my time, right?"

Laura was silent when she heard Hanzel's answer.

"Is this okay with you?" Laura asked uncertainly while gently holding her stomach. She realized that Hanzel was watching her movements too.

"I already know that. You don't need to cover it up, let alone be shy. I don't mind anything as long as you want to marry me. Of course with several conditions. You understand, right?" Hanzel brought his face closer to Laura, indicating that what he was saying was serious.

"I understand. What are your conditions?" asked Laura, realizing that Hanzel also didn't want a long marriage with her, the same as what Laura wanted.

"My parents will be coming soon and they are asking me to get married soon. All this time I have lied to them by saying that I have a lover. So, I want us to get married after they come and if they are sure, we just have to arrange a way for them to allow us to separate later. Maybe for reasons of quite high incompatibility, quarrels or whatever. I hope this can be done as soon as we get married so we don't pretend for too long. How about you? What conditions do you propose to me?"

Laura took a deep breath then dared to look Hanzel in the eye.

"I want my ex-boyfriend to turn to me again. I'm sorry but I think you already know about my pregnancy. Maybe by seeing my baby later and our fake marriage, his heart will be moved to return to me and raise our baby together," said Laura, her voice trembling, holding back tears, but she tried to finish her sentences.

"Okay, I understand. I promise to help you too," said Hanzel in a tone that sounded so soft to Laura's ears.

Laura couldn't hold back the sadness in her heart. Without realizing it, tears fell down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away so Hanzel wouldn't see her sadness.

"Are you okay? Here's a tissue for you," said Hanzel while handing Laura a tissue, making Laura no longer able to hide her sadness in front of Hanzel.

"I know, maybe you've been feeling sad and depressed all this time. Moreover, you are currently pregnant and you might cover it up in front of everyone, including your boss, who is my good friend. I don't know how Danton scolded you at that time because you were negligent in your work. He told me about it and that's why I'm here."

"I understand. Mr. Danton already told me that he would introduce his friend to me." That was all Laura could say.

Hanzel was silent until the food they ordered arrived and they immediately ate it in a quiet atmosphere.

"So, what should I do next?" Laura asked to break the uncomfortable silence after they finished eating.

"I will immediately arrange everything related to our marriage. I hope that later you won't have anything to complain about because I didn't have time to discuss it with you again. So, later I will tell my people to pick you up if they want to meet you first or maybe we will meet directly on our wedding day. Do you mind my method?"

Hanzel's explanation sounded very fluent, it seemed like he had thought everything through clearly. He noticed Laura's expression, which looked a little surprised.

"It's okay, I don't have a problem. The important thing is that everything runs smoothly," answered Laura resignedly.

"Good. This is my handphone number. You can contact me if you have anything to ask or if you need anything, you can tell me." Hanzel handed Laura a business card containing his identity and Laura accepted it.

***

Since last night, Laura hasn't been able to sleep and now it's eight o'clock in the morning. She tried to swallow the food she had ordered online. The nausea was so strong that it was difficult for her to swallow food.

"My head really hurts to think about all of this," said Laura to no one in particular.

Since earlier, she has been holding the business card given by Hanzel. It only says the name, phone's number and company's name on it. Maybe that's the address where Hanzel works.

The image of Hanzel's face always appeared in Laura's mind.

"I will marry him. I don't know what will happen. I don't love him, I don't even know him. But I need a father for the fetus that is getting bigger in my womb. If Aldrick wanted to take responsibility... hiks... hiks..."

Laura was increasingly unable to contain her sadness. Her body felt weaker and less enthusiastic, but she had to survive for the sake of her fetus and her love for Aldrick who left her. So, what will Laura do now? Can she forget Aldrick by getting married while she is with Hanzel?

"How? Have you met her?" asked Danton, Laura's boss.

"Yes," answered Hanzel while looking at some of the data on his laptop. He didn't care at all about Danton's presence in his office because his friend kept talking.

"I'm sorry I didn't have another choice. She's the only one you might want to join into a contractual marriage with because she's pregnant without a husband. You need to know, before all of this happened, she was one of my best employees. She is a smart and articulate girl so her work is very good. If only she came from a rich family, I'm sure she could create her own company that was more successful than mine," said Danton at length while reminiscing about how Laura worked at her place.

Hanzel was silent for a moment while thinking about Danton's words which apparently caught his attention.

"Then why did all this happen to her?" He asked with a frown.

"I don't know how it works out there. I don't know where she often travels and so on, I also don't know about her romantic relationship with the man who had the heart to get her pregnant and then leave her. I tried to ask some of her close friends at the office but they didn't know either because Laura didn't want to tell me. She's very secretive and full of mystery," answered Danton.

"Hm, interesting." Hanzel whispered softly but could still be heard by Danton.

"What?"

"The case."

"Then, are you going to find out more about Laura?" Danton started to get curious. He really cared about Laura because Laura was an employee he could trust, but all of this suddenly happened and made Danton shocked.

When he was emotional because he found out that Laura was pregnant without a husband and it caused a stir in his office, Danton met Hanzel who was confused about finding an impromptu mate because his parents would visit him and ask him to immediately marry his girlfriend.

"I think so. Because she will be my wife."

"Yes, but it's only temporary. If your agreement has been fulfilled then you will separate. Don't care too much about it if you want." Danton felt bad because he introduced a pregnant girl to his best friend.

"No problem. No matter what, I have to treat her well," replied Hanzel, sounding sincere.

Danton just remained silent and nodded his head. He understands because since he knew Hanzel from childhood, Hanzel has always been kind. He hoped that in the future Laura would be nice to Hanzel, if not, Danton would really feel guilty towards Hanzel.

"Aren't you going back to your office?" Hanzel asked after a long silence and Danton wasn't as noisy as before.

"Eh? What time is it?" Danton looked at his watch which showed ten o'clock in the morning. He had been in Hanzel's office for two hours to ensure his best friend's meeting with one of his best employees last night.

"You better go back to your office because I have a lot of things to take care of this week."

"Do you need help? What is this? About your company? Maybe I can help you." Danton offered himself as if he had nothing to do in his office even though he also had a lot of business to do.

"No. I have many subordinates who can help me. Besides, I have to dive right in to make sure everything is according to my wishes."

Danton nodded his head.

"It looks like your company has a lot of clients," said Danton, who thought that Hanzel was busy working on his office matters.

"This is not about my company."

"So?"

"I'm planning about my wedding with Laura. If there are no obstacles, we will get married next week." Hanzel said casually as if this was no big deal to him.

Danton's eyes widened and his mouth felt open when he heard Hanzel's words.

"W-what? What did you say just now? Next week? Isn't that too fast, Hanzel?"

"Hm, indeed too fast. But I have no other choice."

"What are you really thinking? Did your parents ask you that quickly? I don't think your parents are that evil to sue you. I've known them for years and they are very kind to everyone. There's no way they'll treat you badly. Or, are you thinking about Laura's womb getting bigger? You don't need to be that worried about a girl who is pregnant with another man's child, Hanzel. I know you're going to marry her, but it's not like this. I really don't understand your way of thinking," said Danton at length, expressing the contents of his mind, which suddenly became dizzy because of Hanzel.

Hanzel just stared flatly at Danton. It was natural for his best friend to react like that to his sudden decision. Hanzel took a deep breath as he put together the best words, he could give Danton to explain the reasons behind all his decisions.

"I understand why you reacted that way. You're right, my parents weren't that evil. Laura's pregnancy is also not a big reason that I can use to speed up this marriage. You know, last night my mother called. Almost midnight. I was surprised because she didn't usually call at that time. My mother cried and told me that she had a cancer. She just got the results of her test yesterday and she hid them from my father because she was afraid something would happen to my father. So..."

Hanzel took another deep breath, pausing over all the sentences he had just said. Everything felt even harder, especially when he imagined his mother's voice on the phone last night.

"I understand now. For that reason, you fastened your marriage. I also don't know whether it's the best decision or not because you sacrificed your happiness. But hopefully, before everything happens, you can decide what's best for yourself. However, as a friend, I wish for your happiness, Hanzel." Danton's voice sounded resigned. He knew that Hanzel was currently in a difficult position.

"Thank you." That was all Hanzel could say in response to Danton's words. He didn't really think about his happiness at times like this.

Danton just smiled faintly as he said goodbye to go home, leaving Hanzel alone in the hope that Hanzel could think things through carefully.

Hanzel was silent for a while. He thought about everything, about his family, especially his mother, then about himself and Laura. He also thought about Danton's words about Laura earlier.

After a long time, Hanzel took out his handphone to contact someone.

"Hello, I'm Hanzel. Have you looked for the information I asked for? About Laura Manuella Ziel and her ex-boyfriend."

"........"

"Send it to me now."

Hanzel received an incoming email on his laptop, of course from someone he was calling. He turned off the telephone to read the information he got. After a few minutes of reading, there was something that made his brow furrow. He took his handphone back and called the same person.

"I have read it. I want you to find out more about the things I emailed you back. If this were true, I would have arranged my marriage sooner."

The sentence came out of Hanzel's mouth firmly. Who knows what information he has found that makes him more confident in making the decision to marry Laura. Hanzel's face looked serious even though no one saw it. What is Hanzel thinking? Will everything be carried out according to his decision?

"What is this? Tomorrow?" Laura was surprised when she saw a call from someone claiming to be Hanzel. After hearing his voice and style of speaking, Laura was sure that the person talking to her was Hanzel.

Yes! Since that meeting, Laura has not contacted Hanzel at all. Laura was busy with work and busy holding herself strong for the sake of her fetus.

"Yeah, just calm down. I've taken care of everything and you just have to come. My parents will come straight and meet us tomorrow. So, I hope we don't look awkward towards each other," said Hanzel, which made Laura even more surprised.

"That's not the case." Laura had difficulty forming words. Her head suddenly became dizzy, she was confused about how to form the complicated words in her mind.

"So what? Was everything too sudden for you? Oh yeah, sorry because I didn't contact you the last few days. I'm busy preparing everything. Are you okay?"

Laura fell silent again hearing Hanzel's questions. She was really confused.

"Laura? Are you okay?"

Laura didn't answer.

"Laura?"

Hanzel called again, making Laura wake up from her reverie.

"Eh? Yes." That was all Laura could say.

"Just hang up the phone. I'm about to arrive. Wait for me there," said Hanzel without waiting for an answer from Laura.

Laura blinked several times while looking at her handphone which was already dark.

Ting Tong! Ting Tong!

"Oh no! Don't tell me it's Hanzel!" Laura exclaimed to someone.

Suddenly, she felt heartburn because she imagined all the things that Hanzel suddenly said. With shaky steps, Laura walked towards the door of her apartment.

Check!

"Long time. Are you okay?"

Again and again, Laura remained silent. She stared at Hanzel without blinking. Yes! Hanzel was actually in front of Laura's apartment door.

"Can I come in?" asked the handsome man politely.

"Laura?" Hanzel called Laura again, this time Laura woke up because Hanzel brought his face closer to Laura.

"Yes." Laura answered slowly.

"Thank you," said Hanzel with a handsome smile. Really! This was the first time Laura saw the man smiling and... really handsome!

"Have you eaten?" Hanzel asked, awakening Laura from her thoughts.

"Yes," answered Laura briefly. She had indeed eaten, although only a little, because the nausea was quite severe.

Hanzel walked back through Laura's apartment until he found a sofa and sat there.

"Sit down. I want to talk to you. This time directly," said Hanzel seriously.

Laura was still silent but she obeyed what Hanzel said.

"I apologize beforehand for surprising you but that's me, I'm too busy to prepare everything and my parents will come tomorrow on our wedding day. I want everything to look natural. Tonight, my people will pick you up and you can stay overnight at my house so that tomorrow you won't be too tired. They will also check your health to make sure you are okay. And also, if you're tired, I hope you won't hesitate to tell me tomorrow. Is there anything you want to ask?"

Laura took a deep breath. Then shook her head. She had no choice because Hanzel was the man who wanted to marry her even though she didn't know what Hanzel would do next to her and the fetus in her stomach.

"No. For now, I'll just follow what you plan. Hopefully everything is fine," answered Laura. It really sounded resigned.

Hanzel smiled faintly. He knew what Laura felt. The girl must be very sad because the lover she loved left her, not to mention that she is now pregnant and has no attention from anyone, especially from the man she thought was impregnating her.

"You can tell me if you need anything, Laura. Don't be shy about me," said Hanzel again.

"No problem. I don't need anything," answered Laura again. She was indeed losing her desire to do anything. For some reason, the feeling she was feeling now was that she was reluctant to live, she didn't want to die. Yes! It suited her but still she had to move on with her life. Deep in Laura's heart, she still hoped that Aldrick would return to her.

"Is that a photo of your ex-boyfriend?" Hanzel asked off topic. The man saw a photo frame. There is Laura in the photo, looking so happy with her beautiful smile. Hanzel had never even seen Laura smile until this moment. Beside Laura, there was a man who was holding Laura's cheek.

"Yes," answered Laura briefly. Her facial expression turned sad when she saw the photo.

Laura hasn't thrown away all her photos with Aldrick and they are almost on every side of the room.

"Do you want to meet him?"

"Yes, actually it is. But since he found out about my pregnancy, he suddenly disappeared and the last message he said to me, he said that this child... this child is not his. Hiks.. Hiks.." Laura was unable to hide her sadness when her memory was brought to the heart-wrenching incident.

"Can you stop crying? I promise you, as soon as we get married, you will meet him," said Hanzel as he hugged Laura's tiny body and tried to calm his future wife.

"But-but, what if he still doesn't want to meet me?" Laura asked stammeringly. She imagined the bad attitude she would receive from Aldrick.

"Don't worry, Laura. I will keep you. I will make sure that he can't run away from you. I promise."

"Is all that true?" Laura asked.

Hanzel nodded his head as he released his hug from Laura, then he looked at the girl's eyes intently for a few moments.

"Yes! I promise. I don't know what that irresponsible man will say to you later, what's clear... I'll beat him up for making you like this. He is not worthy to be called a man."

"No, don't hurt him. I don't want you to hurt him. I love him. Hiks... Hiks..." Laura cried. She couldn't imagine if Aldrick was hurt when the man had hurt her so deeply.

Hanzel clenched his palms when he heard Laura's words. He was furious because the girl still had mercy on the man who had betrayed her. If only Laura knew what Aldrick actually did to her, maybe Laura wouldn't want to see that man again. Hanzel restrained himself to protect the secret that he had learned from the information he had obtained. It wasn't time to tell Laura everything.

"I understand. Stop crying. None of this will change the situation. You have to stay alive. At least for the sake of our child... I mean, for the sake of the child in your stomach. I will also look after him like my own flesh and blood," said Hanzel sincerely.

Even though he had tried to calm Laura down, he understood that Laura was still very sad. Hanzel vowed that if he met Aldrick later, the man would receive the reward he deserved. He'd better focus on his wedding to Laura tomorrow. Will everything run smoothly?