A Love Story: Defano Ribs

Defano Brahmajaya was struggling with sheets of paper that had been neatly packed in a dark blue folder with the company logo. He kept using the ballpoint pen in his hand to write something down. One sheet is finished, then it's on to the second, and so on.

If Mr. Afnan is the President of the company, then his son Defano is the CEO who will be the next successor of the company. Defano is Mr. Afnan's only son, so like it or not, Defano must be able to control business and office matters.

From the beginning of Defano entering college, he has been introduced and even equipped with the business world and also office problems by his father. Even so, it really doesn't matter because Defano is a reliable man. He graduated from college quickly and worked as the CEO of his father's company.

When he was still busy with the files, suddenly the gray door opened, showing a girl with long straight back hair that was deliberately dyed caramel and bangs on her forehead, combined with a cream flowery blose, a black short skirt above the knee, and shoes that matched the color of her cream shirt approached Defano with a brown sling bag on her shoulder.

The girl looked a little annoyed, as seen from her furrowed brow and the way she walked quickly until she stopped in front of Defano's desk.

"Honey, I don't want to know, we have to get married as soon as possible!" as if with a pushy tone, the girl expressed her heart that had been pent up.

Defano raised his head. Yes, he knew, and even knew very well that the one who had just come was his girlfriend. Their relationship had been going on for quite some time, since both of them were still in high school. Her name is Cherryka Jasmine. Defano placed his pen on the white paper and scooped up her face using his right hand. Afterward, he looked at the girl who was his girlfriend again.

"Cherry, can you see me now? I'm always busy with work, even I always come home at night. Sleep only for a short while and leave again in the morning to work. My world now is very different from the past when I was just a student or college student and there was always time for you,"

"Well at least postpone it, you promised me that time, do you want to break your promise huh?"

"I'm sorry, darling. I really can't. But if you really want, you can take care of all the wedding preparations first either now or tomorrow. I won't run away, I love you my dear, I will definitely marry you," Defano stood up from his sitting position and walked slightly to where his lover was standing, more precisely to the left of his lover, then he embraced his lover's narrow shoulders.

"Really? Just watch out if you don't marry me. My father always asks me about marriage, if you don't come home at all to propose to me, then..."

"Then what, dear?" Cherry turned her gaze in another direction. Defano was getting suspicious of what his girlfriend was hiding. His face noticed Cherry's expressions and gestures which he found strange. Cherry faced Defano and tried to answer him stammeringly.

"Just s-just... then my father will be angry and..."

"And... what?"

"And think you're not serious about this relationship, Def!" Cherry raised her voice slightly and faced Defano, so that the man in front of her would understand.

Defano nodded in response. Putting his hands into his pants and walking towards his chair again and sitting there while linking his fingers, placed to his chin, forming a triangle if the support of his two elbows was the table.

"Alright, we'll meet your parents first later," Defano coaxed. Instantly Cherry's eyes widened, and even her mouth opened in surprise that her boyfriend was actually doing what she wanted.

"Seriously?" Defano nodded with a smile.

"Yeay! Thank you, dear." Cherry immediately ran to hug Defano who was still sitting in his work chair.

_

On the other hand, there is a beautiful girl from New York who is working in one of the salons that has now been established for almost a year under her Auntie Dalmi. Aunt Dalmi herself also has a main salon in Los Angeles, California and will be busier there. So, for the salon in New York she left it to her niece, more precisely just managed. The girl's name was Hana Yunita. The salon Hana had set up in New York was a branch of her aunt's salon. She was just running it, but all the income was given to her and to share it with the employees as well.

As the business progressed, Hana's salon became more popular among the wealthy. Make no mistake, even though those who come are rich people, the salon Hana runs is still a salon for women only, both young and old. Even the 25-year-old girl never complains if clients ask for strange hair colors, because a woman always wants to try new things. There are those who want colorful coloring, there are also those who ask for a haircut but afterwards the original hair is reattached. Very troublesome isn't it? But Hana still serves patiently so that customers like it.

"Hi... Hana!" Greet one of the customers who have subscribed to Hana's 'Blossom' Salon. Hana, who was fixing the hair of the customer, immediately turned her head towards the girl and immediately her face was surprised to see the person she had known, not only knew again, but was a good friend.

"Naomi?"

The one who was called came closer to Hana who was fixing the customer's hair.

"I want it, curly hair but yes,"

"Ready, wait in this chair first," Hana pointed to the chair next to her customer.

"You still work at the wagyu restaurant right?" Hana asked.

"Still, but yes..."

"So what?"

"The pay isn't right, I feel like resigning."

"That Wagyu restaurant at the crossroads, right?" Said the other customer. Hana and Naomi immediately glanced at the customer and nodded in unison.

"Yes, it's there," Naomi was a little hesitant to say.

"Ah, my son also wanted to apply for a job there, but hearing the news from you, I think I'll just forbid it," Naomi glanced at Hana as if giving a code so that the customer would not reveal the matter.

"Emm... it's better to try it first, Auntie. Maybe it only applies to Naomi, not to new employees," Hana winked at Naomi a few times so as not to appear to be bringing down the restaurant where the girl worked.

"Ah ... the boss is really nice, he's just not nice to me because I made a mistake," Naomi tried to convince the customer not to be afraid anymore if her child worked there.

"Hmm, is that so?" The customer who was called Auntie also frowned.

"Yes... Well, this is finished, please go to the cashier to find out the total, Auntie," Hana displayed her sweet smile and invited the customer to immediately go to the cashier.

Just as one customer left and wanted to handle Naomi's hair, Hana's cell phone on the counter suddenly rang, displaying her aunt's name.

Tring~

Tring~

Tring~

"Aunt Dalmi?"

She immediately picked up the phone by sliding the green button to the right.

"Hello, what's up, Auntie?"

"......"

Hearing what her aunt had just said took Hana by surprise.

"Wh-what?"

.

A girl entered a famous cafe, Star***, wearing her long cream-colored outerwear, her hair was tied up because she was not used to having her hair in a ponytail. It would just feel uncomfortable to her. Who else if not Hana.

Hana searched for the whereabouts of the person who invited her to meet, her eyes looking around the room until she found the silhouette of her aunt who was waiting for her while sipping her coffee. She immediately walked over to the table and greeted her aunt.

"Auntie?" She looked up and saw her niece's beautiful face and fashionable appearance. Instantly her face brightened as the corners of her lips pulled back.

"Hana, come sit down first," her aunt ordered and Hana complied.

"What's wrong with you wanting to see me like this? I left the salon and no one is looking after it except the staff," Hana asks as she sits on the chair in front of her Aunt.

"No problem, Han. There's something important that Auntie wants to talk to you about, it's about that salon that you manage," Hana frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong with it, Auntie?" she hesitantly asked about the salon.

"Because you think it's getting a lot of visitors, you're going to make it bigger."

"You mean you're moving the salon?"

"No, dear. The salon will only be renovated and divided between the salon and the Wedding Organizer aka W.O," Hana's eyes widened in disbelief, as did her mouth which suddenly opened after hearing the idea from her Aunt. She immediately covered her gaping mouth with her right hand.

"What do you think, isn't it good? So, the income earned is not only from the salon, but also with W.O. And the profit will definitely be even more," Aunt Dalmi leaned her face forward right in Hana's face, even blinking her eyes a few times making the girl look at her a little strange.

"Yes, Auntie. But if it's renovated, won't it make it difficult for me to work?"

"No, my dear. For the time being, you can move to Los Angeles first. At Auntie's main salon, with your staff," Auntie Dalmi said lightly. Of course that made Hana think hard.

"Okay, I agree. But... please allow me to pack and tell the others first before moving to Los Angeles." Hana broke off with a facial expression that actually disagreed. But what else could it be? After all, the salon does belong to her Aunt. Inevitably, Hana could only obey.

_

Tonight, Defano kept his promise to have dinner together with Cherry's parents, more precisely only her father, her mother had passed away a few years ago. The atmosphere was so quiet, only the sound of spoons and forks clanking could be heard. Until the deep voice of the elder started the conversation.

"I heard, there is another purpose why Defano is here, is that true?" Cherry's father, Mr. Mirza, asked.

"Yes, Mr. Mirza. Actually, I want to propose to Cherry. We have been dating for a long time, in fact our relationship has been almost 4 years now. So we decided to just get married," Defano answered the question from Mr. Mirza.

Mr. Mirza immediately looked at Cherry to confirm whether what the young man on his left was saying was true or not. The position was Mr. Mirza sitting in the middle seat, Defano and Cherry sitting next to each other on his left, the right side deliberately empty.

"What is this, Cherry? You've never talked to Father about this before," Mr. Mirza with a puzzled look on his face. His daughter quickly nodded her head.

"Yes, Father. I want us to get married as we have been dating for a long time. We love each other, so please bless us, Father." Cherry looked happy with a smile on her beautiful face.

Mr. Mirza sighed, seeing his daughter's happy face made his heart melt, unable to refuse his daughter's wish. As a father, he cannot be selfish. Just seeing his daughter happy made him happy.

"All right, Defano. I will prepare for the wedding preparations later, but for makeup and W.O, it's up to you what you want," Mr. Mirza decided to end the conversation at the dining table.

Defano and Cherry looked at each other, they smiled because soon their relationship would go to a more serious level. Defano put his arm around his girlfriend's narrow shoulders.

"I can't wait for us to get married," Defano whispered right in Cherry's right ear. The girl smiled and put her index finger to Defano's thick lips.

"Hushh, I can't wait either," Defano removed Cherry's finger from his lips and hugged the girl's body.

SRETTT

The sound of a chair being dragged back made Defano release his embrace. He forgot that they were still being watched by Cherry's father.

"Ah... Sorry Mr. Mirza, I..." Defano's words were interrupted as Mr. Mirza interrupted him.

"No problem, but finish your food first, it's not good to eat while being intimate like that. Afraid of sprain later, hehe." Mr. Mirza tried to break the ice so it wouldn't be too awkward. He then walked towards the stairs, walking up them one by one while looking at the dining table, watching Defano and Cherry again from a distance.

"Don't think I'm nice, then I'll continue to be nice to you, Defano. You are the son of Mr. Afnan. That Mr. Afnan will never be my son, he's too proud of his wealth. I will avenge what your father has done in the past, Defano. Maybe here you are innocent, but I'm sorry, you have to suffer the consequences of all your father's mistakes. I will never approve of your relationship with Cherry." Mr. Mirza said, after which the middle-aged man whose hair had turned slightly white walked upstairs.

Meanwhile, at the dining table, Cherry eagerly and enthusiastically stuffed her food into her mouth.

"Honey, your father is very kind, I'm so comfortable,"

"You should come here more often, you'll definitely get to know what my father is like. Especially plus we've been blessed right, I'm very happy to hear that," Cherry continued to chew her food and a smile that did not fade from her lips. Defano nodded in response and put his arm around Cherry's shoulders.

"Let's eat some more, dear." Cherry was already preparing a bite for her boyfriend.

_

Hana walked towards her house while thinking about the salon that her Aunt was going to renovate. She only thought that if it was going to be renovated, she would have to move for a while. And if she moved, some of the things in her house would also be moved, like moving to a boarding house.

She just didn't want to leave her house. The house that has been a memory together with his parents in the past. Actually, it's the same if she moves or not because they both live alone. But, the heavy feeling that held her back was the memories. Memories together with her parents first.

Hana stopped right in the front yard of her house. Turning towards her own house and smiling.

"Is it true that I have to move from New York to Los Angeles? So far, I've never moved or visited outside any city. I've only encountered the city of New York since I was a child." She sighed, then lowered her head.

"I don't know, will the people in Lost Angeles be the same as here? Are they nice? Even though we are both Amerikas, every region is different. Either the attitude of the people or even the atmosphere will be different." Raising her head, Hana walked towards the large gate of her house. Opening the gate and entering the house with a slack face.

.

Hana had arrived in Los Angeles, Aunt Dalmi's main salon 'Blossom'. She knocked on the door of the mansion.

TOK! TOK! TOK!

Ceklek!

When the door opened, the first person Hana saw was Nanda. Aunt Dalmi's first child. With a smile on her face, Nanda invited Hana to enter the house. Auntie Dalmi's second child didn't live at home because she was studying in Chicago.

"Oh? You've come Hana. I've missed you so much," Nanda's facial expression was cheerful to welcome Hana as she hugged the girl's body briefly and held both of her cousin's shoulders.

Hana just smiled awkwardly because she was not close to Nanda before. There was no wind and no rain and suddenly Nanda was acting like they had been close for a long time.

"Ah... yes," Hana replied while stroking the back of her neck. She smiled so much that her eyelids were slightly closed.

"Come on in, let me help you carry it," Nanda walked ahead of Hana. Leading to the room her cousin would be staying in.

"Hana, from now on you'll be staying in the guest room here. If you need anything, just call me or Aunt Sindi." Hana nodded with a smile. After seeing Hana's response, Nanda exited the guest room, flashing her smirk.

_

In the main salon 'Blossom', there was now Aunt Dalmi who was giving an understanding to all salon employees that there would be a new member temporarily working with them, namely her niece named Hana. Just as she was explaining, suddenly the person she was talking about came and greeted them.

CRACK!

The sound of the door opening suddenly made all eyes on Hana's presence who was already showing an awkward smile because she didn't know them yet.

"Hello, sorry, I'm late," Hana who immediately bowed her body several times. The aunt who heard her immediately faced her body towards the door where Hana was currently standing.

"Hana? Thank goodness you're here. Let's join the breafing here," her aunt approached her, pulling her arm and introducing her to all the salon workers.

"This is the niece I was talking to earlier, I'm sorry she's a little late. But I'll make sure that she won't be late tomorrow and so on. She is only here temporarily anyway, the salon in New York is being renovated, so I asked her to go to my main salon first, later when the salon in New York is ready, then she will return there again," The other salon workers also nodded in understanding.

"Ah.. that's it. No problem, hopefully you feel at home here, we're all good really, hehehe," one of the salon employees excused Hana's delay. Hana nodded happily at that.

"Alright, now you can work, I have to talk to my niece first." Aunt Dalmi ordered the workers to return to their work. Hana immediately spoke to her Aunt.

"Aunty, actually..."

"What's wrong dear?"

"Actually... I still feel bad about leaving New York, I've never been out of town at all because there's no time just to go. The salon customers are also always there from morning to night. This is the first time I've been able to get out of town and I just feel weird," Hana tried to explain. Her understanding aunt smiled and nodded slowly. She knew that her niece was just as busy in New York as she was.

"Maybe you're just not used to it yet, Hana. If you get used to it, then everything will look normal," her aunt soothed Hana.

"But Auntie, I'm also actually comfortable at the salon in New York," Hana pursed her lips a little spoiled in front of her Auntie with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Han, you know, the salon in New York is being renovated to make it into two places, a salon and a W.O. It will also earn more than just a salon. Just imagine, every year, there will be people getting married, right? Well, that will be our big chance to get a lot of money. Because they get married also need a lot of preparation, of course in terms of clothes," Hana flattened her chin using her thumb and index finger. She thought of something so that her salon wouldn't become a W.O., but something else.

"Mmmm, what if it's not a W.O, but a boutique instead? Didn't you say that brides need clothes especially? Well, it's better to make it a place for a boutique specializing in wedding dresses, Auntie. Then we can also make a lot of profit because usually every couple's wedding dress is expensive," Hana advised her aunt. Aunt Dalmi herself was also thinking about what Hana had just said.

"Alright, I'll turn the salon into a boutique, it's all for your sake," knowing that, Hana immediately widened her eyes in disbelief.

"What? What do you mean for my sake?"

"Aunty will give the salon to you, child. The 'Blossom' branch in New York will soon be yours, Aunty will take care of all the paperwork in your name," Hana's tears unintentionally fell from her left eye.

"But Auntie, I can't depend on you all the time," Hana explained, feeling bad about depending on her Auntie.

"No, I already consider you like my own daughter, so don't be shy. Once the renovations are complete, the salon is officially yours," Aunt Dalmi touched both of her niece's shoulders.

"Auntie, you are so kind, I love you so much. You're like my mom," Hana hugs Aunty Dalmi's thin body sincerely, and vice versa.

"Don't be like that, when your mom and dad were still around, they were also good to Auntie. I just want to repay my debt of gratitude to your dead parents."

"But it doesn't have to be like this, Auntie. What about Nanda? Won't she be angry if Auntie gives the salon to me? Nanda is Auntie's biological daughter, I'm just afraid she won't agree with Auntie's decision," Hana was still hesitant and afraid that at some point Nanda would be angry with her.

"You just relax, if Nanda doesn't agree, I'll persuade her to agree," Aunt Dalmi smiles to calm Hana's heart.

"That's it, after this we go to your mom and dad's grave," Hana nods obediently.

"Yes, Auntie."

_

Defano was not so busy today, instead he approached his beloved to his office because he wanted to introduce her to his parents. Cherryka Jasmine works in a restaurant. Not as an employee, but as a boss who organizes and develops ideas for various dishes that are delicious and also look beautiful when served on a plate. She is currently teaching chefs to make new food creations that she has just discovered.

"So here's how to make it. You have to add a little sauce and shape it like this," Cherry taught and the other chefs looked on.

"You guys understand right?"

"Ah... so that's how it should be, alright, I'll practice, Miss Cherry," exclaimed one of the chefs among them who was watching Cherry make one of the European dishes with the light-looking food and sauce already formed on the plate. Cherry smiled and nodded in response.

"Yes, so it's like that."

While she was busy explaining, one of the waiters tried to tell Cherry that her boss's lover had come to the restaurant to see her.

"Miss Cherry, there is someone who wants to see you." As if she already knew who it was, Cherry immediately nodded her head once and walked quickly to the front of the restaurant to meet who was waiting for her.

A well-built man in an office-style suit stood behind her. She could see from his back that Cherry was sure that it was her boyfriend. Without thinking, the girl immediately lunged at the man's body.

GREP!

"Have you been waiting for me for long, Defano?" Cherry asked. The man widened his eyes in surprise.

"You still remember me, Cherry?"

.