"Marry my daughter and sign this agreement!" said Mr. Mattew to Axell.
"But sir...""I don't like being argued with; come to my house on the tenth. The money will be transferred to your account. Now please get out of my room!"Axell could only be dumbfounded by thoughts that went nowhere. He didn't know what was wrong with Mr. Mattew's daughtet that Mr. Mattew was forcing him to marry.There was no other choice but to marry Mr. Mattew's daughter; otherwise, bad luck would lurk. Meanwhile, he has to support his mother, who is currently sick.After leaving Mr. Mattew's room, Axell went straight home. He even refused to work overtime today."Mom, Axell is getting married." Axell immediately told Mrs. Ania that afternoon.Axell couldn't keep the problem to himself. For him, marriage was no joke.Although Mrs. Ania was not his biological mother, she was the one who had cared for and raised Axell since childhood."Alhamdulillah. Who's the lucky lady?" asked Mrs. Ania enthusiastically. It didn't seem that the child who had looked so pitiful when she was first found was now all grown up and about to get married."Mr. Mattew's daughter," Axell replied weakly. "How so?" Ania was shocked and couldn't believe what Axell had said. She knew that Mr. Mattew was Axell's boss at work and also a well-known businessman.It seemed unbelievable that Axell would marry the daughter of such a rich man."I don't know; I don't understand either, mom. Axell was forced to marry his daughter without being able to refuse. Even though Axell doesn't know his daughter. If Axell refuses, the consequences will be felt by all of us," said Axell while looking ahead."Do you know his daughter?" Ania asked curiously."Not yet.""Is the child disabled? Or is there another reason?" Ania asked again."I don't know, mom. Axell doesn't know, because his daughter has never come to the office.""Can't refuse?"Ania felt that this was a marriage gone wrong. She was not willing to let her son suffer for marrying a rich man's son."Axell loves you, mom. Axell doesn't want to sacrifice you, because Mr. Mattew is notorious for being cruel and heartless. After all, Axell is just a man; there is nothing to lose by marrying Mr. Mattew's daughter," Axell replied while gently holding his mother's hand."But you're sacrificing yourself. I'm not willing to let you be unhappy because marriage is about finding happiness," said Mrs. Ania worriedly."It's okay, mom. Whoever his daughter is, Axell will accept as long as he treats Axell like a human being. As long as she respects Axell as her husband, Axell doesn't think there will be a problem," Axell replied soothingly to his mother."You are indeed a strong child. I can only wish you a happy marriage, whoever your wife is," said Mrs. Ania, hugging Axell tightly.**This is where Axell is right now, in the living room of the Mattew family's mansion. And Axell came alone; he was forbidden to bring his family.Axell sat alone, waiting for the event to begin. While watching the people who began to arrive."I accept the marriage and dowry of Emily Meyra Mattew!"Loudly and in one breath, Axell said a promise in front of Mahendra Mattew as the parents of Emily Mattew, who is now his wife."How is the witness? Is it legal?" asked the aged headman with a white cap adorning his head."Legal!"All the guests answered in unison, and the headman sighed in relief.Axell didn't even know who these people were, except for a few who were his superiors at the Mattew Group office, where Axell had been working as a photocopier.Axell didn't even know which one was Emily, his wife. Since he was asked to marry Emily, not once did he meet her. Everything had been prepared by Mr. Mattew without his refusing. Axell was only asked to come today to Mr. Mattew's residence without being allowed to ask.So, Axell came with nothing. He was also not allowed to ask about his future wife's."The bride will be arriving soon," said the voice of the host, who was one of the HRDs in their office.Axell prepared to welcome Emily, whom he had just married a few minutes ago.Axell's heart was racing; he had to prepare his heart no matter what."You have to be ready, Axell. As you have vowed to marry her," Axell feared for himself."She must be really beautiful," said one of the guests, who seemed to be looking forward to seeing Emily.It wasn't long before a woman, wearing a long white dress, descended the stairs with the help of two people who lifted the dress when she wanted to walk.Her walk looked so graceful, even though it was a little overwhelming because of the long dress.The invited guests scrambled to take photos of the bride but were immediately forbidden by Mr. Matthew through one of his messengers."Guests are forbidden to take pictures of the bride and groom; those who have already done so, please delete them immediately."That was the announcement from Mr. Mattew's confidant over the loudspeaker. Immediately, everyone seemed to put away their cell phones.Axell was astonished that even photos were not allowed. Axell muttered in his heart. "It looks like something is being kept secret."Axell's eyes continued to look towards the stairs. There was a very beautiful young woman with a thin face, fair skin, and long manicured nails. However, there was not the slightest smile on her face.Beautiful! Axell muttered reflexively as he looked at Emily's face. And at first glance, Emily didn't even have the slightest flaw.Axell was stunned to see this woman of almost perfect beauty. Even in his heart, Axell was full of question marks: why could Mr. Mattew marry him, who was poor, with his daughter, who was so beautiful and perfect?"Did Mr. Matthew not make the wrong choice? His angelic daughter is married to me," Axell muttered with a smile as his and Emily's eyes met.Those piercing brown eyes pierced his heart and broke it. Axell held his chest, which felt tight. "It looks like I fell in love at first sight."Emily walked slowly towards Axell, not giving him the slightest smile.Axell's eyes, which continued to admire Emily's beauty, continued to pay attention to his wife from head to toe. And a few moments later, Axell looked surprised when he saw the bride's stomach.Emily's belly looked enlarged and unusual; although it had been covered with various dress ornaments, the enlarged belly was still very visible.Axell let out a long sigh, revealing the reason Mr. Mattew forced him to marry his daughter to a man like him."It turns out she's already pregnant," Axell muttered to himself.****Emily moved closer to Axell and followed the instructions of her friends, who asked her to kiss Axell's hand."Now take turns; the husband kisses his wife's forehead," said one of the invited guests.Emily's eyes seemed to glaze over; she looked very disgusted when Axell kissed her forehead.Meanwhile, Axell's feelings were mixed together. It turned out that he was just a cover for Emily, who was pregnant."Who actually got her pregnant?" asked Axell in his heart. Axell did not even focus on today's event; his mind was filled with Emily's pregnancy, which was already quite large.With great reluctance, Axell and Emily followed the procession of the very simple event. The two of them did not even greet each other.Axell and Emily were currently hanging out with Emily's friends after the marriage ceremony was over. Several men and women looked very familiar with Emily.However, there was one thing that made Axell shake his head. Emily's female friends wore dresses that were no less luxu
"Whatever! It's none of my business," Emily replied rudely.Emily didn't even look at Axell out of disgust."If it's up to you, then I can sleep here," replied Axell, who wanted to sit on the bed again."STOP! You have ears, right? I'm disgusted to have to sleep with a disgusting person like you. Get out of my way!" Emily shouted angrily.Axell just smiled a simple smile. Although he had only known Emily for a few hours, he found it very amusing to see her angry."I'm tired, Emily. I want to rest for a while," Axell said pleadingly."Sofa! Or downstairs, there's an empty room for you! It's even more suitable for someone like you! This room is too nice for trash like you!" Emily yelled in annoyance.Axell didn't understand how Mattew had forced her, as it seemed Emily had never accepted the marriage."Alright. There is no problem sleeping anywhere. But what do people say when newlyweds sleep separately?" asked Axell, smiling as he walked towards the large sofa that was more than enoug
"How was it?" asked Axell, who had just come out of the bathroom with a mocking smile."Son of a bitch, what do I have to sign?" asked Emily, staring Axell in the eyes."Don't be angry; everything is reciprocal," whispered Axell, who then handed Emily a piece of paper.It turned out that Axell had prepared everything; he had prepared several sheets of the same paper. Because he knew Emily would not sign it with just one threat,Emily furrowed her brow as she read the paper Axell handed her. "Why make another agreement? Didn't you already sign an agreement with my father?"Emily gave Axell a probing look."That's different. The agreement with Mr. Mattew was between me and him. And this one is between the two of us," Axell replied casually.In the event of a divorce between Axell and Emily, forty percent of Mattew's property belongs to Axell Waned. [And if they stay together, Mattew is obliged to give Axell twenty percent of his property to be managed by Axell.]That was one of the con
"Isn't it worth it?" Axell asked again."What is?""You ruined my life with this marriage, and here I am not considered human. So, there's a price to pay, wifey," Axell chuckled as he patted Emily's cheek."Don't think you can get me! As you know, you don't deserve to be married to me!" replied Emily with a chuckle.She even swatted away Axell's hand, which was still on her face, very rudely."We'll see who falls to their knees in love.""Ck! That sucks!"Axell smiled, grinning, which annoyed Emily even more.Right now, Emily really felt like she had lost to Axell."I'm going to ask you to move into my mom's house," Axell said then.Emily widened her eyes at that; even thinking about it made her shudder in horror."No way, that would be a cramped, stuffy hut!" replied Emily, refusing Axell's request."You're my wife now, so you have to come with me wherever I go," Axell said casually."I still don't want to; I'm not a goat who has to sleep in a rickety house," replied Emily, who was
Mattew stared at Axell with a piercing gaze, like he wanted to eat him alive."What is this nonsense?" he snarled."Just a copy of a document, sir; the original has been scanned, and I'm ready to send it to ABC Group," Axell replied casually."Oh yes, sir, I have one recording that can make you happy," continued Axell, sending a video that he managed to record that night.Yes, last night, Axell accidentally saw and heard what Mattew was doing with his secretary, Lily. That night, Mattew was making love to Lily while plotting a plan to ruin the ABC Group company. That's when Axell took the opportunity to record everything and now uses it as a weapon to intimidate Mattew."You bastard, how dare you?" Mattew asked emotionally and pulled Axell's shirt collar. He certainly didn't expect that the person who was married to his daughter would now have the audacity to threaten him. And Mattew also felt that he had misjudged Axell, who had looked like an obedient dog, now that he was turning in
Before arriving at the orphanage, Axell shopped for some of the orphanage's daily needs as well as various snacks for the children."Brother Axell!" greeted the children enthusiastically when they saw Axell's arrival, especially seeing so many snacks brought by Axell."Hi, my dear brothers and sisters," said Axell while holding one of the boys, who was about three years old."Where's mom?" Axell asked. "She's inside," they replied simultaneously.Axell smiled. "Come on, let's eat the snacks together. You call mom?" Axell asked the eight-year-old girl."Yes."Axell was lost in happiness with his mother and younger brother and sister."Mom, Axell is moving out of town to the west," Axell said with his head down."Why did you move so far away?" asked Mrs. Ania."Mr. Mattew bought a house for Axell and Emily in that area, Mom. I'm sorry Axell won't be here much. But Axell will always send needs here.""Yes, be careful. Greetings to your wife.""Yes mom."At exactly two o'clock in the af
"Mr. Mattew said what?" Axell asked again when he found his maid silent and shaking her head."Ah, no. Nothing," Inah replied nervously, and she went to her room.However, before she could take a step, Axell had already grabbed her hand."Where are you going?" Axell asked."To the master's room," Inah replied hesitantly."Aunt, I hate lies the most. Tell me what Mr. Mattew said," Axell said quietly, but with a frightening look in his eyes."Yes, sir.""Tell me quickly!" Axell pressed. "Earlier, when Mr. Mattew was here, he said that Mr. Axell is the president director of his company, so we have to monitor your every move. There's even some CCTV installed in this house, but I don't know exactly where. I swear!" whispered Inah softly."Is there one here?" asked Axell, pointing to where they were talking."I don't think so, because I didn't see them in the kitchen.""Alright, thanks. No need to prepare my meal; I'll prepare it myself.""Yes, sir."Axell walked away and entered his room,
Axell grunted in annoyance and chose to sit on the terrace again until the morning."Why is Mr. Axell here?" asked Bidin when he came out of the house after dawn."It's okay, just getting some fresh air," Axell replied while putting out his cigarette."I think you've been here since last night; there are so many cigarette marks," continued Bidin while sitting next to Axell."From one o'clock.""Why sir?"Axell shook his head, and then both of them fell silent with their own thoughts."Sir, can I ask you something?" asked Bidin hesitantly."You can.""Where does your family live?"Axell let out a long sigh before answering Bidin's question."I've lived in an orphanage since I was a child; my parents dumped me in an orphanage in the East," Axell replied dreamily."Since what age?""Since I was a week old, my mother found me near a garbage can guarded by a dog all night.""What does that mean?""I was thrown out in the middle of the night; there was a dog looking for food."Axell took a
Slowly, the ground began to rise; Zahra was truly gone forever and never returned.From a distance, a man accompanied by two other people seemed to be watching Zahra's funeral procession and saw how fragile Axell was left by his wife. He was Axell's biological father, namely Fredd Waned.Slowly, the mourners left the cemetery area, leaving only Axell, Mrs. Ania, Mrs. Celline, her father and mother, Zahra's older siblings, and Jojo and friends.Axell hugged Zahra's gravestone while kissing it."Come on, son, be sincere, be sincere," said the father, reminding Axell and patting Axell's shoulder.Ari and Frans also waited in the distance.Meanwhile, a man dressed all in black had entered a car and was watching Axell, who was still stunned beside the mound of red earth on Zahra's grave, which was full of flowers from inside his car."Come on, son, let's go home," said Mrs. Ania to Axell.Axell only shook his head slowly and was still stunned by his position."Son, let's go home. It looks
The recitation of the holy verses of the Qur'an echoed throughout the room, sounding so compact. Those who had just arrived took their respective positions and immediately became absorbed in reading the holy verses of the Qur'an."Mom," Tama called softly when Emily and Aunt Sri invited the two children to dinner."Let's eat first, son, or you'll get sick," Emily coaxed Tama and Rikel."Do you want Mama's omelet?" Tama said a moment later.Making Emily and Aunt Sri look at each other."Mama will make it, son?" Emily said and went straight to the kitchen. Aunt Inah, who saw that, approached."What do you want, son?" asked Aunt Inah."Auntie, help Emily, Auntie. The children want Mama's omelet," Emily said hoarsely.Aunt Inah, who had seen Zahra make vegetable omelettes several times, tried to make them."Hopefully the children like them," said Aunt Inah, handing over two of the children's favorite vegetable omelets."Thank you, Auntie," replied Emily, who walked towards the dining tabl
"Alma Putri Waned" was the name they gave to their beautiful newborn daughter.Everyone rejoiced over the birth of the biological daughter of Axell Waned, who was once an abandoned child and is now a respected young person.Axell was stunned when he looked at his wife, who was being treated by a doctor and several nurses. Doctor Bella's face looked anxious."Zahra," Axell called to the body, which was already pale and limp.Zahra opened her eyes and smiled at her husband. Axell saw Zahra, who was so beautiful when she smiled, even though her face looked pale."Hang on, dear," said Axell, holding Zahra's hand with tears in his eyes."Hang on, dear, for the sake of our child Alma," said Axell hoarsely.Zahra just nodded weakly. Axell held on and continued to kiss his wife's hand. Meanwhile, his father and mother were also at the tip of Zahra's head.Father continued to recite verses from the Qur'an, Mother continued to whisper the name of Allah in Zahra's ear, and the doctor, assisted b
Rigo drove the car at high speed towards the nearest hospital, where Zahra usually had her check-ups, and also where Doctor Bella practiced.The road conditions on the weekend were more congested than usual, even though Rigo had turned on the hazard lights but still seemed to have difficulty breaking through the traffic jam."Be careful, go," Axell warned Rigo, who honked several times at two-wheeled drivers who seemed to be breaking through the traffic jam."Yes, sir," Rigo replied."Also, look at the pedestrians," said Mrs. Celline."Yes, ma'am," Rigo replied without taking his eyes off the road.Zahra had not felt any severe pain, only occasional pain, and it went away."Honey, forgive Zahra if I did something wrong. Be pleased with Zahra, honey," Zahra said softly."Yes, honey, honey apologizes too. Honey is always pleased with you," said Axell, hugging Zahra tightly while crying."Mom, Zahra apologizes," Zahra said, looking at Mrs. Ania.“Yes, dear, I have forgiven you, and forgi
"Ehm," said Emily, making the couple who were watching the fish in the pond turn their heads."Emily! Come sit here," invited Zahra enthusiastically."Sorry to bother you; I brought breakfast and want to have breakfast together here," said Emily with a smile."Sure," replied Zahra.While Axell just stayed silent and still held Zahra's hand tightly,."Let's have breakfast; Aunt Inah has prepared it," invited Emily."Aunt Celline told me to call you both," continued Emily again."What did you bring?" asked Axell."Uduk rice, fried food, plus siomay," answered Emily happily.“There are so many menus; Aunt Rasi and Aunt Inah also cooked?” asked Axell.“No, because last night I called Aunt Inah and said that I wanted to bring breakfast here and eat with you,” laughed Emily while scratching her head that wasn’t itchy.“Okay, honey, let’s have breakfast,” invited Zahra while pulling Axell’s hand.Axell just nodded, walking, holding Zahra’s hand, and following Emily, who walked first.“What d
“What’s wrong with you?” asked Axell while framing Zahra’s face with both of his hands.“It’s okay, honey; I just want to leave Alma with you,” answered Zahra softly.“Don’t tell me you want to leave, honey.” said Axell.“It never crossed my mind, honey; Zahra never thought about leaving,” said Zahra, holding back her sobs.“So what?” Axell.“None of us know how long we’ll live, honey; we don’t know how long,” answered Zahra.“Honey, I understand; maybe you’re scared of giving birth, huh?” asked Axell.Zahra just nodded.“Think positively and be enthusiastic; we’ll raise our child together. "Darling, I'm always there for you," said Axell, hugging his wife."Don't be afraid; we pray together to Allah. Ask for help and protection," said Axell, gently stroking Zahra's hair while holding back his tears.Axell also thought about what Zahra was afraid of. And he was very afraid of it happening, imagining his child being raised without a mother.Axell lifted his face up, holding back his tea
Zahra lowered her head. However, who would have thought that the woman would walk closer to Zahra?"Zahra, right?" asked the woman.Zahra held Axell's left hand. Axell realized something, turned his head, and put the cellphone in his right hand's pants pocket."Yes, ma'am, what's wrong?" asked Axell."Ma'am? Do you think I'm your mother?" asked the woman rudely to Axell."But the women here are the ones who want to check their pregnancies, so where did I go wrong?" asked Axell in surprise.And now they were the center of attention for the waiting patients."Ma'am Zahra," called the nurse on duty.Coincidentally, Zahra's name had been called, and Axell embraced Zahra casually, leaving the woman.The doctor checked Zahra's pregnancy; everything looked fine. The child inside was also growing very well and moving actively."The gender is already clearly visible," said Doctor Bella.“Doctor, you’re just curious, so what’s the gender, doc?” asked Axell.“It looks like a girl,” answered the
“We’re going to the doctor today, right?” Axell asked Zahra while she was getting ready to go to work.“Let Zahra be alone, honey,” Zahra said while preparing socks for her husband.Axell stopped the activity of his hands that were buttoning his shirt.“What’s wrong?” Axell asked then.“Nothing, honey; who knows, honey is busy. It’s a weekday,” Zahra replied, looking away as she made eye contact with Axell.“It’s normal, right? We check on weekdays. And what’s wrong with that?” Axell asked.“Yes, Zahra is afraid of disturbing honey’s work; who knows, honey is busy,” Zahra replied, pretending to be busy with the socks in her hands.“I work for my own company, Zahra,” Axell replied.“Even though it’s my own, you can’t just set a bad example for your employees, right, honey?” Zahra asked.“What’s wrong with you?” Axell asked, approaching because Zahra always avoided him when their gazes met.“What’s wrong, honey? Zahra is fine, honey,” Zahra replied.Axell held Zahra’s hand as she was ab
"According to my biological mother, he is my biological father. But I don't know if it's true or not, because I can't find his whereabouts," said Axell, looking down."Are you looking for him?" asked Alin."Yes."“Why shouldn’t he be the one to come? You’re already famous, and your mother has appeared in the media admitting that you are his child,” Alin teased.“I was hoping for that, but years after his mother appeared, she still didn’t come. Maybe she’s happy with her family because I’m not the child she expected,” Axell said quietly.“Maybe she’s embarrassed, because he’s a businessman who disappeared without a trace,” Alin argued.“Why embarrassed? I already know the story,” Axell said.“Will you continue looking for him?” Alin asked.“Yes, because I’m afraid of my future descendants. I’m afraid of meeting a blood relative, and we don’t realize it,” Axell said.“Hmmm… Sorry, sir, our story has deviated far from business,” Alin said, smiling.“Ah yes, I was just confiding in you; f