2025-03-24 08:52:18That evening, Raka sat in the small living room, exhausted. The flickering light from the old television barely held his attention as he stared blankly at the screen. The muffled sound of Nadine’s voice drifted from the bedroom, sharp and laced with frustration.
He wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but the walls in the Santoso home were thin—just like his patience. “I don’t know what I was thinking, Dina,” Nadine sighed heavily. “I let my mother pressure me into this marriage, hoping Raka would help lift our family out of debt. He was hardworking back then, at least he had a stable job.” A pause. Then a bitter laugh. “But now? He hasn’t worked in years. I don’t even see a future with him anymore. Every time I look at him, I see failure. My mother was right—he’s just another burden.” Raka’s hands curled into fists. Her words cut deep, not because they were unexpected, but because they confirmed what he had long feared—Nadine had given up on him. She had once believed in him. But now? Now, he was nothing more than a regret in her life. Raka sat frozen, his fingers gripping the armrest of the worn-out couch. The moment he heard the soft click of Nadine ending the call, something inside him snapped. Without thinking, he stood up and walked toward the bedroom, pushing the door open without hesitation. Nadine turned, startled. "Raka? What—" "All these years we’ve lived together, you never once told me the truth." His voice was eerily calm, but his dark eyes burned with something unfamiliar—something dangerous. "You married me because I was stable back then. Because I had a job. Because you thought I could fix your family’s problems." Nadine’s expression hardened. "And what’s wrong with that?" She crossed her arms. "You act like I tricked you. I married you because I thought we could build a future. But look at us now, Raka. Look at you. You haven’t worked in months. You can’t even provide for yourself, let alone for me. Tell me, what future do we have?" Raka let out a breath, shaking his head. "So that’s it? The moment things got hard, you gave up on me?" "Don't twist my words," Nadine shot back. "I waited, Raka. I waited for you to get back on your feet. But you haven’t. I’m tired of waiting for a man who has no ambition, no plan, no—" "Enough," Raka cut in, his voice low but firm. For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Nadine exhaled sharply, looking away. "I never wanted this life," she admitted, her voice softer now. "I was supposed to marry someone successful. Someone who could give me security. But my family needed help, and you were there. I thought… I thought you would be different." Raka clenched his jaw, his chest tightening. He had always known he wasn’t the husband she dreamed of, but hearing it aloud—it was like being stripped bare. Nadine scoffed, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "You know what, Raka? I don’t have the energy for this." She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and stormed past him, her perfume lingering in the air as she walked toward the living room. a cruel reminder of what had just transpired. She was gone—not physically, but emotionally, mentally. She had walked out of the room without a second glance, her absence leaving an emptiness that felt heavier than her presence ever had. He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to move. Step by step, he followed her into the living room. Nadine sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone as if their conversation hadn’t just ripped apart the last fragile thread holding their marriage together. Raka clenched his jaw. The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words. The only sound was the hum of the television, flickering shadows casting across the room. She didn’t even look up. He sat across from her, elbows resting on his knees, watching her carefully. Nadine had never been an overly expressive woman, but there had been a time when her eyes softened around him, when her lips curved into something close to affection. Now, she was unreadable. No anger, no sadness. Just… indifference. It stung worse than any argument. Raka swallowed. "Do you really mean it?" His voice was low, almost hesitant. "That you regret marrying me?" Nadine sighed, locking her phone. She tilted her head slightly, finally meeting his gaze, but her expression remained distant. "Raka, I don’t want to have this conversation again." "Again?" He let out a bitter chuckle. "We never even had it in the first place." She exhaled, rubbing her temple. "What do you want me to say?" "The truth." "I already said it." Her tone was flat. "I did what I had to do for my family. And now... I’m just tired." Tired. She kept saying that word. Raka let the silence settle before leaning back against the chair. "Then tell me, Nadine. When did you stop wanting me?" She didn’t answer right away. Her gaze drifted to the floor, lips pressing together as if debating whether to even dignify the question. Then, finally, she spoke. "I don’t know," she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe it happened slowly. Maybe it was always there, and I just ignored it." A muscle in Raka’s jaw tightened. "So I was just a convenience to you?" Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. "It wasn’t like that." "Then what was it like?" He pushed, his voice laced with quiet frustration. "Because from where I’m standing, it sure as hell looks like I was nothing more than a temporary solution to your family’s problems." Nadine inhaled sharply but didn’t argue. That silence told him everything he needed to know. Raka ran a hand down his face, letting out a slow, bitter laugh. "You know what’s funny?" His voice was strained. "I never asked for this either. But I stayed. I tried." "I never asked you to," Nadine said softly. He stilled. Her words weren’t harsh, weren’t cruel. But they were final. She hadn’t asked him to stay. She hadn’t wanted him to. Raka stared at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. He understood now. There was no fixing this. No grand gestures, no desperate attempts to reignite something that had never truly been there. "You can go to bed," Nadine said, her voice unreadable. "I’ll sleep out here tonight." Raka let out a dry chuckle. "Of course." Without another word, he pushed himself up from the chair and walked back toward the bedroom. The bed felt colder than ever. But at least now, he knew—he had been sleeping beside a stranger all along.
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The next Morning Raka and Selene were ready to receive Alaric Weiss at the Airport, they were both waiting inside the vehicle as the sound of private jets echoed across Jakarta’s elite airstrip, but one jet , sleek, silver, and marked with the WeissCorp insignia drew every pair of eyes. Inside the black armored vehicle, Raka adjusted the cuff of his tailored suit. Selene sat beside him, calm as ever, her eyes on the hangar doors. “He doesn’t like ceremonies,” she said. “Just respect and clarity.” Raka nodded. “That, I can give.” As they stepped out, the hangar opened. From the shadows emerged Alaric Weiss. Tall, silver, haired, with piercing grey eyes and a calm presence that commanded silence. He was flanked by two of his top advisors and guarded by silent Swiss security. Meanwhile is team had already set up the stage before his arrival a day before. immediately he saw Raka, Alaric smiled. “I’ve been watching you,” he said . “The lion that had had been silent... now fi
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the Next day, In a bright Afternoon, ,the sun peeked through the tall windows of Selene’s private suite overlooking the city. Raka sat on the balcony, dressed in a plain white shirt, a fresh cup of black coffee in his hand. Below, Jakarta buzzed with the usual rush, but right here, all was calm. Selene stepped out quietly,she was barefoot, her silk robe fluttering slightly in the breeze. “You didn’t sleep?” she asked softly. Raka shook his head. “Just thinking.” She joined him, curling up on the chair beside him. “About Leonard Halim ?” “No,” Raka replied. “He’s gone. I’m thinking about the next step.” Raka nodded, eyes sharp. “Reza’s logistics partner. Samudra Express.” selene smiled faintly. “ They control seventy percent of his imports. They’re holding meetings this week. We’ll send our proposal.” “They won’t know it’s from us,” Selene added. “They don’t need to. Not yet.” Raka said Silence stretched between them, comfortable. The kind that didn’t need words.
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Chapter 25
It was The next day, That very morning at the boardroom of Pratama Tower. There was a lingering tension of power struggles cloaked in polite conversation. Leonard Halim walked in with the same arrogance of a man who had held influence for too long and sought power as the director and CEO of Pratama Group ever since Nugroho, Raka's Father was the Director and the CEO of the company. The moment he reached his seat, He nodded to the others seated, ignored Selene entirely, and smirked when his eyes met Raka’s. “I hope we won’t be wasting another morning on cosmetic expansions and theatrics,” he said. Raka didn’t flinch. He didn't utter a word. Selene, seated to his right, wore a tailored white suit and a colder expression. “We were hoping for a productive session, Leonard. But theatrics? That’s your specialty.” A few chuckles stirred from the board, carefully hidden behind sips of espresso. Raka opened a folder and slid a document across the table. “Speaking of productivity, I
Chapter 24
weeks later a global acquisition summit was held in the gleaming towers of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, it was a spectacle of power . Investors, CEOs, and conglomerate heads from every continent gathered under one roof. A battlefield masked in polite smiles and expensive suits. Raka stepped onto the marbled floor alongside Selene Aragon, both dressed in commanding elegance. Cameras flashed. Whispers followed. This wasn’t just business, it was their stage. Their entrance alone disrupted the room. Selene, known for outbidding billionaires. Raka, the silent heir no one saw coming, now a headline disruptor in Southeast Asia’s financial circles. From across the hall, Raza Mahardika’s face stiffened. Nadine at his arm, her eyes narrowing. What was Raka doing here, leading the pitch of a multi billion dollar green-tech merger? Selene leaned in subtly. “They didn’t see it coming.” “They never do,” Raka replied, gaze locked on Raza. The pitch began. Raka and Selene laid out a c
Chapter 23
Two Days Later The headlines broke first. "Raka Pratama to Marry Global Powerhouse Selene Aragon!" "From an Ex- son in-law to Billionaire Heir: Jakarta’s Most Eligible Is No Longer Single!" The reactions were nuclear. Nadine choked on her espresso at the breakfast table. Her mother Rini’s eyes bugged in disbelief. “Married?! To Selene Aragon?” Rini gasped. “This must be a PR stunt!” Are they been serious? Nadine threw her phone on the marble counter. “That man’s lost his mind.” shouting at the top of her voice. But deep down, a storm had begun to brew. She knew Raka. And he never did anything without purpose. Meanwhile, at Mahardika International, Raza stood frozen in his office, his phone glued to his ear. “Find out everything,” he barked. “How long have they been involved? What’s the endgame?” ***At the Press Conference at Pratama Tower Reporters buzzed like bees. Flashbulbs snapped. Security held the line. And then, they entered. Selene Aragon, draped
Chapter 22
It Was a begining of a new Month and another global event in Jarkata , this Time it was the ballroom of the Mandira Grand Hotel, it was shining with Jakarta’s elite. Champagne flutes, velvet gowns, and tailored tuxedos moved through the space. It was a charity gala on paper, but everyone knew this was more than fundraising, it was networking in its most ruthless form. Eyes turned as Raka Pratama entered. He walked with calm authority, and was dressed in midnight-black tailored Armani, every movement deliberate. Behind him, just two steps behind was Selene Aragon followed in a dark emerald gown, sleek and commanding. She didn’t hold his arm, but she didn’t need to. The message was already loud enough: They arrived together. At the back of the ballroom, Raza Mahardika clenched his glass a little too tightly. Nadine, standing beside him, noticed. “That’s Selene Aragon,” she whispered, eyes narrowing. “Why is she with him?” Raza didn’t answer. He didn’t know. That was the problem.
Chapter 21
Selene Requested her assistant called for a meeting at the Pratama Group. Her billion dollar foreign conglomerate was in Jakarta for one reason: to partner with Pratama Group on a Southeast Asia expansion. But they wouldn’t make it easy. The table was long, with foreign executives seated like a panel of judges. They respected results, not reputation. And they’d brought their own terms. Ruthless ones. Selene Aragon sat beside Raka, her calm as unnerving as his silence. She wore no company logo , just influence. “Miss Aragon, are you here as legal counsel or investor representative?” one of the execs asked pointedly, flipping through the slides. Selene didn’t flinch. “Neither. I’m here because your model is flawed and Raka Pratama’s is the only thing that might save it.” A tense pause. Raka leaned forward, finally speaking. “You’re seeking market share in a region you don’t understand. You’ve poured millions into shallow analytics, not behavior economics. We know the pu
Chapter 20
The streets of Geneva were far from Jakarta, but the woman seated in the corner of the exclusive Le Claire Lounge wasn’t the type to be tied by borders. it was Selene Aragon...again A name the world whispered when empires rose or collapsed. She sipped her martini, one leg crossed over the other, gaze locked on the large screen airing the international business segment. “Pratama Holdings Seals Three Major Acquisitions in Southeast Asia,” the anchor announced. “Analysts are stunned by the speed of the expansion, and the man quietly taking the lead, Raka Pratama.” Selene tilted her head, her lips parting in the faintest smirk. Only few days I got back from Jakarta after a business trip and now you've haunted a lot of game. “Now it's time, I have to meet with him,” she murmured. She reached for her phone and dialed. “Tell the team to prepare the jet. We’re flying back to Jakarta.” Back in Jakarta… Raka sat alone in his office, the executive wing of Pratama Holdi
