Ethan opened the door to his and Citra's office, finding the woman's face looking blank, as if she was carrying a heavy burden in her mind.Luckily, he had returned with two cups of coffee in his hands. He approached Citra, offering one cup to her."To help you feel fresher. What are you thinking about?" Ethan asked, taking a seat right in front of the woman's desk.He then sipped his coffee while looking intently at Citra, waiting for her to speak up again."It's nothing. I'm just thinking about what Nike said that time. Is it true that Richard is planning something against my company?" Citra pondered.Honestly, this had been bothering her thoughts. Especially since that business was the only thing Citra owned.Although Citra clearly no longer managed the company, she secretly still kept an eye on it.She also didn't hesitate to send messages to Nike, providing solutions so that her company wouldn't fall into the abyss of defeat due to the competition."If he's really doing that, you
Time flew by so quickly without notice.Citra could hardly remember when she last thought about her parents. Her new life with Ethan made her much happier.Especially with Amel, who always showered Citra with affection, even accepting her into her life from their very first meeting."Good morning, Citra!" Amel greeted the woman with a smile.Noticing Amel's face seemed to be hiding something, Citra narrowed her eyes, looking closely at the girl."Alright. What can I help you with this time? You must have a college assignment, right?" Citra asked, able to guess what was on the girl's mind.Amel chuckled, showing her neat row of white teeth to the woman."Yes, Citra. I'm really struggling. I've been trying to answer this material but still don't understand it. It's the weekend, which should be your rest time. But just this once. Please help me. I don't understand this material at all."Amel clasped her hands together, begging Citra to be her private tutor.Seeing the girl's serious face
The next day, Citra and Ethan headed to the office as usual. They chatted casually, but this time Citra seemed to be expecting something from him.Realizing her hopes were unlikely to be fulfilled, Citra could only muster a weak smile.She had apparently been thinking too far ahead, hoping for the impossible."Any special plans today? Have you checked the incoming emails?" Ethan asked without taking his eyes off the road.Citra, prompted by the question, immediately opened the tablet in her hand, checking her company email and finding a new message.It seemed to have been sent just this morning."There's a client requesting a meeting at..."Citra furrowed her brow, confused by the location written there."What's wrong? Why did you suddenly go quiet?" Ethan asked, snapping Citra out of her thoughts.She shook her head, telling Ethan she was fine."There's a new email, supposedly from the supervisor. But this address... it seems familiar," Citra mumbled, looking puzzled.Ethan, not unde
That evening became a historic day in Citra's life.After spending many birthdays feeling empty, Citra finally experienced a new moment.Now, they sat in the shop Citra had mentioned earlier, celebrating her birthday."So, that email was fake?" Citra asked, looking at Ethan. She narrowed her eyes, already suspecting this was all his doing.Ethan, as usual, just smiled, scratching the back of his neck though it wasn't itchy at all."Not fake. The email was real, of course. It's just that there was no supervisor. It wasn't a business meeting but a meeting to celebrate your birthday," Ethan replied, making Citra feel so happy.Her face had been adorned with a sweet smile since earlier.These two people had managed to leave Citra speechless. They had impressed her with their plan."This spot? Whose idea was it?" Citra asked, feeling it couldn't have been Ethan's idea again.Confidently, Amel immediately raised her hand."I contributed this idea and the flying balloons. The rest was all ba
Crash! A small rectangular object was thrown, shattering one of the mirrors in the room beyond recognition.Just as the sound rang out, someone stood in the doorway."What's going on, Auntie?" asked the man, who was none other than Nike.The aunt Nike referred to was, of course, Mrs. Merry, who currently controlled the company that should have been inherited by Citra.However, due to her selfishness and business acumen, the company remained under Mrs. Merry's control. She had no intention of giving it up or even revealing this fact."What about that cousin of yours? Have you been watching her? Or did you deliberately leave her alone?" Mrs. Merry asked, glaring at the man.Nike, feeling innocent, furrowed his brow, confused by Mrs. Merry's words."Open your phone. Look at the news that disrespectful journalist just posted today. Your cousin's face is clearly visible, and she seems to have no shame left. She's really brought disgrace to this respectable family," Mrs. Merry said firmly i
A perfect smile adorned Citra's face. She never imagined she could be this happy.Currently, Citra was in her room lying on her stomach, her legs lifted in the air, swinging to the rhythm of her joyful heart."Come on, Citra! What's wrong with you? How did you end up like this?" Citra mumbled, shaking her head.The woman smiled, seemingly unable to control herself.Her gaze was clearly focused on all the photo prints from her birthday.Remembering they still had a lot of work to do after being away all day, Citra and the others decided to go home that night.So, it was no surprise that Citra was already in her room tonight.The whole time, Citra just stared at those photos, her face blushing when she saw again the photo of herself kissing Ethan.What had happened to Citra? Why did she suddenly take the initiative to do all that? It seemed Citra had lost her mind.She then lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling of her apartment.A perfect smile adorned her face, while both her ha
When break time arrived, noisy sounds could be heard coming from Citra's desk, making Ethan, who had already finished his work and was just pretending to be busy on his computer, glance at the girl out of the corner of his eye.He could see how the woman was making hurried movements, ready to go somewhere.Without saying anything else, after fiddling with her phone, Citra quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and rushed out of the room.Ethan, who could only watch the woman's departure in silence, suddenly leaned back in his chair.Rubbing his face roughly, the man then ran his fingers through his hair aggressively."What are you doing, Ethan?! Your behavior is only creating distance between you and that woman," Ethan muttered, cursing his foolishness.A long sigh was clearly heard escaping the man's mouth. He couldn't think clearly after realizing how Citra seemed to prioritize her reputation over Ethan's feelings."What's going on in your head, Ethan? Of course she won't think abo
Two days had passed, but the awkwardness between Ethan and Citra had not yet ended.Ethan even resorted to ordering online taxis because Citra always left earlier.The relationship between them was really strained, ever since the incident where Citra had become suspicious of Ethan.Even during joint meetings like now, Citra and Ethan didn't greet each other, showing no good relationship to their clients."Are you two having problems?" asked their company's client, who seemed to sense a high wall between the two of them.Simultaneously, Citra and Ethan shook their heads, saying there were no issues between them."We're fine. You don't need to worry about that. So, do you have any suggestions or complaints about the design we're discussing?" Citra asked, changing the topic between them.The client shook their head, indicating that there were indeed no complaints at that time.The meeting ended, and Citra and Ethan hurried to leave.At the same time, they accidentally touched the documen