Chapter 72

"What's wrong, honey?" Samuel felt puzzled. When he returned home and was about to sleep, he noticed Arianna's behavior, which was a bit odd. She suddenly appeared very affectionate. Arianna had never hugged or kissed Samuel first before. And tonight, for some reason, Arianna came to Samuel. Suddenly, she kissed him for a long time and hugged him tightly as if afraid of losing him.

"It's nothing. I just miss you," she said while continuing to hug him. "Since the big problem hit us a few days ago, you rarely hug or kiss me like usual."

Samuel smiled. He felt guilty because he had been busy on his own for the past few days. "I'm sorry," Samuel whispered softly. Bringing his lips, he then kissed Arianna's forehead and the top of her head alternately. "I promise, I won't be busy on my own after this."

Arianna nodded. She lifted her head slightly, then leaned forward to reach Samuel's lips. She kissed him again for a long time before finally deciding to go to sleep.

The next day, when getting ready for work, Arianna asked Samuel for permission to come to the office a bit late. She explained that she wanted to stop by the orphanage to meet Madam Laila.

"Don't you want me to take you there?" Arianna shook her head. She knew her husband was in a hurry this morning. Regarding yesterday's issue, there were some things Samuel needed to sort out with his lawyer.

"No, honey. I can go by myself," Arianna declined. Her words caught Samuel's attention.

"What did you just say? Honey?"

Samuel was surprised. Despite often forcing and teasing, Arianna had never called him "honey" before. This morning was the first time Samuel heard that sweet word from Arianna's lips.

"Well, can't I call my own husband 'honey'?"

"Of course, you can," Samuel said, nodding repeatedly. A wide smile appeared on his lips. "Actually, from now on, just call me 'honey.' Not Samuel."

Arianna pursed her lips. Typical Samuel. He must be delighted to take advantage of the situation.

"Sure, honey. Easy. Well, you hurry to work. No need to bother taking me. I can go by myself. Besides, it's just a short visit. I promise to be at the office by lunchtime."

Reluctantly, Samuel went to work alone that morning. After making sure that the car he was using had already moved away and was no longer visible, Arianna quickly ordered an online taxi. She asked the driver to take her to a specific location.

Initially, Arianna was a bit anxious. Because it was morning rush hour, she was stuck in traffic for a while. Fortunately, it didn't last too long, and she finally arrived at the Cosmix hotel on time.

"Excuse me, may I meet Mr. Hadipraja?" Arianna asked when she was in front of the reception desk.

"Did you make an appointment beforehand?" the man in charge inquired.

"Yes," she nodded. "I made an appointment yesterday afternoon in the name of Arianna Grey."

The receptionist immediately contacted someone from behind the intercom phone on his desk. After ensuring it for a while, he finally gave Arianna permission to enter.

"Mrs. Arianna, please go straight to the Bengawan restaurant. The person you want to meet is waiting there."

Arianna nodded. After receiving instructions and directions to the location of the mentioned restaurant, she headed there.

As soon as she entered the restaurant, Arianna's eyes wandered. She tried to find the man she wanted to meet this morning. After a short while, her eyes caught a middle-aged man in a navy suit enjoying his breakfast.

"Excuse me, Mr. William Hadipraja. Good morning," Arianna greeted with respect and politeness.

Arianna had planned to meet the leader and owner of the Pakuwon Group since yesterday. From various information she gathered, the Crazy Rich from Surabaya was currently in Jakarta for a business meeting with several clients.

This caught Arianna's attention. She thought it would be a good idea to meet William in person to discuss the ongoing polemics, apologize personally for the chaos caused, and possibly resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both parties.

"Good morning, Mrs. Arianna. Please, have a seat," William replied warmly. Then, he gestured for Arianna to sit in the chair available in front of him.

"Before we start, I apologize sincerely for disturbing your time while you're enjoying your breakfast."

William smiled. Despite being affected by the negative publicity and lies spread by Samuel and Arianna, he remained professional. He welcomed Arianna's presence and treated her very kindly, as if nothing had happened between them.

"No problem at all. I don't feel disturbed at all. Have you had your breakfast, Mrs. Arianna? If not, we can talk while having breakfast."

Arianna shook her head. Politely, she declined William's invitation to have breakfast. Not that she didn't want to, but she had already eaten the meal Samuel prepared for her before leaving.

"Thank you for your offer, but I'll just have a drink."

Then, William called a waiter and asked them to bring a cup of hot tea for Arianna. While finishing the remaining food on his plate, he listened to what Arianna wanted to say.

"So, I came here to discuss the issues between Pasific and Pakuwon. Again, I want to apologize sincerely for what my husband and I did to Pakuwon, especially to Mr. William. We both know that what we did was wrong, and I don't deny that. However, as Mr. Samuel mentioned in the press conference, we are now living a real marriage. Not a pretense or a setup as it was in the beginning."

William continued to listen attentively. He nodded, sipping his tea. Wiping his slightly moistened lips, he responded to Arianna.

"Actually, since our first meeting at Mrs. Arabella's birthday party, I have been very interested in Mrs. Arianna's personality. From your way of thinking, analyzing, and even solving problems, it's clear that you're very competent and think out of the box compared to others. Regarding this issue, I am disappointed because you both went to such lengths to achieve your ambitions, which I consider less than admirable."

Arianna sighed. She knew very well that she and Samuel were in the wrong.

"Once again, I sincerely apologize, Mr. William. I also know that an apology alone is not enough."

"Of course. Apology alone is indeed not enough for the commotion that has arisen in the past few days. But I want to know, if I were to forgive both of you and still use Pasific as a partner, is there any guarantee that this tender will be successful?"

As if catching a breath of fresh air, Arianna smiled and nodded repeatedly. She was confident in her ability to handle and ensure the success of the tender she was handling, according to the initial plan she had presented.

"I, Samuel, and the entire Pacific Team will do our best, Sir. Moreover, with the scandal happening right now, we're not just incurring losses. The current issue could even be turned into a free promotional opportunity to make people more curious about the product we're about to launch."

William was intrigued by the last statement Arianna had just made. How cleverly that woman was thinking of every opportunity amid the challenges they were facing. It was as if brilliant ideas never ran out of her mind.

Lengthily expressing her grievances along with various offers that might help Pacific's position, Arianna concluded her explanation. Now, it was just a matter of waiting to see what response William would give.

"Seeing how optimistic and confident Mrs. Arianna is while giving her explanation, as a professional who has been in the business world for a long time, I will give Pacific a chance. Therefore, please prove what you have promised.”

Arianna smiled broadly, expressing gratitude in her heart multiple times. At least, her efforts to convince the Pakuwon side had found a glimmer of hope. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the decision of the board of commissioners and what punishment would be given to Samuel and herself.

On the way to the Pacific building, Arianna didn't forget to contact someone. Once the call was connected, she immediately provided a report on what she had accomplished.

"Hello, Mom. Arianna has completed the first task. As per your challenge, Arianna successfully convinced the Pakuwon side to give us a chance."

"Good," replied the woman on the other side. "In that case, now you need to get ready for the next task. Also, don't forget to attend the big event tomorrow night."

Before Arabella ended the call, Arianna interrupted, asking her mother-in-law not to close the conversation just yet.

"Wait a moment, Mom."

"What is it?"

"Isn't this too soon? Can't Arianna have an additional day or two?"

"No, Arianna. Just do what you've been instructed."

Arabella ended the conversation right then, leaving Arianna with a mixed feeling as she had to carry out what she considered a very challenging task.