A woman appeared to be in a hurry as she walked along the corridors of Pasific Palace, trying to reach her room on the 15th floor as quickly as possible. If she didn't maintain her balance well, she might easily fall or slip.
Upon entering the room, she was taken aback. A well-built man in a formal suit had been waiting for her. The man folded his hands in front of his chest while casually leaning against one corner of the room.
"It's already 8:20. According to the rules, you should already be considered late," the man said while checking the circular watch on his wrist.
Damn it!
In this past month, Arianna Grey had already been late twice. And now, she had even been caught directly by her boss, who for some reason had suddenly appeared in her room.
"I-I apologize, Mr. Axton," the beautiful woman stuttered. "Earlier, the online motorcycle taxi I was riding broke down in the middle of the road. So, I had to wait for a replacement driver."
A man named Axton nodded. While gently stroking his chin covered in fine hairs, he responded to the explanation Arianna had just provided.
"Luckily, I don't need an explanation about your lateness today."
"So, am I forgiven, sir?" Arianna raised her head, then asked cautiously.
"Yes," Axton replied with a nod. He straightened his posture, preparing to leave. "Now, put your work bag on the table first. Then, follow me to meet Mr. Samuel right away."
Arianna immediately widened her eyes. Dark thoughts instantly danced in her mind. Was she being summoned by the big boss, not to be fired, right?
"Don't worry. You won't be fired," Axton interjected, as if he could read what Arianna was thinking. "There's an important matter that Mr. Samuel wants to discuss with you."
Arianna nodded. After placing her shopper bag on the table, she immediately followed Axton as he walked towards the main executive office. Upon entering, she could clearly see the figure of an Samuel Walters, who seemed busy with important documents on his work desk.
Upon closer inspection, her boss was indeed a handsome and highly charismatic man. Young, energetic, ambitious, and with a strong perfectionist streak in accomplishing tasks to advance the property company he was leading. Despite his reserved nature, all the employees at Pasific Palace admired and respected him, including Arianna. Even though she had never personally spoken to him, from the beginning of her employment, she had considered him a perfect figure.
"Mr. Samuel," Axton politely greeted. "I've brought the employee I mentioned."
Samuel stopped his hands, which had been dancing on the laptop keyboard. He raised his face, gazing at Axton and Arianna alternately. Then, Samuel stood up and took a small step towards the guest sofa. He gestured for Arianna to sit there.
"So, this is the woman you were referring to, Axton?" Samuel asked. He cast an appraising glance towards Arianna, scrutinizing her appearance from head to toe.
"Yes, sir. Arianna has been serving as an HRD staff for two years," Axton explained. "Because of her excellent performance, she has the opportunity to replace Adelia as Mr. Samuel's personal secretary starting tomorrow."
Samuel nodded in understanding. Some time ago, his long-time personal secretary had resigned to focus on her family. Samuel had certainly faced difficulties in finding a replacement because he had high criteria. With Axton's assistance as the selector, they eventually found a suitable replacement.
"Okay. Her appearance is fine."
"Her public speaking skills are also impressive, sir," praised Axton.
"So, what's the meaning of all this, sir?"
Arianna, who had been puzzled by the behavior of the two men in front of her, was taken aback for a moment. Filled with curiosity, she dared to ask, her heart pounding, what the purpose of her early morning meeting with the boss could be.
"Before I continue this discussion further, may I ask you something?"
Hesitant, Arianna nodded. The feeling of anxiety persisted. Her mind was now filled with many questions about why her boss was bothering to summon her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Samuel, what would you like to know?"
"Do you have a boyfriend or a husband?"
Arianna shook her head. She was currently not involved with anyone. Two months ago, she had just ended her relationship with Angga Pradita, her boyfriend who had been caught cheating on her. Angga was a jerk!
"No, sir. I'm currently single."
Samuel nodded. Then he asked again.
"Do you plan to end your single status soon?"
Once again, Arianna shook her head. She felt slightly odd about the questions being asked. How could she end her single status when she didn't even have a partner? Did her boss not understand what she had just mentioned? Why was he asking again?
"No, sir."
"Have you been interested in a man recently?"
"No, I haven't, sir."
"Have you ever been involved in any legal cases?"
"Never, sir."
"Do you understand table manners or other etiquette classes?"
This time, Arianna nodded.
"I understand them very well, sir."
"Can you speak any foreign languages?"
"Yes, sir. I can speak English, Mandarin, and a bit of French."
"Can you cook like most women?"
"Of course, sir. I'm skilled in the kitchen, and I'm as elegant as they come."
"In that case, would you be willing to become my wife at the end of this month?"
Arianna reflexively nodded. Then, after realizing the implications of Samuel's last question, her eyes widened.
"W-What? What did you just say, sir?"
Arianna was sure she hadn't misheard. Her boss, who was the head of the company she worked for, had just invited her to be his wife.
"I took your earlier nod as an affirmative answer to my offer."
"Sir, hold on a minute!" Arianna interrupted. Why was her boss so nonchalant about this? "What do you mean by this?"
Samuel didn't immediately respond. He leaned back against the sofa, appearing relaxed, and then glanced at Axton, who had been standing right next to him.
"Axton, please explain it to this lady as clearly as possible."
Axton nodded. Then, his gaze shifted to Arianna.
"This is not what you might be thinking," he said. "So, Mr. Samuel is requesting that you accompany him to Mrs. Arabella's birthday party as his future wife."
"Mrs. Arabella?" Arianna was very familiar with that name. Everyone at Pasifick who she was.
"Yes, Mrs. Arabella Walters, my biological mother," Samuel replied casually.
"So, what does attending a birthday party have to do with being a future wife?" Arianna asked in confusion. Was her brain not functioning properly, or was something else happening?
"Listen to the whole explanation first," Axton protested. "So, Mrs. Arabella insists that Mr. Samuel bring his future wife to her upcoming birthday party. Since Mr. Samuel's actual future wife is currently abroad, she asked you to stand in for her for one night."
Arianna immediately raised her right hand in the air, signaling her interruption of what Axton, Samuel's assistant, was explaining.
"Wait a minute, Sir, wait... why should I be the one chosen as the stand-in wife? Moreover, how can I convince Mrs. Arabella that I am Mr. Samuel's prospective wife?"
Axton took a deep breath for a moment. It didn't take long for him to speak again.
"Why choose you? Because you do fit the criteria. As for Mrs. Arabella, you don't need to worry. She has never once met Mr. Samuel's actual prospective wife. So, she won't suspect that you're just a pretend partner."
Arianna nodded in understanding. So, this was the reason she had shown up early in the morning at her boss's office. She had been worried about being fired for arriving late.
"Oh, I understand now," she responded.
"So, are you willing?" Axton confirmed once more.
Arianna smiled faintly. In her heart and mind, she had been envisioning herself in an expensive gown, being picked up by a handsome Samuel Walters, acknowledged by everyone for his good looks. Attending a luxurious party. Meeting many important people. Being introduced as the prospective wife. Ah, if this wasn't make-believe, Arianna would have looked very much like Cinderella in a fairy tale.
"Thank you very much, Sir, for considering me a suitable candidate to accompany you to Mrs. Arabella's birthday party. But I'm sorry, I cannot fulfill your request."
Samuel, who had been sitting casually, immediately sat up in surprise. He certainly didn't expect his employee to reject his offer.
"Why?" Samuel inquired.
"I don't want to deceive parents," Arianna confidently replied. "I'm afraid I'll have bad luck and be cursed."
"You're not Malin Kundang. So, you won't turn into stone," Samuel joked.
"But still, I'm not willing, Sir. I don't like lying to parents."
Samuel sighed, feeling frustrated with Arianna's naive response. While many people were lining up and trying to get closer to Samuel outside, his secretary was outright refusing the offer.
"Don't worry. I won't ask for your help for nothing," Samuel said.
Arianna's eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out what her boss meant.
"What do you mean, Sir? I don't understand."
Samuel nodded.
"I'll pay you 1 million as compensation for accompanying me to the birthday party. And I think that amount is very reasonable for the time you'll invest."
"1 million?" Arianna repeated.
"Yes," Samuel replied confidently this time. "Or is that not enough for you?"
Arianna swallowed hard. Samuel was talking about money as if he had no financial worries at all. He was so easily giving it away to others for free. Meanwhile, Arianna had felt a deep sense of unease when she lost 50,000, and it felt like a burden to her.
"Thank you, Sir," Arianna responded. "But once again, I can't accept. Please find someone else."
"If you refuse, I can fire you," Samuel threatened. As the owner of Pasific Palace, he could do anything, including terminating Arianna's employment.
"That's okay, Sir. I can find another job. Fortunately, I have a lot of skills and experience, so it won't be too difficult to apply anywhere else," Arianna replied confidently. She then rose from her seat, preparing to leave Samuel's office. "I think our conversation ends here. I hope you find the right woman to accompany you to the birthday party."
Arianna turned to leave the room. But before her figure completely disappeared from view, Axton, with a slight jog, intercepted her. From his pants pocket, he pulled out a business card to give to the beautiful woman.
"I'm sure you'll change your mind. And if that happens, please don't hesitate to contact me anytime."
Arianna smiled politely and reached for the paper that Axton had offered. Meanwhile, Samuel in his seat looked frustrated, wondering what his next steps should be.
"What should we do, Axton? The woman you suggested isn't even slightly interested in my offer. Plus, why did you suddenly choose her?" Samuel asked, curious. He didn't know why his assistant had immediately presented Arianna instead of other employees.
"In Pasific Palace, there are many beautiful women, Sir. But those who are smart, polite, and well-behaved are few. Arianna falls into that category. That's why I nominated her."
"The problem is, she flatly rejected my offer, Axton. She didn't even flinch when I threatened to fire her."
Axton smiled. He understood that his boss was feeling cornered right now. That's why he tried to reassure him.
"Let's wait for 24 hours. If there's no news, I'll present another candidate."
***
Arianna had just arrived home. As she was about to enter her room, a young girl ran from behind and approached her, as if she had something important to say.
"Sister Arianna," she called. "You have to see this."
The girl handed Arianna several white envelopes to examine.
"Is this a warning letter from the bank?"
The girl in front of Arianna nodded right away.
"Yes, if Maria reads it, we are given a one-week grace period to repay the loan. If we fail, this orphanage will be demolished by the bank."
Arianna's throat immediately tightened. As an orphan, she had spent her time living with other children at the Santa Maria's Orphanage.
Initially, the orphanage's manager, Mother Laila, intentionally applied for a loan from the bank with the goal of renovating the nearly crumbling building. She believed she could make monthly payments from the donations that were then quite. However, as time passed, reality didn't align with expectations. One by one, donors started disappearing, and now only a few remained. Arianna even dedicated her entire salary to cover all of the orphanage's expenses.
"Does Madam Laila know about this?" Arianna asked later.
"Not yet, sis. Maria intentionally kept all of this from Mother. She's afraid Mother's condition will worsen if she finds out about the orphanage being demolished if we don't pay the arrears soon."
Arianna took repeated deep breaths. What Maria did was indeed correct. Mother Laila had been sick lately, and she didn't want to burden the middle-aged woman with this bad news. But, carrying such a heavy burden alone was not an easy thing for Arianna to bear.
Once again, Arianna examined the details of the arrears that had to be paid by the orphanage. It was clearly written that the principal along with overdue interest amounted to nearly 200 million. Where could she find that much money in just one week? Even her salary alone didn't cover half of the bill.
Closing her eyes, Arianna immediately remembered Samuel's offer earlier in the day when she was in her office. Now, she believed that only he could help her get out of the tight spot.
"Pretending to be Samuel's prospective wife and accompanying him to the birthday party, I could easily get hundreds of millions," Arianna muttered. "It seems like this is the only way to save the orphanage."
Arianna nodded to herself, convincing herself of the decision she was about to make. Taking a deep breath repeatedly, she then reached for the business card that Axton had given her earlier.
Slowly, Arianna dialed the number written on the paper on her phone's keypad. She patiently waited until, after a short while, a man's voice on the other end answered the call.
"Hello, good evening."
"Good evening, Mr. Axton. It's me, Arianna."
"Yes, what's up?" Axton replied briefly, though he seemed to understand what had finally prompted the woman to call.
"About Mr. Samuel's offer earlier this morning..." Arianna paused her sentence for a moment. Taking another deep breath, she then spoke firmly, "I'm willing to do it."