Chapter 6

Today Ariana seems busy doing all the tasks Samuel gave her. So many, the woman even had to miss lunch time.

If Ariana thought about it, it seemed that Samuel was deliberately giving her endless assignments. For some reason, Ariana believed that this was all still related to her boss' anger over everything that happened at Mrs. Arabella's birthday party.

"Boss is annoying! Very unprofessional. It's crazy that you have to do your end-of-month assignments right now! Actually, is he sane or not?"

While grumbling, Ariana's eyes seemed to stay focused in front of the personal computer screen. He was determined that all the work that Samuel gave him could be finished today. Anyway, Ariana didn't want to come home late today because she had to be busy with assignments. How delicious, he thought!

"Ariana I've been looking for it everywhere, I don't know you're still hiding here."

Chacha, Ariana's best friend who is in a different division, seems to be visiting. Realizing that Ariana had not been seen during work breaks, the woman took the initiative to look for it until she finally found her best friend who was apparently still busy doing something at her desk.

"Here, hurry up for lunch first," continued the woman. "I brought you food. If you eat late, your stomach can recur."

Ariana, who had been focusing on work, immediately glanced at her. Seeing Chacha bringing him a paper bag containing a food box complete with drinks, he then stopped his work activities for a moment.

"Thank you very much, Cha. You know, I'm really hungry," Ariana complained. He spoke while opening the food box that Chacha had brought for him.

"Besides, it's really annoying that you don't rest. What are you doing that you forget the time like that?"

"Guess what I'm doing?"

At that moment Chacha immediately chuckled. He's not really surprised. Ariana's behavior often makes her exasperated.

"Alah, use guesswork. All you have to do is answer, what's so difficult."

Ariana just laughed. Because he was too hungry, he chose to eat the fried chicken mixed with fried capcai flour first in the box. After a few mouthfuls of Ariana chewed, then he continued the previous conversation.

"You know, right? The end of the month is still far away?" said Ariana.

"Yeah. This is also the new date."

"And just so you know, at this date, I've been asked by Mr. Samuel to make a monthly report."

"Serious?" Chacha stared at Ariana in disbelief.

"A thousand thousand times, Cha."

"Well then, what do you want to report? What date is it. Besides, you didn't protest at Mr. Samuel?"

The sound of a click immediately came from Ariana's lips. Has Chacha forgotten who Samuel Walters is and what is his position at Palma Palace?

"Do you think I can protest or not?"

Chacha shook his head weakly.

"Well, that's it, Cha. Because of doing this, I didn't even have lunch. Not to mention, Mr. Samuel also asked for a resume of the meeting that he had clearly just attended a few hours ago. Ah, I don't know, I'm just dizzy very."

Chacha listened carefully while digesting the story Ariana was telling. It's also a pity to see that a friend who has only been in the secretary position for the last few months has been made difficult by their boss who is known to be cold and a killer.

"Patience... patience... don't get emotional. You'd better finish your lunch first. After that, let's continue our story."

Ariana nodded in agreement. He hastily continued eating. Devour the rice and side dishes that are still left in the box. Luckily Chacha was the savior this afternoon. If not, he was sure that the ulcer disease he had been suffering from would have recurred as usual.

After finishing all the food, then Ariana continued the story. Occasionally the woman double-checked what she had previously done.

"I don't know why, I'm sure Mr. Samuel gave me an absurd job like now because of the aftermath of his anger since Mrs. Arabella's birthday night," said Ariana.

"Mr. Samuel angry?" asked Chacha. Then before long, the woman's expression seemed to show that she remembered something. "Ariana, didn't you promise to tell me the other day?"

Ariana's eyebrows knit together. He tried to remember what he wanted to tell his friend.

"What story. I think I forgot?"

"Tell me about you being invited by Mr. Samuel to invite you to go to a birthday party. You didn't tell me the whole story the other day."

"Oh my gosh, I forgot," Ariana said while patting her forehead lightly.

Then Ariana remembered. Previously, he had promised to tell Chacha. After all, so far there has been no secret that he has been hiding from his best friend. From life stories, romance, and other personal experiences.

Likewise vice versa. Chacha never hid anything from Ariana. They both have promised to help each other and be open in terms of ups and downs.

"So…" Ariana continued. "I don't know how it started, Mr. Axton asked me to be a pretend companion for Mr. Samuel to come to Mrs. Arabella's birthday party."

"How come you suddenly ordered?" Chacha asked curiously. Not to mention that Ariana had finished telling her story, she had already asked a question.

"Listen first, Cha. Get used to it. I'll clean up the story first."

Ariana chuckled. He knew exactly what his friend was doing. Besides having a curious disease, it's not new if Chacha likes to interrupt or interrupt people's conversations.

"Yes, please continue your story," Chacha replied with pursed lips in annoyance.

"Mr. Axton said, Mr. Samuel's girlfriend or future wife is currently abroad. Because there is work there that cannot be left behind, he is finally Arianable to come and accompany Mr. Samuel to attend Mrs. Arabella's birthday party. Meanwhile Mr. Samuel has already already promised his mother to introduce his partner to the extended family."

"Because of this, then you are asked to replace it temporarily?"

Ariana immediately flicked her finger in the air. "Yapp, you are absolutely right. Apart from being beautiful, smart, and talented, they say I meet the criteria to be a pretend wife."

Chacha chuckled. Immediately immediately pinched Ariana's arm with exasperation. Even though most of what he said was true about beauty, intelligence, and talent, Chacha was annoyed to see the self-confident expression his best friend showed.

"Then you want to be asked to replace it?"

"At first I didn't want to. I was afraid I would lie to my parents."

"Then why are you suddenly agreeing?"

"You know that the current state of the orphanage isn't good, right?"

Chacha nodded. You know very well that all this time Ariana was an orphan who devoted her whole life and even her salary to working to help and meet the needs of the orphanage where she had lived. Chacha often feels pity and pity for seeing how persistent Ariana is in struggling to meet the needs of the orphanage due to the current shortage of donors.

"Then what does this have to do with the orphanage, Ariana?"

"Obviously there is," said Ariana. "Incidentally, on the same day, the bank sent a bill for the loan which was not a joke."

Chacha's brow wrinkled again. Pulling her face, the woman made an interrupt.

"Wait a minute! What does the bank bill have to do with Mr. Samuel's invitation to pretend to be his future wife? Could it be that you were paid by Mr. Samuel to replace his girlfriend?"

Ariana nodded repeatedly. Confirmed the guess that Chacha conveyed.

"He gave 250 million in return if I would comply with his request."

"Crazy!"

Chacha exclaimed. Both of the woman's beady eyes were successful. Of course he was surprised, considering that the nominal that Ariana mentioned was no joke. By simply accompanying her to parties, Ariana can earn hundreds of millions in just a few hours. How delicious, he thought.

"If that's the bribe, I also want it," said Chacha honestly. "250 million is a lot, Ariana."

"Yes, it's a lot, Cha. Who says a little. That's why I agree. Besides, paying off the bank bills that the orphanage has been in arrears for is also around 200 million. So, instead of being evicted, I just accept Mr. Samuel's offer."

"Then, what's the problem between you and Mr. Samuel? To the extent that he's angry with you?"

This time Ariana seemed to exhale with a long. The woman chose to wet her throat which felt dry from telling too much. After gulping down the remaining mineral water in the bottle, he continued to tell his story.

"Actually, the event that night went smoothly. Mrs. Arabella was even really happy to see Mr. Samuel come to the party with her partner. And again, you know I'm an easy person to get along with. So, when Mrs. Arabella introduced me to her business relationship, I was able to mingle and take it to heart they."

"Continue?"

"The problem is, Arabella's mother unexpectedly and without prior discussion even started playing about announcing the engagement."

Chacha's eyebrows lifted up high. The woman's feelings were immediately uneasy.

"What do you mean by fiancé?"

Ariana immediately nodded. As if confirming what Chacha was thinking at the moment.

"You could say Mrs. Arabella agrees with the future wife that Mr. Samuel brought. That's why, without thinking much, she immediately made an announcement to everyone that Mr. Samuel would be engaged and married in the near future."

Again, Chacha was shocked. Didn't expect what he just heard.

"And that candidate is you?"

"Yes, Cha! I'm really dizzy. Because of this, after the party until now Mr. Samuel has become angry and keeps blaming me."

"Good grief."

Chacha was made dizzy by what Ariana had just told. If this is the story, Chacha is sure that the lies concocted by the boss and his best friend can be complicated and even have long tails.

"Then, if Mrs. Arabella really wants to marry you to Mr. Samuel, what will you do?"

"Go crazy!" Ariana exclaimed quickly. "Even though Mr. Samuel is rich, it doesn't mean that I agree to marry him."

"But Mr. Boss is not only rich, but also handsome. Not bad for you to improve your offspring."

Ariana immediately glared. His best friend just spoke. Even though she is poor, Ariana has self-esteem. She is not the type of woman who just chooses a life partner. It's not a woman who just meets a rich man and just accepts it when proposed even though she doesn't have feelings of love.

"Random. I'm not a follower of Cinderella Syndrome. If you want it, you can just marry a annoying guy like Mr. Samuel."

"The name is also a suggestion."

Finished speaking, Ariana then rose from her seat. Tidying up some files for a moment, then get ready to go.

"Where are you going?" Chacha asked curiously. "Want to go to the toilet in a moment, then deliver the files to Mr. Samuel's room. Don't go anywhere yet. If Mr. Samuel calls, please accept it."

***

In his room, Samuel seemed busy checking the business proposal that Ben had just delivered. While checking them one by one, the man also discussed and evaluated the work they were working on.

"The land in the Derawan area is still very green. There are not too many big hotels, Axton. What if we build luxury inns or resorts like in the Maldives but with a cheaper concept? If you look at it from all sides, the view is better. Derawan than the Maldives."

Axtono nodded in agreement. What Samuel said was suitable for their company to execute. After all, so far his boss has never been wrong in making a choice.

"Sounds like an interesting idea, sir. If people are competing for luxury lodging at fantastic prices, we can make accommodations that are okay, full of facilities, but the price still doesn't break the bank. So, even though it's cheap, the service and facilities are still number one."

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Samuel said. "I want this concept to be finalized. Just schedule this discussion at the meeting. We must execute it as soon as possible before the idea is taken up by another company."

Axton then nodded, then wrote down what Samuel said. Then the two of them got back into serious conversation. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the room's door, followed by someone entering, which made Samuel immediately startled.

"Mama!"

Arabella, without prior notice that afternoon, decided to stop by her son's office. I don't know what the wind suddenly came as if there was something important the woman wanted to convey.

"It's normal. Don't be surprised like that," Arabella replied when she was already sitting on the sofa. Suddenly, Samuel immediately got up from her seat and followed her mother.

"How can you not be surprised. Mom just stopped by the office but didn't let me know first. What's wrong, Mom?"

Arabella returned a smile. The woman's face today looked bright and happy.

"Nothing really. Just happened to be passing by, so Mama took the initiative to stop by because she wanted to invite you to have lunch together."

Samuel nodded. Bringing his eyes, the man checked the watch on his wrist.

"But break time is almost over, Ma."

"Yeah, what's the matter? You're the leader. You want to leave whenever you can. No one will protest, Ken."

Samuel shook her head. The man did not agree with what his mother said.

"The problem is, if Samuel is not disciplined, then she will set an example for other employees, Ma."

Arabella sighed lazily. It's not easy to take his son out to eat together since taking the position of leader. Even stopping at the house to have dinner together is rare.

"So, you don't want to accompany Mama to eat?"

Seeing her mother's face that changed uncomfortably, Samuel went awry. In fact, he himself did not have the heart to refuse his mother's invitation. But breaking the rules is also not the right thing.

"Let's just change for dinner, how about it? Samuel promised, this afternoon she'll stop by Mama's house."

The sad face that Arabella had previously shown suddenly brightened up. Happy eyes were clearly etched on the woman's face. Of course he would not refuse his son's offer, considering that this was a rare moment when Samuel wanted to stop by and invite him to have dinner together.

"You're serious, right?"

Samuel nodded confidently.

"Samuel is serious, Ma. Samuel will come home early so she can stop by Mama's house."

"In that case, invite Ariana to have dinner together at Mama's house. I really want to be a future daughter-in-law but I rarely see each other."

Axton, who had been standing not far from Samuel's desk, immediately coughed. He didn't expect that his boss' mother would even discuss Ariana.

Axton could also guess that Samuel must be confused about what to answer her mother's request. It was clear when his boss turned to him, as if asking for help to find a reason.

"Looks like Ariana can't, Ma," Samuel squeaked awkwardly.

"Why can't he? Is he busy?"

"Ariana... I think Ariana really can't because ----"

Samuel's sentence immediately stopped, when at the same time there was a knock on the door. As soon as everyone turned their heads, it was clear that the figure of the woman who had been discussed earlier stepped in lightly while flashing an innocent smile.