Hot Night With CEO

A man is seen sleeping in restlessness. He moves erratically, causing his king-size bed to look messy, as if he has just finished a heated battle. But in reality, he is only wrestling with his thick blanket. Occasionally, the sound of sighs fills the quiet and dark room. The only light comes from the shy moon peeking through the silver curtains, waving softly due to the breeze from the room’s air conditioner. The silhouette of a man is seen sitting without clothes, then he tosses aside his only cover. Wearing only boxer shorts, he gets up from the bed and looks for his flat object to contact someone.

A stifled growl masks the only rhythm that has dominated the silence when the number he called turns out to be inactive. He checks the time on the small screen in his hand. His hand reaches out to the nightstand, searching for something. Byar… The light greets his eyes harshly, and he quickly shields his sight with his strong hands. Dragging his lazy feet, he enters the bathroom.

With a heartfelt intention, he washes his face with water and completes the ablution ritual, trying to dispel the laziness and restlessness that linger in his heart.

The man immerses himself in the beautiful verses he recites, whispering softly until they fill the depths of his heart. Gradually, the restlessness begins to fade, coinciding with the faint sound of the dawn call to prayer that seeps into his ears. Immediately, he rises from his position and raises both hands in takbir.

Still in his lengthy prayer, the man gazes at a brown mushaf with gold inscriptions that lies beside a walk-in closet, surrounded by frames containing pictures of him with his parents. It was a 17th birthday gift from his father. He can’t remember how long it’s been since he last recited the beautiful verses from the mushaf. With trembling hands, he picks it up and sits back cross-legged, facing the qibla. With an uncertain feeling, he opens the mushaf to the middle, where the heart of the mushaf lies.

The man begins to immerse himself in the beautiful verses, his body trembling. His chest feels like it’s thundering as flashbacks from the past slowly fill his mind like a slow-motion documentary. Apart from the ustadz who comes to teach him to recite the Quran every day, his father, Renda, also used to listen to him recite the Quran every day. His vision starts to blur as he turns the next page. Tear.. crystal droplets finally fall one by one, wetting the pages of the mushaf in his lap. He wipes the crystal droplets with his fingertips, as they start to form a river, until he completes his recitation.

“Forgive me, O Lord!” He murmurs while closing the mushaf and holding it tightly. His dark eyes close tightly as he takes a long breath and exhales slowly, repeating it three times to give space to the tightness in his chest.

After removing the sarong and t-shirt he wore during prayer, Darian quickly cleans himself and prepares to go to the office. Before that, he does some push-ups and light exercises to stretch his muscles, as he usually does every morning before getting ready for work.

In respect for his mother, who had painstakingly prepared breakfast for him, Darian ate a little of his meal. To be honest, Darian wasn’t used to having breakfast in the morning since he decided to live in an apartment. He would have breakfast at the office with the menu that Fahira usually ordered online according to his request.

“Why didn’t you finish your breakfast?” Yasmin said, sitting across the table in front of Darian with an unreadable expression.

“Darian usually drinks coffee in the morning and has breakfast a bit later, Mom!” explained Darian with a smile.

“Don’t drink too much coffee!” Yasmin cautioned, taking a deep breath.

Darian nodded and finished his glass of milk.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“I have to go to work now!” Darian got up from his seat, then kissed his mom’s cheek and held her delicate hand to give it a kiss too. “Forgive me. Darian loves you, Mom!” Darian whispered as he hugged his mother tightly. Yasmin’s hands lifted to return the embrace, gently patting his back.

***

“Good morning, Mr. Darian!” greeted David respectfully as he saw Darian enter with Fahira. The sharp look from Darian instantly made David swallow nervously. He was sure Darian was angry because his phone was inactive last night. Seeing the number of unanswered calls that ended up on his WhatsApp number, David was certain that something important needed to be conveyed by his boss.

“Come to my office now!” commanded Darian, diverting his gaze to Fahira, who had already settled comfortably in her chair.

David nodded and followed Darian into his office.

“I’m sorry, sir, last night I…” David’s sentence was cut off by Darian, who stared at him sharply.

Darian took a deep breath before expressing his concern.

“I want you to investigate who has been spying on Fahira and Ariel all this time. I want you to catch them as soon as possible,” Darian explained, shocking David. David remained silent as he tried to digest what the man in front of him was saying.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t want to waste any more time. Please check the company’s security department. Review all the existing CCTV footage. I want the results today!” commanded Darian, causing David to nod and hurry off to fulfill his boss’s orders.

Shortly after David left, Fahira entered Darian’s office with a cup of coffee. “Thank you, dear!” said Darian, glancing at Fahira briefly.

“You’re welcome, and I’ll excuse myself now, sir!” Fahira said, managing to bring a faint smile to Darian’s lips. He briefly glanced at the diamond ring on Fahira’s ring finger before she left.

“Get to work, Darian!” Darian’s heart echoed as he watched Fahira’s back through the opening of the curtains in his room.

Darian really had to restrain himself from detaining Fahira in his room, considering the tasks he had to accomplish today. If he had the chance, he would undoubtedly spend time with the woman he loved. Darian quickly shifted his focus to the small screen in front of him and checked the data’s compatibility with the files on his desk, seemingly calling for immediate completion.

Darian was so engrossed in his work that he even skipped lunch. Fahira, who had reminded him several times, began to feel annoyed. She dared to enter Darian’s room with a lunchbox she had ordered through go-food.

“Come on, Darian, have lunch first; otherwise, you might get sick!” Fahira persuaded, having been sitting across from Darian’s desk for the past 10 minutes. But he remained unfazed, with both eyebrows furrowed in seriousness.

“Hmm…” Darian mumbled without diverting his attention from the small screen in front of him.

“Darian!” Fahira was getting frustrated and got up from her seat, covering Darian’s laptop screen with both hands.

“Just a little more, dear!” replied Darian, taking a deep breath as he glanced at Fahira, who was smiling sweetly at him. Her smile instantly spread to Darian’s lips, and he smiled as well.

“Come here!” Darian pulled a chair and asked Fahira to sit.

“Feed me!” requested Darian as he took the lunchbox from the table and placed it on Fahira’s lap.

“Alright!” Fahira sighed in resignation, then opened the lunchbox and fed Darian the food.

Darian resumed his serious examination of the rows of text and numbers on the files in front of him while enjoying each bite of food from his lover’s hands.

“I can’t wait to get married, honey!” mumbled Darian as he put down the file in his hands and turned his chair to face Fahira.

Fahira responded with a smile, but she herself was still uncertain. Not about Darian’s love for her, but about the ambiguity in her heart. Fahira wanted to return to Surabaya to visit her relatives there, especially her parents’ graves, to seek their blessings. She was sure that Darian would protect her and Ariel from the wicked people who wanted to harm them both.

“Don’t be sad; we’ll go to Surabaya as soon as possible.” Darian paused and reached for Fahira’s hands, holding them tightly. “So, don’t distract me now; I’m trying to finish all my work. When we get to Surabaya, I want us to have some fun. If you permit, we can practice our honeymoon!” Darian teased, causing Fahira to burst into laughter, her cheeks slightly blushing.

“You’re such a naughty guy!” Fahira teased and got up from her seat before Darian could tease her further.

“Too late, honey!” Darian grabbed Fahira’s waist, causing her to fall onto his lap.

“Let me go, Darian!” Fahira squirmed, but Darian only tightened his embrace.

“Just a moment!” Darian coaxed while burying his face in Fahira’s belly, inhaling the scent of her vanilla latte that always calmed him.

A knock on the door interrupted Darian’s enjoyment. He reluctantly loosened his grip on Fahira as he sighed, while Fahira quickly got up from his lap and headed towards the door.

Fahira opened the door and greeted David politely. For a moment, David was silent as their eyes met. There was both concern and anxiety in his gaze. “What’s going on?” Fahira asked in sign language. David smiled and shook his head. Darian, who witnessed their interaction, cleared his throat loudly.

David entered the room and closed the door tightly.

“I have something important to tell you, sir!” said David as he sat on the sofa, followed by Darian.

David immediately opened his laptop and inserted a flash drive containing footage from the company’s CCTV cameras over the past month. Darian took over David’s laptop and examined the suspicious footage.

“Isn’t that one of the company’s employees?” mumbled Darian as he zoomed in on the image.

“Yes, Mr. Darian, you’re right. It’s Robby Handoko, the manager of the marketing division,” explained David.

“Take a look at this!” David moved the cursor to two men having a conversation in the company’s courtyard.

“That’s Mr. Robby Handoko with Damar, the motorcycle taxi driver who regularly picks up Miss Fahira! I’ve already contacted Mr. Delon. Apparently, his men have been monitoring them both since I ordered the investigation into the accident involving Miss Fahira’s family. But, Mr. Darian, you don’t have to worry because, according to Mr. Delon, they don’t have malicious intentions. They only want to protect Miss Fahira and her brother. We should be patient and wait for Mr. Delon to find out who is behind all this,” explained David.

“Could this have anything to do with Papa David?” Darian murmured as he leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples. He began to recount his conversation with Fahira yesterday about a mysterious person who brought him and Ariel to Jakarta.

David fell silent, looking at Darian seriously. “Mr. Darian, don’t worry; I will uncover all the mysteries as soon as possible,” David said, trying to reassure Darian before excusing himself to begin his action.

“This seems exciting; it’s been a while since I played detective!” David’s heart echoed as he glanced at Fahira, who was engrossed in her computer.