.
Inside the luxury sedan that had just pulled out of the RA Corp parking garage, the atmosphere was eerily calm. Mr. Henderson and his colleague sat back comfortably in the rear seats, their faces — which only moments ago had been twisted with anger and impatience — now utterly flat and composed, as though the explosive outburst in the conference room had never happened.
Suddenly, the phone in his suit pocket rang.
The fair-skinned man with blond hair glanced at the screen, then immediately swiped to answer and pressed it to his ear.
"Yes, Mr. Rian?" he greeted with unmistakable deference, then fell silent to listen.
"..."
Mr. Henderson exchanged a glance with his colleague, and a faint smile crossed their lips.
"Everything went smoothly, sir. It all went exactly according to plan," Mr. Henderson replied, his voice steady and assured. "I did precisely as you instructed. We would not proceed with the contract unless Mrs. Anindya herself was present to handle the negotiations," he continued.
The voice on the other end let out a quiet exhale, but there was a note of satisfaction beneath it.
"..."
"Of course, sir! Are there any other instructions?" Mr. Henderson asked.
"..."
"Very well, sir. I'll await your orders. A pleasure doing business with you."
Click.
The call ended.
Mr. Henderson slipped the phone back into his breast pocket, then stared straight ahead with an expression that was impossible to read.
"Anindya Wicaksono... There has never been a woman who could capture Mr. Rian's attention," he murmured softly.
*
Meanwhile, inside the RA Corp building...
Raditya was still rooted in place in the middle of the empty conference room. The damage the company had suffered today went far beyond money — their reputation and hard-won trust had evaporated in an instant.
"Anindya...!" he snarled, his voice thick with fury and desperation. "What the hell are you doing?"
He didn't know that at this very moment, his wife was walking down a very different path — and was ready to destroy everything they had ever built together.
*
Meanwhile, in the city's largest and most luxurious mall, Anindya strolled through the gleaming corridors like a queen surveying her kingdom. She was still wearing the same outfit she'd had on at the office. But her hands were no longer clutching meeting files. Behind her, two store attendants trailed in her wake, their arms overflowing with designer shopping bags.
Her fingertip seemed to carry a magic spell — she pointed at this, pointed at that, and each time declared... "Wrap it all up!" she commanded.
"Of course, ma'am," the sales associates answered, beaming from ear to ear. They had never seen a customer this generous or this fearless with a credit card.
.
In the jewelry store, Anindya broke into a wide smile as she opened the catalog in her hands. Her eyes sparkled — not because of the staggering prices, but from the sheer rush of satisfaction.
Radit, I used to hold myself back. I'd think twice before buying a pair of underwear. Now? Not anymore! she thought, triumph surging through her.
Today, Anindya had truly unleashed herself. No more pinching pennies. No more being patient.
*
The sun was beginning its descent in the west when Raditya's car pulled into the driveway of their mansion. He climbed out with long, heavy strides, his expression sour, and stormed into the house with his breath coming hard and fast. His eyes swept the entire room, hoping to see his wife sitting there.
But the house was empty. Silent.
"Dini! Sari!" Raditya bellowed, summoning two maids who had been cleaning in the back.
Both came running at once, their faces pale with fear at the fury radiating from their employer.
"Yes, sir?" they asked in unison, heads bowed.
"Where is she?!" Raditya demanded, barely holding back his rage.
Dini and Sari exchanged a bewildered glance, then shook their heads simultaneously.
"Didn't she leave for the office with you this morning, sir?"
"What do you mean?!" Raditya's eyes went wide. "She hasn't come home?"
"No, sir," Sari confirmed.
Raditya waved them off, and the two maids scurried away. He resumed his pacing in the living room, fists clenched tight at his sides. "Where the hell is she?"
Dark thoughts began to invade his mind.
Had she found out something? Was she angry at him? But how could she? He had been so careful. Raditya grabbed fistfuls of his own hair in frustration, then threw himself onto the sofa, his exhausted, overwrought body landing with a rough thud.
*
*
*
Night had fallen by the time Raditya heard the sound of Anindya's car pulling into the driveway. He sprang to his feet, ready to unleash the full force of his rage. His face was already a deep shade of crimson, his teeth grinding audibly, both fists balled tight at his sides.
The front door opened and a beautiful woman swept in with effortless composure. Anindya. Both her hands were loaded with shopping bags, and behind her, the security guard followed carrying just as many. The sight made Raditya's jaw clench even harder. How much money had she blown through?
"God, I'm exhausted..." she sighed, dropping onto the sofa. "Just set them down there," she told the security guard, her eyes closed, gesturing vaguely.
The guard nodded and set down all the bags on the table. When they didn't fit, he lined the rest up on the floor nearby, then quietly excused himself.
"Where have you been?" Raditya demanded from his position towering over the sofa where Anindya lay sprawled. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Because of you, the company lost millions today!" he seethed, glaring at her as she reclined with her eyes shut, seemingly without a care in the world.
"Anindya Maheswari, I'm talking to you!!"
At the sound of Raditya's roar, Anindya opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't actually that tired — she was doing it on purpose.
"You were out on a shopping spree while I was scrambling to hold the company together all by myself?" Raditya's gaze cut like a blade.
Anindya rose to her feet and moved toward him. Her hand shot out, grabbed a shopping bag off the table, and hurled it at Raditya's chest.
"You're raising your voice at me?" Anindya asked, her voice low. She wasn't shouting, but the frigid tone and the razor-sharp look in her eyes were enough to make Raditya swallow hard. He took a step backward as she kept advancing.
"I worked my ass off for twenty years and never once complained. Now I take half a day off and you're already screaming at me?" She was the one screaming now, her voice cracking like a whip at the end.
"Th-that's n-not what I m-meant." Raditya stammered, caught off guard by a reaction he had never expected. He had assumed she would be wracked with guilt, apologizing with that meek, pleading face of hers. "The foreign company pulled out of the deal, and we lost millions," Raditya explained.
"So what if it fell through?!"
The sudden outburst from his wife made Raditya's eyes go wide.
"It fell through — so what! There are plenty of other companies lining up to work with us," Anindya shot back. "I take one afternoon to myself and you throw a tantrum — what do you think I am, a machine?"
"N-no, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I was wrong," Raditya said, reaching for Anindya's hand, but she slapped it away. "I... I was just upset because we lost the investor. I figured it would upset you too, and that's why I panicked. Yeah... I just panicked for a second." Raditya wiped the sweat that had suddenly broken out along his temples.
Anindya folded her arms across her chest. "I wasn't there, but you were. If you can't even convince a single investor on your own, then what exactly is your function as CEO?"
Raditya flinched. Anindya's words cut straight through his pride. But all he could do was clench his fists in silence.
"Sweetheart, I..."
Bzzt... bzzt...
Just as Raditya was about to speak, trying to calm his wife down, the phone in Anindya's bag buzzed. She pulled it out, her eyes still fixed on her husband in a cold glare.
"Yes, Ros...?"
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