Hot Night With CEO

David entered the Putra Corporation building feeling a bit annoyed since David hadn’t picked him up as usual. Moreover, David hadn’t given any updates at all. Usually, his personal assistant never skipped work or disappeared like this. He suddenly felt worried because David wasn’t just his assistant; he was also his best friend-the only best friend he had.

Reluctantly, Darian pushed aside his ego and decided to call David first.

“Shit!” Darian cursed under his breath when the operator on the other end of the line told him that David’s phone was inactive.

The elevator opened, signaling his arrival on the desired floor, and Darian stepped into his office. He glanced at David’s desk, which was empty and tidy, indicating that he hadn’t arrived yet.

“Lily, where’s David?” Darian asked as they entered his office.

“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know. I tried to contact him earlier, but his phone was off,” Lily explained, standing in front of Darian’s desk.

Darian’s sharp gaze shifted towards his secretary, causing her to freeze on the spot.

“Read my agenda for today,” Darian said, pressing the power button on his laptop screen.

Lily cleared her throat to calm her nerves before starting to read Darian’s schedule. She was nervous because David had caused some trouble, and the consequences might affect her, especially as she was Darian’s secretary and often interacted with the cold and perfectionist man.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

After Lily finished reading the agenda, she quickly excused herself from Darian’s office. Just as she was about to touch the doorknob, Darian interrupted her movement.

“By the way, when David comes in, tell him to come to my office immediately,” Darian said without bothering to look at Lily, who was trying to steady herself on her 7 cm high heels. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she answered Darian.

Before starting his work, Darian opened the coffee lid in front of him, inhaling the delicious aroma that always enticed him, even though he had to learn to like the strong black liquid without Fahira making it for him. To him, the most enjoyable coffee was the one made by his beloved wife.

Thinking of Fahira, a smile formed on his handsome face. He vividly remembered the details of her beautiful face. Darian shook his head to dispel the thoughts that seemed locked in the home with the woman who was now carrying their twin sons. Just last week, the ultrasound showed that they were expecting boys, fulfilling Darian’s wish to have a son who would protect his younger siblings when they grew up. It didn’t mean he didn’t want a daughter, but he wanted their first child to be a boy. If Allah granted them more children, Darian planned not to allow Fahira to use contraception after the birth of their firstborn.

Darian took a slow sip of the black liquid, enjoying how it caressed his throat. The aroma and the hot vapor that wafted up provided a unique sensation for the coffee lover.

Unbeknownst to him, nearly three hours had passed, and Darian was deeply engrossed in his work. Lily had come in and out of his office numerous times. Today, Darian didn’t have any important meetings scheduled, so he decided to review some critical documents for a meeting with foreign investors the next morning.

Soon, another knock on the door interrupted Darian’s focus. “Come in!” he replied without looking away from his laptop screen.

“Sorry, Sir, I’m late!” David said, successfully making Darian sit up straight and look at him with a flat expression.

“Oh…” replied Darian shortly, sliding his chair slightly back to create some distance between the table and himself. Darian stood up from his chair and sighed in frustration at his personal assistant.

“I…” David started, but he was interrupted by Darian lifting his hand to signal him to be quiet. Then, Darian stood facing a large mirror that displayed dozens of tall buildings before him.

“David, I will accept any excuses you have for your unprofessional behavior lately, except if it’s about a woman. I don’t want to hear that,” warned Darian informally. His right hand, which was previously tucked inside his pants pocket, was now free. Darian changed his position, facing David with his body leaning on the edge of his desk. David responded with meaningful eye contact.

“Seems like I’ve gotten an answer that I absolutely didn’t want,” continued Darian, laughing out loud. The laughter echoed in the white and silver room. “Who?” Darian asked, trying to suppress his laughter.

“He’s the man laughing in front of me right now! Laughing at my suffering!” David said, causing Darian’s laughter to stop abruptly, as if he choked on his own saliva.

Darian’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at David sharply. His brown eyes searched for any hint of lies in David’s dark eyes, but all he found was honesty. An honesty that Darian didn’t know who the woman in question was.

“David, you don’t have to talk like that,” Darian said with a hoarser voice than usual. Though he tried to remain calm, his heart began to beat faster.

“Don’t think that way, Darian. I don’t want to be the one who takes away your happiness,” continued David, his voice filled with regret.

Darian pounded the table with his right hand, startling David. “You think that by hiding your feelings, you can keep me away from my happiness? You don’t have to distance yourself from me, David. We’ve been friends for years, and I value our friendship more than anything,” Darian said firmly.

“But you have to remember that our friendship also requires honesty. If you have a problem, I want to hear it from your mouth, not from someone else or speculation,” Darian added, full of emotion.

David fell silent, contemplating for a moment before nodding his head. “You’re right, Darian. I shouldn’t have kept this from you,” he said softly.

“Now I feel like I’m burdening you with my problems. I don’t want our friendship to change because of this,” continued David.

“You never were a burden to me, David. That’s what you have to understand. Our friendship means a lot to me, and I will always be there for you,” Darian said sincerely.

David smiled faintly, lifting the corners of his lips. “Thank you, Darian. I’m grateful to have a friend like you,” he said.

“Let’s talk about this problem honestly. We can overcome it together,” Darian suggested, trying to offer support to David.

After that, they both sat together, and David shared his entire problem with the woman who had been the subject of their conversation. Darian listened attentively and gave advice and genuine support to his friend.

They spoke for a long time, and time passed without them realizing it. Darian felt relieved because David finally opened up and shared his problem with him. They both encouraged each other and promised to always stand by each other’s side, no matter what happened.

Their friendship grew even stronger, and David promised to face his problems head-on. Darian also felt compelled to give more support to his friend, especially when it came to the woman who was causing him so much pain.

Darian believed that they would overcome all obstacles together and continue to maintain the friendship they had built over the years. Fahira’s presence in Darian’s life had brought many positive changes, including strengthening the bonds of friendship with the people around him.

Both of them left the room with lighter hearts, ready to face whatever challenges the future held. Because sincerity, support, and true friendship will always bring happiness and strength, even in the midst of life’s storms.

“Okay, I’ll be honest. The woman is Alea. The woman who was once going to marry you.” Darian’s body froze instantly. His face tensed up. So all this time, David was in a relationship with Alea. The same woman that he had heartlessly dumped on the day of their engagement just to be with Fahira.

Darian had never even considered Alea as a woman. He felt nothing but laziness and disgust whenever his mother talked about their marriage. So, since when did Alea fall in love with him? They had only met a few times.

Darian closed his eyes, his jaw visibly clenching as he took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling slowly, repeating it twice. So, the woman David had talked about before was Alea. Darian admitted that he also played a part in Alea’s suffering since she had attempted to end her life after their engagement, becoming a victim of David’s assault. Perhaps the term “assault” sounded too extreme, but in reality, David had taken Alea’s innocence when she was heavily intoxicated under the influence of alcohol.

In short, David finally openly told the entire story of his romance with Alea, from the beginning until now. Darian, still in shock, could only be a loyal listener as David narrated all the problems he faced in detail.

“Now, what are you going to do? You can’t possibly comply with Alea’s request to terminate the pregnancy,” Darian sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the huge problem his friend was facing.

“Of course not. I deliberately got her pregnant so she would be bound to me and agree to marry me!” David admitted with irony. In the end, he found himself trapped in the game he had started, and whether he was ready or not, David had to face it alone.

“This is a classic case of ‘hoist with his own petard,’ David. Emmmm… Are you sure it’s love and not just an obsession?” Darian said as he stood up and patted David’s shoulder. The man remained motionless in his chair. “You just need to convince her that your love is genuine,” Darian continued, trying to offer as much support as possible to David. Darian had experienced the bitter and sweet journey of winning Fahira’s heart in the past.

“If she’s worth fighting for, then fight for her, David. Don’t be weak. You witnessed how I fought for Fahira’s love. Nothing was easy. And I believe Alea actually loves you, maybe she’s just hesitant because of your past. At J-Rock Night Club, who didn’t know players like you, David!” Darian took a deep breath before making an interesting offer to David. “Need a sparring partner?”

David shook his head. “I can’t do that this time, Darian, sorry. I want to go back to my apartment. I’m worried that Alea might resort to taking medication to terminate the pregnancy, as she had threatened before. Right now, she’s under my staff’s watch. So, I’ll ask for some time off from work for a while. If you mind, you can fire me,” David explained, still looking at Darian seriously.

“Okay. Solve your problem as soon as possible. And if you need help, just contact me directly.” Darian patted David’s shoulder again, offering a smile.

“Thank you for understanding, Darian!” David replied shortly before quickly leaving Darian’s office.

A heavy sigh escaped Darian’s lips. He never expected Alea to be the woman David had been involved with all this time. He hoped that their friendship would remain unaffected by Alea’s presence between them. Although that seemed quite impossible.