Hot Night With CEO

Yasmin could only look on with deep concern at her son, who was packing some clothes into his suitcase. She sat at the edge of the bed, her hands tightly clasped in her lap. Yasmin was truly worried about her only son. For the first time, she felt so sad about Darian leaving, apart from work matters. Although Darian often traveled abroad for a few days or even a week, Yasmin had gotten used to it. What worried her was the truth that might be revealed-facts about her husband’s relationship with Fahira’s parents. Yasmin could only pray that everything would be fine and go according to her son’s wishes. Seeing Darian’s immense love for Fahira suddenly made Yasmin fearful.

“Darian, are you sure you’re going to Surabaya to meet Fahira’s family?” Yasmin’s words made Darian pause in his activity. He smiled and then sat by Yasmin’s side.

“Yes, Mom, I’m very sure. Don’t you also want to know the reason why Dad asked us to protect Fahira?” Darian replied, receiving a nod from Yasmin.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“If you’re worried about Darian’s safety, Mom, you don’t need to be. There will be people David trusts who will watch over us from afar. David is just being cautious in case things we don’t want to happen,” Darian explained to reassure his mother. He intentionally didn’t mention the planned murder of Fahira’s family. In fact, he didn’t mention Fahira and her brother’s existence, who were considered dead by Fahira’s entire extended family in Surabaya.

“Okay, just be careful on the road.” Yasmin resigned herself and lovingly stroked Darian’s head.

“Mom, take care at home as well. Don’t work too hard, and remember to eat regularly while I’m away,” Darian continued, then got up from his seat. He grabbed the suitcase from the bed and made sure all the necessary items were packed for his trip. Satisfied, he zipped it closed and reached for Yasmin’s hand to shake it and give her a kiss. Immediately, Yasmin got up to see Darian off to the front of the house.

Elsewhere, Fahira and Ariel didn’t say much. They were both lost in their thoughts. Their long-awaited moment was about to come as they would soon set foot on their homeland. More precisely, they were preparing to face the reality that their parents had been gone for a long time. For Fahira and Ariel, it felt like they were trapped in a dream they couldn’t wake up from. The memories of the accident and the bitter truth about their parents’ death, conveyed through a piece of paper, still left deep trauma. Especially after the accident, they suddenly found themselves stranded in a strange place far from their relatives.

The sound of a knock on the door startled both of them. Fahira quickly opened the door, while Ariel prepared to put on his backpack and carry Fahira’s bag.

“Are you ready?” Darian asked with a gentle smile.

“Of course!” Fahira replied shortly, and they both left the house together with Ariel. She locked the house securely before leaving and bid farewell to the neighbor next door, who happened to be on the porch.

“Where are you going, Fahira and Ariel?” said the middle-aged woman named Umi kindly.

“We’re going back to Surabaya, while Ariel is on school vacation. Oh, please take care of our house,” Fahira replied politely.

“Sure, be careful on the road, okay?” Miss Umi continued, smiling at the three of them.

After careful consideration, they chose to travel after the Maghrib prayer. Aside from saving time, David also coordinated with Delon’s plans without Darian’s knowledge.

During the journey, Fahira remained mostly silent, and Darian didn’t let go of her from his embrace. Ariel, who sat in the driver’s seat, seemed restless. David was the one who initiated the conversation repeatedly.

“Go ahead and sleep!” Darian whispered, holding Fahira’s fingers. Fahira looked at him meaningfully and closed her eyes.

After approximately 10 hours of travel, with two stops at rest areas, they finally arrived at their destination city. Fahira became even more anxious as they entered the housing complex owned by her parents.

“Ariel, is this correct?” David asked to confirm as the car they were in entered the upscale housing complex. David was slightly taken aback because he had always considered Fahira an ordinary person.

“Yes, Mr. David, that’s the brown-painted gate!” Ariel pointed to the towering gate that didn’t reveal the house inside at all.

“Let me handle it!” Fahira stopped David when he was about to get out to meet the security guard at the post.

From inside the car, they could see the surprise on the security guard’s face when he saw Fahira. They had a brief conversation, and then the security guard saluted Fahira and opened the gate wide for Darian’s car to enter. Fahira quickly got back into the car, bombarded with questions by Ariel.

“Who’s the lady living in our house? Does Mr. Mukhlis still remember us? I miss my sports bike, Sis!”

“You’ll find out soon enough. But please, you have to behave!” Fahira warned while looking at Ariel with an unreadable expression.

Darian and David remained silent. Their eyes met several times through the rearview mirror. They both tried to understand the situation they were about to face.

The luxurious car slowly made its way along the asphalt road, lined with pine trees welcoming them as they passed through the spacious front yard. Darian held Fahira’s hand and looked at her, offering his support. A magnificent multi-story house with ivory-white and brown façade stood tall before them. Once, their house was painted in white and blue, Mama’s favorite color. Now, everything looked different, except for the beautiful garden on the left side of the house that still delighted the eye. The garden remained exactly as it was when Mama was alive. Memories began to flood back, causing tears to well up in Fahira’s eyes. Darian, who had been gazing at Fahira’s sorrowful face, could only stay silent.

The car stopped right in front of the grand house. Ariel immediately got out of the car as he couldn’t wait to go home, while Fahira remained silent inside the car, sighing repeatedly.

They saw a 15-year-old girl freeze in place upon seeing their arrival.

“Fahira? Ariel?” she murmured and began walking towards them with tearful eyes. Her index finger pointed at Ariel and Fahira alternately, then, in an instant, she collided with Ariel with force.

“Is it really you, Ariel?” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“Yes, it’s me, Ariel. Don’t you miss Fahira?” Ariel replied, releasing the embrace. The girl smiled and then tightly hugged Fahira. It was evident that she genuinely cared for her cousin.

“Mother, Father, Arya, grandma! Look who’s back!” The girl named Arini shouted, swinging the wide double doors open.

Darian and David exchanged glances and followed Fahira and Ariel as they entered the house.

“Surprise!” The cheerful girl stretched her arms as if giving them a big surprise.

Suddenly, everyone who was enjoying breakfast froze in place with undefinable expressions. From the end of the table, as the head of the family, a sound of an object falling on a plate was heard, followed by a loud noise. The echo reverberated throughout the house as the figure moved closer to Fahira and Ariel.

“Fahira! Ariel!” Bisma greeted and then tightly hugged Fahira with teary eyes before turning to hug Ariel. Darian and David could feel the joyful and emotional atmosphere, but there were some people who looked displeased with Fahira and Ariel’s return.

“I’m grateful, you are both safe. Uncle had a feeling that you were still alive!” Bisma continued, shaking hands with Darian and David in turn.

“Alive? So all this time, they believed Ariel and I were dead?” Fahira wondered with furrowed brows. “So, all this time, they didn’t know about me and Ariel?” she mused, realizing why nobody knew about their existence.

Before Fahira could become more suspicious, Ambar and Arya took turns hugging Fahira and Ariel with delight. Meanwhile, Maheswari, their grandmother, remained frozen in place. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Fahira and Ariel then approached their grandmother, who was still silent.

“I’m grateful, my grandchildren are safe!” She said, gently caressing the heads of Fahira and Ariel as they knelt before her. The elderly woman looked healthy and vigorous.

Maheswari got up from her seat and hugged her two grandchildren one after the other, then immediately called two household staff who were responsible for the kitchen and cleaning duties to prepare food and rooms for their guests. Ariel looked at Fahira, who seemed relaxed, and he felt indignant that they were being treated as guests in their own house.

Finally, they had breakfast together. As the strange atmosphere began to ease, Ambar observed Darian and David. From the way Darian looked at Fahira, Ambar instantly realized that they had a special relationship.

“After breakfast, you can freshen up and rest for a while because Uncle wants to have a long talk with you,” Bisma explained after they finished eating.

“Sorry, Uncle, and Aunt, besides wanting to meet you all, we also want to visit our parents’ graves,” Fahira interrupted before conveying the news of her upcoming wedding with Darian next month. “By the way, I want to ask for your blessings for my marriage to Bang Darian, which, God willing, will take place next month in Jakarta. Fahira hopes that all of you can attend,” she continued, stunning everyone, especially Ambar, who had been observing Darian, convinced that he was not an ordinary person.

“Jakarta? So, you’ve been living in Jakarta for the past three years? Why didn’t you contact us? If we had known, Uncle would have come to pick you up right away,” Bisma asked with surprise. He had never expected his nephew and niece to be alive after the tragic accident that claimed all the passengers three years ago. Bisma had even participated in the funeral of his stepbrother and his family. According to the hospital’s explanation, none of the victims’ faces were recognizable, so Bisma didn’t want to investigate the four coffins sent by the hospital.

“Let them rest first. They must be tired after a long journey,” Maheswari intervened to stop Bisma from bombarding Fahira and Ariel with questions.

David began to read the situation and the expressions of everyone in the dining room. According to Delon, the planned murder was carried out by Fahira’s own family. So, the news about Fahira’s family’s death, linked to the land dispute, turned out to be a public deception spread by one of the culprits.

“Rahmat, please bring their bags inside,” Ambar called out to her gardener. Rahmat, who was cleaning the swimming pool, immediately came over and carried out his employer’s order. David stared sharply at the young man, around 23 years old, examining his physical characteristics.

“So, he’s the spy sent by Delon!” David thought with conviction.

“Isn’t our room on the second floor?” Ariel remarked sarcastically as he saw Rahmat heading towards the guest room with their bags.

“It’s alright, Ariel, you can sleep with me!” Arya quickly chimed in, causing Ariel to give him a sharp look. Since they were children, Arya and Ariel had always clashed and never got along. Ariel despised Arya for always trying to take his favorite belongings. However, Ariel always had to give in because of their parents’ advice to share with their siblings.

“No need! I’ll sleep in the guest room,” Ariel replied coldly. The two 18-year-old teenagers glared at each other with hostility.

“Enough, dear. You can sleep with Fahira, and after this, we will visit our parents’ graves,” Fahira reached for Ariel’s hand and held it tightly while looking sadly at her younger brother. Ariel sighed heavily and then followed Rahmat into the guest room.

In the guest room, Ariel felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he was glad to be back in the family home, but on the other hand, the memories of his parents’ tragic death haunted him. He tried to put on a brave front, but deep down, he was still struggling to cope with the loss.

As Fahira and Ariel prepared to visit their parents’ graves, David decided to have a private conversation with Ambar. He wanted to understand the dynamics of the family and gather more information about Delon’s involvement.

“Ambar, may I have a moment with you?” David asked politely.

“Of course, come to the study,” Ambar replied and led David to a private room where they could talk without interruptions.

Once inside the study, David asked directly, “Ambar, do you know anything about Delon’s plans and his involvement with the incident that happened three years ago?”

Ambar looked surprised but quickly composed herself. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Mr. David. Delon is my husband’s cousin, and he hasn’t shared any sensitive information with me.”

David studied Ambar’s facial expressions, trying to gauge if she was being truthful. “I believe you have a good heart, Ambar, and I sense that you might not be fully aware of what’s going on. But I can assure you that Delon is not the person you think he is. He is involved in some dangerous activities, and Fahira and Ariel might be in danger if they stay here.”

Ambar’s eyes widened with concern. “What do you mean? Are Fahira and Ariel in danger?”

“Yes, there are people who want to harm them, and Delon may have played a role in the past events that led to their supposed deaths,” David explained carefully.

Ambar seemed shaken by the revelation. “I had no idea. I thought they were gone forever. What can we do to protect them?”

“We need to be cautious and keep an eye on any suspicious activities. I believe Delon has spies watching Fahira and Ariel. We should try to keep them safe and find evidence to expose Delon’s true intentions,” David suggested.

Ambar nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. “I will do everything I can to protect Fahira and Ariel. They are family, and I won’t let anything happen to them.”

With a shared determination, David and Ambar agreed to work together to ensure the safety of Fahira and Ariel. They knew that their family was in danger, and they had to stay one step ahead to unravel the truth behind the past events and the sinister plans that threatened their lives.