Mag-log inPada malam ketika geng musuh keluargaku menyerbu pesta dansa, aku dijadikan sandera. Pacarku, Nathan, dan sahabat terdekatku, Rudi, berdiri cuma beberapa langkah dari aku. Namun mereka malah pilih lindungi sepupuku, Ayu. Beberapa jam kemudian aku diselamatkan oleh seorang pria misterius dalam keadaan memar, gemetar, dan seolah telah dilupakan. Nggak ada seorang pun yang tanya ke aku apa yang telah terjadi. Nathan cuma bilang, “Ayu ketakutan. Dia lebih butuh kami.” Beberapa hari kemudian, Ayu undang aku ke pesta ulang tahunnya. Aku datang demi sopan santun, cuma untuk saksikan dia jadikan aku penjahat dalam kisah versinya sendiri. Nathan dan Rudi berdiri di sisinya lindungi dia lagi. Malam itu, aku pun ucapkan “Oke” pada perjodohan yang telah disiapkan keluargaku sejak bertahun-tahun lalu. Saat aku tinggalkan kota, Nathan akhirnya kirim pesan, marah, terluka, tersinggung. [Kamu beneran pergi?] Aku balas hanya dengan satu kalimat: [Silakan datang ke acara pernikahanku.]
view more1.
Benjamin Lockwood walked into his office with the baby bassinet in his right hand and his laptop bag in his left
As soon as he reached his cabin ,he set the bassinet on the coffee table and looked down to see his niece sleeping peacefully
Baby Sapphire, eighteen months old is his step sister's daughter.
Eleanor came to his life when he was twelve years old and she was ten. Three years after his mother Marianna's death ,William Lockwood married Elizabeth Lockason ,a widow with a ten year old daughter.
When his father re married ,he was all set to deal
with the atrocities of an evil step mom ,having believed that all step mothers are like Cindrella's step mom.
But Elizabeth loved and took care of Benjamin like her own. With his father's second marriage ,Benjamin got another mother and a lovely sister.
Life was happy until Eleanor met John. William and Benjamin were against Eleanor's relationship with John ,as the guy was a good for nothing fellow or so they thought
Benjamin tried his best to discourage Eleanor from the relationship ,but it only made her more and more stubborn. And in the end ,she chose her love over her family and eloped with him.
Eleanor's father was a well know businessman
and Eleanor was the sole heir of all his properties. Naturally she became a target for gold digging manupulative John Thompson.
And by the time Eleanor realised the truth ,it was too late by then.
Baby Sapphire was already born and half of Eleanor's hefty bank balance drained.
But Eleanor was too proud to come to her brother directly for help. She made a will stating ,all her properties to go to baby Sapphire if anything happens to her and the baby be left under the guardianship of her brother Benjamin Lockwood.
Eleanor and John died in an accident three weeks ago ,and that's when Benjamin met his niece for the first time.
He was too angry with Eleanor for chosing someone, she met a mere year ago ,over him and their family.
But he swore to never repeat the mistake.
Eleanor had left Sapphire in his care and he will do everything in his power to care for Sapphire .
But taking care of a baby is no cake walk. He realised that within a day. It was yesterday, the child welfare community handed over the baby to Benjamin.
"Benjamin. Mr Gabriel Clarke is here to meet you" his assistant informed him.
He looked at his sleeping niece and decided against having a meeting in his cabin ,not wanting to disturb her.
"Ask him to wait for me in the mini conference room. And Claire, sit here and do your work till I come back. Keep an eye on her. If she wakes up , give her the bottle and if she refuses to take it ,call me" he said and his assistant nodded to every instruction.
Claire came back after five minutes to let him know she did whatever he asked her to.
"Keep an eye on her" With that said Benjamin walked out of his cabin to the mini conference room.
"Good morning Gabriel" Benjamin greeted his legal team head.
"Good morning Benjamin."
"Everything alright?? You look troubled??" Benjamin asked
"Benjamin. Your brother in law's family has filed petition for the custody of the child." Gabriel said and Benjamin cursed
"Their argument is that Baby Sapphire has been a part of their life and she is far more familiar with them than you ,who never once visited her before" Gabriel said
"Damn it"
"And John's brother is a married man with two
children of his own. And they state that Sapphire will have a better life with a family rather than a bachelor" Gabriel added
"They just want the money the belongs to Sapphire.I will not let them do that" Benjamin said coldly.
"Eleanor's will is strong. So there is nothing to worry about their argument on you never visiting the baby before. But their argument on Sapphire being better with a family rather than a bachelor could create issues for us"
"What are the scopes for paying them off??"
"It could work temporarily.They can come back again later on with the same arguments"
"What other option do we have??"
"The best option will be for you to get married Benjamin" Gabriel said
"What the!!"
"It could be advantageous legally and emotionally. Sapphire need a mother."
"I lost my sister three weeks ago. How do you expect me to get married now"
"We don't have another option Benjamin."
Benjamin huffed in annoyance. Where is he going to find a bride now?? Not just a bride. A bride ready to be an instant mother??
"You can leave now uncle. I will get back to you soon"
He is not ready for marriage yet. His father had handed over the CEO position only six months ago and he was only settling down in the new position. How was he to get married now??
****
Isabella Carter ran around the office like a butterfly
She loved this place. She joined the office just two days ago as the new errand girl.
All she have to do is take files from here to
there.Take xerox copies and make coffee for the boss.
The boss has been on leave for the past two days ,so Izzy didn't have to make coffee. But Tom ,who works in HR department informed her that the boss is in the office today ,so she should get his coffee to his cabin.
Izzy knocked on the cabin and heard a feminine voice asking her to come in.
She opened the door and found Claire sitting in the cabin with her laptop.
Izzy shot a bright smile at the woman.
"Hello Claire."
"Hey Isabella. What are you doing here??" Claire asked with a smile
"Came with coffee for boss" Isabella said and placed the coffee on the desk.
She turned around to chat a little with Claire ,thats when she noticed the bassinet with cute baby in it
"Awwle. So cute" Izzy gushed at the sleeping baby.
"Shhh. Don't wake her."
"Whose baby is this??" Izzy asked
"This is the boss'...." Claire trailed off when her phone rang.
"Hello. Yes. I will be there. One second" Claire said and hung up the phone.
"Isabella. Just stay here and keep an eye on her. I will be back in a minute" Claire said and Izzy was only too happy to stare at the adorable baby.
Izzy sat next to the baby bassinet and started talking to the sleeping baby
"What is your name?? Are you a boy or a girl?? If you are a boy ,Micky name suits you. If you are a girl ,I will call you Minnie. No no. I will call you Angel. How long will you sleep?? When you wake
up ,maybe we can play. I had never had a baby at home. I'm the younger child. Are you an only child?? Or do you have a big brother or sister?? Whom did you come with??"
She kept on chattering and the baby woke up due to the disturbances.
The little one looked around and found herself in a strange place with a stranger and she sat up in her bassinet and started wailing loudly.
Isabella panicked not knowing what to do?? She had never had to deal with a crying baby before.
All the babies she has met before were accompanied by their mommies.
"Arre arre Micky. Good babies don't cry." Isabella
said and tried to pick her up ,who protested loudly pulling at Isabella's hair.
"Ouchh" Isabella hissed in pain and with very difficulty she got her hair out of the baby's clutches.
"How cute you looked when you were sleeping??" Isabella complained to which the baby cried again.
"Okay okay. I will dance. You love dancing??" Isabella asked
" Yo,
I am hustling the hustle,
With my style in bustle,
Not afraid of having a tussle,
I know the power of my muscle." Isabella sang doing the wierd dance steps and the baby stopped crying seeing the weird things the lady in front of her was doing.
Benjamin was walking back to his cabin when he saw Claire.
"Claire?? You left Sapphire alone?? I told you to keep an eye on her??"
"She is not alone Benjamin. Isabella is with her. I had to come out as there was an emergency" Claire said apologetically
"Who is Isabella??"
"She is our new errand girl. She just joined two days ago"
"You left Sapphire with a total stranger??" Benjamin asked disappointed at his secretary.
"Isabella won't cause the baby any harm." Claire said.
"I will go and check" Benjamin said and hurried to his cabin.
He opened the door and stood there gaping at the sight.
"Yo,
I am hustling the hustle,
With my style in bustle,
Not afraid of having a tussle,
I know the power of my muscle."
A petite girl was doing some weird dance steps and baby Sapphire was wide awake in her bassinet staring at the sight in front of her in wide eyed wonder.
"What the!!" Was all he could say
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Hidup di Rowana rasanya begitu nikmat.Ayah mulai serahkan sebagian bisnis ke aku, terutama divisi kasino. Lebih dari sekali ia ingatkan aku, “Aku nikahkan kamu dengan Simon bukan karena anggap kamu sebagai alat tukar bisnis. Aku nikahkan kamu dengan dia karena aku tahu dia orang yang tepat. Dan kalau kamu akan hidup bersama pria seperti Simon, kamu juga harus sama kuatnya.”Aku setuju banget dengan ucapan ayah.Jadi aku ambil kendali. Di bawah kepemimpinanku kasino-kasino berkembang pesat. Simon nggak pernah sekalipun suruh aku melambat atau pilih jalan yang lebih mudah. Ia percaya ke aku.Sama seperti aku percaya ke diriku sendiri.Pagi ini, saat aku bangun dari tempat tidur, aku baru sadar sesuatu, aku belum buka hadiah pernikahan.Aku dan Simon langsung pergi bulan madu setelah upacara pernikahan selesai. Setelah itu aku tenggelam dalam pekerjaan. Kotak-kotak hadiah itu hanya tertumpuk begitu saja.Aku berjalan menyusuri lorong menuju ruangan tempat para staf
Sudut Pandang Nathan.Setelah kami diusir oleh Arumi dan keluarganya, aku dan Rudi tetap nggak tinggalkan Rowana.Kami putuskan untuk tinggal, setidaknya sampai hari pernikahannya.Pada hari kesepuluh di sini, kami ketemu dengan Simon. Tunangan Arumi.Aku ragu itu kebetulan.Desas-desus bilang kalau setengah dari Itahera itu punya Simon.“Jadi kamu Nathan Mulin,” katanya dengan tatapannya tenang namun menilai.Rudi yang berdiri di sampingku melangkah maju.“Rudi Safwan. Sahabat Arumi sejak kecil.”Simon jabat tangannya dengan sopan, lalu kembali pusatkan perhatian penuh ke aku.“Aku sudah baca sedikit tentang kalian berdua.”Senyumnya ramah, tapi nggak tulus sampai ke matanya.“Dan aku akan sangat hargain kalau kalian menjauh dari Arumi. Dia mungkin kelihatannya kuat, tapi aku perhatikan … setiap kali ketemu kalian, dia selalu kelihatan gelisah.”“Kamu ….” Rudi mulai bicara, tapi aku angkat tangan hentikan dia.“Simon, hubunganku dengan Arumi bukan urusanmu. Kami sudah saling kenal sel
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Sejak tiba di Rowana, aku belum ketemu lagi dengan Simon.Sebenarnya bagus juga, karena aku sendiri belum yakin gimana perasaanku kalau harus lihat dia lagi.Yang aku tahu cuma satu: sebagian dari diriku merasa sangat berutang budi ke dia.Kalau nggak karena dia, aku nggak akan berada di sini, hidup dan masih bisa bernapas.“Arumi! Ada tamu penting buat kamu!” Suara Ibu terdengar dari ujung lorong.Pikiranku langsung kembali ke masa kini.Langkah kaki bergema di lantai marmer.Kurang dari sepuluh detik kemudian, pria dari malam itu melangkah masuk.Simon Marzuki.Setelan rapi yang sama. Langkah percaya diri yang sama. Dan senyum itu .…“Nona Danastri,” sapanya sambil hampiri dan kasih aku buket bunga yang ada di lengannya.Mawar merah muda. Favoritku.“Panggil aku Arumi saja,” kataku sambil tersenyum.Ia balas senyum itu dengan manis.“Oke, Arumi.”“Simon, sini duduk dulu.” Ibu berkata sambil masuk ke ruangan, ramah dan hangat.Aku menangkap gimana tatapannya berla
Sudut Pandang Nathan.Pintu tiba-tiba terbuka.“Kenapa? Apa yang terjadi?” Rudi menerobos masuk, matanya berpindah dari Ayu yang tergeletak di lantai ke arahku.Ia bergerak hendak tolong Ayu untuk bangkit berdiri, tapi Ayu tepis tangannya.“Oh, nggak perlu.”Rudi menegang. Ia menatapku, keraguan berkilat di matanya.“Nathan?”Ayu berdiri, rapikan gaunnya seolah nggak terjadi apa pun.“Kami cuma sedang ngobrol senang banget akhirnya Arumi pergi. Yah nggak, Rudi?” katanya ringan.“Apa? Ayu, jangan bicara kayak gitu tentang Arumi. Aku tahu dia kejam ke kamu, tapi itu nggak berarti dia nggak ….” kata Rudi sambil kerutkan kening.“Dua orang munafik,” potong Ayu dengan seringai sinis.Sesuatu di dadaku mengencang.“Ayu, apa benar yang Arumi bilang kapan lalu? Kalau kamu jatuh sendiri lalu nyalahkan dia?” kataku perlahan.Untuk pertama kalinya, Ayu menatapku tanpa kelembutan atau topeng apa pun.“Menurutmu gimana?” tanyanya.Aku berdiri, melangkah ke arahnya, dan berhenti hanya beberapa inci
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Sudah dua hari aku dirawat di rumah sakit.Untungnya, peluru itu nggak kena organ vital.Nggak masuk terlalu dalam juga.Setelah beberapa jahitan, obat pereda nyeri, aku pun diizinkan pulang untuk istirahat.Aku tunda panggil perusahaan yang bantu aku pindahan dan putuskan untuk
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Aku nggak jawab.Nathan menghela napas keras, nadanya melunak.“Kalau ini tentang Ayu dan penyergapan itu aku ngerti. Aku dan Rudi memang salah. Kami seharusnya ada di sisimu. Tapi, Arumi …. coba pikir. Kamu punya orang tuamu, kan? Kamu juga punya kami. Tapi Ayu nggak punya siap
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Rasanya hatiku nggak hancur lagi, tapi langsung berubah jadi abu di dalam dadaku.Aku menatap mata Nathan.“Kukira kamu paham diriku. Aku akan minta maaf kalau aku memang salah. Tapi Ayu?”Aku meliriknya, masih terkulai dalam pelukan Rudi, tampak terkejut dan rapuh.“Aku nggak a
Sudut Pandang Arumi.Aku disergap oleh geng musuh keluargaku saat sebuah pesta berlangsung.Di tengah kekacauan itu, aku lihat Nathan Mulin pacarku selama lima tahun dan Rudi Safwan, sahabatku sejak kecil, lari menuju sepupuku, Ayu Zahira.Aku lihat mereka lindungi dia, tutupin dia dengan tubuh mere






Selamat datang di dunia fiksi kami - Goodnovel. Jika Anda menyukai novel ini untuk menjelajahi dunia, menjadi penulis novel asli online untuk menambah penghasilan, bergabung dengan kami. Anda dapat membaca atau membuat berbagai jenis buku, seperti novel roman, bacaan epik, novel manusia serigala, novel fantasi, novel sejarah dan sebagainya yang berkualitas tinggi. Jika Anda seorang penulis, maka akan memperoleh banyak inspirasi untuk membuat karya yang lebih baik. Terlebih lagi, karya Anda menjadi lebih menarik dan disukai pembaca.
Rebyu