Chapter 6

I took a moment to rest my body on this soft sofa, closed my eyes briefly, and took a deep breath in the hopes of easing some of the burdens on my mind and heart that I'm currently dealing with. Why could Chandra act that way outside, while in front of me he seems very kind? Unknowingly, tears started flowing down my cheeks. Truly, this is a heavy blow in my life.

But I must not lose hope, I have to stay strong. I shouldn't let frustration and pain overcome me just because of this. I'm a resilient woman, and before I achieve what I want, I won't back down. I sit back down, saying "Bismillah," and I will continue what I had planned earlier.

I immediately called Linda, asking her to call the cleaning service and have them clean up this room from the disgusting trash. Not long after, the service personnel entered my room.

"Please take the trash can and its contents under that table, and also this wastepaper basket, take them to the back and burn everything," I instructed.

"What about the trash can itself, Ma'am?" the cleaning service person asked me, looking a bit puzzled.

"Yes, everything," I said, "or if you want, you can take it for yourself."

"Sure, Ma'am. I'd like that. Rather than burning it, I'd rather take it home. It would be a waste, Ma'am," they said with a smile.

"Fine, it's up to you, as long as those items and their contents are no longer in my sight. You can leave now."

"Understood, Ma'am. Thank you very much," they said as they left the room.

With the removal of the trash and the wastepaper basket, it felt like a fresh supply of air entered the room again. I leaned back in my chair and was about to call Mr. Johan, the financial manager and my father's trusted person from before.

"Mr. Johan, please come to the main director's office right away, I'm waiting for you now," I said over the office phone.

While waiting for Mr. Johan, I opened the drawer on the right side that I hadn't had a chance to open before, as I had found contraceptive devices earlier. Hopefully, there won't be any more disgusting surprises in there. Alhamdulillah, those items were not here, just small pieces of paper and some stationery, as well as a few 3x4 photos of women, seemingly formal photos. Why would Chandra keep these photos?

A very small piece of purple paper with attractive floral patterns caught my attention. Since when did my husband enjoy something so fancy and girly? I picked up the paper; there was some writing or some kind of code on it,

040488ME

What code is this?

I slipped the cute paper into my pants pocket as Mr. Johan knocked on the door.

"Please come in, Mr. Johan," I said from inside.

"Assalamualaikum, Ms. Dita."

"Waalaikumsalam, please have a seat, Mr. Johan. How are you doing?" I asked as he sat down across from me.

"Alhamdulillah, I'm well, Ms. Dita," he answered respectfully, "I hope you're doing well too. It's been a long time since I last saw you here."

"Alhamdulillah, I'm also doing well, Mr. Johan. I've been busy setting up a new business at home, so I haven't had time to come here," I lied, "can I request all the company reports for the past year?"

"Of course, Ms. Dita. No problem," he said somewhat nervously.

"Okay, I need them today, before lunch break. And from now on, all financial matters should be directed to this new account," I said, showing him my new account number.

"Understood, Ms. Dita. I'll work on it with the team right away," he said, getting up to leave.

It seems there's something being hidden from me. It's not like Mr. Johan to be like this, he couldn't even look me in the eye while in this room.

"Wait, Mr. Johan. Please sit for a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss," I said.

He quickly sat back down in the chair, "Can I help you with anything else, Ms. Dita?"

"Please answer my question honestly. Why do you seem so afraid when I asked for those reports?"

"I'm afraid that Mr. Chandra might get angry, Ma'am. Because all employees who don't obey his orders, right or wrong, would be fired without severance pay. And Mr. Chandra warned me not to tell anyone, especially you, about the company's financial situation," he explained.

"Why is he afraid if I find out? Is it because there's a lot of wrongdoing?" I asked.

"To be honest, during the year Mr. Chandra has been here, there have been a lot of fraud and corruption. If this continues, I believe we might go bankrupt soon. I've warned him many times, but he never listened," he revealed.

I truly feel like smacking my husband's head, or perhaps he should be showered with flowers of all kinds so he can find his way back to the right path. Unbelievable. Right now, I trust Mr. Johan's words more than Chandra's.

"Does Mr. Johan know who the real owner of this company is? From now on, I'll handle all matters here myself. Please ensure that any staff who refuse to cooperate should come to see me immediately."

"Alright, Ma'am. I'll do that right away. Honestly, Ms. Dita, you seem more capable of managing this company than Mr. Chandra. I'll take my leave now, Ma'am," he excused himself.

"Okay, I'll be waiting. Oh, by the way, in ten minutes, don't forget the board of directors meeting, Mr. Johan. I'll be heading there soon."

"Understood, Ma'am," he said as he left.

As I suspected, Chandra has squandered all the company's money to satisfy his own desires. Unbelievable!"

Then Linda and I headed to the meeting room. Twelve staff members were already waiting for me there. I immediately started the meeting.

"Good morning, everyone. I apologize for gathering you all here suddenly this morning. Without further ado, starting today, as the sole owner of this company, I request that all company reports be sent to me daily. And any decisions regarding the company must have my approval. Even though I won't be at the office every day, the reports must be sent to my email. Without exception. That's all I wanted to say. If there are any questions, please ask."

Mr. Fahri, the operational manager, raised his hand, "I'm sorry, Ms. Dita. What about Mr. Chandra? Should we still report to him first? And is Mr. Chandra not here anymore? We're really afraid of Mr. Chandra."

"Please remember, I am the sole owner of this company, and whatever I say must be executed by all of you. Mr. Chandra will continue coming to the office as usual, but all decisions must go through me first. And I request all divisions to send their reports for this year to my desk, I'll be waiting before lunchtime. I believe everything is clear here, and I declare the meeting adjourned."

I promptly leave the meeting room with Linda. In my opinion, there's no need to elaborate further; I think they understand what I've just said.

"Lin, don't forget that from now on, you are my right hand. If I'm not here, you must report to me about anything wrong here, and also about Chandra," I say as Linda and I walk side by side.

"Understood, Ma'am. I'll make sure Ms. Dita won't be disappointed with my performance," she replies firmly.

Chandra, starting now, let's compete to show our capabilities, whether it's me or you who can truly handle all of this.