Damien Logan, a ruthless billionaire, is used to control and power. But his life is shaken after a one-night stand with a mysterious woman, Ariana. When he wakes up to find her gone, he assumes they’ll never meet again until fate steps in. Struggling with debt and the loss of her job, Ariana unexpectedly finds herself back in Damien's world. Faced with his grandfather’s demand to marry a woman of his choosing, Damien comes up with a bold plan: a marriage contract with Ariana. In exchange for pretending to be his wife, she’ll get the financial stability she needs. Reluctantly, Ariana agrees, stepping into a life of wealth and lies. But as their fake marriage goes on, their walls start to crack. The line between pretending and real feelings starts to blur. Secrets and insecurities threaten to ruin everything. Can a love built on a lie survive, or will their contract end before they find each other’s hearts?
View More“Aku nggak bisa menikah sama kamu, ada perempuan lain yang sedang mengandung anakku.”
Isvara terdiam beberapa saat setelah mendengar ucapan Tara, pria yang seharusnya menikah dengannya sekarang, dari sambungan telepon.
“Maksud kamu apa, Tara?” tanya Isvara lemah, seolah masih tidak bisa memahami semua itu dengan baik.
“Kita nggak jadi menikah, Isvara!” jawab Tara dari seberang.
Isvara sedikit terperanjat, lalu menunduk, menatap dirinya sendiri yang sudah rapi dengan baju pengantin berwarna putih, lalu mengalihkan pandangannya ke area KUA. Semua keluarganya telah datang, tetapi sekarang pengantin pria malah membatalkan pernikahan.
“Ta–tapi aku dan keluargaku sudah siap, kita nggak mungkin membatalkan semua ini begitu saja,” kata Isvara sambil menahan air matanya. Tangannya mulai bergetar, detak jantungnya mulai terpacu lebih cepat.
“Aku nggak peduli, Ra. Lagipula, aku nggak mencintai kamu lagi.”
“Kenapa kamu tega? Tiga tahun kita selama ini kamu anggap apa?” Suara Isvara terdengar lebih serius, tetapi rasa kecewa itu tidak bisa ditutupi sama sekali.
“Jujur saja, aku muak sama kamu, Ra. Kamu terlalu kolot dan sok suci, ciuman saja nggak mau! Sudahlah, percuma juga kamu mau gimana pun, aku tetap nggak akan datang.”
Panggilan itu terputus begitu saja.
Isvara sekali lagi terperanga. Dia sama sekali tidak menyangka jika Tara akan mengatakan hal itu. Selama ini, dia memang selalu menjaga dirinya untuk suaminya nanti. Kalaupun dia memang menikah dengan Tara, bukankah hal itu juga jelas akan Tara dapatkan?
Isvara menghela napas berat. Pandangannya beredar ke sembarang arah, pikirannya berlarian tanpa tujuan.
Apa yang harus dia katakan pada orang tuanya?
Orang tua Isvara sangat mendukung hubungannya dan terus mendorongnya untuk segera menikah. Selain menganggap pacaran lama tidak baik, mereka merasa usia Isvara yang sudah 26 tahun sudah cukup matang. Mereka sering berkata ingin melihat Isvara dan adiknya menikah sebelum tutup usia. Adik laki-laki Isvara yang lebih muda setahun, sudah siap menikah, tapi harus menunggu Isvara sebagai kakak. Meski Isvara tak keberatan adiknya menikah lebih dulu, tetapi orang tua mereka tidak setuju.
Semua itu membuat Isvara merasa cukup tertekan.
Saat air mata Isvara meluncur dari sudut matanya, dia buru-buru menyekanya karena mendengar suara dua pria yang sedang sedikit berdebat dalam sambungan telepon di sudut halaman KUA.
“Cari dia, jangan sampai pernikahanku gagal cuma karena dia tidak ada hari ini,” kata pria itu dengan nada kesal.
Samar-samar, Isvara mendengar ucapan pria itu.
“Jemput saja dia, aku akan menunggu di sini,” ucap pria itu lagi.
Setelah mendengar pria itu mendengus kesal, Isvara langsung bergerak mendatanginya. Entah kenapa, ucapan pria itu membuat Isvara berpikir bahwa sepertinya dia mengalami nasib yang sama dengannya.
“Permisi,” kata Isvara dengan sedikit keraguan.
Pria itu memakai setelan kantor biasa, dengan jas hitam dan celana bahan hitam, langsung menatap Isvara dengan cukup tajam. Wajahnya tegas, sangat serasi dengan postur tubuhnya yang tinggi dan atletis. Namun, dalam tatapan itu, seperti ada sesuatu yang lebih dari sekadar kebingungan.
“Maaf, saya tidak sengaja mendengar percakapan Anda di telepon, dan saya kira situasi kita sama,” ucap Isvara tanpa basa-basi.
Namun, pria itu masih diam dengan tatapan penuh selidik ke arah Isvara.
“Ayo menikah denganku,” kata Isvara lagi tiba-tiba karena tidak kunjung mendapat respon, membuat pria itu mengernyitkan dahinya seketika.
“Anda sedang buru-buru menikah, ‘kan?” kata Isvara lagi. Dia mengambil satu langkah lebih dekat dengan pria itu. “Kebetulan, saya juga ada di posisi yang sama dengan Anda. Bagaimana kalau kita saling membantu?”
Namun, lagi-lagi pria itu tetap bungkam.
Ucapan Isvara selain terdengar sangat impulsif, juga seperti sebuah percakapan bisnis di telinga pria itu, sama sekali tidak terlihat seperti sebuah keputusan tentang peristiwa sekali seumur hidup.
“Saya yakin Anda sangat membutuhkan pernikahan ini,” desak Isvara lagi, seolah hanya dirinya solusi terakhir dan tercepat yang bisa membantu pria itu.
Pria itu masih diam, seperti sedang mempertimbangkan sesuatu. Sesekali dia melihat ponselnya, lalu kembali menatap Isvara.
“Siapa namamu?” tanya pria itu akhirnya.
“Isvara Mahavira,” jawab Isvara dengan percaya diri.
Namun, begitu mendengar nama itu, Alvano langsung mengernyitkan dahinya lagi, seolah ada sesuatu dengan nama itu.
“Bagaimana?” tanya Isvara lagi untuk memastikan. Waktu pernikahan Isvara seharusnya akan berlangsung 15 menit lagi. Dia tidak bisa menunggu terlalu lama lagi.
Belum sempat bersuara lagi, pria itu justru mendapat panggilan telepon.
“Pak Alvano, Anda harus segera kembali ke kantor, meeting akan dimulai 1 jam lagi,” kata pihak di seberang sambungan telepon.
“Ya,” jawab Alvano singkat lalu memutuskan sambungan telepon itu.
Alvano Narendra Putra, pria berjas itu kembali bungkam. Dia memang membutuhkan pernikahan ini karena orang tuanya bilang mereka butuh seorang pewaris segera, sementara kakaknya yang seorang model tentu belum bisa memberikan keturunan dalam waktu dekat. Namun, sebenarnya dia sendiri juga belum siap menikah meskipun sudah memiliki kekasih. Dan meskipun harus menikah dalam waktu dekat, tetapi rasanya tidak bisa kalau harus seperti ini.
Alvano adalah pria terpandang. Seorang CEO perusahaan skincare ternama, berasal dari keluarga konglomerat yang sangat disegani. Jadi, tidak mungkin dia menikah dengan wanita sembarangan.
Mungkin, jika harus mencari wanita pengganti, itu bukan hal yang sulit bagi seorang Alvano. Namun, keluarganya terlanjur senang dan merestuinya dengan sang kekasih yang berasal dari kelas sama dengan keluarganya.
Namun, sekali lagi Alvano menatap Isvara, terutama pada bagian pelipis kanan Isvara yang terdapat tahi lalat tipis di sana.
Tanpa pikir panjang, Alvano langsung menjawab, “Aku setuju menikah denganmu.”
Isvara akhirnya bisa bernapas lega.
Namun, sebelum keduanya memasuki ruangan, Isvara menghentikan langkahnya.
“Maaf, siapa nama Anda? Saya belum tahu nama Anda,” tanya Isvara sambil menatap Alvano dengan sedikit ragu.
“Nama saja tidak tahu, tapi berani mengajak menikah.” Alvano tersenyum kecil. “Alvano Narendra Putra.”
Sejenak Isvara merutuki dirinya sendiri yang bertindak begitu impulsif karena menarik pria asing untuk menikah dengannya.
Damien’s POV I stepped out into the hallway and pulled out my phone. I had gotten a text from Alex. > “Boss, where are you? Left the hospital already, and I dropped Miss Cindy back to her villa.”.“Check the CCTV footage from Cindy’s villa,” I said. “I want to know everything that happened there tonight.” As soon as I was done talking, I ended the call. I stood still for a while, not moving. I felt my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I curled my hand into a fist by my side. I couldn’t think straight. The only thing in my head was Ariana, and how she had looked at me back there at the party, like she needed saving, like she needed me to save her from that terrible moment. Like she needed me to protect her. How she sat on the floor, looking helpless. How she had winced in pain in the car as she held her wrist. How my heart skipped the moment my eyes landed on her wrist, to
Ariana’s POV I sat in the car quietly, without saying a word, too heartbroken to speak. my body was shaking slightly. I got bullied in there and I still got the blame. Cindy was worse than I thought, she would do anything just to get Damien and she doesn't mind hurting anyone even herself. and Damien? I had expected him to speak up for me or at least protect me, but he didn’t do that. He acted otherwise. And just then I realized this contract is the worst decision of my life. A throbbing pain ran through my body from my wrist, and this time I couldn’t hide it anymore. The pain was unexplainable. “Uhhh,” I winced slightly in pain and held my wrist. Damien stared at me, his eyes falling on my wrist. I tried to hide it but it was too late, he saw it already. He didn’t say a word, I saw him clenched his jaw tightly and tighten his grip around the car’s wheel. Suddenly he made a turn. Where was he taking me? This was clearly not the way to the villa. “Where are you ta
Ariana’s POV Cindy stood there, her arms crossed, flanked by Lisa and Janet on either side. They had a smirk on their faces. She stepped closer, her heels giving soft clicks on the tiled floor. My heart skipped a beat, but I summoned up all the courage I had left. “What do you want?” I asked. Cindy rolled her eyes. “Well,” she said, eyeing my champagne-drenched dress, “that’s quite a look. You look drenched… and desperate..and honestly it suits you more than anything.” Lisa let out a laugh. Janet added, “You should’ve seen your face back there. Honestly, you looked like you were about to cry. I almost took pity on you.” I clenched my jaw. “You think this is funny? What do you even want from me? Just leave me alone!” Cindy arched a brow. “Sweetheart, we haven’t even started.” She walked around me slowly, dragging her eyes up and down like I was a piece of trash someone forgot to throw away. “You really had some nerve showing up here, you know,” she said, her voi
Ariana’s POV “Oh, look who we have here,” Cindy said, her eyes landing on me like I was something unpleasant to the eyes. That fake smile never left her lips, but the eyes... they never lie. Her eyes clearly gave her away. My body stiffened, and I didn’t even know what to say. My hands clenched my purse tighter as I tried to hide the mess of emotions crawling under my skin. “H…hi,” I stammered and forced a smile. She looked me up and down like I was something that disgusted her. “Uh,” she muttered, disdain filling her eyes. “Let me introduce you to the guests, Damien,” she said suddenly, turning her attention to Damien her face now full of smiles like she wasn’t the same person who had just looked at me like I was filth. Before I could process anything, she slipped her arm around his...and no, he didn’t pull away. He didn’t chase her off with that cold voice and distant attitude like he always did. It was very different this time. As she guided Damien toward the gu
Ariana POV I stood in front of the mirror, glancing at my reflection. The dress I was wearing was a pale blue, floor length gown. The dress hugged my waist like it had been stitched into my skin. It dipped low in the back, revealing the soft curve of my spine and half of my skin. I’d styled my hair in a half up, half down look with a clean front parting. I’d split the front into two delicate strands, curled them softly, and let them frame my face. The back half of my hair flowed down in loose curls, while the top half was tied into a neat half ponytail, also curled at the ends for an elegant bounce. I’d applied a light layer of makeup earlier to match my outfit. The storm in my mind didn't allow me to acknowledge my appearance. My head was full of thoughts. Alex had come in to deliver the dress earlier, and the look he had on his face like he had something to say lingered in my mind. He just gave a slight bow and left without saying a word. I was hoping he would tell me wh
Damien’s POV I took in a deep breath and walked into the study. I shut the door behind me, harder than I meant to. The sound echoed behind me, but I didn’t care. My hands stayed in my pockets as I paced to the window and stared out at the driveway, but I wasn’t seeing anything. My mind was somewhere else. What the hell just happened in that kitchen? What the hell was that? I rubbed my hand over my face and walked straight to the whiskey cabinet. I poured a glass and downed half of it before setting it on the desk with a dull thud. I stared blankly at the bookshelves across the room. I ran a hand down my face, dragging it over my mouth. My pulse was racing, like I’d just gotten out of a fight. Did I just almost kissed her? I rubbed a hand on my forehead, closing my eyes. I almost kissed Ariana. If I hadn’t walked away just now… I would’ve kissed her without any hesitation or thought. The thought of her lips that near mine engulfed me....God. What the hell is happening to me
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