Secrets in the CEO's Office

"Miss Alya, your grandmother’s surgery has to be performed tomorrow morning as we agreed yesterday. The cost is one hundred and fifty million rupiahs.”

The doctor’s words from earlier that afternoon kept replaying in Alya Paramita’s head like a broken record.

Alya stared at the glass of dark red liquid in her hand, her vision already beginning to blur. The ballroom of the five-star hotel was deafening tonight, filled with the laughter and cheers of hundreds of employees from PT Rasa Nusantara Food celebrating the huge success of their newest product. Yet Alya’s chest felt unbearably tight.

One hundred and fifty million... Where am I supposed to get a loan that big overnight? Alya lamented inwardly as she drained the contents of her glass.

“Alya! Come on, have another drink! You’re the hero of the research team this month!” Sinta exclaimed as she poured more into Alya’s glass.

“Ah, yeah. Thanks, Sin,” Alya replied with a forced smile.

Alya did not refuse the next glass her friend offered. She just wanted to numb herself tonight. Her mind was already too exhausted from thinking about the string of misfortunes that had been relentlessly crashing down on her.

Not only was her grandmother in critical condition, but that afternoon, her small house had been ransacked by loan sharks because of her biological father. He had suddenly shown up just to hide from the police over a fraud case, only to disappear again without a word.

Why is my life such a complete mess? That bastard of a father ran away and gave Grandma another heart attack, Alya raged inwardly, feeling her head begin to spin violently from the alcohol.

“I feel sick...” Alya muttered, clutching her chest.

“Al, what’s wrong? You look so pale,” Sinta asked, noticing the sudden change in her friend’s expression.

“I’m going to the restroom for a bit, Sin. I need some fresh air,” Alya said, her voice unsteady.

Alya staggered out of the ballroom. The alcohol made the hotel corridor seem to sway before her eyes. She tried to find somewhere quiet, but her unsteady steps instead carried her into a deserted corridor lined with red velvet carpet, far away from the public restrooms.

Ugh, where’s the restroom? My head is killing me, she complained inwardly as she leaned against the cold marble wall.

Thud!

“Ah!” Alya gasped softly when she lost her balance and crashed into the broad chest of a man standing near the VIP staircase.

She would have collapsed onto the floor if a strong arm had not shot out and caught her around the waist. Their bodies pressed closely together.

Alya struggled to lift her head, trying to focus her blurred vision on the man standing before her. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit. His jaw was sharp, and his piercing, hawk-like eyes radiated an unmistakable air of authority.

“Are you all right?” the man asked in a deep, calm baritone.

“Cold... My head hurts so much...” Alya whimpered.

The frustration and despair weighing on her had completely clouded her judgment. Her vision darkened, her body suddenly went limp, and a second later, she lost consciousness completely in the arms of the stranger.

***

The luxurious scent of the room and the softness of the mattress slowly stirred Alya awake the next morning. Sunlight slipping through the gap in the curtains stabbed painfully into her eyes, making the throbbing in her temples even worse.

Alya sat stiffly on the large, disheveled bed. When she looked down to check herself, her heart seemed to stop.

Her red evening gown was gone, replaced by a thick white hotel bathrobe—with nothing underneath.

“Damn it, what happened last night?!” Alya cried out in panic as she checked herself and realized even her underwear was gone.

Fragments of the previous night began spinning through her mind.

She remembered her frustration. She remembered crashing into a handsome, commanding man in the hallway. And then... nothing.

Alya turned toward the right side of the bed and found a tall, broad-shouldered man sitting against the sofa, watching her coldly.

He was already dressed neatly in a white shirt, with a black suit jacket draped over one arm.

“You’re awake?” the man asked flatly, his expression unreadable.

“Who... who are you?! Why am I here, and why did you change my clothes?!” Alya shrieked in panic, clutching the blanket tightly around herself.

The man stood, casually buttoning his shirt as he approached the edge of the bed.

“You passed out and ran into me in the hallway last night. Your clothes were dirty from spilled drinks and vomit, so I had a female hotel staff member clean them and replace them with a bathrobe.”

Alya stared at him suspiciously.

The part of her brain that had a weakness for handsome men briefly admired his striking features, but her fear and wounded pride were far stronger now.

“Then why is the bed such a mess?! You didn’t do anything to me, did you?!”

The man looked her up and down with an assessing gaze that made Alya uncomfortable.

“I don’t make a habit of touching unconscious women. I simply waited for you to wake up on the sofa because I didn’t know your family’s phone number. Your clothes are in the wardrobe. They’ve been cleaned.”

The man then glanced at his watch before turning toward the door without saying another word.

“Wait! At least tell me your name!” Alya called, swallowing her embarrassment.

The man stopped in front of the door and turned his head slightly, making no effort to face her completely.

“You don’t need to know. Just consider it as if we never met.”

The VIP room door clicked softly shut, leaving Alya in utter confusion and overwhelmed by guilt.

She hurriedly took a shower, put on her clean clothes from the wardrobe, and immediately left the hotel for the hospital to check on her grandmother.

***

Three days passed quickly after the embarrassing incident at the hotel.

Alya stood stiffly in the middle of the main hall at the headquarters of PT Rasa Nusantara Food. After taking emergency leave to accompany her grandmother, who had suddenly become eligible for surgery because an unknown party had paid the entire medical bill, Alya was required to attend the company’s welcome ceremony for its new CEO today.

Who was the kind person who paid for Grandma’s surgery? The hospital said it came from the company’s emergency fund, but I’m just an ordinary employee, Alya wondered as she hugged a folder containing her research on a new instant noodle seasoning tightly against her chest.

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall, signaling the arrival of the company’s newly appointed top executive, who had just returned from overseas.

Everyone looked awestruck, and Alya instinctively lifted her head toward the podium at the front of the room.

Thump!

Alya’s eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat, and she staggered one step backward.

The man walking onto the podium in a dark gray, custom-tailored suit had a handsome face and a sharp jawline she recognized all too well.

The man from the hotel room that night... The man who let me sleep in his room... He’s the new CEO of this company?!

Alya screamed inwardly, her entire face turning deathly pale as she struggled to process the shock.

On the podium, the man stopped, adjusted the microphone, and swept his hawk-like gaze across the room.

His eyes moved slowly past the employees from the other divisions before stopping directly on Alya’s trembling face among the R&D division.

The corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly, forming a mysterious smile—as if he had known all along that Alya would be standing there.

“Good morning, everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arga Mahendra.”

The man’s deep voice echoed through the speakers, commanding the attention of everyone in the hall.

“Starting today, I will be taking direct control of this company. I will personally oversee every project, especially the new seasoning project from the R&D Division.”

Arga deliberately paused.

His eyes remained fixed on Alya, never leaving her for even a second, making the atmosphere around her feel cold and suffocating.

“I want to see how far the dedication of the staff here can go. So, for the employee named Alya Paramita...”

Arga deliberately spoke her full name in a deep, firm voice.

“...when this event is over, report to my office on the top floor immediately.”

At the new CEO’s direct command, everyone in the hall immediately turned toward Alya, their whispers spreading among the crowd.

Meanwhile, Alya’s knees suddenly felt as weak as jelly.