Chapter 6

“Driving for someone as cold as her must be exhausting and boring. Have you ever thought about changing jobs? With me, your life won't be boring.”

Arka remained silent.

As soon as the vehicle ahead began moving, he drove forward without giving any response. However, the BMW caught up once again, following them into the underground parking area of Arta Vistara Group. Just before they entered, the BMW made a smooth maneuver and stopped sideways in front of the entrance, blocking the way.

TOT! TOT! TOT!

Several horns immediately sounded from behind.

The car door opened, and Mireya stepped out leisurely, her high heels echoing across the concrete floor. She walked straight to the driver's side and knocked on the window.

Arka slowly rolled it down.

Mireya leaned down slightly, her warm perfume drifting into the car. She smiled confidently. “Handsome,” she said softly, just loud enough for Keira to hear. “Come with me. The penalty for breaking your contract isn't a problem. Besides, I'm far more interesting than the iceberg behind you.”

The air inside the car instantly froze.

The rear door swung open.

Keira stepped out, her gaze as sharp as a blade. “Mireya Pradana,” she said coldly. “Recruiting someone right in front of my car? Has Pradana Group run out of methods to the point that you have to do it yourself?”

Mireya did not get angry. She simply brushed her hair back casually, as though the remark meant nothing. “I'm only interested in something exceptional,” she said lightly, her eyes still fixed on Arka. “Isn't it only natural to pursue what we want?”

A tense silence settled between them.

After holding back the entire time, Arka finally moved. He turned and looked directly at Mireya. A faint smile appeared on his face, different from his usual cold expression, wilder, more relaxed, like someone who had finally decided to join the game.

His movement was swift.

His hand wrapped around Mireya's waist and gently pulled her closer through the open car window. The distance between them instantly narrowed, their breaths nearly touching.

Mireya was caught off guard for a moment. Arka's gaze was deep and calm, his voice low. “Really?” he said softly. “Then tell me. How would you make life more interesting?”

For a brief moment, Mireya lost her rhythm. His touch was firm and unwavering, unlike the men she was used to controlling. Her heartbeat quickened before she even realized it. But only for a moment.

The smile returned to her face, sharper than before. Instead of backing away, she leaned in slightly, her gaze openly challenging.

“You want to know?” she whispered gently. “Then you'll have to find out for yourself.”

The tension in the air transformed into something difficult to describe, a mixture of rivalry, provocation, and a dangerous game of power.

Standing beside the car, Keira's face turned pale. Her gaze remained cold, but the emotions surging beneath it were unmistakable.

The horns from the vehicles behind them continued blaring, breaking apart the increasingly heated atmosphere.

Arka noticed that the woman beside him deliberately made no attempt to move away. Beneath his calm exterior, even his heartbeat shifted slightly. A faint smile still lingered at the corner of his lips.

Mireya's blatant provocation, combined with Arka's relaxed, almost playful response, became the spark that finally ignited Keira's emotions. From her perspective, the two of them seemed to have forgotten her existence. The one in control. The one paying. The one who was supposed to be at the center of the situation.

Her wounded pride and loss of control overwhelmed her reason. “Arka!” Keira's voice was sharp, trembling unconsciously. “Let her go. We're leaving now!”

She no longer paid any attention to Mireya. The car door slammed shut as she climbed back into the rear seat, shutting herself away from the sight that made her chest tighten.

The faint smile on Arka's face immediately disappeared. His expression returned to calm, as though everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a minor interruption. He released Mireya without hesitation.

The warmth she had just felt vanished instantly, leaving behind a strange emptiness in Mireya's heart. Even so, she maintained her confident smile, although there was a subtle change in her eyes. This man withdrew far too quickly. His emotional control made him impossible to predict.

Arka rolled the window back up without another glance. With precise movements, he turned the steering wheel and guided the car through the narrow opening into the parking area, barely clearing the front of the BMW that blocked the entrance. The car slipped inside, leaving Mireya standing amid the chorus of blaring horns.

***

Throughout the drive to the office, not a single word was spoken.

The atmosphere inside the car felt heavy. Keira leaned back with her eyes closed, her lips pressed tightly together as she restrained the emotions still raging within her.

The private elevator took them directly to the top floor of Arta Vistara Group. The moment the office door closed, a loud bang echoed through the room.

Keira turned sharply. “Arka Mahendra,” she said coldly, emphasizing every word. “Remember your position. You are the bodyguard I hired. We have a contract, and you are my man!”

She stepped closer, her aura imposing despite her smaller frame. “Your duty is to protect me and carry out my orders. Not to fool around with other women, especially a woman like Mireya. If I ever see something like that again, I won't hesitate to terminate our contract early. And you'll pay the consequences.”

Her words were as sharp as ice.

Arka listened without interrupting. Only after Keira had finished did he respond, his voice calm. “Miss Adhistya, if I had truly gone with her, do you think she wouldn't have paid the contract penalty?”

Keira fell silent for a moment.

Arka's gaze remained steady, dark and deep. “I am your bodyguard. But I am not anyone's substitute, and I am not a machine. I hope you'll remember that.”

He paused briefly, his voice remaining flat. “And I don't want what happened last night to happen again.”

Without waiting for a reply, Arka turned and walked out. Before the door closed, he added briefly, “Call me if you need me.”

Keira stood frozen in the middle of the room. She had never expected Arka to answer her with such firmness. She felt as though she had lost control of the situation. Unconsciously, the image of Arka pulling Mireya toward him with that swift movement resurfaced in her mind. Aggressive, confident, and completely different from the cold demeanor he usually displayed.

That uneasy feeling refused to fade.

***

Inside the office of the Vice President of Arta Vistara Group, Ravian Adhistya stared at his phone screen. The photos and videos from the parking garage incident played over and over again.

A faint smile appeared on his face. “Arka Mahendra...” he murmured softly. “My little sister really did find someone interesting.”

He swirled the red wine in his glass, his eyes narrowing. “The more someone stands out, the sooner they become a problem.”

He picked up the internal phone. “Prepare a few people to test him cleanly. I want to know the limits of his abilities, and at the same time remind him that not every place within the Adhistya family is easy to enter.”