No Other Choices

Anjani tried to put Bastian's proposal out of her mind. The next morning, she forced herself to focus on work. Replying to emails. Organising schedules. Filing documents. Pretending that no one had ever offered her five billion rupiah to become someone else.

But the harder she tried to forget, the more often Shahnaz Mahendra's face returned to haunt her. The woman who looked almost exactly like her. The woman whose whereabouts remained unknown. The woman who somehow stood at the centre of a mystery far larger than Jani could imagine.

Late that afternoon, just before work ended, her phone vibrated. Mom. She answered immediately.

"Hello, Mom?"

The voice on the other end sounded wrong. Weak. Shaky. Afraid.

"Jani..."

Her stomach tightened.

"Yes, Mom? What's happened?"

"Some people came to the house."

Jani pushed back her chair and stood. "Who?"

"Debt collectors... from the online loan company."

The blood seemed to drain from her body.

"They said if we don't make a payment this week..." her mother's voice quivered, "...they'll take the case to court."

Jani's eyes flashed with anger. "That's nonsense, Mom. Don't believe them! They can't simply drag a debt case into court like that."

"How would I know?" her mother whispered helplessly. "If only you'd been here... Maybe you could've talked to them."

Damn it. Absolutely damn it.

"Just stay calm, Mom. I'll handle it."

"They also said..." her mother's voice broke, "...they could seize our belongings. They already took the refrigerator."

Jani clenched her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"I'll take care of everything. Trust me."

When the call ended, Jani remained standing beside her desk. Motionless. She had always known about the debt. She just hadn't realised it had become this bad.

Her new job promised an excellent salary. The problem was that her first pay cheque was still weeks away. And the bills weren't willing to wait.

And asking for a salary advance after rejecting Bastian's offer yesterday... That wasn't exactly an option.

She left work early that day. Their rented house looked gloomier than ever. Her mother sat quietly in the living room, her face pale with exhaustion. Several letters lay scattered across the coffee table. Warnings. Payment demands. Asset seizure notices. Jani read each one. Every page felt like another blow.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Her mother lowered her head.

"I didn't want to burden you."

"Mom..."

Jani closed her eyes and drew a slow breath. Anger wouldn't solve anything. She stepped forward and embraced the woman who had raised her alone ever since her father passed away. Tears rolled silently down both their cheeks.

"We'll find a way."

Even though, deep inside, she had absolutely no idea how.

After dinner, her phone rang again. This time it was Eki. Jani's heart sank instantly. Her younger brother rarely called. Whenever he did, something was got to be very wrong.

She answered reluctantly.

"What is it?"

"I was called into the administration office today."

She already knew.

"Tuition?"

A quiet hum answered her.

"What did you tell them?"

"I asked for more time."

Silence followed.

"How long did they give you?"

"One week. If the payment isn't made, I won't be allowed to attend classes this semester."

Jani slowly closed her eyes. One week. It felt as though the entire world had joined forces to crush her from every direction.

---

The following afternoon, while she was trying to finish a report, another text message appeared. Nathan. The words made her heart skip.

Anjani, if you've changed your mind, Mr. Bastian would like to meet you after work.

Nothing else. No explanation. None was necessary. She already knew exactly what Bastian wanted to discuss. The rest of the afternoon crawled by. Ironically, all she wanted was for the day to end so she could go home.

Five o'clock arrived. She was still sitting at her desk. One by one, her colleagues packed up and left. Soon only a handful of employees remained, finishing reports while the office attendants quietly cleaned the floor.

She unlocked her phone. Nathan's message stared back at her. So did another thought. Five billion rupiah. The number refused to leave her mind.

Five billion. A proper home for her mother. Eki's tuition fees. Every debt erased. A future where none of them had to struggle again financially.

Five billion. In exchange for something she still didn't understand.

5:55 p.m. She hadn't moved. 5:58. Jani let out a long breath. Then she stood. You're an idiot, she scolded herself.

Still.

She walked toward Bastian's office. The executive floor was almost deserted. His assistants had already gone home. She knocked softly.

"Come in."

Taking one final breath, she opened the door. Bastian was already waiting. Almost as though he'd known she would come.

"I'm not here to accept your offer," Jani said before he could speak. "At least, not yet."

He gestured toward the chair. "Please."

She sat.

"I only want to hear the full explanation."

"As you wish," Bastian nodded. "The woman in the photograph is Ms. Shahnaz Mahendra, Mr. Adrian Herlambang's fiancée, our CEO. For certain reasons, she cannot appear in public for some time. There are already numerous events requiring her presence. Sometimes representing herself. Sometimes representing Mr. Adrian."

Jani folded her arms.

"And what are those reasons?"

"Security reasons," he met her gaze calmly. "I'm afraid I can't say more."

"Of course you can't."

The sarcasm in her voice barely registered. Bastian continued as though he hadn't heard it.

"We only need someone willing to assume her role temporarily."

"You mean..." she leaned forward. "Attend events. Meet people. Hold conversations. Possibly give speeches. Answer interviews. And pretend to be Shahnaz Mahendra?"

"Exactly."

"For how long?"

"A few months."

"And afterwards?"

"You'll receive the remaining balance of the five-billion-rupiah f*e. You'll return to your normal life, with your financial problems solved."

Jani almost laughed. A normal life? There wasn't a single normal thing about any of this.

"What's your company really hiding?" she looked straight into his eyes. "Ordinary people—even celebrities--don't usually hire body doubles. If someone can't attend an event, they simply cancel the whole thing, whatever the consequences."

Bastian nodded.

"Ms. Shahnaz's situation isn't that simple. It's far too complicated to explain."

"Complicated how?"

He paused.

"Complicated enough that most people would walk away if they knew the entire truth."

That answer was even worse.

A knock interrupted the silence. Nathan entered carrying several folders. After placing them on the desk, he gave Jani a courteous nod before stepping aside.

Bastian slid one folder toward her.

"We can at least show you this. So you'll understand this wasn't an impulsive decision."

Jani opened it. Her breath caught. Photographs. Dozens of them.

No...

Hundreds.

Not social media pictures. Not official photographs. These had been taken secretly. From a distance. Walking out of a convenience store. Riding a city bus. Shopping with her mother and Eki.

Completely unaware.

Her face turned pale.

"...You've been spying on me?" her voice dropped to a whisper. "That's illegal."

"It would be difficult to prove."

Silence settled over the room.

"You've been under observation for quite some time," Bastian said. "And throughout all that time, you remained perfectly safe. We simply want you to understand that selecting you wasn't a rushed decision. It was carefully planned. And despite everything, nothing happened to you. In fact, when those debt collectors threatened your mother yesterday, we could have intervened. We could have made sure they never troubled your family again."

His eyes remained fixed on hers.

"If only you'd agreed to work with us."

Bastian rose from his chair and walked toward the panoramic windows. Night had begun swallowing the city below.

"Anjani."

It was the first time he'd addressed her without formalities.

"What frightens you most right now? Your family's debts. Eki's tuition? The possibility of losing your home?

Her jaw tightened.

"That's none of your business."

"Perhaps not," he turned to face her. His gaze was unwavering. "But I can solve every one of those problems."

Jani said nothing. That was exactly what frightened her most.

---

Half an hour later, she left Bastian's office.

She still hadn't said yes. But she hadn't said no either. And she hated herself for that. Inside the lift, she caught her own reflection in the polished metal doors.

Then, without warning, Shahnaz's face surfaced in her mind once more. The eyes. The lips. The sharp jawline. The impossible resemblance.

Who was that woman? Why would a corporation as powerful as Interglobe spend five billion rupiah searching for someone who looked like her?

And stranger still, why did they need that person to appear in public as Shahnaz Mahendra? What could possibly be hiding behind such an elaborate deception?

---

Thousands of kilometres away, in Switzerland, Shahnaz Mahendra smiled faintly as she read the latest report.

The subject is beginning to waver.

She placed her tablet on the table before starting a video call. Bastian answered almost immediately.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I'll admit, I'm starting to worry,” said Bastian. “What if she never accepts? Even with that amount of money?"

A small smile touched Shahnaz's lips.

"She'll accept."

"You sound very certain."

She turned toward the window of her apartment. Beyond the glass, the lights of Zurich shimmered beneath the night sky.

"I'm a woman. I understand the way she's thinking."

"And if you're wrong?"

Her smile widened ever so slightly.

"I won't be. Relax, Uncle."

On the other end of the call, Bastian could only let out a long, quiet sigh.