Hot Night With CEO

Last night, Darian truly transformed into a little child who longed for his mother, like a mother and child who had been separated for a long time. Yasmin’s gentle touch on the top of his head seemed to lull him to sleep, leading him into a beautiful dream. Darian felt as if he was thrown far back into his childhood memories, where he and Yasmin always spent time together.

Yasmin woke up from her sleep just as the faint call to the Fajr prayer echoed in her ears, melodiously seeping through. Still with her eyes closed, her hand reached out to find the figure that had lulled her into a beautiful dream the night before. Those beautiful eyelids fluttered open as she scanned the entire room. “Did Darian leave last night?” Yasmin whispered as she got up from her soft bed. She gathered her beautiful hair and tied it in one place. She hurriedly left the room and stepped up the stairs to the second floor where Darian’s room was located.

Slowly, Yasmin’s hand reached for the door handle and pressed it. Creak… Yasmin gently pushed the door with a pounding heart. She prepared herself in case Darian was not in his room and had left without saying goodbye again. However, to her surprise, behind the door, her body froze at the sight before her. Broad and upright back, Darian was sitting cross-legged, facing the Qibla, in deep devotion. The melodious chanting of dhikr sounded soothing and calming. Yasmin walked carefully, making sure not to make any noise, and sat at the edge of the bed with teary eyes. Her heart was touched with drops of tears starting to fall. That back reminded her of Rusdi, her beloved husband. Longing washed over her along with a flood of memories that attacked her mind blindly.

Yasmin’s sobs broke Darian’s concentration, and he quickly turned to find his mother shedding tears. He wiped the tears from Yasmin’s cheeks and hugged her tightly, his heart pounding with concern.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Are you sick?” Darian asked with worry, wiping the tears on Yasmin’s cheek and embracing her tightly.

“Mom misses Dad!” Yasmin whispered, causing Darian’s body to stiffen. The woman in his arms looked so fragile. Guilt immediately stabbed his chest. Darian realized how selfish he had been all this time, leaving his mother alone in this luxurious house after his father’s departure, just to pursue his own freedom. But instead of finding true freedom, he was only engulfed in emptiness and illusion. In the apartment, he became even more drowned in loneliness.

“Tomorrow, after work, we’ll visit Dad’s grave!” Darian replied while gently patting Yasmin’s shoulder to calm her down.

“Thank you, Darian. I’ll pray now, okay?” Yasmin said, releasing the embrace and looking at Darian with a faint smile on the corner of her lips.

Yasmin immediately performed the Fajr prayer and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. This morning felt very different; she wanted to make a special meal with her own hands, just like she used to when the family was complete.

As soon as Darian came down from his room, he went straight to Yasmin, who was preparing breakfast for the both of them. A smile was evident on the middle-aged woman’s face. Yasmin’s soft humming could be heard along with Bi Romlah, the housekeeper who had worked for over 20 years. Bi Romlah could feel the extraordinary atmosphere of happiness. It had been a long time since she saw the sparkle of joy after Darian left home and chose to live in the apartment. Yasmin had been spending more time working and taking care of her boutique. Sometimes, she still accepted photo shoots as a magazine model or participated as a speaker in various events as a motivator.

Mwah… A quick peck landed on Yasmin’s left cheek, making her turn around. She pinched her son’s belly in annoyance.

“It’s still too early to go to the office!” Yasmin teased, squinting her eyes as she looked at her son, who was already dressed neatly in office attire.

“Darian needs to pick up Fahira Mom, she might leave before I can get there,” explained Darian as he pulled out a chair and settled into it.

“Then who will eat this breakfast?” Yasmin replied with irritation.

“I’ll have it later,” Darian replied briefly, sitting down and sipping a glass of milk in front of him.

Darian got up from his seat and approached Yasmin, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Yasmin, who was initially disappointed because Darian didn’t have breakfast with her, instantly smiled. Darian’s sweet gesture warmed her heart.

“Well then, be careful on the road! If Fahira is not busy tonight, bring her home for dinner! Mama will cook something special for my future daughter-in-law!” Yasmin said with a beaming smile.

“Of course, Darian will bring the best future daughter-in-law for Mommy,” replied Darian, reaching for Yasmin’s hand and kissing it.

***

As Darian arrived in front of the Mawar Flats building, his heart was pounding rapidly. He couldn’t wait to meet his beloved girl. Last night, he was so engrossed with his mother that he forgot to contact his girlfriend.

He unfastened his seat belt and quickly got out of the car, paying no attention to the glances of people coming out of the flats to go to work. Of course, among all the parked cars, Darian’s car was the most eye-catching. Darian stepped out of the car, adjusting his jacket. His athletic physique and the way his clothes clung to his body made it evident that he was not an ordinary person. He ascended the stairs one by one, a faint smile adorning his handsome face.

Teet… The sound of the doorbell startled Fahira, who was getting ready to leave with Ariel.

“Come on, dear, let’s go!” Fahira called out while looking at Ariel, who was still getting his school books ready.

“You know, you should have prepared your textbooks last night. And why do we have a guest so early in the morning?” Fahira grumbled as she walked towards the door.

“Hey, beautiful!” greeted Darian with a beaming smile as the door opened wide. The man in the black suit looked completely different. Happiness radiated from his face. With his left hand sunk into his pants pocket and his right hand resting on the door frame, he looked even more charismatic. Fahira was momentarily stunned, admiring the perfection of the man standing in front of her.

“Why are you here so early in the morning?” Fahira asked, trying to divert her racing heartbeat. All night, she was restless because Darian didn’t reply to her WhatsApp messages or calls, and now he stood behind the door with an innocent look on his face.

“I missed you!” replied Darian briefly, playfully raising his eyebrows.

“Cliché!” Fahira scoffed, getting even more annoyed, which made Darian chuckle softly. His brown eyes gazed at Fahira with a look full of love, making her heart race even faster.

“Let’s go, sis!” Ariel interrupted. Instantly, Ariel’s expression turned cold when he saw the man standing in front of his sister was Darian.

“Why are you dating here?” Ariel said sarcastically, glaring at Darian. Ariel intentionally bumped Darian’s shoulder with his backpack so that he would move away from the door, then he passed by them both without permission.

Fahira just shook her head as she watched Ariel walk away and then locked the door of her house.

***

Fahira couldn’t resist her curiosity any longer and decided to seek the truth right away.

“Darian, what’s going on? Is Mrs. Yasmin mad at you?” Fahira asked anxiously.

Yesterday’s tragedy became a turning point in their love story. Fahira had to prepare herself for whatever consequences awaited her.

“Tonight, Mommy invites us for dinner at home!” Darian replied, reaching for Fahira’s fingers, bringing them up to his lap, and absentmindedly playing with them while keeping his focus on the busy streets ahead.

Fahira pulled her hand away from Darian’s grasp. She wasn’t 100% ready to meet Darian’s mother. She felt undeserving, especially after her rejection during the dinner the other day.

“Why?” Darian looked at Fahira, whose mood suddenly changed.

“No, Darian, I realize now. I’m not worthy to stand by your side. I’m just an ordinary girl and an orphan. Mrs. Yasmin is not wrong; she only wants the best for you!” Fahira felt even more insecure now.

“We’ll continue this conversation later at the office,” Darian replied flatly. The smile on his lips gradually faded, and without saying anything more, he accelerated his car.

Arriving at the office, Darian immediately held Fahira’s hand as they entered the elevator and went into his office without paying attention to the glances of all the employees. “Darian, what’s all this?” Fahira tried to pull her hand away from Darian’s grip.

“Fahira!”

Darian’s jaw tightened. He was trying to control his emotions. Darian didn’t like Fahira’s constant insecurity. He pulled out a chair for Fahira to sit and then settled on the sofa, facing his girlfriend. He reached for both of Fahira’s hands and held them tightly.

“Mommy has never cared about someone’s status. Maybe for you and others who don’t know us, it may seem that way. But in our eyes, everyone is equal. In front of God, only piety differentiates us. You misunderstand; I’m not a saint, just a servant of god filled with sins, and now I want to change. I want to start everything anew with you, Fahira. Let’s forget everything about our past,” Darian explained, not diverting his gaze from Fahira’s beautiful face.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Mommy has given her blessing to our relationship,” Darian added gently. Fahira’s body tensed up, shocked by what she had just heard. Various questions began to swirl in her mind. Why did Yasmin change her mind so quickly after all the chaos Darian had caused because of her yesterday?

“Please, trust me, Honey,” Darian tried to reassure Fahira, who still seemed doubtful about his words. And, of course, he couldn’t tell her that his mother knew about their forbidden actions.

Fahira smiled and then got up from her chair to start working. Just as Fahira reached the door, Darian called her again.

“Honey, don’t forget my coffee as usual,” he said, making Fahira turn back and smile.

“Oh, and please order breakfast for me too,” Darian continued, which annoyed Fahira.

“Two portions,” Darian teased, wiggling his thick eyebrows.

Fahira hurriedly left before Darian could tease her any further.

After completing Darian’s requests, Fahira focused on her work. Unbeknownst to her, her three colleagues, Mira, Susi, and Ray, were smiling at her in a way that she couldn’t understand. Mira, who had been curious since yesterday, finally took the initiative to approach Fahira.

“Fahira, you know what?” Fahira, who was engrossed in her work, immediately looked up to see Mira grinning.

“What?” Fahira asked curtly, trying to act nonchalant. She could already guess where their conversation was heading.

“You’re famous now, even surpassing celebrities. The sweet event yesterday became a trending topic on social media and television. I never imagined that your boss could be so in love with you,” Mira teased, making Fahira sigh deeply before responding.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Fahira replied shortly. Susi, who had just joined them in Fahira’s cubicle, also sighed with disappointment.

“I can’t say anything right now! I’m sorry!” Fahira pleaded with a pleading look. Mira and Susi smiled at each other and returned to their respective cubicles. They understood what Fahira was feeling now. Perhaps other girls would feel flattered by Darian’s bold move of leaving his fiancée for the girl he loved, but Fahira felt the opposite. She felt pressured. She might appear casual in front of others, but deep in her heart, she was confused and not sure about everything that had happened. Her intuition told her that there might be a bigger event awaiting her.