The CEO's One-Night Mistake

CHAPTER 8: GODFATHER & GODFORSAKEN

[SCENE 1: Bubur & Billionaire –]

The plastic stool wobbled.

Dewi clutched the cheap melamine bowl like it was a life raft. Around them, Jakarta was waking up. Motorcycle taxis, angkot drivers yelling “Tanah Abang! Tanah Abang!”, and a street cat trying to steal a fish ball from the cart.

Across from her, wearing a 3-million-rupiah hoodie and flip-flops, was Arsen Adinata. CEO. Billionaire. Her husband. Eating 15-thousand-rupiah chicken porridge like it was a Michelin-star meal.

“This is the best porridge in the world,” Dewi mumbled, mouth full. She wasn’t lying. Maybe it was the MSG. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday because of morning sickness and Maya’s blackmail. Or maybe it was because the man in front of her kept adding fried soybeans to her bowl every time she ran out.

Arsen grinned. No paparazzi. No bodyguards. Just him, her, and Pak Budi the porridge seller who was currently taking stealth photos for his w******p group. “Because you’re eating it with your wife?”

“I’m the wife, you i***t,” Dewi kicked his shin under the table. “You’re the one who’s supposed to say that line.”

“Right. Sorry. I’m new at this husband thing.” He wiped a bit of chili sauce from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. The gesture was so domestic, so stupidly normal, that Dewi’s eyes burned again. “But I meant it. Yesterday I had wagyu at SKYE for lunch. Tasted like cardboard. This?” He pointed to the porridge with his plastic spoon. “Tastes like peace.”

Dewi’s phone vibrated on the rickety table. Then Arsen’s. Then Pak Budi’s phone. Then the phone of the angkot driver next to them.

They looked at each other.

“That’s not good,” Dewi whispered.

Arsen was already unlocking his phone. His face didn’t change. But Dewi knew him now. Three days of marriage and she could already read him. The tiny muscle in his jaw ticked. Once. That meant code red.

He turned the screen to her.

*TRENDING #1 ON TWITTER: #CEOBuang2TDemiAsisten*

*1.2M TWEETS*

Below it: a photo. Them. Right now. Him wiping her mouth. Her laughing. Taken 30 seconds ago by Pak Budi or the angkot driver or literally anyone with a phone.

Caption from @LambeTurah: _“Ga jadi makan di hotel Bintang 5, Pak Arsen? Uang 2T abis buat nikahin asisten?”_

Dewi’s porridge suddenly tasted like ash. “Arsen, I—”

“Eat.” He pushed her bowl closer. Calm. Too calm. “You need food for the baby. The internet can wait.”

“Are you not mad? They’re everywhere. We can’t even eat—”

“I’m mad,” Arsen said, taking a huge bite of his own porridge like he was proving a point. “I’m mad that they think 2 trillion is the most expensive thing I gave up.” He put his spoon down. Looked at her. Really looked at her. “I gave up being empty, Dewi. That’s priceless. And they can’t trend that.”

Dewi’s phone rang. Unknown number. She declined. It rang again. And again.

Arsen stood up, threw 100 thousand on the table—Pak Budi nearly fainted—and held out his hand. “Come on, Mrs. Adinata. Let’s go home before they start selling tickets to watch us breathe.”

Dewi took his hand. Calloused. Warm. Safe. “Our home is a kos-kosan now, remember? You sold the penthouse.”

“Not yet. The paperwork takes three days.” He winked. “Plenty of time to christen every room before we move out.”

Dewi’s face went red. “Arsen!”

“What? I’m an efficient husband. Time management is key.”

As they walked to his car—not the Ferrari, he’d sent that to be auctioned this morning—a black Alphard with tinted windows stopped right in front of them. The door slid open.

Maya’s father stepped out. Mr. Handoko. 58 years old. Owned half of Jakarta’s property. And 23% of Adinata Group.

Arsen moved instantly. One step, and Dewi was behind him. Shielded. His body was a wall between her and the man who could destroy them both.

“Arsen,” Handoko’s voice was like old cigars. Expensive and suffocating. “We need to talk. Without... distractions.” His eyes flicked to Dewi for half a second. Like she was a stain.

“She’s not a distraction,” Arsen said. Voice flat. Lethal. “She’s my wife. So you talk to her, or you talk to my lawyers. Your choice.”

Handoko’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re throwing away everything your mother built because of a girl you met in Singapore? A girl who was drunk?”

Dewi flinched behind Arsen. He felt it. His hand went back, finding hers, squeezing once. _I got you._

“I’m saving everything my mother built,” Arsen replied. “She built Adinata Group on integrity. Not on arranged marriages and blackmail. She’d be disgusted by you, Handoko. And by me, for waiting this long to end it.”

Handoko’s face went purple. “I’ll pull my shares today. By noon, your company will be in the dirt. 12,000 employees will come for your head. And hers.” He pointed at Dewi.

“Let them.” Arsen stepped forward, forcing Handoko to step back. “I’ll stand in front of my wife. And if they’re still hungry after that, I’ll sell my kidney, my liver, my corneas. But I won’t sell her. Or my child.”

He turned around, took Dewi’s hand, and walked to his car. Didn’t look back.

Inside the car, with the doors closed and the world locked out, Dewi finally exhaled. She was shaking.

“Hey,” Arsen cupped her face. “Look at me. Not him. Me.”

She looked. Gray eyes. Worried. For her. Not for his stocks.

“Breathe. One, two, three. Good girl.” He kissed her forehead. “I told you. I’ll handle it. And I will.”

His phone dinged. Email. He checked it one-handed, the other still holding Dewi’s face.

Then he froze.

Then he laughed. Loud. Disbelieving. Relieved.

“What?” Dewi tried to see the screen.

Arsen turned it to her.

*From: Vincent Tan *

*Subject: Re: Your Stupid, Romantic, Financially Suicidal Decision*[Maybank]

_Arsen you moron._

_I saw the news. I saw the porridge photo. I saw the way you look at her._

_My wife cried. She said if I don’t help you, I’m sleeping on the couch for a year._

_So fine. I’m buying 15% of your shares. At market price before this Maya nonsense. That’s 3.1 trillion. Should cover Handoko’s 23% and then some._

_But I have one condition._

_I’m gonna be godfather to your kid. And you’re naming him Vincent Jr. if it’s a boy. Or Vincentina if it’s a girl. Kidding. Mostly._

_Deal?_

_P.S. Your wife is pretty. Don’t mess it up._

Dewi burst into tears. Again. “You have good friends.”

“I have you,” Arsen corrected, pulling her into his chest. “That’s why I have good friends. They see who I am when I’m with you. Not the CEO. Just... a guy who finally knows what he’s living for.”

He held her until she stopped shaking. Until her breathing evened out. Until the world felt less like it was ending.

“Now,” he said, starting the car, “let’s go home. You need a nap. And I need to call Vincent and tell him his godchild is not being named Vincentina.”

*[SCENE 2: The Godforsaken Ex – ]*

_Isi: Sementara itu, Maya di apartemennya, hancurin barang. Papanya masuk, marah karena saham Handoko Group ikut turun 5% gara-gara berita "Mantan Calon Mertua Jahat". Papa Maya nyuruh Maya minta maaf ke publik dan ke Dewi. Maya nggak mau. Dia hubungin wartawan buat rilis "video" Dewi mabuk. Tapi wartawan nolak: "Maaf Mbak, publik sekarang di pihak mereka. Kalau saya rilis ini, kantor saya yang diboikot." Maya makin gila. Dia nyuruh bodyguard-nya "kasih pelajaran" ke Dewi. Bodyguard-nya nolak, resign on the spot: "Gaji saya 5 juta, Mbak. Nggak sebanding sama penjara 5 tahun." Maya akhirnya sendirian, buka i********:, lihat #DewiArsen punya 2M posts. Foto mereka makan bubur di-like 8 juta kali. Caption: "This is love". Maya hancur. Chapter scene ditutup dengan Maya nelen obat tidur, tapi ketauan asistennya dan dibawa ke RS. Di RS, TV nyiarin berita: "Saham Adinata Group rebound 12% setelah Maybank suntik dana. CEO Arsen Adinata: 'Saya jual aset, bukan istri saya.'"_

*[SCENE 3: Ultrasound & Ultimatum –]*

_Isi: Seminggu kemudian. Arsen temenin Dewi USG pertama. Di ruang dokter, pas lihat layar, Arsen nangis beneran. "Itu... itu anak kita?" Dokter: "Iya Pak, detak jantungnya 160. Kuat sekali." Keluar dari RS, Arsen langsung telpon notaris: "Ubah surat warisan. 80% buat istri dan anak saya. 20% buat charity. Kosongkan nama Maya dan keluarganya." Sore itu, Dewi terima paket. Isinya gaun pengantin + surat dari Ibunya Arsen yang udah meninggal, tulisan tangan: "Untuk menantu yang anak saya pilih dengan hatinya, bukan dengan kalkulator. Mama sayang kamu." Dewi nangis. Malamnya, mereka di penthouse yang udah laku terjual, packing barang. Arsen nemu kotak cincin. Dia lutut satu kaki: "Kita nikah di KUA kemarin buru-buru. Aku belum nanya kamu secara bener." Dia buka kotak. Cincin sederhana, tapi di dalamnya ada ukiran: "One-night mistake, lifetime miracle". "Dewi Adinata, maukah kamu jadi istri saya? Lagi. Dan besok. Dan selamanya?" Dewi: "Idih gombal." Tapi dia nangis dan bilang "Iya." Mereka ciuman. HP Arsen bunyi lagi. Email dari Dewan Direksi: "Kami vote. 9-1 setuju Arsen tetap CEO. 1 yang nggak setuju adalah wakil dari Handoko Group. Dia udah kami pecat." Chapter ditutup dengan Arsen gendong Dewi ke kasur. "Misi 'christen every room' dimulai dari kamar utama." Dewi: "Kan udah kejual!" Arsen: "Pemilik baru baru lunas H+3. Kita masih punya 72 jam." Fade to black._

[To be continued in Chapter 9: The House, The Home, The Heartbeat]