The CEO's One-Night Mistake

CHAPTER 7: THE WIFE, NOT THE MISTAKE

[SCENE 1: Her Answer ]

“I choose...”

Dewi’s voice cracked. Not because she was unsure. But because for the first time in 23 years, someone gave her a real choice. Not instant noodles or plain rice. Not overtime or a pay cut. But between 1 billion in cash and a billionaire who looked like he hadn’t slept since the day she told him she was pregnant.

Arsen’s jaw was clenched so tight Dewi thought his teeth might crack. His gray eyes, the ones that could make grown men cry in board meetings, were now just... begging. A CEO. Begging. For her. An assistant whose biggest asset was a second-hand laptop and a test pack with two lines.

“I choose,” Dewi took a deep breath. Her hand left his stubble, still damp from his tears, and moved to cover his heart. It was pounding under her palm. Wild. Scared. Alive. “I choose to be a gold digger.”

Arsen blinked. Once. Twice. His brain, the one valued at 2 trillion, short-circuited. “What?”

“If your family’s gonna call me that anyway,” Dewi smiled. Watery. Crooked. Real. “I might as well dig. But I’m only digging one thing.” She pressed her palm harder on his chest, feeling the frantic rhythm. “You. Your stupid, reckless, self-sacrificing heart. The one that’s willing to lose 2 trillion for a baby who doesn’t even have a name yet. For a woman who brings you coffee.”

For one second, Arsen Adinata did not move. Did not breathe. The man who closed deals in 30 seconds, who fired directors without blinking, was frozen.

Then he broke.

He crashed his lips to hers. Not the slow, calculated kiss of a CEO sealing a merger. This was messy. Desperate. Starved. A man who just found water after years in a desert. His hands framed her face like she was made of glass. Like she’d shatter if he held too tight, and he’d shatter if he didn’t hold her at all.

Dewi kissed him back. Five days of “Yes, Sir” and “Understood, Sir” burned to ash in that kiss. Five days of pretending she didn’t memorize the way his voice sounded at 2 AM on conference calls. Five days of pretending her heart didn’t stop every time he walked past her desk. It all exploded.

When they broke apart, both gasping, Arsen rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed. Like he was praying. Or maybe thanking God.

“KUA. Tomorrow. 8 AM. I already texted the officiant.”

Dewi choked on a laugh that was half sob. “You—what? When did you even—”

“Five minutes ago. While you were busy deciding if I was worth losing 1 billion for.” He pulled out his phone. The screen showed a w******p chat:

_Pak Penghulu: Siap, Pak Arsen. Besok jam 8 pagi di KUA Jakarta Selatan. Saksi bawa sendiri ya._

_Arsen: Saya bawa calon istri dan anak saya. Cukup._

“I figured if you chose the money,” Arsen shrugged, a small, shaky smile on his lips, “I’d just cancel. Tell him my fiancée died. And then probably cry in my Ferrari until I ran out of gas.”

“You’re insane,” Dewi whispered, but she was smiling. Finally smiling. Her hand was still on his chest, and she could feel his heart slowing down. Like it finally found its rhythm again. Because of her.

“Yeah. For you.” Arsen kissed her forehead. Then her nose. Then her left eyelid. Then her right. Like he was counting her. Memorizing her. Making sure she was real. His hand slid down from her face, hesitated for a second on her waist, then settled gently on her still-flat stomach. “Hi,” he whispered to her belly. His voice was different. Soft. Awestruck. “I’m your dad. Sorry I’m late. I was busy being an i***t and thinking money was more important than you.”

Dewi burst into ugly crying. Again. Snot, tears, all of it. She buried her face in Arsen’s shirt, staining the 50-million-rupiah fabric with her mascara. “Arsen... Maya? Her dad? The shares? 12,000 employees? We can’t just—”

“I’ll handle it.” Arsen’s expression hardened for half a second. The CEO was back. But only for a second. Then he was just Arsen again. Hers. “Tonight, I’ll call Vincent from Maybank. Richard from Google Asia. I’ll sell my villa in Uluwatu. My shares in that Singapore biotech startup. If it’s not enough, I’ll sell this penthouse. We can live in a kos-kosan with one bathroom for all I care.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering. “As long as ‘we’ includes you. And him.” He nodded to her stomach. “Or her.”

“Or twins,” Dewi mumbled into his shirt, just to be annoying.

Arsen’s entire body went rigid. Real panic flashed in his eyes for the first time. “Don’t. Joke. About. That. My heart is literally 70% stress, 30% caffeine. It can’t take twins yet.”

Dewi laughed. Really laughed. The sound echoed in the huge, empty penthouse. And for the first time, it didn’t feel empty.

A knock echoed through the door. Hard. Impatient. Three times. _Bang. Bang. Bang._

Arsen’s body went rigid again. Every soft line vanished, replaced by ice and steel. The CEO mask was back, and it was murderous. “Stay here.” It wasn’t a request. It was a command.

He walked to the door. Each step was deliberate. A predator. He yanked it open without checking the peephole.

Maya. Still in the red dress. But the victorious smile was cracked. In her manicured hand was a thick manila envelope. Behind her were two men in black suits. Bodyguards. Or lawyers. Or both.

“Going somewhere, Arsen?” Maya’s voice was sweet. Poisoned honey mixed with broken glass. “Because if you marry _her_ tomorrow...” She threw the envelope on the floor. Photos spilled out. Glossy. High resolution. Dewi at the bar in Singapore. Drunk. Laughing with her head thrown back. Being carried bridal-style by Arsen. Timestamp on the bottom right: 01:47 AM. “...these go to every media outlet. Every TV station. Every gossip i********:. ‘CEO Adinata Impregnates Drunk Assistant After Forcing Her to Drink’. Your stock will be lower than your assistant’s monthly salary.”

Dewi’s blood ran cold. She recognized the photos. The bar. The man at the next table who kept “accidentally” taking selfies. She was too drunk and too heartbroken to notice. Her boyfriend of 7 years had just dumped her via text that night.

Arsen didn’t even glance at the photos. He stepped forward, into Maya’s space, forcing her and her two gorillas to step back into the hallway. “Print more copies. Make billboards. Rent a plane and write it in the sky. I. Don’t. Care.”

Maya faltered. This wasn’t in her script. Arsen was supposed to panic. To negotiate. To beg. “You’ll ruin everything! The company! Your reputation! Your mother’s legacy!”

“The only thing I’m ruining is your delusion that you still own me.” Arsen’s voice was arctic. Below zero. “Now get out of my building before I call security and have you arrested for trespassing, blackmail, and being a general waste of my oxygen.”

“You’ll regret this!” Maya hissed, but she was already retreating. Her bodyguards looked at each other, uncertain. They signed up to intimidate, not to fight a billionaire who looked ready to commit murder.

“I regret four months of pretending you were enough to replace the hole my mom left,” Arsen said, quiet but lethal. “I regret every second I didn’t spend looking for her.” He tilted his head toward Dewi, who was still frozen by the bar.

Then he slammed the door. The sound was like a gunshot.

Silence.

Dewi was shaking. Not from fear. From rage. Pure, white-hot rage. “She set me up. The bar, the photos, the ‘urgent document’ today, Hendra’s fake leave—”

“I know.” Arsen was in front of her in two strides. His hands were on her arms, grounding her. “And we’ll end her. Legally. I’ll have my lawyers file a lawsuit before breakfast. But not tonight.” He cupped her face again, his thumb wiping a tear she didn’t realize had fallen. “Tonight, you’re going to sleep. In my bed. In my arms. No more ‘one-night mistake’. From now on, it’s ‘every night I choose you’.”

Dewi wanted to argue. Say it was too fast. Too crazy. That people would talk. That his life would implode. But her body, her heart, her baby... they were all done fighting. They surrendered. To him.

“Okay,” she whispered. The word felt like jumping off a cliff. Terrifying. Freeing. “But I’m warning you, Arsen Adinata. I snore. And I steal blankets. And I cry during dog food commercials.”

Arsen grinned. His first real, unguarded, stupidly handsome grin in days. It made her knees weak. “Good. My penthouse is too quiet. And my heart is too empty. You can fill both.”

*[SCENE 2: The KUA – 1.850 kata]*

_Isi: Jam 7 pagi, Dewi panik karena nggak punya baju bagus. Arsen nyuruh 3 butik kirim gaun ke penthouse dalam 20 menit. Mereka pilih abaya putih sederhana. Di KUA, penghulu sempet ragu karena Dewi nangis terus. Saksi: Satpam kantor sama OB yang udah kerja 15 tahun. Ijab kabul. Arsen gemeteran pas bilang "Saya terima nikahnya". Pas salaman, Dewi bisik "Kita beneran nikah?" Arsen jawab "Iya. Dan aku nggak bakal ceraiin kamu walau kamu ngorok kayak mesin diesel." Keluar KUA, udah ada 10 wartawan nunggu karena Maya bocorin. Arsen nggak kabur. Dia gandeng Dewi, hadapin kamera, bilang: "Kenalkan istri saya, Dewi Adinata. Dan iya, dia hamil. Anak saya. Kalau kalian mau tulis berita, tulis yang bener: Saya laki-laki paling beruntung sedunia." Foto itu jadi headline 1 jam kemudian._

*[SCENE 3: The War Begins – 1.508 kata]*

_Isi: Balik ke penthouse, saham Adinata Group terjun 8%. Dewan direksi telpon marah-marah. Papa Maya ngancem cabut saham. Arsen tenang, buka laptop, jual vila Bali live di depan Dewi. Dapat 400M. Transfer ke kas perusahaan buat nahan gaji karyawan. Malamnya, Dewi mual parah. Arsen panik, gendong Dewi ke RS jam 2 pagi pake piyama. Di RS, dokter bilang "Selamat, Pak. Kandungan sehat. Jantungnya kuat, kayak bapaknya." Arsen nangis diem-diem di pojokan. Pagi-paginya, trending #1 Twitter: "CEO Buang 2T Demi Istri Asisten". Maya posting video nangis. Komentar 90% bela Dewi: "Mending asisten tulus daripada mantan matre". Chapter ditutup dengan Arsen bawa Dewi sarapan bubur di pinggir jalan, nggak di restoran Bintang 5. Dewi bilang "Ini bubur terenak sedunia". Arsen jawab "Karena makannya sama istri saya." Lalu HP Arsen bunyi. Email dari Vincent: "Deal. Gue beli 15% saham lo. Tapi dengan satu syarat: Gue mau jadi godfather anak lo."_

To be continued in Chapter 8