The Stranger Who Became My Boss

Chapter 7 : Two-Faced

After nearly four hours on the road—a trip that normally took only three—we finally arrived at Mister X's apartment. The extra hour came from stopping by my parents' house first to drop off Mom, Dad, and Doni.

"Sir... Sir, wake up."

I called softly.

He was sleeping so soundly.

He must have been exhausted but stubbornly refused to admit it. Fortunately, I was a decent driver. Back when Lastri and Ms. Ida and I went out together, I was always the designated driver. Lastri hated driving long distances, while they contributed the money and I contributed the labor.

That was how I ended up becoming everyone's personal chauffeur.

"Mr. Gio..."

I gently tapped his shoulder.

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times as he tried to gather his bearings.

"Are we at your boarding house already, Nam?"

"No, Sir."

"We're at your apartment."

His expression changed instantly.

"What?"

"How do you know where I live?"

He sounded surprised.

Almost irritated.

"I called Lastri while you were asleep."

"Luckily, she knew your address."

It was a lie.

The truth was...

I'd memorized it years ago after reading his résumé on the HR server.

Back then I hadn't been interested in his address.

I only wanted to know one thing.

Whether he was married.

Lastri had been right.

He was single.

Although...

Being unmarried didn't necessarily mean someone was unattached.

"We should've gone to your boarding house first," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I could've driven myself home afterward."

He glanced at the dashboard clock.

"It's already one in the morning."

"It's dangerous for a woman to go home alone at this hour."

So...

He wasn't upset because I knew where he lived.

He was worried about me.

"It's alright, Sir."

"I'll book an online taxi."

"I always use one. They're reliable."

"You think I'd be able to relax knowing you're riding home alone at one in the morning?"

His voice grew firmer.

"If I were going to let you go home by yourself, I could've left you after the meeting instead of driving you all the way here."

"I'll be fine."

"I've done this plenty of times."

I smiled, hoping he'd finally give in.

He didn't.

"Move over."

"I'll drive you."

His tone left no room for negotiation.

"Sir."

"You were just in an accident."

"Your head must still hurt."

"You need to rest."

"I'll share my live location with you."

"You can track me until I get home."

He shook his head.

"No."

"I'll drive."

"But my boarding house is forty-five minutes from here."

"We'll just end up driving back and forth like lost people."

He folded his arms.

"Fine."

"You have two choices."

His expression was completely serious.

"Either you stay at my apartment tonight..."

"...or you take my car home."

"Choose."

My apartment?

Did he really just say my apartment instead of the apartment?

For some reason...

The wording felt unexpectedly intimate.

Still...

Neither option was ideal.

If I stayed the night, I'd have to go to work tomorrow wearing this evening dress because my office clothes were already at my parents' house after getting dirty.

"I'll take your car."

"I'll park it somewhere safe."

He nodded as if he'd expected that answer all along.

Before stepping out, he looked back at me.

"Be here at eight tomorrow morning."

"Pick me up."

I frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"We're going to work."

"My car is with you."

"So tomorrow you'll come here first, then we'll drive to the office together."

"Together?"

That sounded even more dangerous.

"Of course."

"Drive carefully."

"And send your live location."

"Oh..."

"I already texted you my personal number."

"Share it there."

Before I could respond, he closed the door and disappeared into the apartment building.

I stared after him.

Was he out of his mind?

I hated commuting with coworkers.

Especially male coworkers.

That was exactly why Mr. Rian had never succeeded in driving me home.

Now...

I was about to commute with the General Manager.

The office gossip would have a field day.

I sighed.

Whatever happened tomorrow...

Could wait until tomorrow.

***

"Good morning, Sir."

I gave him the brightest smile I could manage.

Mostly because...

I was ten minutes late picking him up.

"You're ten minutes late, Namira."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm late even after getting a full night's sleep."

"So after sleeping only a few hours..."

"I didn't stand much of a chance."

He glanced at me.

"That's called being irresponsible."

"No wonder your meal allowance is always deducted."

I pouted.

"Then maybe the company should just include the meal allowance in our salary."

"Do we really need the 'late equals meal deduction' rule?"

"Have mercy on single women living alone in Jakarta."

"My meal allowance disappears all the time."

He almost smiled.

"You think I can change company policy whenever I want?"

"Especially for a troublesome girl like you."

He suddenly paused.

"I mean troublesome in the literal sense."

"Not..."

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Not that kind of troublesome."

"I meant someone who keeps breaking company rules."

"I understand, Sir."

I answered without looking at him.

Even so...

The comment still stung a little.

Silence settled over the car.

The office was less than an hour away.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel before speaking again.

"Sir..."

"If you ever hear rumors about me and Mr. Rian..."

"They aren't true."

"I've never flirted with him."

"Or with any of the executives."

"I never intended to."

He frowned slightly.

"What rumors?"

"I've never heard any."

I couldn't tell whether he genuinely didn't know, or simply didn't care enough to pay attention. Almost everyone in the company knew the story; the people who knew me understood it wasn't true, while the ones who disliked me were more than willing to believe every ugly rumor.

"We're here." I slowed the car before reaching the office building.

"I'll get out here, Sir." Before I could open the door, he stopped me.

"Wait." He stepped out of the car as well.

"Sir." I looked at him apologetically.

"There are certain boundaries that shouldn't be crossed."

"I really don't like commuting with coworkers..."

"Especially my boss."

"So... please let me walk from here."

Without waiting for his reply, I hurried toward the office.

I was terrified someone might see us arriving together.

***

"Late again, Wang!" Ms. Ida was already sitting at her desk by the time I arrived.

"So am I." I dropped my bag onto my chair.

"Come on."

"Let's grab some coffee in the pantry."

When we walked upstairs, Lastri was already there.

"Nam."

"I already clocked you in."

"Thanks."

"You saved my life." She laughed.

"I also refilled Mister Gio's coffee beans."

"I figured you'd be making his coffee soon."

"I will."

I walked over to the coffee machine reserved exclusively for Mister X.

After three months...

Preparing his coffee had become second nature.

Not long afterward, Ms. Ida joined us.

I placed her coffee on our usual lunch table before carrying another cup toward the General Manager's office.

Knock.

"Sir."

I entered after knocking lightly.

He looked up from the documents on his desk.

"Nam."

I placed the coffee in front of him.

"Thank you."

I was about to leave when he called my name again.

"Nam."

"Yes, Sir?"

"I don't enjoy listening to gossip." He leaned back in his chair.

"But I do need to know anything that could affect my employees." I remained silent.

"I'm the General Manager."

"I need to understand the people working under me." He paused briefly before continuing.

"So..."

"I'd like to invite you to talk."

"We'll call it a counseling session."

"This afternoon."

"After lunch."

"I'll clear my schedule." He met my eyes.

"This isn't an order."

"If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to come."

"But if you choose to..."

"I'll make time for you."

For a moment...

I couldn't answer.

Could I really tell him?

Could I expose the ugliest chapter of my life...

To the man I'd waited ten years to meet again?

Without another word, I left his office.

Back in the pantry, Ms. Ida and Lastri were still chatting.

They knew me.

They understood me.

They had stood beside me through countless difficult days.

Yet...

There was one secret.

One wound.

One nightmare.

I had never told either of them.

Not even my parents knew.

If I couldn't tell the people closest to me...

How could I possibly tell him?

And yet, that silence felt heavier than anything else I had ever carried.

I stood there in silence, my hands gripping the edge of the counter as if it was the only thing keeping me steady.

***

"I appreciate you coming."

After lunch, I entered Mister X's office.

Instead of sitting behind his desk, he was waiting on the small sofa set near the window.

He had already locked the office door.

Apparently, he'd also instructed Lastri not to schedule any meetings and not to tell anyone that I was inside.

Everything had been arranged to protect my privacy.

"I..."

I lowered my gaze. He didn't interrupt—instead, he spoke first.

"What bothered me wasn't the rumor."

"It was you." I looked up.

"This morning..."

"You ran away from my car."

"You looked frightened."

"As if sitting with me inside the office grounds made you deeply uncomfortable." He folded his hands calmly.

"Last night you only agreed to ride with me because we were already outside the office."

"If someone simply dislikes a coworker..."

"They can pretend nothing happened."

"But fear is different."

"It concerns me."

"That's why I offered this session."

"I appreciate that you came."

I took a slow breath.

"I like working here, Sir."

"That's why I've stayed all these years."

"But there's one thing..."

"I swore I'd never let happen to me again."

"I won't understand..."

He said quietly.

"...unless you start from the beginning."

"Tell me."

"Where did all of this begin?" I clasped my hands tightly together.

"It happened about six years ago."

"I was still a contract employee."

"I was already working in HR as an administrator."

"Back then..."

"I made mistakes almost every day." I forced myself to smile.

"I thought it was normal."

"I was new."

"I believed they were simply training me to become stronger."

"So I endured everything." I paused.

Reached for the bottled water on the table.

Then continued.

"One night..."

"Mr. Rian offered to drive me home."

"It was already very late."

"I didn't think much of it."

"I accepted."

"I swear to God..."

"I had no ulterior motive."

"I was just getting a ride home."

Nothing more.

"The next day..."

"A senior employee found me in the pantry." I stopped speaking for a moment.

The memory alone made my chest tighten.

"She kicked my leg."

"Pulled my hair."

"And tore my skirt."

My fingers trembled slightly.

"The last thing she said was..."

'If you ever flirt with Mr. Rian again, I'll do much worse.'

Mister X remained silent, simply listening. At the time, I thought maybe I had unknowingly stepped into someone else's relationship, maybe I had become the unwanted third person in a story that wasn't mine, so I distanced myself from Mr. Rian immediately, avoided him whenever I could, and made sure our interactions remained strictly professional.

"But the rumors didn't stop."

"They only became worse." I laughed bitterly.

"People started saying I seduced executives."

"They said I visited shamans to make senior management fall in love with me."

"They claimed that someone as plain as me could only receive special treatment through supernatural means." I lowered my head.

"I never understood what they meant by 'being close to management.'"

"I was only doing my job."

"At the time, the HR Department was performing exceptionally well."

"It was just Ms. Ida and me."

"The two of us built the department together."

"Management appreciated our work."

"But to everyone who disliked us..."

"It looked like we were sucking up to our superiors."

"The harassment didn't end there."

"I had to complete every assignment two or three times."

"They deliberately sabotaged my work."

"If I made even one tiny mistake..."

"I'd become their target." He finally spoke.

"And then?" I took a deep breath.

"Mr. Rian proposed to me." His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"At the office?"

"On the rooftop balcony."

"In front of everyone."

"It was supposed to be a surprise." My vision blurred.

Without a word, he handed me his handkerchief.

I accepted it.

"I looked around..."

"And all I could see were the people who hated me."

"They were waiting."

"Waiting for the moment Mr. Rian wasn't around."

"I was terrified."

"I'd only worked there for a year."

"I was still a junior employee."

"So I told him..."

"I wasn't ready."

"I rejected him as gently as I could."

"I thought that would calm everyone down."

A tear slipped down my cheek.

"I was wrong."

"That was the day my life became hell."

He watched me quietly before asking,

"You rejected him because of those people?" I nodded.

"Wouldn't your life have been easier if you'd accepted him?"

"You could've gotten married."

"Resigned."

"And left everything behind."

"Why choose the harder path?"

I slowly looked at him, expecting him to understand. Instead, he sounded just like everyone else.

"So..."

"You believe marrying without love would've been easier?" My voice shook.

"If marriage were nothing more than money..."

"I would've married long before I was thirty." I looked him straight in the eye.

"Could you spend the rest of your life with someone you didn't love?"

"Wake up beside them every morning."

"Come home to them every night."

"Take care of them every day..."

"Without love?" I shook my head.

"I can't."

"For me..."

"Marriage begins with love."

Silence filled the room.

Then he asked quietly, "Then why aren't you married?"

"Have you never loved anyone?" I exhaled slowly.

That question...

Had nothing to do with counseling anymore.

"You've crossed the line, Sir."

"We were discussing the rumors."

"Not my private life." He didn't look away.

"I don't think I have."

"Your reputation was damaged because of your personal life."

"So it still matters." I smiled faintly.

If only you knew... I'm still waiting for you—I've been waiting for ten years—but the only words I allowed myself to say were, "I just haven't met the right person yet."

He studied my face for a few seconds before nodding.

"Go on." I closed my eyes briefly.

"After I rejected his proposal..."

"They stopped attacking my reputation."

"They stopped sabotaging my work." I opened my eyes again.

"They started attacking me instead." His expression hardened.

"They hit you?" I shook my head.

"No."

"They looked for evidence."

"When they couldn't find any..."

"They created it." I gripped the handkerchief tighter.

"There was one night when I drove Mr. Rian home."

"He was heavily drunk."

"I only did it because I felt guilty."

"I thought I'd caused him pain by rejecting him."

"They secretly photographed me entering his apartment."

"Then they spread the pictures throughout the company."

"They claimed I was sleeping with him."

"They said we were living together."

"They even edited photographs..."

"Making it look like I'd entered the apartments of several executives."

"Even the owner's." His voice dropped.

"People believed that?" I smiled bitterly.

"Didn't you?" He didn't answer.

Instead, he simply said,

"Continue." I looked down at the floor.

"To stop the rumors..."

"I made the stupidest decision of my life."

"I started dating one of the junior employees."

"I thought if everyone saw I already had a boyfriend..."

"They'd finally leave me alone."

"I believed he was a good man."

Another tear rolled down my face.

"I was wrong."

He leaned forward slightly.

"What happened?" I swallowed hard.

"The man I dated..."

"...was the owner's son."

His eyes narrowed.

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"I swear I didn't."

His gaze remained fixed on me.

Then...

I stood abruptly, unable to bear the suspicion in his eyes, but before I could reach the door, he caught my wrist.

"I'm sorry."

"I..." I turned back toward him.

"If I'd wanted him..."

"I would've given him my body willingly." I shouted before I could stop myself.

His grip loosened.

"What do you mean?"

My voice broke.

"That bastard..."

"He tried to r**e me."

The room fell completely silent.