Your Secret(ary) Wife

BUSSINESS TRIP

Merliana deliberately hurried into the elevator and planned to wait for Mr. Aditya in the basement, because she didn't want to face her annoying boss. More precisely, she was scared. The elevator door was about to close after she repeatedly pressed the button, but a foot clad in a shiny dress shoe suddenly stopped between the gap of the elevator doors, causing them to open again.

Merliana's eyes immediately widened when she realized whose foot it was.

"M-Mr. Aditya." Ah, how damn unlucky. Why did he suddenly appear, even though she had hurried earlier to avoid him?

"Did you deliberately rush to close the elevator doors?!" A sharp voice, as sharp as his glare at Merliana.

"I—I—no, sir. No. I didn't know Mr. Aditya was there."

"Excuses!" Mr. Aditya grumbled as he stepped inside and stood upright beside Merliana.

Merliana stepped forward slightly to press the elevator button until the door closed. She also deliberately didn't want to stand next to her boss.

"Step back!" However, Mr. Aditya's commanding voice startled her. Merliana, who was currently standing huddled in the corner of the door near the elevator buttons, immediately flinched and turned her head.

"W-what is it, sir?"

"How dare you turn your back on your boss? Step back!"

Damn! Merliana clicked her tongue inwardly.

"Very well, sir." Merliana just nodded, then quickly dragged her feet backward and stood behind the man.

"Don't make a single mistake when meeting Mr. Randu!" he warned.

"Very well, sir."

With his arrogant expression, when the elevator doors opened, Aditya stepped out of the elevator, and Merliana walked trailing behind him.

"Hey, Mega, wait!" A man's high-pitched shout rang out in the distance.

It must be Wahyu. Who else would call her Mega in this company if not that friend of hers.

Mega didn't stop. She kept walking and only glanced toward the source of the voice. There was no way she would stop and respond to her flamboyant friend's call while Mr. Aditya was in front of her—walking hurriedly—his strides were so fast—that she struggled to keep up.

"What a jerk, that girl. How dare she ignore me like that. Do I need to pull her hair or what?!" Wahyu, not accepting being ignored, immediately trailed after Merliana who was walking toward the basement. Specifically, toward Aditya's car.

However, when his steps stopped in front of Mr. Aditya's car, Wahyu suddenly pulled the woman's hair.

"Wahyu, that hurts!"

"I've been calling you from earlier and you just ignored me. Where have you been for the past two days? Your number couldn't be reached, you weren't at the boarding house. Have you been running around like a debt collector?!" he exclaimed, hands on his hips, without realizing that Aditya had gotten out of the car and was now standing behind Wahyu, clearing his throat.

Wahyu then turned around. Shocked to see Mr. Aditya standing there.

"Mr. Aditya?" Wahyu chuckled awkwardly while tucking his short hair behind his ear.

"What is it?" asked Mr. Aditya.

"Nothing, sir. I just wanted to call Mega."

"Merliana has an important task with me. If you have any personal matters to discuss with her, do it outside of working hours!" he said firmly.

"Oh, yes, sir. Sorry." Wahyu quickly hurried away from there after glaring at Merliana.

"Get in quickly!" Aditya ordered Merliana.

Merliana got in and sat in the back seat.

"Who told you to sit in the back?!" asked Aditya. "Do you think I'm your driver? Move to the front!"

"Oh, sorry, sir. Yes."

Merliana thought there would be a driver taking them as usual, which was why she sat in the back seat, and Aditya sat in the driver's seat. But it turned out that this time Aditya was driving his own car. And for the first time, she sat in the car next to that man. Ah, it felt really awkward and uncomfortable.

Throughout the journey, Merliana tried to sit calmly, but her mind and heart were so loud. Cold sweat kept pouring down her forehead, even though the car's air conditioner was on. That's how scared she was.

Upon arriving at PT Andiyata, Aditya was again rejected by the receptionist on the grounds that Mr. Randu was not in—or more precisely, was unwilling to meet him. Frustrated yet pressured by his father's demand to reinstate the cooperation contract, Aditya insisted on forcing the receptionist to connect his call to Mr. Randu's office.

As soon as the call connected, Aditya immediately pleaded his case. Even though a firm voice on the other end repeatedly expressed disappointment and refusal, Aditya kept begging. Moved by his persistence, Mr. Randu finally gave one last chance: they would have to meet in Malang City tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp. If Aditya was late again, his company would be permanently blacklisted. And his father would truly kill him.

"We're going to Malang city now," Aditya said to Merliana without hesitation.

Merliana gasped. "Now, sir?" How could she not be surprised, especially since she had no preparation. "But it's already evening, sir."

"So what if it's already evening?!" Aditya immediately stepped toward Merliana, who quickly moved backward. His look seemed to say that he didn't like being protested.

"N-nothing, sir. I was just letting you know," she stammered in fear. In truth, she wanted to say that she needed rest, but she didn't dare say it.

Again, Aditya walked closer to Merliana, making the frightened woman step back. "You've messed everything up, Merliana. So you have to help me fix this problem."

"Fi-fine, sir. I understand."

*

They arrived in the city of Malang at night after navigating through chaotic, congested traffic. The hotel where Mr. Randu was staying became their destination.

"I want to reserve two rooms for tonight," Aditya said to the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is only one room left for tonight. How would you like to proceed?"

Aditya hesitated. If he only booked one room, what about his secretary? Even though he and Merliana were already married, there was no way he would share a room. If he looked for another hotel, it would take time, while tomorrow morning he had to meet Mr. Randu at this hotel at six o'clock sharp and could not be late.

"Fine, just one room," he said without further thought, rather than lose his last chance. After completing the reservation, he went to find Merliana waiting in the lobby and handed the room key to the woman. Booking a hotel room during a business trip should have been one of the tasks Merliana was responsible for, but that stupid secretary of his knew nothing except how to work.

"Thank you, sir," Merliana said, trying to suppress a smile at the corner of her lips. She felt so relieved to have her own room key; soon she could sleep on a soft bed without being disturbed by anyone. She was truly exhausted because she had barely slept in the past two days.

As usual, Merliana walked ahead toward the room she would be staying in, according to the number on the room key. However, strangely enough, why was Mr. Aditya following her? Even when the door opened, Mr. Aditya just slipped right in.

"Excuse me, sir. Why are you coming in here?" she asked fearfully.

"Because this is my room."

Merliana was confused. "Isn't this room for me?"

"Who said that?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir. I thought this was my room key," she said. "Then where is my room key, sir?"

"There isn't one."

"There isn't one?" Merliana repeated, confused.

"Yes, there was only one room available in this hotel. So..." Aditya stared deeply at Merliana with an unreadable gaze. "We're sharing a room tonight!" he said casually as he walked in, leaving Merliana instantly stunned—that tonight she would be sharing a room with her boss.