It was already noon, the time for a lunch break. A gentle-faced young woman cleaned her desk first. After that, she left her office.
Her name was Amelia. She walked slowly, enjoying the calm atmosphere inside the office. She entered an empty elevator. As usual, she checked all the schedules of her boss.
"Isn't Mrs. Martha coming back from Paris today?" Amelia murmured while reading her boss's schedule. There was a plan to pick up his wife.
Amelia left the building and walked toward the parking area. She greeted her coworkers warmly along the way. When she reached the parking area, she suddenly saw Santi.
Her heart started beating fast. She already knew what was about to happen.
Amelia deliberately turned her body away.
She quickly sent the pickup schedule to her boss. Meanwhile, Santi noticed Amelia by accident. For some reason, Santi's mind filled with ill intentions. She smiled cynically and walked closer.
"Hey, Amel! You work here?" Santi shouted loudly while staring at the company's name.
Santi was amazed by the large company sign. BS Star Company. The company was well known in the business world. It was an export-import company with a strong reputation.
BS Star Company did not operate only in Indonesia. It had branches across several continents, such as Asia, Europe, America, and Australia. The company also contributed to humanitarian causes. It was often assigned to send food supplies to conflict areas.
Amelia was confused about what to say. In the end, she chose to lie. She did not want Santi to know the truth. If Santi knew, something bad would surely happen.
"No. I don't work here," Amelia answered calmly.
"Don't lie! If you don't work here, why do you look scared?" Santi stared at her sharply.
Amelia took a slow breath. She wanted to curse at Santi and tell her to leave. But she knew that if she did that, a bigger storm would follow.
"I'm just stopping by," Amelia replied randomly.
She disliked the way Santi looked at her. She knew Santi enjoyed intimidating her. Something felt very wrong.
"Just stopping by?" Santi laughed mockingly. "How can someone just stop by a place like this?"
"I can stop wherever I want. Why do you care?" Amelia stayed calm despite the uncomfortable situation.
Santi laughed again. She mocked Amelia and called her stupid. She said that if someone wanted to hang out, they should go to a luxury café instead.
"Are you stupid or what?" Santi sneered.
The word stupid hurt Amelia deeply. She heard it almost every day. If not stupid, then useless. Those words always hurt her mentally.
Getting angry was useless. Behind Santi stood her mother, who always defended her. Her mother even laughed while Santi bullied Amelia.
"Say whatever you want!" Amelia said. She was exhausted.
"I want to go to college! I need five hundred thousand rupiah for allowance!" Santi suddenly got straight to the point.
Hearing that request made Amelia even more disgusted. Santi already earned her own money. Why was she asking Amelia?
"Don't you already have your own income?" Amelia asked honestly.
At that moment, a luxury SUV entered the parking area. Amelia told Santi to leave. She did not want an argument in public.
"Go home. Ask your mother," Amelia said firmly.
"Oh, now you're chasing me away?" Santi started acting dramatic.
"I'm not chasing you away. I'm embarrassed to argue about money in public," Amelia said, holding back her emotions.
"I'm asking you, not my mother!" Santi shouted.
Employees passing by stopped and looked at them. Inside the SUV, someone noticed the scene.
"What is happening to Amelia? And who is that girl shouting for money?" Bima thought to himself.
Bima Santoso was the owner of the luxury SUV and the founder of BS Star Company. He opened the car door and stepped out, still observing the situation.
"I'm asking you for money! Not my mother!" Santi screamed again.
"I don't have any money," Amelia said honestly.
Bima walked toward Amelia and handed her his bag. He told her to go to his office immediately. When Santi saw Bima, her face lit up.
Her eyes widened at his handsome face. His muscular build made her feel attracted. She even imagined touching his body.
"Please carry my bag. Come to my office," Bima ordered.
Amelia took the bag and turned away. Bima left immediately, and Amelia followed him.
"Hey! Where's my money?" Santi shouted, loud enough for Bima to hear.
Amelia's face turned red. She felt helpless. Santi should not be shouting about money in her workplace. Santi's gaze toward Bima was disgusting.
When Amelia entered the elevator, Santi tried to follow her into the reception area. The receptionist stopped her, and security quickly forced her to leave.
"Just wait until you come home! I'll tell Mom how stingy you are!" Santi threatened loudly.
Amelia pressed the elevator button. The doors closed. She felt uneasy. Bima also seemed tense.
Amelia decided not to talk about it. It was a personal family issue. However, Bima was very curious. What had Amelia been going through all this time?
The elevator doors opened. Bima stepped out and walked toward his office. Amelia followed closely behind. This area was reserved for company executives.
"Amel, what happened to you?" Bima asked as he sat in his large chair.
Amelia placed the bag on the desk and took a breath. Bima waited for her answer.
"It's a family problem, sir," Amelia replied softly.
"Then why did she force you to give her money? And why was she shouting?" Bima asked seriously.
"I'm sorry, sir. I can't explain it right now," Amelia said. She did not want to discuss it.
Bima respected her decision. He wanted Amelia to feel comfortable at work. He looked at her intently.
"What is my schedule this afternoon?" Bima asked.
"Aren't you supposed to pick up Mrs. Martha today?" Amelia reminded him.
"Let her go home by herself," Bima said firmly. "Delete all schedules related to Martha."
Amelia's eyes widened. Something was wrong. No matter how busy he was, Bima always prioritized his wife. But now, his attitude had changed.
"Alright, sir. Then you don't have any fixed schedule today," Amelia said.
"Find me a small apartment near the office," Bima ordered.
"Anything else?" Amelia asked while writing it down.