"Aylin is not that kind of woman, Ma'am! She has never even been in a relationship, let alone slept with just any man! She must be pregnant with Alvian's child!"
Mrs Nana could hardly believe what she was hearing. During her time working at the Darmawan family's house, as far as she knew, Alvian was a good young man who didn't associate with just anyone. Hiring a woman for a sleeping companion was simply impossible.
"But Den Alvian is a good man, Riana! He wouldn't hire a woman for a sleeping companion."
Riana pulled at her hair. At that moment, she was filled with anger. She had worked so hard to trap Alvian, spending hundreds of millions of pounds to beautify herself, but it was Aylin who got him. While sobbing, Riana recounted the events of that night to her mother.
"That night, I secretly put a stimulant in Alvian's drink. But after that, he suddenly disappeared. I should have been the one sleeping with Alvian and getting pregnant with his child, not Aylin!"
***
Aylin had just arrived at the café where she worked. This morning, her body felt weak and drained of energy. Last night, after Alvian's arrival, she had been very restless, and the man's threats continued to ring in her ears, making her heart uneasy. Not to mention her enlarged belly, which sometimes made it difficult to find a comfortable position to lie down in.
"Aylin, Mbak Yohana is looking for you," said Lisa, who was currently cleaning some tables. "She left a message earlier, saying that if you came in, you should go straight to her office."
Aylin's brow furrowed slightly. It was unusual for Ms Yohana, the café supervisor, to be looking for her. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. It's best if you go and see her now."
"Oh, alright." Aylin headed straight for the woman's office. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Ms Yohana sitting in a chair with an envelope in her hand. One strange thing Aylin noticed was that Mbak Yohana, who was usually friendly, seemed very cold.
"Good morning, Miss."
"Good morning, Aylin. Please have a seat. I have something important to discuss with you."
Aylin immediately sat down in front of the woman. Her mind was filled with questions. It seemed that what Miss Yohana wanted to discuss was quite important.
"What is it, Miss?"
Without further ado, Miss Yohana slid an envelope towards Aylin. "Aylin, this is your salary for this month. I'm sorry, but I can no longer employ you here."
Aylin's eyes widened instantly. Did this mean that Ms Yohana had just fired her suddenly?
"You mean I'm being dismissed, Ms? But what's the reason?" Aylin's voice suddenly trembled. She still really needed that job to save up for her future childbirth. If she was fired, it would be impossible for her to find another job quickly.
"This is all at the request of Mr Alvian Setyo Darmawan. Do you know him?" asked Ms Yohana, leaving Aylin speechless and unable to answer. "He said that a few days ago, he and his fiancée were treated rudely by you."
Aylin's mind was filled with questions. Was the fiancée in question Riana? Because at that time, Alvian had come with Riana.
"But I didn't do anything, Miss. That woman bumped into me and got her clothes dirty with spilled coffee."
"I understand, Aylin. But I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. Please take your salary. Hopefully, after this, you can find a better job."
Aylin could only stare at the brown envelope that Ms Yohana slid in front of her. No words. Only a feeling of tightness in her chest.
Alvian's threat at that time had come true. He could destroy her life. Today she may have only been fired from her job, but in the future she didn't know what other bad things Alvian could do to her.
***
On the other hand, Riana smiled happily after receiving the news of Aylin's dismissal. She never imagined that all her plans would go faster than expected.
Now she was carrying out her next plan, which was to incite Mama Veny. Look how clever that woman was at selling tears. Now she and Mama Veny were in a café.
"What's wrong, Riana? Why are you crying?" Mama Veny rubbed the woman's shoulder.
"Alvian, Auntie," Riana whispered, sobbing even more.
"What about Alvian?"
Riana grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. After overhearing Alvian's conversation with Aylin yesterday, she decided to tell Mama Veny about it.
"I'll tell you, but promise me first, don't tell anyone, including Alvian and Oma. If Alvian finds out that I told you, he will be very angry with me."
Mama Veny was even more curious about what Riana was going to say that would make Alvian so angry, and why it had to be kept from Oma.
"Okay, I promise I won't tell anyone."
Riana took a deep breath. She had to make the most of this situation and be precise so as not to harm herself. Sobbing, she began to tell her story. "Yesterday, Alvian rushed out of the office. He said he had an important appointment with someone. But in my diary, there were no important meetings that day. So I secretly followed him from behind."
"Then what happened?" Mama Veny looked even more curious.
"It turns out Alvian met a woman, Auntie. I overheard their conversation." She started crying again. Riana's eyes were even swollen from crying too much.
"What conversation? Don't scare me like this!"
"It turns out Alvian once hired a call girl for a one-night stand, and now that woman is pregnant."
The information Riana shared made Mama Veny's heart ache instantly. For a moment, she was speechless, as if she couldn't believe it. She had never imagined that the son she was so proud of could do something so shameful as hiring a woman for a sleeping companion, let alone getting her pregnant. This could tarnish the Darmawan family's good name.
"Are you sure, Riana? You're not joking, are you?" Mama Veny's common sense told her not to take Riana's words at face value.
"How could I dare to joke about something like this, Auntie? I heard their conversation myself!"
Mama Veny remained silent. Her tongue felt stiff. Riana stared at the woman while holding her hand.
"Auntie, you have to do something. Don't let that woman trap Alvian."
Mama Veny rubbed her chest. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Oh my God, Alvian! How could he do all this?"
Riana wiped her wet eyes. "I'm sure that woman is pregnant with another man's child, not Alvian's. I'm afraid she will trap Alvian and claim that the child in her womb is Alvian's."
"But what if the child that woman is carrying is really Alvian's?"
"That's impossible, Auntie. Even if the foetus in that woman's womb is Alvian's, would you want to marry them off?"
"No! Don't let that happen, Riana!"
Suddenly, Mama Veny felt her chest tighten, followed by a throbbing in her head that made everything around her blurry. She even felt all her strength drain away.
Finally, she collapsed and lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Riana panicked. She never expected Mama Veny to react like this. Her intention was only to urge Mama Veny to pressure Alvian to formalise their relationship.
"Auntie? Wake up, Auntie!"
***
Lately, Alvian had been hating his own thoughts. The image of Aylin never left his mind. It always haunted him. Even when Alvian tried to forget by keeping himself busy at the office. However, the result was the same.
Especially last night when he met Aylin in her boarding house room. Alvian was focused on her growing belly. He could see cute movements in her belly. The baby inside was so active that there were small bumps on the surface of her belly. So adorable!
"Why do I want to touch her stomach so badly?"
Alvian snapped out of his reverie. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was already time to leave the office. Earlier, Riana had also asked for permission to leave early, without saying where she was going. Alvian decided to leave the office building.
The car drove at a moderate speed. The man took the time to stop by one of his favourite restaurants, which was not far from the office. Coincidentally, he hadn't eaten anything all day, which made his stomach ache.
Alvian sat at his favourite table in the corner of the room, near the window. A waiter came to take his order.
Just as he was about to tuck into the delicious meal, his thoughts suddenly turned to the bowl of instant noodles that Aylin had made. For some reason, just thinking about it made his heart feel like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles.
Alvian lost his appetite. He raised his hand to call a waiter.
"Please wrap everything up. And add an extra portion of teriyaki chicken," he requested.
"Certainly, please wait."
A few minutes later, Alvian left the restaurant. He drove aimlessly, his mind blank. Until he entered a narrow alley and stopped in front of a two-storey house. Only then did he realise.
Then he glanced at the food he had bought at the restaurant. It seemed okay to give the food to Aylin. Better than throwing it away.
Alvian got out of the car and immediately headed for the room he had visited yesterday. However, after knocking for several minutes, there was no response from the occupant inside.
"Where is she? She should be home at this hour, right?"
The door of a room right next to Aylin's room opened. A woman appeared from inside. "Who are you looking for?"
"I want to see the woman who lives in this room. Has she not come home yet?"
The woman frowned. Her eyes scanned Alvian's body from head to toe. Her gaze seemed full of questions. What did this well-dressed man want with Aylin?
"Aylin moved out this afternoon," she said.
"Moved out?" Alvian looked confused. Could it be that Aylin had been evicted by the landlord for not being able to pay the rent? But hadn't Alvian instructed Bara yesterday to pay the rent for the room for a year? Or could it be that Bara hadn't carried out his instructions?
"Yes. Someone came to pick her up earlier."
"Who?"
"I don't know. He was a man, probably around your age. I didn't have time to ask any questions because they were in a hurry. Maybe her husband."
"Could the man who picked her up be the father of her child?" Alvian wondered to himself.
Alvian was lost in thought. It seemed like he had made a big mistake by going there just to bring food. Why should he care about Aylin's unborn child? After all, it wasn't his.
Just as Alvian was about to leave, his mobile phone rang. The screen displayed Riana's name.
"Yes, Riana," said Alvian as soon as the call connected.
"Where are you, Al?" Riana's voice sounded very panicked, causing Alvian's thick eyebrows to furrow.
"On the road, heading home."
"Can you come to the hospital now? Aunt Veny fainted at the café. I'm at the hospital now!"
"Mama fainted? How could that happen?" Of course, the news made Alvian panic too. He immediately walked quickly to his car.
"I don't know. We were just chatting and suddenly Auntie fainted."
Alvian became even more panicked. As far as he knew, his mother had no history of illness and Auntie Veny had always been careful about her diet.
"Alright, send me the hospital's address. I'll be right there."
Alvian ended the call. Then he hurriedly left the place.
***
Upon arriving at the hospital, Alvian was shocked by the doctor's explanation. Mama Veny had suffered a mild heart attack. Fortunately, she was now conscious and her condition was stable.
Alvian was already in Mama Veny's room. The woman was sitting with her back against the chair, her face pale and her body still weak.
"Mama, why did you faint?" asked Alvian.
Riana, who had been standing in front of the room, was trembling. What if Mama Veny told Alvian about what she had said earlier that caused Mama Veny to faint? Not only would she be fired from the company, but Riana would also be kicked out of Alvian's life.
"Mama doesn't know either. Suddenly, Mama felt dizzy and short of breath. Luckily, Riana was there; otherwise, Mama doesn't know what would have happened."
The fear Riana had been feeling instantly vanished. Relief. Thankfully, Mama Veny could keep the secret.
"Al, can Mama ask you for something?"
Alvian just nodded. For now, whatever Mama wanted, he would comply. Especially since Mama was sick.
"Mama really hopes you can accept Riana. She is a good woman and sincere towards you."
Alvian remained silent. He didn't know what to say.
"If you're not ready to marry yet, just get engaged first."
"But, Mum—"
"Al, I'm getting old. Seeing you marry Riana is my greatest wish."
Alvian sighed deeply. He spent several minutes weighing his mother's words. The woman's face looked so pitiful that Alvian couldn't bear it.
"Alright, if that's what you want, Mum. But I'm not ready to get married yet. Riana and I will get engaged first."
"Really, Al?"
"Yes, Mum."
Overcome with happiness, Mama Veny hugged her son. "Thank you, Al. Forgive me for being a bit pushy. I was just afraid you would get caught up with a bad woman out there. Don't get caught up and have a child out of wedlock. I would rather die than have that happen."
Outside the room, Riana couldn't hide her happiness. She was like someone who had just won the lottery. If she hadn't been in a public place, she would have jumped for joy.
"Yes! Scaring Aunt Veny was worth it. Ah, now even Aylin and her child won't be able to stop me from having Alvian."
***
It was already 10 p.m. when Aylin walked along dragging a small suitcase. The night air was cold enough to pierce the bones. The earth was being drenched by heavy rain. A bus stop became Aylin's choice to rest her sore feet and take shelter.
Tonight, Aylin didn't know where to go. She had no friends or relatives to turn to. She was alone. All by herself. Meanwhile, there was a life growing inside her womb that needed protection.
"Darling, you're strong, okay? We can get through this. Once you're born, Mummy will work harder so you won't lack anything."
Aylin opened her bag and took out a wallet. She still had a few hundred thousand rupiah. Maybe it would be enough to pay for a simple new rental. The rest could be used for a few days' worth of living expenses while she looked for a new job.
Aylin would not let her child experience the same misfortune she had in her childhood. She would live in an abundance of love, and Aylin would do anything for that.
Aylin's attention was drawn to a brochure stuck to the glass wall of the bus stop. It was a job advertisement for catering. Maybe there was no harm in Aylin applying for the job there. She had experience working in catering and could cook several dishes.
***
Meanwhile, across the street, Alvian was driving. He stared at the heavy rain falling tonight. He planned to go home briefly to take a shower and change his clothes. Then he would go back to the hospital to accompany his mother tonight. The doctor said that if her condition improved, she could go home tomorrow morning.
Along the way, Alvian wondered whether his decision to accept the match with Riana was the right one. He didn't know if he would regret it in the future. All he knew was that he was doing it all for his mother.
Alvian glanced briefly at the bus stop. From there, he could see a woman sitting alone with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Perhaps she was trying to ward off the cold air.
"I must be crazy. Why do I think I saw Aylin?"
Once again, Alvian's thoughts turned to Aylin. What if Aylin was cold, wet from the rain, or even hungry out there? However, he pushed those silly thoughts far away.
Alvian pressed the accelerator, making the car speed away from that place.
***
At home
Riana seemed excited when she told Mrs Nana about what had happened earlier. She spoke with sparkling eyes.
"Alvian has agreed to Aunt Veny's wish to set us up, Bu. I'm finally going to get Alvian!" "Wow, that's really good news, Riana! I'm happy for you. Remember, when you marry Alvian and live happily, don't forget me."
"Of course not, Bu. Anyway, I will also live happily if I marry Alvian later. I will buy a bigger house for you."
They both laughed happily. However, Mrs Nana then remembered the night before when Riana had thrown a tantrum and destroyed her entire room because she was angry at Aylin.
"But what about Aylin? Didn't you say Aylin is pregnant with Alvian's child?
***