Jealous
“Why is the boss like a hungry tiger so early in the morning?” Mira whispered next to Fahira.
“I don’t know, Mira. I just got here!” Fahira replied irritably as she placed her bag on the table.
“That person is weird! Hurry up and get in before the handsome boss gets angry!” Mira continued and then returned to her cubicle.
After taking off her blazer and draping it over the back of the chair, Fahira entered Darian’s room carrying her agenda book. It took 3 knocks on the door before a response was heard from inside. Fahira cautiously opened the door, entering a room that felt freezing, like being in the North Pole, and of course, there he was, the polar bear, standing in front of the giant mirror.
“Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Darian?” Fahira asked cautiously. She didn’t want to spoil his happy mood, but seeing Darian’s silence made her doubt if his good mood would last long, considering that just seeing his back already made Fahira’s mood plummet to the deepest abyss.
Darian turned around with his left hand sunk into his pants pocket. He walked towards Fahira with his usual intimidating stare. Though Fahira was already immune to Darian’s terrifying gaze, this time it was different. Fahira didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong.
“Who was the man that came with you earlier?” Darian asked coldly, causing Fahira’s mouth to open wide with raised eyebrows.
“I-I’m sorry, sir?” Fahira was taken aback and stammered in her response. Since when did her boss involve himself in his employee’s personal matters?
Fahira became even more confused as Darian’s sharp gaze started to soften. His pair of brown irises now radiated a gentle look that Fahira couldn’t interpret. Fahira was stunned when their eyes met. Her heart raced, and an inner alarm reminded her to snap out of it. She almost got lost and dragged into the brown depths of his eyes.
“I don’t like you being close to strange men!” Darian replied as he moved closer to Fahira.
“He’s not a stranger, sir. He’s my friend!” Fahira replied, taking a step back to create some distance between them.
“Starting today, you’ll commute to and from work with me!”
“But, sir…” Fahira protested as she wasn’t pleased with Darian interfering in her personal matters.
Suddenly, Fahira’s body felt warmth. She was engulfed in Darian’s tight embrace. Fahira fell silent, almost frozen in place. She closed her eyes as a masculine aroma filled her senses, taking her to a subconscious state.
Their heartbeats seemed to synchronize, both getting lost in the moment, until a knock on the door brought them back to reality. Fahira quickly untangled herself from Darian’s embrace, but he held onto her tightly. “Only I, as a man, have the right to possess you, Fahira,” Darian whispered as he kissed the top of her head before releasing her from his grip.
“Come in!” Darian said loudly to someone behind the door.
David entered with an unreadable expression, puzzled by the contrasting sight of Darian’s cheerful face and Fahira’s blushing face.
“Excuse me,” Fahira said with her head lowered, then quickly left the room.
At her desk, Fahira remained silent for quite some time, holding her pounding chest. She swore she would have had a heart attack if David hadn’t knocked on the door earlier. She took a piece of paper and fanned her face, which still felt hot. The wooden partition that only half-covered their desks allowed her to see her co-workers clearly. Mira and Susi looked at Fahira curiously, scratching their heads even though they weren’t itchy, exchanging glances, then turning their attention to the clearly functioning AC. Imagine, with two air conditioners of 2 horsepower each, in a room occupied by only 5 employees, it was undoubtedly chilly in a hot city like Jakarta.
“Ahem… Fahira!” Mira whispered. Fahira turned, realizing that her two colleagues were staring at her with curiosity. Fahira forced a stiff smile and stopped fanning her face.
“What happened to your boss? Are you okay?” Mira asked, accompanied by Susi’s serious expression, both eagerly waiting for Fahira’s answer.
“What if they knew the boss hugged me?” Fahira mumbled to herself. She was unsure how to answer Mira and Susi’s inquisitive questions.
“It’s nothing, you guys. Don’t worry. It’s just about Miss Alea,” Fahira lied because she had to. Fahira could never reveal her secret with Darian. It would be a disgrace that would haunt her future.
“Oh…” Mira and Susi responded simultaneously, seeming disinterested as they turned back to their computers.
Not long after, David left Darian’s room without greeting anyone. He was preoccupied with his thoughts, trying to make sense of Darian’s strange behavior. “Could it be that Darian is in love with Fahira? It seems impossible for a simple girl like Fahira to be willing to have a relationship with her boss. Fahira is not the type to chase after material things.” David tried to synchronize his logic and feelings.
David shook his head, trying to dispel his negative thoughts about Fahira. Once he arrived at the parking area, he immediately got into his boss’s car. He needed to meet Delon, the secret agent he had worked with in many cases. It turned out Delon was in Jakarta. Until now, the secret agent had never stayed in one place. He only stayed temporarily to carry out a mission and then moved to another location for the next mission.
The car driven by David quickly headed to where Delon was waiting for him. It only took 15 minutes for the two military-educated friends to meet. They hugged each other and laughed to express their relief before discussing the purpose of their meeting. Finally, David explained his intention to investigate the accident that happened to Fahira’s family three years ago.
“Coincidentally, I just finished a task in Yogyakarta. Now it’s just the clean-up phase,” Delon explained as he lit a cigarette.
“Good,” David replied shortly. He noticed that his friend looked different now. Delon appeared younger than him, and even the tattoos on his body had increased since they last met.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Delon asked, raising an eyebrow as he exhaled the cigarette smoke he had inhaled.
“You just look younger!” David chuckled.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
“Two years of hanging out with college students will do that. Hahaha… Besides, there’s no girl waiting for me to propose now,” Delon explained with a laugh.
Hahaha, David’s laughter was as loud as Delon’s. For him, it was amusing to hear his friend talk about proposing to a girl. Even at his mature age, David had never considered getting into a serious relationship with a woman, let alone marriage.
“So, I’ll finish this investigation as soon as possible!” Delon continued nonchalantly, teasing David with his laughter.
“It’s better if tonight we have some fun as usual!” David suggested, and Delon readily agreed.
David handed over copies of the documents he had submitted to Darian. It contained the complete identity and family photos of Fahira, along with all the information he had gathered.
***
Fahira tidied up her desk before leaving, just like her other colleagues. Today, Fahira was going home on time, with no additional work or overtime. She was about to leave the room with Mira and Susi, but a baritone voice interrupted their steps. Simultaneously, they turned to the source of the voice and saluted.
“Didn’t I tell you this morning to go home with me?” Darian said without beating around the bush, ignoring the surprised expressions of the two employees next to Fahira.
Mira, who quickly realized the situation, nudged Susi’s arm and excused themselves. “We better leave now!” she said, hurrying out of the room, leaving Fahira and Darian alone. Fahira glared at Darian, which only made him smile thinly.
“Let’s go!” Darian took Fahira’s hand and led her out, heading to the special elevator for company executives. The other employees who saw them chose to ignore the situation and leave before they could be affected.
“Let me go, sir! I can go home by myself!” Fahira retorted sarcastically, brushing Darian’s hand off her arm. She was puzzled by Darian’s unpredictable behavior. He was friendly yesterday evening, moody at night, and even worse this morning. The gentle treatment from Darian now only confused Fahira more about his personality, almost making her emotionally affected.
“Either you come with me, or I’ll carry you!” Darian threatened, making Fahira gulp audibly. Like a buffalo with a ring through its nose, Fahira had no choice but to accept Darian’s unreasonable behavior.
Inside the elevator, Darian stood facing Fahira, hands buried in his pants pocket, leaning against the elevator wall. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing Fahira’s annoyed and uneasy expression, finding it amusing, while Fahira chose to look down and play with her phone.
An unexpected situation unfolded in front of the company’s lobby. Not far from them, Gavin was standing next to his car, waiting for Fahira. Gavin walked towards Darian and Fahira. The three of them attracted the attention of the employees leaving the office. David, who had just stopped his boss’s car right in front of the lobby, quickly stepped out of the vehicle.
“Dr. Gavin!” Fahira muttered, instantly making Darian’s heart boil. He truly disliked the way Gavin looked at Fahira.
Gavin smiled at Fahira and then greeted Darian, extending his hand. “How are you, Mr. Darian? It’s been a while since we last met!” Gavin greeted warmly.
“Fine. What do you want here?” Darian replied coldly while accepting Gavin’s handshake.
“I want to pick up Fahira, as my responsibility since I dropped her off earlier,” Gavin explained with his friendly smile.
“Fahira is going home with me!” Darian retorted, not wanting to lose.
“Mr. Darian and Dr. Gavin know each other?” Fahira interrupted, feeling curious.
“Darian is my cousin,” Gavin answered, still wearing his poker face and maintaining his cold demeanor.
The female employees stopped in their tracks, not wanting to miss the chance to see the two handsome men before them. Sensing the atmosphere becoming uncomfortable, Fahira signaled David for help. However, David only shook his head slightly, as he knew well the relationship between the two men currently facing each other.
“I’m sorry, I’d rather go home by myself,” Fahira said and quickly left because choosing either of them would lead to trouble.
Fahira walked quickly, ignoring Gavin’s calls. “Alhamdulillah,” Fahira murmured when she saw a taxi and waved her hand. She immediately got into the taxi without intending to look back even for a moment.