"So you're going to hide the child's status?"
"I think that's best for now. Especially since Mama wants me to marry Riana. You know how strict Mama and Grandma are."
Galih nodded in understanding. However, the next second he chuckled.
"By the way, your child is quite clever to mess up his father's engagement. It's his birthday, after all."
Alvian smiled. Now he began to realise some of the oddities that had been happening to him over the past few months. For example, experiencing cravings just like a pregnant woman, and often dreaming of Aylin carrying a baby boy.
Alvian's gaze returned to his son, who was struggling to survive. He felt his heart being squeezed. The other babies in the room were wearing blankets and hats. His baby, however, was only wearing the small blanket given by the doctor earlier. He didn't even have a single piece of clothing.
"Oh, come with me to the baby supplies shop. The doctor asked me to prepare baby supplies earlier."
Galih glanced at his watch. It was already ten o'clock at night. "Oh dear, it's late. All the shops must be closing."
"I don't care! Force them to open the shop, and if necessary, buy the shop outright!"
Galih could only sigh. He opened his social media to find the phone number of the nearest baby supplies shop, immediately called, and asked them to wait. With the Setyo Darmawan family's reputation, everything seemed to go smoothly.
However, Galih's troubles weren't over yet. After buying almost everything in the shop, Alvian asked him to take the clothes and blankets to the laundry to be washed.
"I don't want my child to wear clothes that aren't properly washed. He could get bacteria and his skin will itch!"
"Sigh, he hasn't even been recognised as a father yet, and his possessiveness is already at demonic levels," Galih grumbled.
Fortunately, there was a 24-hour laundry with a 2-hour express wash service. Thus, the baby supplies were sorted out in just a few hours.
***
It was late at night when Alvian entered Aylin's hospital room. The woman was still unconscious from the anaesthetic. Her body was covered in medical equipment. There were several bruises around her face from falling off the escalator at the hotel earlier.
One thing Alvian did not understand was that every time he looked at Aylin's face, he felt a pain spreading through his heart. He still vividly remembered when Aylin first came to him with her body covered in blue bruises. Her swollen eyes radiated such intense pain.
And without mercy, Alvian had used her as an outlet for his lust. Leaving a new seed of life in her womb. He wondered how difficult Aylin's life had been after that night. Was it true that she had lived a dark life, as Riana had said? Or was it the opposite? And where had the one billion rupiah he had given her that night gone?
Snapping out of his reverie, Alvian took out his mobile phone and called Bara. His subordinate was probably annoyed that his boss always called him in the middle of the night.
"I want you to find information about Aylin," Alvian ordered after the call connected.
"What kind of information do you need, sir?"
"Perhaps you can start with Mr. Rizal. Find out where he got Aylin and who sold her."
"Yes, sir. I'll start looking into it right away."
"I want complete information. Don't give me bits and pieces like yesterday. I'll give you a bonus if you get the information."
"Alright, sir. Right away."
Alvian ended the call afterwards. Until now, he hadn't been very interested in knowing about Aylin's past life. However, the birth of his son made Alvian want to know everything about the mother of his child, even the smallest details.
***
Early in the morning, Alvian was already in the nursery. He was holding and laying the baby boy on his bare chest. The little baby was wearing a blue blanket and hat that Alvian had bought the night before. He looked very comfortable in his father's arms.
This morning, the doctor gave good news. The little one's condition showed significant improvement, such as increased weight and gradually normalising breathing. He was recovering much faster than expected. It seemed that his father's touch brought positive energy to him. Look how he was leaning affectionately on his father's chest.
"You have to be strong, son. From now on, Daddy will take care of you. You will never lack anything because Daddy will give you everything you need." Alvian's palm moved up and down, stroking his back. Occasionally, he kissed the top of his son's head.
However, the warmth of their togetherness had to end with Galih's arrival. Alvian had almost forgotten that he had a meeting at the office today that he couldn't send someone else to attend.
Alvian kissed his son's cheek, hugged him briefly, then handed him over to a nurse to be placed back in the incubator. Then he put on his shirt and left the nursery.
***
Riana's mood had been terrible since she arrived at the office. Last night, she spent hours crying in her room until her eyes were puffy and red. Not to mention the emotional drain of the office atmosphere. Riana was sure she had become the subject of ridicule among the other staff because of her failed engagement to her boss last night.
"Argh! Damn it!" Riana slammed the phone down in frustration.
She had called dozens of hospitals to find out where Alvian had taken Aylin. However, the search had yet to yield any results. There were no patients named Aylin in any of those hospitals. Unbeknownst to Riana, Alvian had previously asked the hospital specifically not to disclose any patient data under the name Aylin.
Riana was still grumbling angrily when the lift doors opened and Alvian appeared. Riana immediately stood up to greet him. However, she had to swallow her disappointment again because Alvian chose to enter his room without even glancing at her.
"Alvian, wait! I want to talk!" Riana snapped, running after Alvian.
Alvian turned around. Without a word. However, he could see the emotions boiling up inside Riana.
"How could you leave me last night? Didn't you think about my feelings? I'm so embarrassed and now everyone is laughing at me!" Riana sobbed in front of Alvian.
"I'm sorry, Riana. I have to say this." Alvian paused to take a breath. "I can't continue our engagement. Instead, I'll give you anything you want." Alvian's words were like a bolt of lightning for Riana. How could he so casually decide to end the engagement unilaterally?
"What? You can't continue?" She pushed Alvian's arm. "Do you think I'm a toy? Anyway, I don't want our engagement to be cancelled. I'll talk to Mama Veny and ask for a new engagement!"
Riana's pushy attitude made Alvian uncomfortable. Alvian hated being forced and controlled like this.
"Fine! Do whatever you want!" Alvian said, then walked out of the room and headed to the meeting room.
Riana was left alone, pondering her fate. She walked out of the room and collapsed onto a chair. She blamed Aylin for all the failures that had befallen her.
Yes, it was all because of Aylin. Whatever Riana did to separate her from Alvian only brought them closer together.
"Could it be that Alvian already knows that the child Aylin is carrying is his?"
Riana was still sobbing when she realised that several female staff members were glancing at her. As if they were mocking her.
"What are you looking at? Get back to work!" Riana snapped.
However, the women just chuckled and walked away.
"That's why you shouldn't act like a boss. Now that Mr Alvian has left you, you know how it feels," said one of them.
It was already afternoon when Alvian was still busy with work. He had even skipped lunch. He wanted to finish his work quickly and go to the hospital. He didn't want to miss any developments with his son.
The sound of a knock on the door broke Alvian's concentration. The door opened and Bara appeared.
"What information do you have?" asked Alvian, his gaze still focused on his laptop.
"Not much. But I think it's important." The tall, burly man sat directly in front of his boss. "I just met Mr. Rizal and he gave me some information about Miss Aylin."
Alvian paused his work for a moment and looked at Bara seriously. "What is it?"
"According to his confession, that night he contacted Mami Viola to find a girl like the one you requested. It was from Mami Viola that he got the information about Miss Aylin."
"Then?" asked Alvian, growing more curious.
"You may not believe this. He said that the person who sold Miss Aylin was her own mother."
Alvian was stunned. He could hardly believe what Bara was saying. How could a mother have the heart to sell her own child to be used as a sex slave?
"Her own mother? Her biological mother?"
"I'm still trying to find out. Mr. Rizal didn't give me complete information because he didn't know the woman. But here's an old photo from Mami Viola. She said that Aylin's mother was an old friend of hers and used to work at Mami Viola's nightclub."
Bara slid his phone in front of his boss. Alvian quickly grabbed Bara's phone.
Alvian's eyes narrowed. He studied the woman in the photo. Alvian's expression, which had been normal, now looked furious.
Seeing Alvian's unusual reaction, Bara looked at him questioningly.
"Do you know the woman in the photo?"
What Alvian found made him almost lose his mind. For a moment, he seemed to lose his ability to think. He sat frozen in place, his mind wandering far away.
The world was indeed small; the person he was looking for was right in front of his eyes. Alvian never imagined that Aylin's mother was the woman who had been working in his house as a domestic helper for the past few years.
Bara still stared questioningly at his boss. Because for the past five minutes, Alvian had been silent. As if he was thinking about something very serious. "Sir?" the man called. "Do you know the woman in the photo?" Bara dared to repeat the question.
Alvian took a deep breath to regain his focus. He nodded afterwards. "Yes. I know her. You won't believe me when I tell you who this woman is."
Bara frowned. He tried to guess who the woman was that had shocked his boss so much. "Who is she?"
"Bik Nana. One of the domestic workers who works in my house."
Suddenly, Bara's eyes widened. Now it was he who looked shocked, replacing Alvian. Bara had never known who worked in his boss's private home. Because during his time working for Alvian, he had never once set foot in his boss's private residence.
"Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to confirm. Perhaps it was just a resemblance, because the photo was estimated to be an old one taken more than 10 years ago.
"I'm sure. The woman in this photo is indeed Bik Nana." He leaned his sturdy back against the chair. It had never crossed his mind that he would find such a ridiculous and surprising coincidence.
As far as Alvian knew, Bik Nana was a widow with a daughter. Alvian found this out when Mama Veny suddenly asked him to give 80 million rupiah to Bik Nana, claiming it was for her sick daughter's surgery. Alvian, feeling sorry for her, gave Bik Nana 100 million rupiah without thinking twice.
However, this incident had happened not long ago. It was even long after Alvian had bought Aylin for one billion rupiah. So, where had the one billion rupiah gone? Alvian felt like he was in a maze with no way out. But at this point, he realised that Bik Nana had lied about her sick daughter. According to the information Bara had found earlier, Aylin lived alone without any family.
"So what now? Are you going to ask the woman directly?"
"No! Don't rush into anything. Investigate everything carefully and don't let anyone get suspicious."
"Okay," said Bara. "I really can't understand how a mother could sell her own child."
"I also want to know the reason. Could it be that Aylin isn't her biological child?"
"It's possible. A biological mother wouldn't be able to do that, right?"
Alvian nodded. Bara had a point. Even wild animals still have the instinct to protect their young.
"Then investigate everything! Report even the smallest piece of information! Also find out where the billion rupiah I gave Aylin that night went."
"Yes, sir."
Bara excused himself. He would continue his investigation. Right after Bara left Alvian's office, Galih approached him with several files.
Alvian took the folder Galih gave him and placed it among the other folders.
"Can you prepare a nursery in my flat? Aylin and my child will stay there after they leave the hospital."
Galih's eyes widened after hearing the order.
"You mean Aylin will also stay in your flat?" he asked to confirm. Perhaps he had misheard or Alvian had misspoken.
"Yes," Alvian replied quickly. "Why are you overreacting like that?"
"No. I'm just surprised. Last night you said you only wanted the child. Have you changed your mind and now want the mother too?" The question made Alvian sigh in annoyance.
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
Galih chuckled. Last night, Alvian had bought almost everything in the shop. Baby boxes, swings and toys. He only brought the equipment that would be used during his stay in the hospital. The rest was still stored in the shop.
"Why did you suddenly change your mind? Did something happen?"
Alvian nodded. He began to tell Galih about Bara's discovery earlier. That Aylin was actually Bik Nana's child. Galih reacted with the same shock as Alvian. Yes, no one would have ever guessed.
"Are you sure Bara didn't give you the wrong information?" asked Galih.
"Since when has Bara ever been wrong about information?"
Galih nodded in agreement with Alvian's words. "You could be killed by Aunt Veny and Grandma if you're found out to have impregnated the maid who works in your own house." Galih paused with a sigh. "Does this mean you'll take responsibility and marry Aylin?"
"Taking responsibility doesn't have to mean marrying her, does it?"
Actually, Alvian didn't really care about social status. However, as the heir to the Darmawan Group, his mother and grandmother would certainly find him a woman with good pedigree, character, and background.
"Yes, you're right. At least give Aylin and her child a decent life first."
Riana washed her face with water. She had spent almost 30 minutes in the toilet. Alvian's treatment of her really hurt her feelings and her pride as a woman.
Riana looked at her reflection in the mirror. She thought she was very beautiful. In fact, there was no staff member in this office who was more beautiful than her. She was the object of desire of several men. With her beauty, she should be able to win Alvian over, like in the novels where the boss falls in love with the beautiful secretary. But why was Alvian different? Why didn't he even glance at her?
Riana was still caught up in her heartache when she heard the giggles of a few women who had just entered the bathroom.
"Poor Riana. She had been dreaming of becoming the boss's wife all this time, but in the end she failed," said one of the women.
"That's why you shouldn't dream too big, because when you fall, it hurts," added another woman.
"I can't imagine how embarrassed she must have been that night. Left by Mr Alvian at the peak of the event."
"If I were Riana, I would kill myself."
The laughter of the three women echoed in the toilet. Riana's hands were clenched in anger. She wanted to grab each of the women by the hair. Unable to bear it, she immediately opened the door and left. The three women who had just been talking about her looked quite shocked.
"How dare you say such things about me!" Riana snapped furiously.
The three women fell silent. They didn't expect this mysterious woman to be in one of the toilet cubicles. Everyone was quiet, no one dared to fight back.
"Remember, my engagement to Alvian is not cancelled, only postponed. Last night, Alvian had important business that he couldn't leave. Our engagement and wedding will definitely continue."
Silence! So far, no one dared to respond.
"And remember one more thing: once I marry Alvian, the three of you will be the first ones I fire without honour. Understand?"
Riana glared angrily. Then she stormed out of the toilet, slamming the door roughly.
***
Aylin looked at a female nurse who was checking her condition. She had woken up a few minutes ago and felt pain spreading around her stomach. Fortunately, the pain was slowly subsiding after the nurse gave her an injection.
Aylin's weak, powerless hand moved to touch her stomach. Her usually bulging stomach now looked flat. Where was the baby inside?
"Nurse, where is my baby?" she asked, almost whispering.