Two weeks had passed since Ethan found out that he had fallen in love with Indra's wife. He had become lazy about meeting Rica. Even though she was the source of the bright future and all the conveniences of life that Ethan had long dreamed of.
For about two weeks, Ethan chose to be busy with work rather than dealing with that annoying girl. To be honest, it was exhausting to deal with a girl full of energy like Rica, so spoiled, and hard to manage.
At first, Ethan could hold himself together because he had high motivation to make Rica his wife, but eventually, he grew tired. Since he found out that Inka was Priska and Rica was her younger sister, Ethan felt like his life motivation was gone. He became sick to see Rica, because every time he looked at her face, it reminded him of the stupidly naive days when he was infatuated with Inka.
“Oh my God, Sir!” Gabriel exclaimed when he saw Ethan with a nosebleed.
The secretary quickly took out a handkerchief for his CEO. They were on their way to the conference room. Since they left the elevator, Ethan had been silent, and Gabriel struggled to keep up with his fast pace. Now, Ethan stopped walking, tilted his head back, holding the handkerchief as his nosebleed continued.
“What did I tell you, Sir? You've been working overtime the past week,” Gabriel said quickly, contacting someone.
Ethan couldn’t protest this time. Normally, he would scold Gabriel, but now it was the other way around. This physical exhaustion was due to Ethan trying to meet targets so he could go back to San Francisco sooner. His chest felt tight after the heartbreak; he wanted to leave Indonesia. Maybe, the burden in his chest would lessen when he met his mother.
“Is my schedule clear for the next two weeks, Gab?” Ethan asked, still feeling miserable.
“It’s clear, Sir. It's because you've been so diligent at work that I’ve been struggling to push all the meetings, and the rest can be handled remotely. It's all good.”
“Thanks, Gab. What souvenir would you like from America?” Ethan teased.
Gabriel stopped typing immediately and gave Ethan an annoyed look. Ethan smiled slightly, knowing Gabriel must be upset. The dark circles under his secretary's eyes were becoming more evident, all because Ethan had been pushing to finish all the work quickly.
“Sir, the most important thing is your health. I want you to be healthy and safe, so you can get back to Indonesia on time,” said Gabriel.
“Yeah, I know. I just want to go back and visit my mom. I’ve told you, right? She’s very ill, and I’m the only family she has left.”
“I understand, Sir, but right now, you have to get scolded by Dr. Nuel. He’s on his way here.”
They finally returned to the CEO's office and waited for Dr. Nuel's arrival. Gabriel quickly informed the team in the meeting to continue without Ethan. He didn't explain the reason why, as he respected Ethan. He simply said that Ethan had more important matters to attend to and would review the meeting results in a day or two. Gabriel left the room, leaving Ethan alone.
“If only he were a female secretary, I would definitely fall for him,” Ethan mumbled while pulling a tissue from the box. He smiled to himself at the thought.
In reality, he had become more focused on work after getting a male secretary. Indra’s decision was spot on, even though Ethan initially thought his days would be very boring with Gabriel around. But in fact, it turned out to be the opposite.
“Argh, at least he drives well, knows my taste in food, is willing to work overtime until 1 a.m., and can be bossed around,” Ethan closed his eyes and crossed his arms as his nosebleed stopped.
***
In his room, Ethan lay under the blanket, staring at his phone screen sadly. He was wondering whether it was the right time to delete Priska's number. Once again, he was attracted to a woman he couldn’t have. Another man’s wife.
“But she really is beautiful and motherly, no wonder Indra likes her. If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Indra’s mother died when he was a teenager,” he muttered.
When he was about to delete Inka or Priska’s number, a video call came in. Ethan squinted his eyes at the profile picture of Rica. For some reason, the girl was becoming more annoying to Ethan.
“This kid must be throwing a tantrum.”
Since he was lonely and needed someone to talk to, Ethan answered the video call from the girl, hoping to be a little entertained. Flirty, spoiled, and emotional—that was how Rica seemed to Ethan now. At least tonight, Ethan didn’t want to feel alone and dwell on his fate.
“Mas!” Rica called cheerfully.
“Hmm?” Ethan replied lazily.
The girl was outside, with people eating in the background. It looked like a semi-open restaurant, maybe by the beach, but why so late at night? Ethan couldn’t be bothered to ask. Let’s just listen to the girl’s rambling, as Ethan was too tired to engage.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my sister and her husband joking around. Their jokes really went too far. Once again, I’m sorry, Mas.”
Rica went on explaining that her sister missed the busy days when she was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her pregnancy had caused her moods to change drastically, and she got easily bored being alone at home. Rica sometimes had morning classes, and Mama and Indra were busy with work, leaving Priska alone at home.
“Ca,” Ethan called softly. He looked at Rica with a bored expression.
To be honest, Ethan was really annoyed seeing Rica’s face because she resembled Priska. Stupidly, Ethan only realized this over the past two weeks. Rica smiled widely, waiting for Ethan's next words.
“You regret it, right?” Ethan asked.
“Hu’umb.” Rica nodded firmly.
“Wanna sleep with me? If you want, I’ll forgive you both. Try to cheer me up.”
Instantly, Rica blinked in confusion at the inappropriate request from a grown man. Ethan had said this on purpose to make Rica stop contacting him. Didn’t the girl herself say she didn’t mind doing anything as long as she wasn’t pregnant? Ethan still clearly remembered their conversation that night.
“Mas,” Rica complained in disbelief.
“Yeah, that’s right, I’m that kind of person, Ca. Whatever you’ve heard about me from your brother-in-law is the truth. And the woman you saw before was indeed my bedmate, she’s someone’s else wife, and I liked her because we were very compatible in bed.”
Rica couldn’t say a word and just stared at her phone screen blankly. Ethan let the girl process the free information he just gave. Soon after, the video call was disconnected. Rica must be furious, but Ethan didn’t care anymore. For him, it was all over, nothing to regret. A businessman had to have a tough mentality if he wanted to move forward, that was Ethan's principle in managing the company.
Ethan stared blankly at the ceiling, one arm across his forehead, his gaze empty. It seemed he was never meant to have someone to love and be loved by for a lifetime. That thought crossed his mind as he reflected on everything that had happened over the past three months.