"Good morning, everyone," Khayra greeted as she arrived at the office.
"Morning, Ra," her coworkers replied.
Her eyes drifted toward Kaivan's office. The man was already sitting like a king on his throne, his sharp gaze locked on her.
Khayra quickly averted her eyes and sat down at her desk.
"They say someone's going to the site today," Sunny whispered.
"Why? Is there a network issue?" Khayra asked.
"No, just something about a project," Sunny replied.
"It's probably Cecep going again, right?"
"I'm not sure," Sunny shrugged.
"Khayra, my office," Kaivan's voice called out.
Khayra and Sunny exchanged glances. She frowned, wondering why he was calling her—Kaivan usually took Cecep to the site.
"You called for me, Sir?" she asked once inside his office.
Kaivan's gaze was steady, almost intimidating. "You're coming with me to the site."
"Why me?" she asked, confused.
"What's wrong with you? Are you refusing your manager's orders?" he said sharply.
"That's not it. It's just… Cecep usually goes with you," she explained.
"I really don't like the way you call me Sir like that."
Khayra blinked in surprise.
"Well, I can't exactly call you Aa Ivan here, can I?" she teased.
"Enough. Get ready. We're leaving in five minutes," he ordered.
Without further protest, she left his office.
"What's up?" Sunny asked.
"I'm going with Mr. Kaivan to the site," Khayra said with a pout.
"That's unusual. Isn't it always Cecep who goes? He's the regular," Sunny commented.
"Who knows—maybe he's mad at Cecep. Or maybe he just wants to mess with me," Khayra grumbled, making Sunny chuckle.
"Good luck. Brace yourself and prepare your ears for his scolding," Sunny joked.
Khayra only shrugged in response.
"Khair, hurry up!" Kaivan called as he walked out of the office.
"Hmph, Mr. Bossy," she muttered under her breath and hurried after him.
"Wait, Sir!" she shouted as the elevator doors were about to close. The doors slid open again, revealing Kaivan standing inside alone.
"Tsk. Slow as a turtle," he said.
Khayra stepped inside, frowning. "Zebra horse," she mumbled.
"Log in to the company's website and access our division's account. There's a 'Projects' section. Open it and fill in all the reports later," Kaivan instructed.
"Alright," she replied.
"You should be happy I'm taking you out of the office. Consider it healing after being left at the altar," he said flatly.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, and she followed him into the basement parking lot toward his car.
Neither of them spoke during the drive. The silence was broken by the sound of Khayra's stomach growling. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment—it had to happen now, in the middle of traffic, in total silence.
Kaivan smirked. "How many days have you not eaten? Is a breakup really this bad for you?"
"If you're not going to buy me food, you don't need to comment," she shot back.
"Fine. I'm a caring boss, after all. So, what do you want to eat?" he asked.
"Aren't we going to be late for the site visit?" she asked, not wanting to disrupt their schedule.
"We've got thirty minutes. We can eat first. So, what will it be, Turtle?" he teased.
"Why do you always have to give people nicknames?" she grumbled.
"If we get married, I'll call you Neng Khayr. How about that?"
"Who said I'd marry you?" she scoffed. "I'm afraid I'd waste away from all your yelling."
Kaivan chuckled. "You don't know me yet." He steered the car into a breakfast restaurant.
"Let's go. They have plenty of breakfast options here," he said, stepping out first.
Khayra followed him inside. The place was already buzzing with people enjoying their morning meals.
"What will you have?" he asked as she scanned the menu.
"I'll have yellow rice with an omelet, not chili eggs," she said.
"Alright," the waiter nodded.
"Just hot tea for my drink," she added.
"And you, sir?" the waitress asked Kaivan.
"Just coffee," he replied. Once the waitress left, he smirked at Khayra.
"See? Even the waitress called me Sir, not Uncle. That's because I still look young," he boasted, making her roll her eyes.
"You're such a traditional girl—rice for breakfast?"
"Bread isn't filling," she replied simply, making him chuckle.
"I want to talk about your answer to my proposal," Khayra said suddenly.
"Yeah? What about it?" he asked.
"Why did you choose me to have your child? And why does it have to be a contract marriage? Don't you have a girlfriend—or a female friend—you could marry? You could build a happy home and have lots of kids," she said in disbelief.
"I only need a child, not a wife," Kaivan replied bluntly.
"Why not just adopt? There are plenty of orphanages," she pointed out.
"I want a biological child," he said firmly.
"Then why not just get married? And why me of all women?" she pressed, still unconvinced.
"You're not as calm as your face makes you look," Kaivan said with a smirk. "Here's the thing—you need someone to get revenge on Yuda, right? Look at me: my job is better than his, I'm more mature than him, and my looks? Obviously, I'm much more handsome than Yuda." His confidence left Khayra momentarily speechless.
Their conversation was interrupted as the waitress returned with their food.
"So?" Kaivan asked once the waitress left.
"I'm eating first," Khayra said, digging in.
Kaivan sipped his coffee, occasionally glancing at her as she ate with such enthusiasm that her cheeks puffed out.
When she was done, she drained her tea.
"Full?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Good. We still have fifteen minutes left. I want your answer now—don't waste my time," he said.
Khayra was silent for a moment. "Alright, I agree. But I have conditions."
"What conditions?"
"I'll write them down later. Just wait," she said. "Now, we should head to the site."
"Fine. I'll wait for your conditions," Kaivan replied, standing up.
"Thanks for breakfast, Aa Ivan," she said with a bright smile before walking away.
"Haish… heartbroken but still expects a free meal," Kaivan muttered, shaking his head.