bing with a dull ache that wasn't from alcohol, but from the sheer emotional exhaustion of the night before. For a split second, she forgot where she was

scent that filled her lungs was cedar, expensive

the story. Arga had stayed. He hadn't touched her-not after that heavy, suffocatingly honest moment in the dark-b

oked at her phone. It was barely 7:00 AM, b

ocks Plunge 15% in

Corporate Sabotage in

in the water. Zara felt a grim sense of satisfaction, but it was hollow. Destr

downstairs, the house felt different. The servants moved with a new kind of urgency, their eyes darting toward her with a respect that

legal folders. He didn't look like a man who had just slept four hours. He look

king up from his screen. "Eat. W

t a chair. She ignored the elaborate breakf

yes, but his voice was steady. "He called six times this morning. It seems the 'saving the factory' check

ra said, her voice cold

ng to bury the scandal for good, we need your family to provide a un

You want me to sit on a couch and pretend I don't want to wra

be the woman I saw last night. The one who broke Bram with a recorder

ee if she'd break. She stood up, smoothing out her silk trousers. "G

motorbikes and humidity, but inside the SUV, it was a pressurized chamber. When they arrived, the staff

e. He looked ten years older than he had at the gala. His tie

y're outside the gates. Bram's lawyers sent a cease and desist already.

of the room, looking like a god of war in a

e sheer coldness in Arga's voice. He san

e, he won't be able to afford a bus ticket, let alone a

tammered. "We're family no

his father-in-law. "I married a woman your other daughter drugged and betrayed. Did you think I was going to forge

nge to see her father, the man who had loomed so large over

hispered. "Intan... she's ju

a interrupted. Her

inting toward the door. "She's been cry

rd the door, her heels clicking rh

ga started, but

lastic chair, staring at a cup of tea. When she saw Za

etic, wide-eyed look that usually worked on everyone. "Look, I'm so sorry about what happe

r, grabbed the half-full cup of tea, a

iquid soaked into her hair and ran down her

aid, her voice low and terrif

n to me, you little snake. I know you're the one who contacted Bram. I know you're the one who thought you could take my place by gettin

" Intan sobbed, cla

e your sister. You're going to talk about how 'happy' you are for us. And if you miss a single beat, if you blink the wrong way, I will make sure Arga pulls ev

Dad would hate yo

our lifestyle. You love your shoes and your parties. Imagine losing

with genuine terror. The mask of the innocent sister was gone, replaced by a brok

by the window, watching her with an unreadable expressi

said, wiping a stray drop of t

is waiting. We have a wardro

didn't think she'd ever be truly happy again-but it was a sense of power. For the first

at her, his glasses reflecting the lig

said, staring out the wi

u're full of surprises, Zara Wijaya.

' anymore, Arga. You

; it was something thicker, something that felt like a bridge being built ov

this?" Z

en

ngle, massive emerald surrounded by diamonds.

wore it when she was introduced to the board. It's a sign of status. Wear

e color as the dress she'd worn to the gal

a said, looking at him. "The branding. The op

y, Zara. He gave me a failing construction firm and told me to either make it work or change my last name. I had to learn how to t

oked away, focusing on the necklace.

is hand momentarily covering

thick with the smell of hairspray and nerves. The host, a woman known for

nst her throat. Arga sat beside her, his hand firmly interlaced with he

in three...

is talking about. Mr. Arga Putra Wijaya and his new bride, Zara Marligh. Along with the Marligh family

over a year. We kept it private because of the competitive nature of our respective businesses. That night at the hotel was supposed to be o

ra? Your fiancé, Dion, called off the

a mistake," she said, her voice steady. "He was part of my past. Arga is my future. The 'scandal' people are talking about was not

looked at Intan. "There wer

gh it looked more like a grimace. "There's no rift. I love Zara. I'm so happy that she

ay, the narrative had been flipped. They weren't a scandal;

a's phone was blowing up. The stocks

ay. "Zara, honey, that was wonderful. Ma

d. Arga will send the paperwork for the n

tting them like a relief. Arga looked at he

ning her head back against t

acting?" A

en them felt charged, like a storm

her neck. He didn't kiss her-not yet. He just looked at her w

strange kind of grief. Zara found herself kissing him back, her hands tangling in his hair. She hated him, didn't she? She hated what he'd don

t, both of them

red against her lips. "Bram is going to

r eyes flashing in the d

lowed them at a distance. The rider adjusted a cam

o busy looking at each other, oblivious to the fact

ched the live feed of the interview. He loo

s, Zara," he whispered. "Becau

dow was rising-one that knew Arga's secrets better than he knew them himself. And th

shiver running down her spine. The honeymoon