nd foggy until the events of the previous night crashed back into her consciousness. The rain had stopped, leaving Jakarta looking deceptively cl

low promises. She was in a hotel room, her life packed into one small suit

or her mother-in-law, or some concerned "friend" who had already heard whispers of the storm. She didn't pick it up. Instead, she walked to the window and looked down

cling to her memory. But as the steam filled the room, the grief started to harden into something else. It was a cold, sharp clarity. She realized she had spent five years being the "suppo

m

lf. Or at least, the version of herself she was building from the scrap metal of her old life. She checked her reflection. Her eyes

tucked in her bag, a small piece of black cardboard that felt heavier than it should. Why had he looked at her like that? Like he knew exactly what had happe

e was going to survive the next few weeks of legal battles, and she wasn't

abric filling the air. The salesclerk, a girl named Maya who had

aya stopped mid-sentence, her eyes traveling over Nayla's face. Even

robe. Everything. From basics to evenin

A t

a replied, her heart stingi

arker, and more aggressive than her usual "soft" style, her phone rang

blem," Hendra said as

t is

are tied to his business operations and that you're 'emotionally unstable' an

almost tore it. "Emotionally unstable? H

the 'distraught husband' card. He's telling everyone you disappeared in a fit of rage an

urning to ice. "He knows I don't have much in my personal

he can control the narrative. If you don't have a

had picked out. She couldn't afford them. Not if her accounts were frozen. Not if she was g

a manipulator. He knew her weaknesses, her fears, and her pride.

the midday heat of Jakarta pressing against her. She felt small. She felt defeated. For all her talk about being

ty a dull roar in her ears. She reached into her bag for

lack

n Dirg

free. If he offered help, it would come with a price. But what choice did she have? Stay in this hotel until h

Ne

ath and dialed the

professional voice answered. "Dirga

a... I met Mr. Dirga

nt of silence that felt like an

elt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, waiti

ay

ly Arzlan's. He didn't sound surprised. He s

her voice steady. "You said if the world fe

it gettin

ing people I'm unstable. He's trying

Arzlan s

ze. "You

who interest me. Bram is a loud man. Loud men leave trails. He's been calling e

her frustration boiling over. "I called because... honestly

a fraction. "Meet me at the Sky Lounge at 7 PM. Don't go back to your

do you kn

at seve

ne wen

here she was sitting on a random bench in the middle of the city? It was terrifying, but at the same time, it was th

A man in a dark suit stepped out, his eyes scanning the cro

rgantara sent me. P

nd smelled of expensive leather. As the car pulled into traffic, she looked o

lass and chrome, perched on the 60th floor of a skyscraper, overlooking the shimmering lights of Ja

er name. She just led Nayla to a private corner booth

is eyes look even colder. He was sipping a glass of amber liquid, looking out at the

late,"

ied, sitting down.

mfortably intense. "You look better than y

or compliments,

ties now, don't you think?" He pushed

list of Bram's offshore accounts that she didn't even know existed. There were also photos-not j

she asked, her

on to my competitors in exchange for personal favors. I've been watching him for months, w

eated

nly person who has the keys to his digital safe. He uses your name for half his shell

apers over the years, trusting Bram when he said it was fo

she said, her voice hardening. "This isn't

assets absorbed. And you? You get your freedom, your dignity, and a settlement

u mentioned a cont

e catch is that I need a wife. Or at lea

linked.

e Dirgantara empire properly unless he has a stable home life. He's been pushing me to marry a wo

nt a fake

hat I am a settled man. In return, I provide you with the best legal team in the country to crush Bram. I provide you with a monthly allowance that

s insane. It was something out of a movie. But as she looked at th

n her. He wanted t

offering he

women who would jump at this. Women who aren'

dangerous level. "And because I saw the look in your eyes this morning. You don't

folder. It was a simple agreement, written in plain lan

"No strings. No feeli

oom door she had pushed open. She thought about the

ked up

oking him dead in the eye. "I want to

faint, dark smile. "I woul

igned h

ing anymore. It was changing. She was no longer Nayla, the betrayed wife. She w

y, Nayla," Arzlan sai

this moment on, her life would never be the same. She had stepped

the time she left the Sky Lounge, her hotel room had been paid for, her belongings w

't help but wonder if she had just traded one cage for another. Bram's cage h

was more

he skin was still pale, a ghostly reminder of the woman she

d Bram were over, and that the city's most eligible bachelo

me in her life, Nayl

kirts of the city, she saw the lights of the main house. It was a

slowly, and the c

ok a dee

hought. *The queen is ba

the grand entrance. A butler

ome, Mrs.

tars, feeling the weight of the contract in her bag. It was a lon

n the marble floor. Every step was a declaratio

hey took from her. And with Arzlan Dirgantara at her side,