filzebub

Ayla Rahmani never believed in fairy tales—especially not the kind where a broke nurse like her ends up in the bed of Indonesia’s most untouchable billionaire after a single night of escape from reality.

But one drunken mistake at a high-society masquerade ball leaves her with two surprises: a positive pregnancy test... and a cold, unwanted proposal from Leonard Darmawan—the very CEO she can’t stand.

To Leo, marriage is just another business contract. To Ayla, it's a lifeline for her unborn child. Neither expects the sterile, awkward marriage to become something warmer, deeper—something real.

But behind closed doors, love begins to grow in the quietest ways: in late-night meals, shared silences, and a husband's gentle hand on a swelling belly. Until the past catches up—with secrets that threaten everything they’ve built.

Will their fragile bond survive the truth? Or will love after marriage prove too delicate to endure?

In the Shadow of His Name

The room was dim, lit only by the blood-orange glow of a Jakarta sunset.

Ilham poured two fingers of whiskey into a glass without asking. He knew Adelina didn't drink. This wasn't hospitality — it was theater.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, her black sheath dress slicing her silhouette against the skyline.

"You brought me here for what, exactly?" she asked, her voice clipped. "Nostalgia?"

"You're not a woman who mourns. You're a woman who recalculates."

She turned slowly. "And you think I should recalculate in your favor?"

"I think we both want the same thing. And neither of us can get it alone."

He slid a folder across the marble table.

Inside: security photos. Ayla entering the Darmawan Foundation office. Ayla visiting a doctor. Ayla speaking with a woman who once sued Ilham.

"She's not as quiet as she looks," Ilham said. "She's moving. Planting seeds."

"I've been preparing," he replied. "Unlike Leo. He's too busy playing house."

Then he said it — the line that sealed it.

"He chose her. But they haven't."

"The board. The legacy. His blood."

"Let's remind the Darmawans what happens when they let love make decisions."

Meanwhile, across the city, Ayla sat in a modest conference room — a far cry from the marble-and-gold she'd become used to.

The woman across from her — a young editor from a rising digital media platform — slid a proposal across the table.

"It's a column. Weekly, maybe biweekly. You write your story. Your way. Motherhood, identity, business. Whatever you want."

The woman smiled. "You're a survivor. That's what people want to hear from."

"You're not afraid of the backlash?"

Leo was reading through security reports when Rayhan entered his office, holding a file like it might explode.

"Anonymous tip. Board meeting scheduled. Secret. Two days from now."

Agenda Item #3: "Proposal to review CEO authority, conflict-of-interest clauses regarding personal relationships."

"And they're using Ayla as the crack in the wall."

That night, Ayla sat in the half-finished nursery again, the dim light casting soft shadows across the crib.

She hadn't told Leo about the writing offer.

But she held the mockup in her lap:

"The Second Wife"by Ayla Darmawan

She wasn't the first woman to be overlooked.To be called a mistake.To be expected to disappear quietly.

Maybe it was time to speak before someone else told her story for her.

In a luxury apartment downtown, Adelina checked her lipstick in the mirror.

To: IlhamMessage:He won't see it coming.I'll see you at the vote.

To be continued…

Chapter Fifteen: The Enemy of My Enemy