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 car ride was quiet — not awkward, just… soft.

Leo kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting lightly over Ayla's, their fingers twined together like they'd been that way for years instead of months.

"Where are we going?" she asked, watching Jakarta's skyline give way to hills.

It was almost two hours outside the city.

Down a narrow, winding road framed by old tamarind trees.Past a forgotten gate.To a villa by the sea.

The house wasn't grand. It wasn't glass and gold like the penthouse.It was stone and wood, worn by salt wind and memory.

Ayla stepped out, her heels sinking slightly into the damp earth.

"My father's. Before everything was skyscrapers and suits."

He handed her a key. Not a card. A real, tarnished key.

"I used to come here with him when the world felt too loud."

Inside, it smelled like old books and salt.

Dust danced in the sunlight. Wind stirred the white curtains. There was no Wi-Fi. No city noise.

"Why did you bring me here?" Ayla asked quietly.

Leo walked over to a faded photograph on the mantle — a younger version of himself with a boyish grin, standing beside a man with tired eyes and a proud hand on his shoulder.

"Because I didn't just want to protect you.""I wanted to share something real."

That night, they sat on the porch, a thin blanket over Ayla's legs, stars overhead like scattered silver coins.

Leo handed her a mug of warm tea. No staff. No protocols.

"Have you thought about... what happens after?" she asked suddenly.

Leo looked over. "After the baby?"

Ayla nodded. "After this scandal dies down. After people forget our headlines. Will we still be—"

"I don't want to go back to my old life, Ayla.""That life had power. Money. Control. But it didn't have this."

He reached over, fingers brushing her cheek.

Leo looked at her, breath catching.

"Then stay. Not as my protector. Not as my CEO.""Stay as you."

This kiss wasn't soft like the last one.It was deep. Open. Honest.Messy in a beautiful way.

The next morning, they watched the sunrise from the porch, Ayla wrapped in his hoodie, her head on his shoulder.

"I found something.Ilham was never clean. Not even before you met him.There's a sealed case. Fraud. Witness tampering.But if we use it, the media will rip him apart.And they'll drag your name into it too."

"We don't have to use it," he said.

"I think it's time the world stops protecting men like him."

To be continued...

Chapter Seventeen: The Heart, Unscripted