"What the hell, Indra!? What did you do to someone's child?"

Mrs. Heni gasped, her eyes perfectly rounded as she heard Indra's plea for help and the man nodded his head as if reassured even though it really made her feel bad.

The man then let out a long breath as his only hope seemed to be unsuccessful, "I knew it wouldn't work," he muttered weakly.

"What didn't work?" Mrs. Heni furrowed her brow in curiosity, "Try to explain slowly."

Indra then raised his head again and looked at Mrs. Heni who still looked worried about him and what had happened to him. The look in her eyes certainly showed a deep anxiety as if she had done something fatal.

Until with a long breath Indra again explained everything that happened to him, in detail without missing a single thing. Starting from his accidental meeting with Dinda, the condition of his mother, including the wedding plan that was just a charade.

At first, Mrs. Heni didn't really believe him because this really sounded like a story in a soap opera that was being discussed until Mrs. Heni herself laughed.

"Don't be silly, Indra. Life is so tired," chirped Mrs. Heni, trying to dismiss Indra's story.

However, the look in Indra's eyes and his confident, assertive words managed to make Mrs. Heni's doubts disappear and were replaced with a sudden sense of compassion.

For a moment both of them were silent, busy with their own thoughts. Yes! Indra with his anxiety regarding his request for help that could be rejected, as well as Mrs. Heni who currently looks silent and doesn't say much. As if she was considering something very precarious.

Mrs. Heni then looked at Indra with a look full of compassion and pity, "If I help him, will everything be okay? Will the rich man trust us?" she wondered, "And... won't I get into trouble later?"

***

The next day afternoon, Dinda seemed to be dreamily staring at her blank computer that was still on. She was still confused by her father's invitation regarding the dinner to be held tonight. I don't know how many times she sighed as if she felt a deep nervousness.

She then got up from the back of her chair and started swearing, "Tsk! This is more nervous than presenting in front of a Caucasian client!"

How could it not be? Until now, Dinda had not been able to confirm whether Indra had succeeded in bringing someone to replace his parents in the village, or not. Dinda also can't contact Indra because she doesn't have his mobile phone number until now.

Dinda then chuckled and said, "Tsk! If I had his contact number, I wouldn't be so confused like this..."

In the midst of that, the ringing of the phone managed to startle her, the woman quickly grabbed the receiver and put it to her ear even with a lazy movement.

"Yes, Hello?"

["I'm sorry, ma'am. You're expected in the ooinan room soon. They say there's something to discuss right now."]

The loud voice certainly succeeded in making her flinch again, "Ah! Mrs. Sera, what's wrong?"

["I don't know, Ma'am. The boss just told me to contact you."]

Dinda was silent for a moment after hanging up the phone. Her mind went back to guessing what her father would discuss. However, she was a little anxious this time because she was afraid that Anggoro would again discuss the matter of the dinner.

"Never mind, I'd better make sure with papa," she said and got up from her seat. But damn! She had only taken a few steps out of her room... suddenly the nausea struck her again.

Swiftly, Dinda endured the nausea by covering her mouth while leaning against the wall. Of course, it became the centre of attention of the employees who were about to pass by.

"What's wrong, Mrs Dinda?" asked one of the employees who accidentally passed by her.

Dinda shook her head and replied, "It's nothing. I just ate something wrong."

"Should we go to the hospital?"

Dinda shook her head quickly again, "No need... I've already taken my medicine. No need to worry and get back to work."

Although at first the employee seemed disbelieving and worried, Dinda who continued to reassure her that everything was fine finally believed her and the employee passed until she managed to get the situation under control.

Dinda quickly rushed to her father's room which when she opened the door, the middle-aged man was already waiting for her by sitting on his work chair looking at Dinda who walked up to him.

"Hi, Pa! Have you eaten lunch yet?" she greeted him with a bit of small talk.

Anggoro, who was smiling, nodded, "I did."

The atmosphere felt a little awkward between the two, but Dinda tried to control herself even though her nausea had not gone away. This was quickly realised by Anggoro who saw his son's pale face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, squinting, "Is it because-"

"Ah! It's okay, Pa. I'm just a little nauseous," Dinda cut in suddenly.

Anggoro then let out a long sigh, feeling sorry for his daughter who seemed to be tormented by her current situation. But that didn't stop him from calling Dinda to his presence.

"Papa told you to stay at home, don't overexert yourself," he emphasised, causing Dinda to nod in understanding with a smile.

"And again... what about your future husband? Does he know about the dinner yet?"

Dinda's face turned even paler because of the sudden question, the trembling in her body became even more noticeable despite her own efforts to cover it up. She stammered, "S-so, Pa. I told Indra to come to the house with his parents."

"I see. That's good... Papa is relieved to hear that."

Yes! Anggoro was indeed smiling, looking happy to hear Dinda's answer to that, but not with the fake smile that Dinda was displaying. Because believe it or not, in her heart, the woman must have felt anxious because she herself was not sure about the answer.

The anxiety continued to frustrate the Indonesian-born woman as she worked on some of her unfinished tasks. Until the sun set, moments before dinner began, Dinda had been getting ready in a beautiful ivory-white dress, the look of her hair left in a beautiful bun made her look beautiful and elegant.

The woman kept looking at the clock on the wall with a feeling of uncertainty surrounding her.

"Indra can't do it?" she muttered pacing in front of her dressing table.

Suddenly...

Knock, knock, knock!

"Sorry, Non. Is Non ready? Sir is waiting downstairs."

"Ah! Yes. I'll be down in a minute," said Dinda trying to control herself, "But... has the guest arrived?"

"Already, Non. Just came."

Bathump!

That succeeded in making Dinda surprised and curious about who the old man who accompanied Indra to this dinner was. Until finally without lingering Dinda rushed out of her room and accelerated her steps as if impatient with it.