Episode 12

"Rud, you're called to the manager's room," said Rudi's office colleague.

Rudi nodded and headed toward the marketing manager's office, which was no other than Tono. Full of confidence, Rudi entered Tono's room without knocking first.

"Did you call for me?" asked Rudi, already seated across from Tono.

"Rudi, don't be so formal. It makes me uncomfortable. Just call me Tono, no need for any honorifics. Besides, it's just us two here. Oh, and why am I only now finding out that you're Dinda's brother? If I'd known sooner, I would have asked for your help to get closer to her," said Tono with high confidence, though it wasn't certain Dinda would even want him.

"If that's resolved, I'll help you with Dinda. Besides, her husband is incapable of making her happy, just a cendol seller barely scraping together coins," Rudi said disdainfully, looking down on Satria's profession.

Tono had purposely called Rudi to ask for assistance to get closer to Dinda. Now, with his manager position and wealth, he was sure Dinda would be even more infatuated with him. Tono's thinking was quite shallow.

"If you can help me get close to Dinda, even marry her, I'll reward you greatly. Whether it's Rudi, Reno, or even Rena, I'll give each 50 million. Plus, I know about the 200 million you took from the company. Don't worry, I won't spill the beans if you cooperate with me," Tono said with a sly smile.

Startled, Rudi was taken aback by Tono's statement, especially since he'd used the embezzled money to buy a car.

"You know about that?" Rudi asked nervously.

"At first, I didn't. But when financial discrepancies arose in marketing, I investigated and found the source was you, Rudi. Relax, I won't expose this, especially since we're about to become family," Tono clarified.

"Thanks, Tono. I needed that money for a car. You know my salary as a marketing staffer isn't much, especially with my wife's taste for the high life. So I resorted to this. And about the fund flow, if I can manage it, why can't you?" retorted Rudi, raising an eyebrow.

Tono knew what Rudi meant but wouldn't admit it. Tono was smart enough to cover his tracks, ensuring Rudi couldn't trap him later if financial issues arose at the company.

"I don't want to. I prefer things straight. Besides, I've just started as a manager; it would just raise suspicion," Tono reasoned.

"That's up to you. Anything else you want to discuss? If not, I need to get back to work. I have a lot, maybe even overtime today. Oh, and Dad was admitted to the hospital last night. You should visit if you want to win him over for Dinda. As for Satria, a single slap would scare him off," Rudi suggested, revealing that Mr. Karim was in the hospital.

"Alright, I'll head to the hospital after work. Thanks for the info, Rudi," Tono replied.

Rudi nodded, then stood up and returned to his desk where his work awaited.

"Why did the manager call you?" Rudi's colleague inquired.

"Just some report queries," Rudi lied.

"Oh…" his colleague responded, less than convinced.

During lunch, Satria arrived to see Indra. Even if he was free from his sentence, Satria wasn't yet fully restoring his leadership at the company, with two more months of punishment remaining.

"You're finally back at the company, boss. How was life outside? Does your wife know who you really are?" Indra queried in quick succession.

"She knows, but wants it kept secret. She doesn't want her siblings to retract their disdain, especially since two work here. Rena's husband also works here and has never belittled me. He's quiet and hardly speaks," Satria elucidated.

Indra already investigated the ones in question: Tono and Rudi, but no evidence against Reno yet.

"When will you take Dinda to Grandma?" Indra asked.

"Once my father-in-law is out of the hospital; Dinda's tied up with him now. No one else wants to take turns watching over him. Anyway, I'm leaving since you haven't given the documents to sign," Satria said.

Indra had forgotten Satria was the one who requested to sign the partnership papers. They usually met somewhere else when Satria sold cendol, but this time, he was asked to come to the company.

"Here you are, Mr. Satria," said Indra, placing the documents on the desk.

Without delay, Satria signed the papers without reading them, trusting Indra, who had worked diligently for eight years, even when the company was managed by Satria's grandmother. With the grandmother retired for three years, the company was entrusted to Indra, who could've betrayed them by then if he wished.

"Don't you want to read them first?" asked Indra.

"No need, I trust you. It's unlikely you'd harm my company," replied Satria nonchalantly.

"Imagine if you knew these papers had a 10 billion withdrawal to my account. Good thing you didn't check; my savings will soon inflate. Hahaha," joked Indra, bursting into laughter.

Whack!

Satria hit Indra's mouth with the freshly-signed documents. Satria knew he was joking, but disliked the excessive laughter.

"Ouch, boss!" exclaimed Indra, holding his throbbing mouth.

"Laugh properly, remember your manners," Satria scolded.

"Ooo, the well-mannered one. Remember when you were the most arrogant and wasteful? Hehe... so many used your money then," Indra laughed again.

Satria's biggest regret was his former naivete, easily taken advantage of by those out for his money. Friends approached him only for this reason, and in a day, he'd often spend a 100 million.

"Don't remind me of the past. I'm going home, no need to escort me," said Satria as he left Indra's room.

Unbeknownst to the employees, Satria was the owner of STR Group and had never directly led the company. So when he passed by employees in simple attire, their glances were strange indeed.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Reno questioned upon seeing Satria leaving the elevator.

"Mr. Reno. Um... I needed to see a friend who works here."

"Oh, looking for a loan? You shouldn't pretend to cover the hospital bills, then. Typical of the poor, struggling solo," Reno sneered at Satria.

Satria clenched his fist. Insults were fine, but there was a time and a place. And he had his pride. Now, Reno was insulting him in his own company, drawing attention from staff during lunch break.

"You can insult me, but be mindful of when and where," Satria said.

"Pfft... You're ashamed?" Reno taunted.

"Not just me, but you and your siblings will be the ones humiliated. They'll learn that your brother-in-law, who's paying your father's hospital bills, is not just a cendol seller. Keep insulting to let everyone know how stingy you are with your own parents," Satria countered, with an indecipherable stare.

Reno fell silent, peeking around. Many employees were watching. Reno hoped they hadn't heard Satria's words. If they had, Reno, Rudi, and Beni would be embarrassed.

"Now, please leave," Reno said softly.

"Your command is unnecessary. I was leaving anyway," replied Satria.

Satria walked away from the STR Group building, with Reno watching until he vanished from sight.

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