Just as Kala had said a few days ago, he would be picking me up this afternoon, and then we'd head to his office together. Today was the scheduled meeting with the production house and representatives from Boga Rasa.
There were so many reasons my heart was racing. First, this was the first commercial I'd ever star in, and I had absolutely no prior experience. Second, it was because Kala would be picking me up. I was anxious about how his employees would react to us arriving together. From what I knew, Kala was rarely seen close to any woman. There had been countless rumors linking him to women—whether it was woman A, B, or someone else—but none of them ever turned out to be true. Lately, even wilder gossip had been spreading: that Hendra Kusumaatmaja's son was actually gay.
I shivered at the thought of all the talk surrounding Kala. He wasn't a celebrity or a public figure, yet people constantly talked about him simply because he was the son of one of the richest men in Indonesia.
"Why aren't you getting ready? I thought you were going to Boga Rasa this afternoon," Rere interrupted, catching me lost in thought in front of my vanity mirror. She had probably just finished editing her latest video and was about to head home.
"I don't know what to wear," I admitted honestly.
"Oh my God! You've got a closet full of clothes. Here, let me help," she said, clearly annoyed. I laughed—it was hard not to when Rere was scolding me with that irritated face of hers.
"To keep it formal, you can wear this pencil skirt. The color's neutral too," she said, pulling out a dark gray skirt.
"And pair it with this," she added, handing me a casual white blazer and a sleeveless blouse to wear underneath.
"Do I even look good in this kind of outfit?" I asked, unsure.
"You're the one who bought those clothes. Why are you asking me?" Rere snapped again.
"Of course it looks good. With a body like yours, you'd look good in anything," she added, and I smiled at the compliment hidden in her words.
"I mean… is it appropriate for Boga Rasa's office? I just don't want to show up overdressed or underdressed," I mumbled, still doubting myself.
"Trust me. This outfit is perfect. Just go with light makeup—not too pale. As long as your face looks fresh, you're good," she said enthusiastically.
"Now hurry up and get dressed!" Her voice was getting louder, which meant I needed to obey. I quickly changed, not bothering to be shy in front of Rere—after all, we were that close.
"See? Perfect. No wonder Boga Rasa chose you as the face of their new product," Rere said, clearly impressed.
After her praise, I sat at my vanity and started doing my makeup. I kept it simple—just a thin layer of foundation, no eye makeup except for neatening my eyebrows, a soft peach lipstick for a fresh look, and a blush that matched the lip color.
"Go now! The meeting's at one, right? You can't be late for your first one." Her excited tone made me smile.
"Kala's picking me up," I said quietly, almost in a whisper. Rere didn't know yet that Kala would be the one taking me to the meeting with the production house and Boga Rasa. To me, it still felt surreal. How could a company director be the one picking up a client?
"Did I hear that right?" she asked, brows furrowed.
"It's true. He's on his way now," I explained.
"Kalandra, right?" she asked, still doubtful.
"Yes, who else could it be?" I replied, giggling.
"That's insane—he's picking you up himself?" Rere cried out in shock. She had no idea Kala had also come with me and Arkan to his school camping trip yesterday. If she knew, her reaction would've been even more dramatic.
"He's outside," I said, showing her the text message from Kala.
"I still can't believe this. Kala's picking you up," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. I didn't respond—I was already worried that Kala might be waiting too long.
"I'm heading out. Wish me luck," I said seriously.
"If you want to come back home, just let Mbok Rasti know so she can lock up," I reminded her.
"Ugh! You owe me the full story later!" Rere shouted after me, clearly not happy about me rushing off. I didn't say anything back—just signaled that I'd call her after everything was done.
"Good luck, Bee!" she shouted again just as I opened the front door. I took a deep breath and walked toward Kala's car parked in front of the house.
"You look so amazing," Kala said as soon as I got into his car.
"Thank you," I replied with a smile.
"I spent way too much time thinking about what to wear today," I added, making him burst into laughter.
"Looks like you really don't want to disappoint Boga Rasa," Kala remarked. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at him. He was still wearing his work clothes—a long-sleeved shirt with a neatly tied tie. Only the rolled-up sleeves hinted that he wasn't the type of man who could tolerate wearing long sleeves for too long.
"I hope this meeting goes well so we can start filming soon." Kala turned slightly toward me, and for a moment, our eyes met. I instantly felt awkward and vowed to never steal glances at him again.
"Hopefully everything goes just the way Boga Rasa wants," I replied, quickly turning my gaze forward so he wouldn't see the embarrassment on my face.
"Everyone at the office is excited for your arrival," Kala said.
"Does that mean you actually announced to everyone that I'm coming?" I asked, half-joking.
"Of course. Some of the staff even want to take pictures with you. Honestly, it's kind of unfair—I've known you longer and haven't gotten the chance myself," he said with a chuckle.
I held my breath at his words. Was it possible that even his coworkers knew I was coming?
"That just makes me more nervous. I'm not even a celebrity," I admitted. Kala laughed and turned toward me again.
"Actually, if it were a celebrity, they wouldn't be this excited. Just so you know, most of the employees at Boga Rasa are women, and nine out of ten are die-hard fans of your videos," he explained. I took a deep breath. A mix of joy and anxiety swirled inside me, making it a little hard to breathe.
"We're here," he suddenly said. My eyes widened as I looked around. A tall building loomed before us, and my nerves shot through the roof.
"Let's go," Kala said. I hesitantly stepped out of the car. A valet approached, and Kala handed him the keys. I stared around without blinking until a gentle tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality.
"There are two companies in this building—Boga Rasa and Aneka Boga, one of its subsidiaries," Kala explained as he led me toward the elevator. I knew Aneka Boga was part of Hendra Kusumaatmaja's business empire, but I didn't realize it shared the same building as Boga Rasa. Boga Rasa dealt with raw food materials like flour, while Aneka Boga focused on finished goods like biscuits and bread.
"Boga Rasa's offices are on the second to tenth floors. The rest belong to Aneka Boga," he added.
"It must be so exciting to work here," I said enthusiastically.
"You'd better not start thinking about working here," he replied, making me frown.
"Why not? Are there special qualifications to get hired?" I asked, confused.
"I wouldn't be at ease if you worked here," he said. His response left me puzzled, but Kala laughed and didn't let me ask what he meant by that.
"Looks like the production house team is already waiting," he said, glancing at his phone. I was about to respond when the elevator chimed, and the doors opened. I stepped closer to Kala so we could exit easily.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kala," greeted a man who had just entered the elevator. Kala turned away from me to return the greeting.
"Good afternoon," he replied.
"Just got back from lunch, sir?" the man asked politely.
"Yes," Kala answered with a smile.
For some reason, my eyes drifted toward the man who had just entered. My curiosity turned into an inexplicable fear. My whole body tensed. I didn't understand how such a coincidence could happen. My hands started to tremble, and I didn't know where to hide—there were only three of us in the elevator.
Could Kala protect me right now?
That man... he... was Axel—my ex-husband.(*)