Trial Marriage Husband : I Am CEO's Plaything

Getting out of Rangga's black Mercedes, Lisa arrived in front of her boarding house which looked dark and deserted. 

Lisa turned her body as she closed the car door and said, "Thanks for the ride. Take care on your way back,"

The man replied with a small nod and said, "I'll wait until you enter,"

Lisa turned around, she took out the key to the fence and entered.

That night, the atmosphere between the two of them was very awkward. They rarely talked like usual.

The next day at the office, Lisa and Rangga seemed to avoid each other. Even when they met at the doorway, they just stole glances at each other and looked down.

They looked distant, as if there was an invisible wall between the two of them.

For Lisa, this was an advantage. She didn't need to pretend in front of other employees that she and Rangga were childhood friends as usual. The awkwardness made Lisa's days at the office a lot smoother. She didn't need to talk to Rangga if it was not related to office matters.

Since Rangga confessed, the man did not take the initiative to contact Lisa first and vice versa.

For a moment, Lisa felt sorry for rejecting Rangga. Her heart meant that she didn't want to hurt Rangga because he was her close friend. But still, Lisa couldn't accept that man's love. Especially with her bad experience with several men who had been present in her life. She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes again.

Maybe Lisa should apologize to Rangga because her words and attitude last night were too much for the man to bear. She didn't want to lose her best friend just because they were in a one-sided love. No, Lisa didn't want to let Rangga go just because she couldn't love Rangga the way Rangga loved her.

Lisa sat stunned in front of her glowing computer screen. She should have been productive this afternoon, but the thoughts and feelings of guilt and regret due to rejecting Rangga made it hard for her mind to focus.

'I think I have to apologize to Rangga because the way I talked last night was a bit rude.'

Lisa returned to typing while trying to ignore the guilt. Not long after she typed a few pages, Rangga's secretary approached Lisa's desk and said, "Sis Lisa, Mr. Rangga called for you in his room."

The secretary looked at Lisa and gave her the usual kind smile.

Hearing that, Lisa's heart started beating fast. She was not ready to face Rangga alone. She hadn't calmed down, the handsome man's face could distract her from her senses and made Lisa say the opposite of everything she said when she turned him down last night.

She blinked a few times and  took a deep breath before she got up from her chair. Rangga's love confession yesterday suddenly flashed in her mind.

'Duh Lis, don't think of anything weird. You have to face Rangga with a straight face!' She tried to remind herself inside her mind.

"Uh oh, the boss's looking for her," Sarah said to one of her colleagues from a distance.

"Sis Lisa, it's a chance! Mr. Rangga rarely called any of us to his office!" Sarah added the heat.

"Hey, shut up! This could be related to work!" Lisa replied curtly.

"Girl, we're just kidding! Okay, good luck Sis!" Sarah rolled one eye at Lisa and smiled wickedly.

Lisa felt so nervous. Rangga didn't greet her as usual this morning. Lisa also did not take the initiative to greet him first except for lowering her head as if the man was not there.

'Maybe, this is the right opportunity to apologize, Lis!' 

Lisa's heart was pounding. She didn't expect facing a man she had known since childhood was able to make her whole body tremble with fear.

'What's this bad feeling?'

Arriving at the door to the president's room, Lisa knocked softly.

"Come in," Rangga said from inside.

The woman grasped the doorknob and tugged slowly. Before stepping inside, she inclined her head while taking an awkward peek at the room.

"Just come in, don't be shy," Rangga said in his usual casual manner.

The woman walked in awkwardly. She saw Rangga was busy reading the documents on his desk. The man then looked up, exchanging glances with her.

"Mr. Rangga, are you looking for me?" Lisa politely asked.

Rangga sighed at that. "You don't have to be formal either, there's no one else here,"

"Sorry sir, I insist on maintaining my professionalism," Lisa replied with a serious look. "So why have you called me sir?"

"Look," Rangga softly said. "After leaving the office, I have to leave town again because I have business matters. I'm asking you to take care of Julian again. Can you do it? You see, I won't be in Jakarta for a month. I'm worried that Julian will be alone with Mrs. Sumiyati and he'll whine. He's already comfortable with you so I guess I'm asking you this."

Lisa's face looked doubtful. It's not that she didn't want to help his childhood friend, but if she had an intense relationship with Rangga, the man might fall in love with her even more and be willing to do anything to get her. Lisa didn't want to repeat the same mistakes when she was with Aditya and Oscar.

"Umm...I ..." Lisa answered Rangga's request with great doubt.

"It's fine if you don't want to. I'm going to find someone else. I just thought it's better to ask you because you took care of Julian twice and always succeeded. Moreover, Julian is comfortable with you, so I don't need to worry anymore," Rangga explained with a sad face.

Lisa clenched her hands tightly. Cold sweat appeared from behind her forehead. Lisa was faced with a very difficult choice! 

On one hand, Lisa wanted to help Rangga and Julian, since she thought of them like family. However, since Rangga's love confession yesterday, Lisa had been feeling uncomfortable.

"Sorry sir, but I don't have time to look after your child. Forgive me. You can hire a babysitter or find a reliable friend besides me," Lisa then looked down, she regretted refusing Rangga's request for help in order to keep herself from feeling more upset.

The man blinked and sighed. There was a look of disappointment on his handsome face. "Okay then, I'll just find somebody else. You can go back to your room again,"

"Rangga!" Lisa suddenly said, her voice was louder than usual. "About yesterday... I'm sorry if my way of speaking is so bad. But really I can't be your girlfriend, let alone your wife. I hope that you will find a suitable girl to be your life companion,"

The woman looked down, rubbing her fingers that began to sweat because of nervousness.

"Huh? No problem, Lis, I don't take it personally. I was wrong, I was too reckless yesterday. I should be able to accept reality and get on with my life too," Rangga replied softly.

There was a moment of silence between the two. The atmosphere that had been cold and awkward turned a little warm and relaxed.

"Fine then. I'll go back first, okay?" The woman got up and walked awkwardly out of the president's room.

After the office hours had ended, it's time for Lisa and other employees to go home. Lisa's mind was still filled with guilt and regret. 

'Why did I also refuse to help him?! Don't you think about Julian, Lis!?' She cursed herself from letting her feelings affect her decision and rejected Rangga's request earlier.

During the trip home, Lisa couldn't stop thinking about Julian. Her bond with the 3 year old boy was already strong. It actually strengthened Lisa's maternal instincts.

"What if Julian really needs me to be with him?"