Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

“Why do you speak like that, Sir?” Mahya asked, trying to be patient. She couldn’t stand it if Lara was belittled by her own husband.

“What am I talking about?”

“Wife equals mistress.”

“Well. Aren’t they hidden? The wives of conglomerates are not displayed to avoid scandal.”

“W-what?”

Mahya shot Seno’s words sharply with pent-up anger. But it seemed she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Ar-are you really thinking like that?”

“That’s the reality.”

Mahya gaped, instead of being angry, she now felt sorry for the new businessman’s mentality. It couldn’t be left unchecked.

Mahya immediately grabbed a bottle of mineral water untouched by its owner-Seno-and suddenly poured it on the owner, without much thought.

“It seems like your brain needs cooling down!” Mahya exclaimed roughly.

“YOU!” Seno of course was furious. He never expected the woman he was trying to flirt with to end up embarrassing him like this.

Seno’s clothes were wet from the sudden downpour.

“Sir!” The servant exclaimed in confusion. Security personnel came immediately, but unfortunately, before they could do much, Mahya had disappeared from sight.

As a former sprinter, Mahya was very skilled at evading, especially when it came to escaping from dangerous situations.

“YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!”

—

The next day, the Channel Insight office-more precisely its roof-officially turned into an unexpected comedy stage.

“HAHA!”

Carol’s laughter echoed through the sky.

White smoke still lingered between them. Carol and Mahya both enjoyed their leisure time before the office’s fingerprint machine started recording their attendance.

“You poured it on him?”

“Yes.”

“Literally, poured with water?”

“Yeah.”

“HAHA!”

Carol couldn’t stop laughing, imagining a spotted-nosed man rejected by a feisty woman like Mahya.

Mahya was quite charming with her characteristics as a native Betawi person who had undergone modernization, meaning she no longer used the Betawi dialect in her daily speech.

Mahya was accustomed to speaking Indonesian fluently and correctly-typical of young people-so that expatriate colleagues who sometimes interacted with her could understand Mahya’s conversations with the translator devices on one side of their ears.

“The investigation failed?”

Carol remarked with a regretful expression. However, the failure of a subordinate meant the failure of their leader. Carol also hoped for Mahya’s success in climbing the ranks, with this coverage as her stepping stone.

“Ugh!”

Mahya spat out nicotine smoke roughly. One hand scratched her non-itchy hair. “I have to try the hard way. Huv….”

“What way?”

“Well, starting from scratch. I don’t know how. I haven’t thought about it.”

“Relax, Mahya. I know you can find a way out of this situation,” said Carol enthusiastically. “Remember that rejection and failure are just part of the process toward success.”

Mahya sighed and nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t give up so easily.”

They both returned to the office and began planning their next steps. Mahya decided to take a more subtle approach in continuing her investigation into the suspicious business practices behind the conglomerate.

—

A 2×1 meter board lay in front of Mahya, with Seno’s photo in the center.

The girl immediately drew lines connecting Seno to the dark funds from an unknown source. Mahya simply attached a photo with a question mark in the upper corner of the board.

She drew a red thread towards the pin on the photo, with Seno as the center of the mystery she was investigating.

In her detective mode, as a skilled investigative reporter, Mahya tried to find as many clues as possible from the images displayed on the board.

Mahya carefully observed every detail in Seno’s photo. She examined the background of the picture, trying to identify where it was taken, and analyzed if there were any interesting or suspicious objects around it.

Moreover, Mahya also closely examined Seno’s facial expressions in the photo. She tried to identify any signs that could reveal the feelings or situations in which the photo was taken. Perhaps there were clues in Seno’s face that could help Mahya solve the puzzle she was facing.

Mahya also tried to connect Seno’s photo with the story or investigative report she was working on.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

In the process, Mahya noted down all hypotheses and questions that arose, as well as any potential leads she could follow.

Mahya didn’t overlook any details, no matter how small. She realized that sometimes small and unclear clues could lead to important discoveries. Therefore, Mahya diligently continued her analysis, trying to solve the mystery in front of her as much as possible.

“Any other clues?” Carol suddenly came to Mahya’s desk.

Mahya looked up and smiled at Carol. “Yes, I found some additional clues,” Mahya replied, showing some scattered files on her desk.

“It seems there’s a connection between several events that have occurred in the past few months. I’m trying to link all of this together to get a clearer picture.”

Carol nodded and looked at the files with enthusiasm. “I believe you can find the answer, Mahya. You’re always thorough and never overlook anything. Right?”

“Is that praise or burden?”

“Praise and… a little burden.” Carol laughed while patting Mahya’s shoulder.

“There are some patterns emerging when I connect all of this. There are some small incidents that seem unrelated at first, but if we look at them in a broader context, there’s a common thread connecting them.”

Carol listened attentively, asking questions from time to time to get a better understanding. She appreciated Mahya’s efforts to connect these puzzles.

“I’m sure we’re approaching something important,” Mahya said. “I’m trying to gather more evidence and conduct deeper analysis. Hopefully, we can find the answer soon.”

Carol smiled and encouraged Mahya. “Keep up the good work, Mahya. I believe in your abilities. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”

“Of course.”

Carol waved to her subordinate then immediately went to her private room.

Meanwhile, Mahya looked serious as she processed all the findings she was working on. Until a phone call surprised her.

“A reunion?”

Mahya widened her eyes as the campus administration officer called her to invite her to a class reunion that would be held in a few months.

Mahya was still hesitant if she could attend the faculty reunion, but there was a glimmer of happiness when she heard the name ‘Lara’ mentioned.

Right. Lara. That woman would surely come to the faculty reunion.

“I’ll try, Bu Netty,” Mahya finally said.

Mahya always received special treatment from the faculty secretary because she was the key to the whole class. Mahya had served as one of the managers of the Faculty of Literature’s Student Executive Board, which of course had many networks and also had quite a strong influence on her peers.

Bu Netty-the faculty secretary-even called her personally to invite her, whereas other friends only received electronic links to confirm their attendance.

Mahya smiled broadly, knowing that there would be a new plan she was thinking about using Lara.

This time, she wouldn’t just stay silent.

“You have to help me, Lara. You have to!” Mahya muttered with a sharp gaze as if she was chasing prey on her radar.