"I'm disappointed in you, Cesilia!"
A man threw a magazine at his wife, who was in the midst of applying makeup to her beautiful face. Alexander Prakarsa, a thirty-five-year-old man, seemed unable to contain his emotions after seeing Cesilia's face featured in a beauty magazine.
"Why disappointed again, Lex?" Cesilia sighed, glancing briefly at her husband. "That shouldn't be the words coming out of your mouth. You should be proud of me instead of cursing like this."
"Proud, you say?" Alexander pointed to the magazine on the vanity. "You want me to be proud of all this? No! After you promised me to give up your entire career and focus on our pregnancy program on our sixth wedding anniversary. But instead, you accepted this offer, even though tomorrow is our anniversary!" he retorted, his face turning red and his jaw clenched.
Alexander felt the urge to vent his anger towards Cesilia even more, but he managed to maintain his composure for the sake of their marriage.
"Alexander, listen." Cesilia rose from her seat. "It's just a two-year contract. And becoming the brand ambassador for this product is the pinnacle of the modeling world. It has been my dream since forever. Didn't you promise to support all my dreams, Lex? So, this is the time." She straightened Alexander's disheveled appearance.
"But you promised me that you would let go of all this on our sixth wedding anniversary. And you also know that my mother is demanding a child from us." Alexander closed his eyes. "And you know that my mother is not young anymore, Cesilia."
"I know that. And I think two years will be enough for Mama to wait. Six years have gone by so quickly. Two years should be even easier."
"You..."
"Alexander, let it go. I don't want to argue with you anymore." Cesilia covered Alexander's mouth with her palm. "Just two years, my love. I beg you." She gently caressed Alexander's firm jaw, persuading the man who always granted all his desires.
Alexander let out a heavy sigh. He pushed away Cesilia's hand that was dancing on his jaw.
"I can't give you any certainty!"
Unable to stop him, Alexander walked away, closing the door with a forceful bang.
Cesilia merely smiled, letting her husband depart. There was no ounce of her desire to follow in Alexander's footsteps. Instead, she reached for her bag on the vanity and decided to leave for work.
***"Alexander, is this true?" an middle-aged woman confronted him, holding a magazine in her hand. Without any preamble, she approached Alexander, who had just descended the stairs.Alexander nodded. His handsome face looked weary now.
"Cesilia took the contract with that product. So..."
"That means Mama has to wait again?" she interjected quickly.
"How many more years, Lex? Huh, how many more years? Mama is getting older, and so are you. Do you want your child to be born while Mama is already dead and you're using a cane? Is that what you want?" She struck Alexander with the magazine.
Did it hurt? Not at all. Alexander didn't feel anything as the magazine landed on his body multiple times. But his heart ached deeply seeing his mother starting to sob, crying upon learning that his wife, Cesilia, had once again postponed pregnancy.
Again and again. After six years of waiting with hope and dreams of having grandchildren, everything vanished. All crushed because of Cesilia's ambition, never satisfied with her career. Meanwhile, Alexander had everything that could guarantee their lives for generations to come.
"Two years," Alexander whispered softly. If he could be honest and be himself, Alexander wanted to cry. To release his disappointment over Cesilia's unilateral decision.
The sixty-five-year-old woman shook her head. "That's too long. And Mama isn't sure if she can wait. As you know, Mama isn't young anymore. Mama has been ill, Lex. So Mama begs you, persuade your wife to cancel that contract. And Mama is certain that, as a wife, she will follow what you want. The money you have is more than enough to pay the penalty."
Alexander simply nodded, forcing a smile so his mother wouldn't know that he could only comply with whatever Cesilia wanted. Afraid that Cesilia would ask for a separation, following her ambitions and desires was his solution.
"Don't worry. Mama will help you talk to her," Meri continued before she stood up and sat on the sofa. Seeing that Cesilia's car wasn't in the garage, she was sure the woman hadn't returned home yet.
That's alright. Waiting for an hour or two was better than waiting for another two years to have grandchildren.
However, Meri's patience was tested once again. Until midnight struck, Cesilia hadn't shown her face. Meri became more and more annoyed with her daughter-in-law.
Frustrated, Meri decided to rest in the guest room. Maybe she would talk to Cesilia in the morning to improve her mood from today.
***At exactly two in the morning, Cesilia, who had just returned from a photo shoot session, snorted in annoyance upon seeing her mother-in-law's car parked in her house's garage. She could already guess why Meri had come all this way to her house."Is Mama here?"
Instead of greeting Alexander, who was sitting leaning against the bed, she asked. The man sat there, holding a laptop, waiting for Cesilia's return.
Alexander raised his face. "Why so early in the morning? Usually, you come home at the latest by midnight."
"This is a very famous beauty product. So, it's only natural that it took longer because there were so many preparations to be done. The photo shoot was the same. It couldn't be done haphazardly," Cesilia replied indifferently, placing her bag on the nightstand. "You haven't answered my question. Is Mama here? What's going on? Is she asking for a child again?"
"As a daughter-in-law, you shouldn't speak like that." Alexander finished his work. Aware that arguing with Cesilia would consume time and energy, he had to focus only on their conversation.
"As a mother-in-law, Mama also shouldn't force me to have a child. Because I have dreams I want to achieve. So I beg you, tell Mama that I can't get pregnant in the near future."
"Cesilia!"
"What, Lex? If you want to make Mama happy, go ahead. I don't mind. As long as it doesn't involve me." Cesilia's voice grew louder. Everything she had received erased any goodwill she had toward Alexander.
Cesilia also forgot who she was and who Alexander was to her. Thus, she failed to maintain the commitment they had.
"If not you, then who else? I can't possibly give birth to my own child!" Alexander retorted, desperate due to Cesilia's constant conflicting desires.
Cesilia smiled. "That's a good idea, Lex." She approached and hugged Alexander. "You can have a child without me giving birth."
"What do you mean?"
"I will find you a wife so you can have a child without waiting for me. How about that?" Cesilia's eyebrows raised.
"You're insane!"
"Who's more insane, me or your mother, who always insists that I get pregnant when I'm not ready!" Cesilia burst out right in front of Alexander's face. "If you continue like this, it's better to divorce me right now, Lex!"
"You!"
"I don't care what you want to say. If you want to have a child, go ahead. I'll find a wife for you. But if you don't want to remarry, be patient and wait. Or you can just divorce me if you think I'm crazy and can't obey what you say!"
Silence. Alexander tightly sealed his mouth shut. Cesilia's response was far from his expectations all this time.
"Is your wife that busy working? To the point that she doesn't have time to meet Mama? Mama has been here for two days," Meri grumbled, reaching for the tea in front of her.No one knew how many times the woman had complained to Alexander because she couldn't express her desires to Cesilia. As a result, Alexander became the easy target for him to vent his heartache"She said she's running out of time. The new product will be launching soon, so she's required to finish the photoshoot. Besides, tonight is our anniversary event. So Cesilia has to adjust her schedule entirely," Alexander explained lazily.Honestly, he had no interest whatsoever in discussing Cesilia, who stubbornly clung to her desires.Cesilia had even threatened Alexander several times with divorce if he continued to bring up the topic of having a child. Rather than destroying their marriage, Alexander might just follow Cesilia's wishes. Even if it meant waiting another two years with Cesilia's increasingly busy schedul
It was a struggle just to afford daily meals because her mother's salary was exhausted by her father's medical expenses. Casandra had to work hard in the village to ensure that her siblings and father didn't go hungry.Alexander had also mocked her for having such big dreams unsupported by a stable income. Casandra had mentioned her desire to become a researcher to her mother, and Alexander accidentally overheard it. As a result, he ridiculed and belittled her. He even expressed his dislike for a girl who couldn't grasp her own limitations.Casandra had wanted to refute Alexander's insults that day, but she couldn't. His words were painfully accurate. She struggled even to continue her education, let alone provide for herself.And now, for the sake of money, Casandra found herself in Alexander's house. Lastri had asked her to come and help for extra bonuses, as opposed to seeking help from her fellow domestic worker friends. Lastri believed it was better to involve her own daughter.I
Cesilia had meticulously planned the event, and it was filled with joy. The sound of music blended with the laughter of the invited guests, creating a vibrant atmosphere. The attendees included entrepreneurs, models, and even A-list celebrities, both as MCs and guests. The atmosphere was lively, brimming with happiness. Every guest who arrived continuously congratulated Alexander and Cesilia on their sixth wedding anniversary.Amidst the well-wishes, prayers for the couple to have a child soon were also uttered. The most cherished gift desired by every married couple."If you have a son, I will arrange for him to marry my little girl. She's incredibly beautiful and adorable.""We always pray for both of you to be blessed with a child.""Don't lose hope. Keep trying and praying; we believe that you will be entrusted with that blessing someday."Such additional prayers were commonly expressed by the guests. They sincerely hoped that Alexander and Cesilia would soon experience the same j
Casandra, who challenged, and Meri, who took action. That very night, Meri sent her subordinate to handle all the preparations for Alexander's wedding to Casandra. Following all the regulations set by the government to ensure Casandra's position was as strong as Cesilia's, in order to make Alexander's current marriage the only one.Meri, who was fed up with Cesilia's behavior, planned to gradually remove her with Casandra's help. However, Meri had to pray a lot for Casandra to be willing to assist and truly become Alexander's wife forever.With an unknown source of strength, Meri, who was previously weak and lying in a hospital bed, was now sitting up. She arranged and prepared her hospital room to make it suitable for Casandra and Alexander to have their wedding ceremony. With enthusiasm, Meri contacted several people to pick up Casandra's family, especially her father, so that Alexander and Casandra's marriage could take place as soon as possible.Meri dispatched quite a few people,
A few hours ago...Cesilia, still angry, was forced to sign a declaration letter allowing Alexander to remarry. Now she was faced with a bitter reality."As a brand ambassador for our product, you must follow all the rules we have set according to the agreed-upon contract. And one of them is to be willing to wear costumes according to the theme." A man pointed to a rack filled with various clothes.Cesilia narrowed her eyes, observing the type of clothing displayed there."That? All of them?" She asked, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Those look like lingerie." Cesilia shook her head. It was impossible to wear such clothes for work. She couldn't imagine Alexander's reaction when he saw her body displayed on social media and magazines in revealing outfits."That's correct. You will wear them to promote lotion and soap. For skincare, you can choose costumes according to your preference," said the man, whom Cesilia recognized as her new superior's manager.To add to her misery, t
I don't know whether to feel sad or happy. When she found out that her father had been hospitalized and started preparing everything before the surgery. It was something Casandra had always dreamed of. To be able to bring her first love to the hospital, to regain his health as before.And today, everything became a reality after she agreed to marry her mother's employer. Becoming the second wife and giving birth to a baby from her own womb. It was extremely challenging, and Casandra never expected her destiny to be written like this. She had her own dreams, but she had to let them go for the sake of her father.Although it was difficult and she had initially resented her mother's decision, now Casandra would try to accept it all. Because her father's recovery was her ultimate dream, and it was about to come true. Not only that, Casandra was also very happy to see her three younger siblings able to live in a decent house. Although it was simple, there was no water dripping when it rain
"Grandchild? Children?" Casandra thought to herself. Those two words had been swirling in her head, causing her to lose focus on whatever she touched. When she tried to cook, Casandra only ended up staring at the ingredients in the fridge. She never went through with the execution because Meri forbade her from working, fearing that Casandra would tire herself out and fail to fulfill her duties as a wife. Even when it came to tidying up, Casandra would only dust the same spot, as her mind wandered elsewhere. She imagined Alexander sleeping next to her. A handsome man with thick hair, sharp eyes, tall stature, and a slight muscular build. It would be so comfortable to be in his embrace. However..."I'm not willing to marry him. Let alone have children!" Casandra shook her head, the words Alexander had uttered echoing in her ears. They emphasized that there would be no possibility for them to be together, let alone have a child. "Ck, Cas, be a bit more self-aware, can't you?" she whisper
"Alexander, how is it?" Meri hugged Casandra's shoulder as Alexander stood in front of them. Meri's smile widened, showcasing how proud she was of her daughter-in-law, who may not come from a wealthy family and has a significant age gap with Alexander, but Casandra's kind and polite personality and her way of speaking convinced Meri. It wasn't much, but Meri hoped that Casandra and Alexander would become a complete family with many successors. As for Cesilia... well, Meri didn't consider Cesilia much of a daughter-in-law, as the woman never considered Alexander her husband."How is what?" Alexander loosened his tie, which had felt suffocating around his neck as soon as he saw Casandra. "I'm tired, Mom. Don't make it weird.""Who's making it weird? Mama was just asking, how is Casandra? Is she beautiful?" Meri let go of Casandra and blocked Alexander's path as he tried to go upstairs.Before going to dinner with Robert, of course, Alexander would take a short rest and change his clothe