The CEO's Synthetic Pawn: A Marriage of Deception

The smell of disinfectant in the third-class ward of the district hospital had been stinging his nose for the past three months. Sony Anggara stared at his phone screen. Balance: forty thousand rupiah. His mother’s surgery bill was due tomorrow morning. If it wasn't paid in full, the hospital would discontinue her intensive care.

Sony had no choice. He had already sold his motorcycle, his laptop, even his furniture. Only one place remained: the Baskoro Group office. He was merely a low-level field technician, but he had a clean work record. Out of desperation, he decided to apply for an employee loan—a procedure that was virtually impossible to get approved for someone in his position.

The 42nd floor of the Baskoro building was a different world. Thick carpets, the aroma of expensive coffee, and a suffocating silence.

"Mr. Baskoro is in a meeting. Wait in the VIP lounge," the male secretary said with a condescending tone. Sony nodded, sitting on a leather sofa that likely cost more than everything inside his house combined.

The glass door in front of him swung open violently. A woman walked out with stomping steps. Aruna Nita Baskoro. Her appearance was the definition of cold perfection: an emerald silk dress, perfectly flowing hair, and a gaze that seemed to regard everyone in the room as mere dust.

Aruna’s footsteps stopped right in front of Sony. She scrutinized him from the tips of his worn-out shoes to the collar of his shirt, which was beginning to yellow.

"You," Aruna hissed.

Sony stood up awkwardly. "Pardon me, Miss. I’m Sony, from the technical division. I have an appointment with Mr. Baskoro to?"

"Get in," Aruna cut him off coldly. She didn't wait for an answer; instead, she turned around and gestured for Sony to enter her father’s grand office.

Inside the room, Baskoro sat behind a massive oak desk. The old man looked exhausted. His eyes stared at the files on the desk with deep wrinkles on his forehead. When he saw Sony, he didn't ask anything. He simply threw a brown folder onto the center of the table.

"Sony Anggara. Hardworking, honest, and currently cornered by hospital debt," Baskoro said flatly. "My daughter, Aruna, has just created a scandal that could destroy this company’s reputation overnight."

Sony swallowed hard. "I don’t understand, Sir."

Aruna stepped closer, standing right beside Sony. The piercing scent of her expensive perfume mixed with the tension in the air. Aruna leaned her body slightly closer, making Sony flinch back.

"I'm pregnant," Aruna said without emotion, as if she were merely mentioning the weather.

Sony’s world felt like it stopped spinning. He looked at Baskoro, then back at the woman who was watching him with a thin smirk.

"Don't joke, Miss. I haven't even spoken to you until this very second," Sony replied with a trembling voice.

"That’s the point," Aruna let out a small laugh, a laugh that sounded incredibly dry. "No one knows who I'm with. No one knows that you’re a nobody. We just need a plausible narrative to cover up the mistake I accidentally made."

"I can't do this," Sony took a step back, his hands clenched. "This is fraud."

Baskoro stood up, walking toward Sony. The air pressure in the room felt even heavier. "Your mother’s debt, Sony. The cost of the surgery, post-operative care, even your living expenses until your mother fully recovers—I will pay it all off this afternoon. I’ll add a bonus of one apartment unit and a guaranteed manager position for you."

Sony froze. The figures Baskoro mentioned were the answer to all his prayers. However, the price was his own freedom.

"Who is the man, really?" Sony asked, his eyes staring sharply at Aruna. "Who got you pregnant?"

Aruna narrowed her eyes. She leaned her face close to Sony's ear, whispering in a voice that was quiet yet deadly. "That’s not important. What’s important is that you will be a devoted husband, claim this fetus as your own flesh and blood, and accompany me in this charade for as long as I want."

"And if I refuse?"

"If you refuse," Baskoro interrupted with a voice of absolute coldness, "your mother will be kicked out of the hospital in ten minutes. And you? You’ll end up on the streets with debts that will only double because I can ensure you will never be able to work in this city again."

Silence. Sony felt his head throbbing intensely. He thought of his mother’s pale face in the hospital bed, the sound of her breath depending on a ventilator. He was a man cornered, and the two people in front of him were predators who knew exactly where to bite.

Aruna pulled a thick envelope from her bag and tossed it onto the table. The cash visible inside was enough to make anyone lose their mind.

"This is a down payment for your loyalty," Aruna said, looking at Sony with disdain. "Think fast. Your time to decide is no longer than the time your mother has left."

Sony looked at the envelope, then at Aruna. His eyes met Aruna’s, which were full of deceit. There was a wild glint in that woman's eyes an ambition far darker than merely saving a reputation.

"One more condition," Sony’s voice sounded hoarse. "Never involve my mother in this mess."

Aruna smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "A good deal. So, do you agree?"

Sony clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He knew he had just sold his soul to a beautiful-faced demon.

"Yes," Sony whispered. "I agree."

Aruna gave a short laugh, then pulled out her phone. She tapped something, and a few seconds later, the office door opened. A lawyer in a black suit entered, carrying a stack of prepared documents. Apparently, they were already certain Sony would have no other choice.

"Good," Aruna said while casually sipping her coffee. "Welcome to the family, Husband. Now, sign this agreement, and make sure you start practicing to be a good father within twenty-four hours."

As the pen was handed to Sony, his phone vibrated. A text message from the hospital nurse: Your mother’s condition has dropped drastically. We need surgical consent and immediate payment.

Sony looked at the agreement paper in front of him, then glared at Aruna, who was waiting triumphantly. He realized his old life had just ended. And this was the beginning of a true hell.

"Now," Aruna urged, her voice now sounding like the absolute command of a queen. "Sign it, before I change my mind and let your mother die tonight."