The CEO's Synthetic Pawn: A Marriage of Deception

Moments of Deceit

The night in the five-star hotel ballroom felt suffocating. The crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling seemed like interrogation spotlights aimed directly at Sony. Beside him, Aruna stood in a navy silk evening gown that shimmered with every movement, projecting an air of elegance capable of deceiving anyone who saw her.

"Remember," Aruna whispered, her voice so low it was barely audible beneath the thrum of the smooth orchestral music. "Keep your hands from going cold. If you tremble while shaking my father’s colleagues' hands, I’ll make sure you never see your mother again."

Sony took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He was wearing a tuxedo that fit him perfectly, a gift from Baskoro designed to make the technician look like the son-in-law of a conglomerate family.

In front of them, Baskoro stood with a glass of wine in hand, smiling broadly at a middle-aged man in an expensive suit who appeared very powerful. It was Mr. Gunawan, the owner of the largest property network in Southeast Asia one of the investors crucial to the Baskoro Group’s expansion plans next month.

"Sony, come over here," Baskoro called out in a friendly tone a tone that actually made the hair on the back of Sony’s neck stand up.

Sony stepped forward, his legs feeling heavy as if dragged by invisible chains. He shook hands with Mr. Gunawan, who studied him with a dismissive look from behind his silver glasses.

"So, this is the lucky man who won the heart of Baskoro’s favorite daughter?" Mr. Gunawan asked with a booming laugh. "I heard you two had a private wedding recently. Quite the surprise, considering Aruna was the crown jewel among young business circles."

Aruna pressed her body closer to Sony’s arm, offering the sweetest smile Sony had ever seen—a smile full of lies. "Love can’t be planned, Mr. Gunawan. We decided to focus on family first, especially now..." Aruna deliberately let the sentence trail off, stroking her flat stomach with a well-calculated gesture.

Mr. Gunawan laughed again. "Ah, of course. That happy news has already reached my ears. How does it feel to be a father-to-be, Sony? It must be a massive burden, isn’t it? Considering Aruna is the only child of a business empire this size."

Sony swallowed hard. His tongue suddenly felt like lead. This was the question he had been dreading. He knew this was just an act, yet the weight of the lie felt so real on his shoulders.

"Yes... of course," Sony replied, his voice slightly hoarse. "Being a father is... a great responsibility. I’m just trying to make sure Aruna gets the best nutrition and... uh, the right care for her pregnancy."

Mr. Gunawan nodded, but his eyes narrowed, sharply examining the details of Sony’s face. "Care, you say? I heard from my wife that Aruna experienced quite severe morning sickness in the eighth week. Does she still have it often? My wife had to be hospitalized in a special facility during her first pregnancy."

Sony went silent. The eighth week? He didn’t even know how many weeks along Aruna was supposed to be. His brain spun rapidly, trying to find a logical answer without falling deeper into the hole.

"Aruna did feel tired, but..." Sony glanced briefly at Aruna.

Aruna stared at Sony sharply. There was a flash of threat in her eyes—a look that said 'Think about your answer, you idiot, or we're finished'—wrapped in an even wider fake smile.

"Oh, Mr. Gunawan," Aruna interrupted with a light laugh. "Sony is just far too worried. He’s even prepared an organic menu for every morning. He’s more protective than my own obstetrician. Right, darling?"

Aruna pinched Sony’s arm hard enough that he nearly winced.

Sony turned toward Baskoro, who was standing beside him. The old man wasn’t smiling. His eyes bore into Sony coldly, demanding perfection in this performance.

"Actually," Sony continued, his voice now a bit more stable as he tried to play along with a desperate boldness. "I just consulted with her private doctor last week. Her condition is stable. Her morning sickness has decreased drastically because we’ve completely overhauled her diet. Perhaps it's thanks to a special recipe from my own family."

Mr. Gunawan seemed satisfied. He nodded slowly. "Good to hear. A child is a blessing, Sony. Don't let the little things interfere with Aruna’s comfort. Especially during these crucial phases."

However, just before Mr. Gunawan could change the subject, he leaned toward Sony, his voice dropping to a sharp whisper. "But, there’s one thing that makes me curious. I heard from some of your colleagues at the office, Sony, that before this wedding was announced, you were a field technician. Is it true you were promoted to manager in the operations division right after this marriage?"

Sony froze. His heart seemed to stop beating. He knew this was a trap. Mr. Gunawan had likely heard rumors about his mismatched background.

"That is correct," Baskoro interjected suddenly, his tone firm. "Sony has great potential. This marriage doesn’t change the fact that he possesses managerial skills rarely found in others."

"Is that so?" Mr. Gunawan stared at Sony with a scrutinizing gaze. "Because according to the data I checked in the corporate group’s HR system, your profile was updated extensively exactly one day after the wedding. That’s a... very efficient procedure for a company of that size, isn't it?"

Sony felt a cold sweat trickling down his back. His hands, clenched inside his suit pockets, began to tremble. He felt like he was standing in the middle of a rotten wooden bridge, and Mr. Gunawan had just stomped his foot down hard.

"Perhaps that's because..." Sony almost let it slip that he had hacked the internal system himself to cover his tracks. "Our company system has been undergoing a total overhaul since last week, Sir. I was just the one who happened to be in the right place at the right time when the update occurred."

Aruna tensed beside him. She knew Sony had almost exposed the secret about the hacking they did to forge the data.

Suddenly, a waiter passed by, bumping Sony’s arm with a tray of champagne. The glass fell, shattering into pieces on the marble floor, creating a sound loud enough to distract the entire room.

"Sorry! I’m so sorry, Sir!" the waiter exclaimed in a panic.

Sony seized the moment. "Aruna, are you okay? The glass shards..."

Aruna didn’t answer. She looked at Sony with a deep, lethal gaze. Amidst the roar of the crowded ballroom, the sound of the orchestral music suddenly felt like agonizing noise.

"Sony," Aruna whispered in a very low voice, almost like a snake’s hiss. "Come with me to the balcony now. We need to talk. Now."

Sony followed Aruna as she walked with long strides toward the balcony doors overlooking Jakarta's glittering skyscrapers. As soon as the doors closed, Aruna slammed her back against them, her breath coming in gasps.

"You almost got us both killed, you idiot!" Aruna shouted, her voice thick with rage.

"I was just answering his questions, Aruna!" Sony defended himself, refusing to back down. "He’s getting suspicious! He’s no fool; he’s looked into my background!"

"Because you’re incompetent at covering your tracks!" Aruna grabbed Sony’s collar, pulling him until their faces were only inches apart. "Now, listen to me carefully. There was someone in that room who kept staring at us. He’s wearing a charcoal suit and standing near the pillar. He’s not my father’s colleague. He’s a henchman for 'that man' my ex-boyfriend who already knows this pregnancy is a lie."

Sony turned toward the glass doors, scanning the crowd of guests. Sure enough, in the corner of the room, an expressionless man with a small scar on his eyebrow seemed to be watching them with a hostile gaze.

"He knows?" Sony asked, his throat feeling dry.

"He knows everything," Aruna hissed, her eyes teary yet full of vengeance. "And if he even gets close enough to whisper a single sentence to Baskoro, we’ll both vanish from the face of the earth tonight."

The balcony door opened slowly. Baskoro stepped inside, his face expressionless but his eyes glinting with threat.

"What are you two doing out here?" Baskoro’s voice echoed on the silent balcony. "The party is far from over, and there is much to celebrate. Especially regarding... the results of the examination that will be announced by the family’s private doctor tonight in front of our colleagues."

Sony and Aruna froze.

"Examination results?" Sony asked in a barely audible voice.

Baskoro smiled the most terrifying smile Sony had ever seen. "Yes. Since many are doubting my daughter's pregnancy, I’ve decided to invite a specialist here tonight. We will conduct a brief health test in front of our honored guests so there will be no more malicious rumors about the Baskoro family."

Aruna turned deathly pale. She slumped to the balcony floor, her body going limp. Sony looked at Baskoro, then at the balcony doors that were now tightly shut.

"Get ready," Baskoro said as he turned to leave. "You have ten minutes before the doctor arrives on the main stage."

Sony looked at Aruna, who was now sobbing silently on the floor. Their secret would be exposed in ten minutes. And out there, the henchman from Aruna’s past was waiting to witness their destruction.

Sony clenched his fists, staring at the city lights glittering below.