I was wiping the soles of my feet with a wet tissue after walking back to the office barefoot when suddenly, Doni approached me.
"Here, Miss," he said, handing me a bag.
"What is this?" I asked, confused.
"Mas Damar asked me to buy it for you," he replied, and without hesitation, I reached out to take it and thanked him.
My hands quickly opened the package Doni had given me. Inside was a pair of brown flip-flops with an adorable little bear character. Why did he buy these for me? I could have bought them myself.
After struggling to put my shoes back on, I decided to return to the office barefoot. It hurt, but it would probably hurt even more if I forced myself to wear my shoes again. Damar had repeatedly asked me to wait and not return to the office yet because he was going to find flip-flops for me, but I insisted it was fine to enter the office without shoes while carrying my heels in my hands.
The soles of my feet stung as I wiped them again with a wet tissue. Maybe they had gotten scratched during my walk back to the office, but they felt better than before.
So annoying. I'm never wearing these shoes again.
Now, my feet were in the flip-flops Damar had bought. They felt much more comfortable, allowing my feet to move freely. But of course, I couldn't wear these all day—Mr. Hardi would surely scold me if he saw me wearing them.
Just thinking about what had happened earlier made me embarrassed. Not because I walked back to the office barefoot, but because I had to go through it with Damar. I had been trying to appear better than him, yet time and time again, I kept exposing my worst sides. Next time, I need to be more careful.
All afternoon until evening, Damar was nowhere to be seen in his office because he was in a meeting with Mr. Hardi and the other division heads. I felt relieved, knowing I wouldn't have to face him after that humiliating incident.
The screen of my computer had gone dark—it was time to go home. For some reason, my eyes drifted toward Damar's office. The meeting must not have ended yet, as I hadn't seen him all day.
The desks around me were already empty; everyone had left a while ago. If Mr. Hardi and the division heads weren't around, the employees would race to leave as soon as possible.
My gaze landed on the flip-flops I had been wearing. Looking at them only made me picture Damar's face. It was just a pair of flip-flops, yet they still managed to irritate me.
I refused to give that man any credit, even though he had helped me earlier. Anyone would have done the same thing for me.
After making sure I hadn't left anything behind, I grabbed my bag and headed for the elevator. Tomorrow was the weekend, giving me plenty of time to prepare for the Annual Meeting.
Since my car was still in the repair shop, I planned to take the bus home. There was nothing urgent, so I could take my time.
Just as I stepped out of the office building, a familiar figure appeared in front of me. Damn! Why was Leon at my office?
I turned around, intending to go back inside, but unfortunately, he had already spotted me and called out my name.
"Bulan!" he shouted, drawing the attention of passersby. I hissed in frustration as he ran toward me. This man was cunning—he had deliberately come to my office just to embarrass me.
"I don't have time for this," I said before he could even open his mouth.
"That's not true. It looks like you're done with work," he replied.
"What do you want, Leon?" I asked, glaring at him in annoyance. Don't tell me he still loves me and wants us to get back together. If he really loved me, he wouldn't have betrayed me.
"We need to talk," he said, almost pleading.
"But there's nothing left for us to talk about," I snapped, already thinking of a way to escape. Run to the bus stop? Impossible, my feet still hurt. Run to the main road? But I hadn't booked a taxi or a ride yet. My eyes darted around as Leon kept saying the same thing, insisting that we talk.
"I regret it, Bulan…," he said, his face full of remorse. Too bad—I wasn't going to be swayed, no matter how much he begged or even if he did a backflip right in front of me.
Arguing was exhausting. That's why I refused to engage. I just stood there, ignoring him as he kept making excuses. To me, his words no longer held any meaning.
"You're not even listening to me," he said, his expression tightening in frustration. I turned my head away, refusing to look at him. Just as I did, I spotted another figure—Damar, stepping out of the office building. For a brief moment, I felt relieved.
"Bulan!" Leon called out, half-yelling. I knew he was angry because I had ignored him, but I didn't care.
While Leon was busy fuming, I quickly turned and walked toward Damar. I don't know why, but I felt like he was the only one who could save me from Leon right now.
"I'm going home with you," I blurted out to Damar, grabbing his arm. I made sure to speak loudly enough for Leon to hear.
I didn't even want to imagine Damar's face at that moment—his brows furrowed, lips slightly parted as if about to say something. I had no chance to explain further because Leon was already close.
"Uh… okay, but can you wait a bit? I have something to take care of first," Damar said, making me take a deep breath. Thank goodness he didn't say anything weird or scold me for suddenly grabbing his arm.
"What's your relationship with that guy?" Leon's voice cut in, making Damar narrow his eyes at him.
"None of your business," I replied, suddenly feeling grateful for Damar's presence. Normally, I couldn't stand being around him, but this time was different. I even felt like he could protect me from Leon.
"I'm getting coffee first. Do you want to come with me or wait?" Damar asked. Of course, I wanted to go wherever he was going right now.
"I'll come," I said immediately, making Leon step in front of us, trying to block my way.
"This is still the office premises. Do I need to call security to escort you out? You're making me feel uncomfortable," Damar said, stopping in his tracks and glaring at Leon.
I saw Leon's eyes darken with anger, making me instinctively hide behind Damar. If we were somewhere else, I would have cursed him out or maybe even smacked his bald head. But right now, I had to maintain my composure for the sake of my reputation.
"You might be able to avoid me now, but next time, you won't," Leon threatened, his face flushed with rage. Then, he turned around and stormed off.
I remained frozen for a moment before realizing I was still gripping Damar's arm tightly. Embarrassed, I quickly let go, my face burning.
"Are you really going home with me?" Damar asked. Thankfully, he didn't ask anything about Leon. If I went home alone, Leon might wait for me. Should I just say yes?
"Y-yeah," I stammered.
"In that case, just wait in the car. You don't have to come with me to get coffee—I won't take long, maybe half an hour at most," he said, handing me his car keys.
"My car isn't parked in the basement this time. You can find it in the front lot," he added.
I could only stare at him in a daze.(*)