“Darling, wake up. Aren’t you going to work?”
Even though the clock in the morning already showed seven, Darwin seemed unusually lazy and comfortable under the blanket while holding Veronica tightly. Darwin had a feeling that he just wanted to spend the day at home being pampered with his wife. However, Veronica felt differently. She had been restless and trying to wake Darwin up, reminding him to get up and get ready for work.
“I still want to hug you, Ve. I’d love to spend the whole day in bed with you. Plus, the weather is perfect for it; it’s raining,” he honestly expressed. Pausing for a moment, he looked deeply into her eyes, then gently kissed Veronica’s cheek while teasingly whispering, “How about I don’t go to work today? So we can have all the time in the world together.”
Instead of agreeing, Veronica sighed and playfully pinched Darwin’s stomach, causing him to wince in pain.
“You’re so carefree about skipping work. You have a schedule to visit Coloseum today, Win. Aren’t there meetings to determine your departure to China?”
Darwin nodded. He didn’t forget about this particular schedule. But again, this morning, he just felt really lazy to get up and leave.
“Why the confusion? The meeting today can be represented by another team member. Besides, it’s just about discussing the departure schedule, nothing crucial.”
“Still, you can’t,” Veronica argued, growing more impatient. “You’re the leader and head of the tender department. You should be responsible. Besides, we can cuddle and be affectionate later tonight, tomorrow, the day after, and so on, Win.”
Darwin sighed lazily. It seemed futile to present a lengthy argument to his wife. Veronica didn’t seem to agree with the plan he had proposed.
“So, do I have to go to work today? You’re really not going to let me cuddle for a while longer?”
Veronica nodded and laughed.
“Just for today, Win. Tomorrow is the weekend, and you can do whatever you want since it’s your day off. Besides, I have to go to the office this morning too. There’s a lingering deadline that needs to be finished.”
Darwin finally gave in. After receiving a good morning kiss, he reluctantly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready.
After completing all his morning routines, including getting ready and having breakfast, Darwin, as usual, first escorted Veronica to the Vortex Group building, making sure she arrived safely at her office. Only then did he continue his journey to the Infinix Group building.
“Are the documents I need to bring ready?” Darwin asked his secretary as he entered his office.
“They’re ready, sir. Everything is on the desk.”
Darwin nodded, walked briskly, and gathered all the documents in the folder before carrying them.
“So, what’s on my schedule for today?”
The secretary then shifted her gaze to the tablet she was holding. She opened the calendar feature and began reading out Darwin’s schedule for the day.
“At 10 AM to 12 PM, you have a meeting at the Colloseum building. Then at 1 PM, you have a client meeting at a Japanese restaurant. From 3 PM to 5 PM, there’s a weekly meeting with several department heads. The last schedule is an invitation to attend a dinner event hosted by the Indomarco Group tonight.”
Darwin nodded again. After digesting and remembering all the schedules outlined, he hurriedly left to head to his first destination.
Upon arriving at the Colloseum Building, Darwin could see that some representatives from the selected companies had already arrived and were seated at their respective chairs. He also spotted Sean from a distance, deeply engrossed in reading documents on his desk.
As the Foxtail representatives entered the room, all participants immediately focused their attention and listened attentively to the announcements that were about to be made.
Many topics were discussed today. Fortunately, Veronica had insisted that Darwin attend because during this meeting, the rundown, various plans, and schedules for the selected companies were explained.
“Since we have explained and presented all the necessary procedures and important matters,” one of the Foxtail representatives said before closing the meeting, “Foxtail hopes that this tender process will proceed smoothly without any issues. We will fully cover all accommodations, including flight tickets, hotels, and more. Therefore, we hope that each company’s representatives can prepare themselves to the maximum. Don’t forget to designate team members who need to stay and oversee the progress of this project in the future.”
After listening to the presentation and having a brief discussion, the meeting finally concluded. Since Darwin had another meeting scheduled in thirty minutes, he started getting ready to leave.
However, as he crossed the lobby, he faintly heard someone calling his name. When he turned around, he saw Sean standing behind him.
“Mr. Darwin,” he greeted politely.
“Yes, Mr. Sean?”
“Are you in a hurry, Mr. Darwin?”
Darwin shook his head. Initially, he did need to leave quickly. However, seeing that Sean seemed to want to talk to him about something, he decided to postpone his departure for a moment.
“Not really. Why, Mr. Sean?”
Sean smiled and continued speaking.
“As someone who used to work under Mr. Darwin’s leadership, I want to express my gratitude and bid farewell because I’m leaving for China the day after tomorrow, and I won’t be returning to Indonesia for quite some time.”
Darwin nodded in understanding. It seemed that his former flame wanted to say his farewell. Although Darwin had to admit he had felt irritated and jealous in the past, those feelings had gradually disappeared as he became more confident in Veronica’s love for him. If Sean wanted to be friends now, it didn’t seem like a problem.
“I’ve also heard from Veronica and Mr. Damian that Mr. Sean has been promoted to a leadership position in one of the Nevada companies. So, I congratulate you on your achievements.”
Darwin genuinely congratulated him and extended his hand to shake Sean’s hand.
“I also pray that the tender with Foxtail goes smoothly and have the same hope for your leadership in the new company.”
Sean smiled broadly and accepted Darwin’s sincere wishes.
“Before I go, I want to apologize if my presence here has ever made you uncomfortable, Mr. Darwin. I also hope your relationship with Veronica remains strong and you have many descendants.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Sean.”
“Veronica is a special woman, Mr. Darwin,” Sean added. “Honestly, it’s hard to find someone like her.”
Darwin nodded, agreeing with Sean’s words.
“I agree with that. I consider myself fortunate to have Veronica as my partner.”
“That’s why I hope your relationship with Veronica will always last, even until you’re grandparents. And if, in the future, feelings of boredom ever creep in, just remember the effort you’ve put in to win her.”
“Once again, thank you for your words and your prayers, Mr. Sean,” Darwin said sincerely.
“Well then, I have to say goodbye now. Thank you again for our collaboration all this time, Mr. Darwin. I hope we can meet or work together again in the future.”
Before parting ways, Darwin even gave Sean a brief hug, as if they had been friends for a long time. They exchanged smiles and then bid each other farewell, heading to their respective cars.
***