Chapter 2

Albert was surprised and then chuckled. "Have you ever heard anyone say something like this? Everything is not instant. Even instant noodles have to be cooked before they can be eaten. The same goes for when you're looking for a husband. Especially a husband," Albert said, making Alika continue to stare at him. Albert was about to ask if there was something wrong with his face when Alika cut him off and said, "Do you want to be my husband, Al?" with sparkling eyes. "Please," she added.

"Did you just hit your head, Ms. Director?" Albert asked seriously.

"Huh? Do you think this is a soap opera?" Alika grumbled.

"If I become your husband, I can't be your secretary anymore, and there's a good chance I'll become the owner of your property company," Albert said with a flat face.

"But isn't that good?" Alika asked.

"I just don't want to be as bothered as you are."

"Huh?"

"If I become a burden, I will never be a good employer for Elijah."

Alika couldn't believe it. Albert even preferred taking care of his cat to becoming the owner of a big company. What an unclear secretary.

Alika massaged her temples, annoyed with her secretary's quirkiness. "Okay, if you don't want to be my husband, how about becoming my contract husband?" Alika asked.

"Still can't, because it will be equally bothersome. If I fall in love with you, it will be even more troublesome," Albert said. Alika felt frustrated and rubbed her temples harder.

"Fine then, find me a husband," Alika said.

"Are you interested in a matchmaking agency?" Albert asked.

"Matchmaking agency? Yes, whatever it is, as long as I can quickly get a husband," Alika said.

"Well, then. I heard there is a matchmaking agency in Jakarta that often produces many couples who end up with a lasting and harmonious marriage," Albert said.

"Well, do whatever you want. The important thing is I want a husband. Tell them I want a husband with five criteria: first, good-looking, rich or poor doesn't matter, as long as he is good-looking. He can be friendly, kind, humorous, or anything. Second, he must be good, not a gambler, not into dr*gs, or have a pierced nose. I don't like that. Third, he doesn't smoke. Fourth, he is good at acting. If I ask him to act affectionately with me, he must be good at acting. And fifth, he must be good at cooking," Alika said. Albert listened and immediately spoke up.

"It would be better if you come with me too," Albert said. "So you can freely choose which one is suitable for you," he added.

"Sure, when are we planning to go there?" Alika asked.

"How about tomorrow? Are you busy?" Albert asked.

"If you want tomorrow, just cancel our meeting tomorrow and find another day," Alika suggested.

"Okay, then," Albert said.

***

The next morning.

Alika and Albert were inside their Pajero sport car. Alika looked very beautiful at that moment, wearing a blouse and a short skirt, and wrapped in a blazer. Meanwhile, Albert looked plain, the same as his everyday appearance when going to the office. The car pulled over in front of a large field where hundreds of cars were parked as far as the eye could see. Alika thought that these might be the cars of the prospective matchmaking participants. There was a very large multistory building, resembling an apartment or a skyscraper in the center of Jakarta. That building was the matchmaking office they were looking for.

A little further away, the matchmaking agency was called "Angel's Cupid," and as far as the eye could see, Alika could see pink and red banners with the words "Angel's Cupid" all over the area, both in the field and the building. "Angel's Cupid" was a matchmaking agency under the Angela's Group company. The company was still in its infancy, but due to the popularity of "Angel's Cupid," it had become the largest company in Indonesia. Their initial marketing strategy was to utilize social media and promote their success in finding a mate from Angel's Cupid to their customers, and their success led to the company's immense wealth, contributing up to 90 percent. Now, their company had begun to expand into various fields to broaden its name recognition among the general public, not just by offering services, but also products, such as beauty products, branded bags, clothing, diamonds, and cuisine. The mysterious owner of Angela's Group became even wealthier, doubling their wealth.

As Albert explained about Angela's Group and Angel's Cupid, Alika listened carefully and became even more curious about the company with the highest level of wealth in Indonesia. Even Alika's company was inferior to that company. She was curious if this matchmaking agency could fulfill her desires.

Finally, they arrived at the Angel's Cupid building. Albert suggested that Alika sit down because he realized that the registration process would take a long time. Alika waited there for quite a while, and then they were advised to go to the second floor. Upon arriving in the spacious and magnificent second-floor hall, there were so many matchmaking participants, and the total number of participants recorded in the attendance book that Albert filled out was five hundred.

The host explained Angel's Cupid, its history when it was founded, its purpose, and how the matchmaking agency was formed in great detail, to the point where Alika felt very sleepy listening to it. Albert, realizing that Alika's head was going up and down as she listened, immediately put a cold drink against Alika's cheek.

Alika growled, "What are you doing, huh?"

"I'm worried that you'll be asked to step forward if you're caught sleeping," Albert replied flatly.

Alika rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is school?" she retorted. An hour later, the speech was over.

For Alika, it was a speech that was useful for her to hold back her drowsiness for an hour. Great, she had heard a speech that wasted her time. Couldn't they just skip to the husband selection part?!

Impatient, Alika whispered to Albert. "Can't we just skip to the part where I choose a husband, Al? I could turn into a fossil if I stay here too long," she said.

Someone behind their seat seemed to be laughing. Alika was surprised when she turned to see a very beautiful woman behind her. Like an angel. In Alika's eyes, she even looked like a doll, wait... could she be a living doll? A mannequin that suddenly turned into a human?

The long-haired woman smiled sweetly at Alika, greeting her. Alika smiled awkwardly back. Finally, Alika was allowed to enter a room. That damn Albert didn't even choose to come into the room. He was truly an unfaithful secretary! A woman with long swept-back hair, whose face could almost be likened to a doll, sat in a chair and smiled at her.

Wait, wasn't she the same woman from earlier?! The angel! Alika immediately smiled back at her. She switched seats to the one provided in front of the girl. Alika occasionally dared to glance at the girl by slightly raising her face. What she received in return was the charm of the girl's beauty, which was so dazzling that it almost exceeded the light of the lamp above her. But from her face, the girl seemed to be in her teens.

Ah no... at least she had just graduated from school. Whatever... Why should she even think about this girl?

The girl suddenly invited Alika to shake hands, and Alika tried to suppress her awkwardness with her confidence and intellectual attitude. She accepted the girl's handshake and smiled back at her.

The girl said, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Angela. I am the one who will guide you to find true love that may be worth considering for you." Angela spoke wisely.

Alika was quite surprised by the girl's attitude, which seemed to understand the meaning of serving with commendable and cultured behavior at such a young age. But yeah... that wasn't the issue. What did she say earlier? Consider?

Alika felt that there was something wrong here. She then said, "Wait, what do you mean by 'that may be worth considering'? Are you suggesting that you will give me potential candidates for a husband who is likely impossible for me to choose?" Alika asked.

Angela didn't quite understand her meaning. "What do you mean?"

"I meant, is it not possible for me to directly submit the criteria I want?" Alika asked.

Angela, who had just understood, responded. "I'm sorry, it's not possible ma'am. The candidate selection system here is like that. You can't propose conditions, but we offer the biodata of each candidate," said Angela.

It was truly a waste of time. Alika sighed in frustration, she quickly slung her bag over her arm and stood up from her chair. She was about to leave, but before doing so she looked at her watch and said with a straight face, staring straight at Angela. "Two hours, thirty minutes, and two seconds wasted," Alika said.

Angela didn't understand. "Huh?"

"I've wasted my time here for two hours, thirty minutes, and two seconds, with no certainty or guarantee that my desires will be fulfilled," Alika said.

Angela was surprised. This was the first time a woman had considered her time wasted being here. Her hard work in building a good image for the company she managed under her name could disappear just like that!

One bad review would certainly cause other bad reviews to emerge. Moreover, this company is a proving ground for her parents to see if she and her brother are capable of leading the company without their family's wealth interfering.

Angela couldn't accept it!

She, who didn't want to let the image of the company built by her and her brother go to waste, prevented Alika from leaving. She grabbed Alika's hand. "Wait a minute.. are you not interested in seeing the biodata of the candidates? Maybe there is someone who catches your interest," Angela asked.

"I don't intend to waste my time. If out of so many people, no one catches my interest, what then? Hmm? Can you pay back the remaining time that I've spent here?" Alika asked.

Angela fell silent and became still. She felt it was pointless to argue anymore. Alika immediately walked out, step by step. But after a few steps, Angela spoke again. "What are the criteria you want?" Angela asked, which made Alika stop in her tracks and turn her body back, facing Angela.

"Five criteria," Alika said.

***

The next morning, in her tidy and well-maintained office room, Alika looked busy working on her laptop, typing something with her ten fingers so fast, as if she was already accustomed to typing quickly like that. There was a reason behind her action, the main reason was that she wanted to finish a lot of her work now so that it wouldn't be a bother when she got news of visiting the matchmaking agency again yesterday.

Alika quickly finished typing and ended it with a period, saved it, and folded her laptop quickly. She leaned back and rested her back and head on the chair, then started to relax. Her eyes kept staring at the ceiling of her workspace, without a single spider's web. Alika recalled what happened yesterday between her and Angela.

She filled out her bio, including all aspects of her life, such as the five criteria that needed to be fulfilled, motivation, bio, and dreams. The bio was so detailed that Alika felt too lazy to fill it out, especially since Albert didn't come into the room, so she couldn't ask for his help. Alika added that she would pay 500 million to the matchmaking agency if they could find a husband who met all her criteria and, of course, was reliable.

Angela said she would contact her again tomorrow. But now, Alika, who had been waiting for a call from Angela since earlier, still hadn't heard her phone ring.

Could it be that Angela forgot? Or maybe she couldn't find a husband who met her criteria?!

Alika felt annoyed. It seemed that she had wasted more than two hours there without any clear certainty. So frustrating.

Alika kept staring at her phone passively, feeling very regretful for having hoped too much from the matchmaking agency. Now it was time to face reality... that she had to admit defeat to Andrew, that she couldn't prove her oath two days ago on his wedding day.

While she was busy looking at her phone, suddenly there was a call from an unknown number. Alika was surprised. Who could be calling her with an unknown number? Maybe just a prankster?

But what if it was an important person, including Angela? Ahh, right... this must be from Angela!

Alika, who was very sure it was Angela, immediately answered the call. "Hello?" said Alika. However, after the person on the other end spoke, Alika immediately frowned from her previously excited and happy face.

Alika waited for a while until the person on the other end finished talking, then when they stopped, Alika immediately said, "I'm sorry, but I already have insurance. And I won't switch to another insurance for a long time. Thank you." Alika quickly hung up the phone, feeling annoyed.

Alika immediately put her face on the table, feeling very resigned. She wasn't sure if her hope of quickly having a husband would be that easy to achieve!

Suddenly, her phone rang again and Alika answered it with a face still buried on the desk. She held the phone close to her ear and said, "What else, miss? I said I don't need insurance." Alika thought the call was from an insurance company.

A woman on the other end of the line then said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm not from an insurance company. I'm Angela." This statement made Alika stare in surprise and sit up straight away.

"Angela from Angela's Cupid?" Alika asked, trying to confirm.

"Yes, that's me. I want to tell you that I have found a man who fits your criteria," said Angela.

Alika felt very happy, her previously gloomy face now looked enthusiastic. "Miss? He really fits what I want, and he's willing to marry me by contract, right?" Alika asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Although this is the first time we've had a contract marriage system, everything is according to what you want and arrange. But there is one thing, ma'am..." Angela said hesitantly.

"Just say it," Alika said.

"Would you be okay if this man is someone who doesn't have a job?" Angela asked.

"It's okay. Besides, from the beginning, I never cared about my future husband's economic background. Even in my bio, I wrote that I would finance all my husband's needs and it's okay if my future husband burdens me with all financial matters. Even if he's still in college, I'll help finance him until he graduates. Or even if he's unemployed. I even suggest that he have fun in my house. I only need his acting as a good husband," Alika said.

"Okay, ma'am," Angela said, then she continued, "Can you spare some time to come here now? Because the man is waiting for you right now. And also to quickly resolve this matter and the contract problem. I suggest you bring the contract marriage letter here too," Angela requested.

"Okay, I'll bring it," Alika said, and then she hung up the phone and felt so happy about this.

Albert, who saw Alika so ecstatic, remained silent and watched her with a flat expression. He then said, "It seems like there will be heavy rain after this. Seeing you so excited like that makes me worried that the world will be just fine," Albert said.

"Come on, Al, what's wrong with being a little excited? Isn't the world going to be more beautiful when we live it with enthusiasm?" Alika justified.

"Did Andrew just inform you that his wife had an accident?" Albert asked, thinking that Alika was so excited because of that accident.

"Hey, hey, this has nothing to do with them," Alika replied.

"Then what is it?" Albert asked. "I have found a husband who fits my desires, Al!!" Alika said. Albert just sighed and remained with a flat expression.

Alika noticed Albert who seemed to sigh with a completely emotionless face, as flat as a highway. Alika suspected Albert was jealous that she had a partner. Alika proudly asked, "Why did you sigh? Are you jealous that I have a partner?"