She swore that this was the moment when Indah really wanted to get rid of her identity as someone who was born as Fransisca Indah. All the heat suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a cold breeze on the back of her neck and also sweat that came from who knows where had wet her own palms.
"You only go to parties, not to the battlefield." Adrian rebuked softly.
Indah glared sharply at the man. She realized that she was currently wrapping her hands around Adrian's left arm. Ah.. No, she was gripping it. And she could also feel that Adrian must be feeling a little pain in his arm. But who cares. Who caused her to stand here?
"You! I should be sleeping at home, not here with you." She grumbled in annoyance. Indah really didn't want to be in this place. She was disgusted, even wanting to throw up her breakfast now.
Adrian pulled Indah's hand, and loosened the girl's grip. "Because you are my wife, then I have the right to show you off to everyone."
There was a feeling of dislike hearing the sentence that had just come out of Adrian's lips. "Do you think I'm an object?"
Adrian shrugged indifferently. "If you think I'm like that, I won't force you."
The two of them were currently walking towards the entrance of one of the luxury buildings. A giant white pillar had greeted them as they were about to pass through the entrance of the building. Several pairs of eyes began to shift to the couple. There were various expressions depicted on their faces when they saw the two of them since getting out of the car.
Both Indah and Adrian were aware of the stares. But Adrian had warned Indah earlier throughout the journey, so she was no longer surprised.
"How long are they going to stare at us like that?" Indah asked in a whisper in Adrian's ear.
"Until their eyeballs pop out." Adrian replied carelessly.
When they arrived inside the building, Indah was stunned. It was the first time she had seen a fundraising event this big. And according to Adrian, this was an event where several antique collections were auctioned off and also charity performances by top artists. Of course there would be an event to show off each other and their power here, that's why Adrian preferred to call it a 'party'.
"Adrian!"
The voice immediately diverted Adrian's sharp gaze. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a man waving at him. Although he didn't remember him, he knew who the figure was.
"Who is he?" Indah asked, surprised to see Adrian not answering her call.
"Prankster."
The figure of the man approached the two of them. The man with a stocky body wrapped in a luxurious black suit, walked through the group of people who formed a circle. Once in front of them, the man widened his smile even more.
"How is Adrian?"
Adrian smiled thinly. "Fine. I'm still alive, as you can see now."
The man chuckled in his laughter. It was not strange that Adrian would answer his question curtly, considering that they did not have a good relationship. He only had a good relationship with the eldest of the Aditama family.
"How is your brother? I heard he ran away during his wedding party?"
Indah, who was beside Adrian, immediately lowered her head in dejection when she heard someone mention the incident again. It turned out that this event was the same as the last one he had ever attended. Both embarrassed him.
Adrian cleared his throat loudly. "I don't think that's any of your business, Mr. Brown."
The stocky man was flustered. "Ah.. well.. I was just asking."
Adrian grinned, "If that's what you're asking, you're just wasting our time." His hazel eyes stared at Indah who was still looking down beside him. He let go of the woman's embrace on his arm, and moved his hand to embrace Indah's shoulder.
"Come on, honey. Let's sit down."
Adrian immediately stepped towards the table provided for him and Indah. He remained unmoved and chose not to respond when Mr. Brown called his name from behind. He knew that the people here were kind because of his status as the son of Aditama, a conglomerate. If only he didn't have a high social status, Adrian would have been dragged out in front of the gate earlier.
Beside him, Indah was still looking down dejectedly. He knew that the woman must have felt bad hearing what the fat man said. gently, he rubbed the woman's slender shoulders. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." After hearing that, Indah lifted her face. Her round eyes met Adrian's sad gaze that softened towards her. For some reason, she felt warmth in her heart when she saw those hazel eyes. as if everything he said was a definite promise.
Well,.. he is Adrian Aditama. Her husband. Only Adrian is the figure who is now her life's mainstay and the only one she can trust. Unconsciously, Indah nodded and let the man guide her to sit at their table.
Not long after they sat down, the event began. First, the lights in the magnificent room were turned off and only the spotlight was turned on towards the stage. Speeches after speeches were delivered starting from the chairman of the committee to the special guests who were present.
Indah began to enjoy the event solemnly. It turned out that it wasn't a bad idea to come to an event like this. Moreover, the food served was also able to tickle the worms in her stomach. Luckily the lights were dark at that time, otherwise people might have seen her eating like a village cat. However, she didn't realize that the hazel eyes next to her were looking at her sadly while occasionally shaking their heads.
"And now it's time to present an amazing work from one of our famous painters. Here it is, a painting with a view of the Han River in Korea at dusk. What is especially interesting here is the figure of a man with his back to the camera. He looks lonely but gives off a mysterious aura."
Adrian's gaze immediately shifted quickly. He recognized the painting, even knew who the figure was in it. His Adam's apple rose and fell on his neck. Every now and then he tried hard to swallow his saliva because of it. His body froze instantly.
"Wow.. Beautiful.." Indah praised beside him, but Adrian couldn't hear her because he was already tense. He couldn't concentrate anymore because of it.
"The price starts from 50 million." Said one of the MCs from the stage.
In just a matter of seconds, several people dared to ask a higher price than that. Everyone seemed to be competing to get the painting with high artistic value.
"They're all really stupid with that." Indah suddenly mocked. Adrian stared at his wife flatly.
Realizing her husband's gaze, Indah immediately corrected her speech with a stutter. "I..I mean, who would want to spend money just for a stupid thing like that."
"You like the painting?" Adrian asked immediately.
Huh?
Indah's mouth opened. Why did Adrian ask her that so suddenly. Would Adrian buy a painting like that for her?
"I-I like it but why buy it. We don't - "
"90 million!"
The price skyrocketed even higher. Indah chose not to continue her speech and chose to remain silent and return to eating her chocolate cake. She didn't care how much the item would sell for. What was clear was that she would not be willing to waste her money on a piece of junk like that. It would be better for her to use the money to open a stall or other business that would make more money.
"500 million."
The guests present there immediately fell silent. Their gazes were wild, looking for who the fantastic bidder was.
Indah, who heard it, chuckled in her heart. What other crazy man was that who offered a price several times higher than the previous price. Even if he wanted, he could make one like that. But the amusement immediately turned into great surprise when a light hit his vision.
Indah lifted her head and looked around her. At this time all the guests sitting around her were looking at her with amazed looks. What just happened? Weren't they just bargaining stupidly with that strange painting and now...
Oh my gosh!
It turns out that the crazy man was..
"No one else is bidding? Okay, this painting is sold for 500 million for our special guest, Adrian Aditama." Said the MC.
Her own husband.
Adrian did not respond anything other than adjusting his expensive suit with an arrogant look. There was a sense of pride seeing the dumb, dumbfounded faces staring at him in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?" Indah asked, still with her mouth agape.
"Because you said you liked it, I bought it as our wedding gift." Adrian said casually. He didn't even know that Indah was currently staring at him with a dumb, dumbfounded look, just like the others.