A private jet touched down on a runway. Bit by bit, the aircraft gradually slowed down before finally coming to a complete stop. Bella stepped out of the plane, walked across the tarmac, and entered the airport.
Her wavy, pitch-black hair billowed beautifully with every step she took through the airport. Her stunning figure was perfectly wrapped in a tight white sweater and black skinny jeans that accentuated her long legs. The clicking sound of her boot heels—made of black and gray plaid wool tweed—echoed with every graceful stride. A pair of sunglasses adorned with the Chanel logo perched on her sharp nose. Several men in black suits walked on either side of her, carrying Bella's luggage.
As Bella made it outside the airport, the door of a black Alphard swung open, inviting her to step inside and seat herself comfortably.
"I want to go straight to Bandung," Bella said as the luxury vehicle began to roll.
"Mr. Hirawan is already waiting at the grand mansion, Miss. You should greet your grandfather first. It has been a year since you left for America, and you haven't seen him since," said Kris, who was sitting in the front passenger seat next to the driver.
Bella let out an annoyed sigh but didn't attempt to argue. She closed her eyes, trying to catch some sleep after the long journey, as jetlag was still taking its toll on her.
"Miss, we have arrived at the grand mansion." Kris's voice woke Bella, who had been asleep throughout the entire drive from the airport.
Languidly, Bella stepped down from the car and entered her grandfather's luxurious mansion. She walked through the main entrance and headed toward the living room. There, she saw an elderly man around seventy years old, sitting in a wheelchair.
Bella took off her sunglasses and looked at her grandfather.
"Bella, come here, child. Grandfather missed you dearly," Hirawan said with a beaming smile, welcoming his only granddaughter.
Bella didn't budge from her spot. Her face remained completely expressionless.
"Now that you've seen me, Grandfather—I'm healthy, and I see you are healthy too. So now, I'm going home," Bella said coldly. She gave a slight nod and turned her back to leave.
"Bella!" her grandfather shouted. "You are still like this. Last year you decided to run off to America. You fled from your responsibility as the successor of the company, and now you return without feeling a single shred of guilt."
Bella turned around again and glared sharply at her grandfather.
"What do you expect from me, Grandfather? What matters is that your company is still running smoothly now, even though you aren't managing it directly. You've already appointed Uncle Hendra as the vice president. He has been helping you for years and knows the company inside out. All you need to do is appoint him as the CEO to replace you. Why do you keep pinning your hopes on me? I've already told you I'm not interested in replacing you!" Bella shouted back at her grandfather.
"I have told you hundreds, even thousands of times—I will only bequeath this company to you, my only granddaughter. Hendra is merely the son of your grandmother from an affair. He is not my own flesh and blood. You are my only hope after Candra, your father, left us. Please, Bella, this is all I ask of you, so that I can finally die in peace."
"And for the hundredth time, I'm telling you, I don't want to be the CEO! Because of you, Mom and Dad died! Everything happened because you cared too much about this company of yours! Don't you ever expect me to follow your wishes!" Bella yelled in anger.
"If you refuse, then you must get married. I will marry you off to someone capable of handling this duty. I already have several names of single CEOs from our partner companies. If you marry one of them, you will no longer need to be the chief executive. Your husband will manage the company. That way, Xander Corp will grow even bigger and stronger because a corporate merger is bound to happen once you wed," Hirawan explained.
"You still just don't get it, Grandfather. I am not your business tool! When I was in L.A., do you think I didn't know you were the one arranging for all those businessmen to approach and get to know me?! I will never marry any of those guys you chose! If I have to marry, I will marry someone I love!" Bella stated, her emotions boiling over.
"Love can follow later, Bella. It was the same for your grandmother and me. The same goes for your parents; they married through an arranged marriage to expand our business. You will be just like that—you only need to open your heart. You used to be close with Logan, the heir of Logan Enterprise. I regretted not giving you two my blessing back then just because he was still so young. Who would have thought he'd become the president director now? No one could have predicted Faris Victor wouldn't live a long life," her grandfather countered stubborn-mindedly.
"You've truly lost your mind, Grandfather! Inside your brain, there is nothing but business, business, and business! You haven't even realized why Grandmother cheated on you and had another child! It's because that arranged marriage didn't bring her any happiness with you!" Bella snapped. She was utterly appalled by her grandfather's words.
"Where do you think the money you use to squander around comes from? Every day, you can spend tens or even hundreds of millions just for your own pleasure. That all comes from my business."
Bella didn't reply. She felt exhausted from having to argue about this matter all over again.
"Fine. You want me to get married? I'll find a guy who can replace you as CEO. But I make you this promise: I will fall in love with him first, and only then will I marry him! I refuse to live like you or Dad, marrying for an arrangement just to strengthen the company! And you must accept whoever he is!" Bella said, initiating her negotiation.
"Very well. Let's see if there is a man out there who will love you purely for love. It turns out my granddaughter is incredibly naive. I will give you the chance to find a man who genuinely loves you," Hirawan challenged, agreeing to his granddaughter's term.
Bella looked satisfied with her grandfather's response, but then Hirawan continued, "But you must remember, he must be from the same social circle as us. He must also be capable of holding the position of CEO. It doesn't matter to me if there is no company to merge with; my company is already massive as it is now. But the background of your chosen future husband must strictly meet my standards."
"Love can come anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. I can't promise you anything regarding what kind of man I will marry later. Once I've found him, I will bring him here. When that time comes, whether you like it or not, you will have to accept him," Bella said as she walked away.
"Just bring him first, but as for whether I agree or not—I will decide that later," Hirawan said, putting an end to the debate.
Bella kept walking toward the main entrance.
"I want my Lamborghini. Bring it here," Bella commanded Kris.
Kris immediately contacted someone through his earpiece to bring Bella's pink Lamborghini Centenario from her grandfather's luxury mansion garage.
Before long, the car was already waiting in front of Bella. She opened its scissor door upward and stepped into the luxury sports car.
"I'm heading to Bandung. There's a community event at the Logan Ritz Hotel," Bella said before getting into the car, then cast a sharp glare at Kris. "And Kris, don't you dare follow me! I'm sick of looking at your face!"
The pink luxury car then sped out of the grand mansion gates belonging to Hirawan Alexander, one of the wealthiest tycoons in Indonesia and the owner of Xander Corp.