C1 Johnson's Devil

"What are you doing?"

The low voice sent cold air throughout the room, making the atmosphere instantly tense. The room fell silent, everyone lost their voice to speak in front of Areta Hadi Johnson — the heir of the JH Group, a woman who became a successful CEO at the young age of 28. The woman, dubbed as the devil Johnson, is a 60% shareholder of JH Group. An international company engaged in construction and architecture has become a leading pioneer in the construction of the interior and exterior of magnificent buildings in major cities.

Areta opened the folder that his assistant had given her. Read a glance then furrowed his brow in anger. "Human error," she thought indignantly.

She threw the folder on the table, making a loud sound that shocked everyone. The paper was all on the table and the floor.

"Collapse? What have you been doing so far?” Areta snapped.

"Haven't all the materials and tools we used passed the inspection process?!"

“If you can't even be done with this simple matter, leave. Don't waste my time."

No objections were heard. No one dared to make a sound because Areta's words are undeniable.

Seeing the increasingly unfavorable atmosphere, Hanny gently patted Areta's shoulder.

"Let's go to the room first, Areta," Allowing someone with a high temper and exhaustion to lead the meeting will only make everything worse. Hanny was afraid that the table in the conference room would fly into the air.

Areta entered her room and plopped down on the couch. Her hands unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt and rolled up the sleeves to reduce the heat. Slowly she massaged her temples which were throbbing from jetlag. Traveled to several countries in Europe for client meetings bad took a toll on her. Before receiving news from Hanny, she was in good mood to continue the trip to Singapore to check on the construction of a luxury apartment unit, but as soon as she heard the news, her energy immediately evaporated, replaced with anger.

The construction project of the largest amusement park in New York was stopped by the local government because the raw materials used were not qualified. Automatically bad news immediately blows like a storm that shakes the leaves on a large tree that has stood for decades, providing fresh air for the small trees that have just grown.

Areta's cell phone keeps ringing from calls questioning cause and effect and it's sending Areta into unstoppable anger. If Hanny doesn't drag her out, she was pretty sure she would fire all employees who have a direct role in the selection of this project.

"Drink,"

Hanny puts a cup of warm lemon tea in front of her boss, hoping it will calm Areta's emotions. She watched Areta take a deep breath, and looked dimly at the cup which was emitting a thin puff of citrus-scented steam before she turned her gaze to Hanny.

“Call Rafael, this matter must be resolved immediately. I don't want the old man to know," Areta said which Hanny responded with a nod. She understood Areta's point.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this as soon as possible. You better take a break now. You haven't slept and ate well these days, aren't you?" Hanny pushed the cup closer to Areta, asking her to finish the warm drink.

Areta took a sip, letting the liquid spread warmth throughout his body. Hanny's right, she needs to rest. While traveling from one country to another, Areta often skips her meals and sleeps. By now her body felt heavy and tired, and her eyes asked to be closed. Maybe it's the effect of Hanny's lemon tea that can always calm her down. She glanced at the watch in his hand and then laid down on the back of the couch looking for a comfortable position.

“Wake me up in fifteen minutes,” Areta told Hanny before completely losing the fight. She closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Hanny nodded, she reached for a soft thin blanket that folded under the table and draped it over the body that was curled up tiredly on the couch. She looked pitifully at her boss and best friend. She needed rest, being a slave to work made her no longer able to differentiate between eating, sleeping, or working.

***

"Find out what's been happening on the site." Said Hanny through his cellphone.

She immediately contacted Rafael as soon as she left Areta's room, asking him to find the root of the problem and find a solution. Hanny must move quickly so that this problem does not spread widely and cause an even greater impact on the company. The ringing of his cell phone stopped her tracks. Hanny sighed, without having to look at the name on her phone screen, she knew that soon a series of questions accompanied by an ultimatum would come.

"Hello,"

["What's going on?!"]

Hanny's breath caught in his throat as soon as he heard a deep voice from behind the phone. "Sorry, Chairman. We are currently still looking for the cause-"

["What the hell are you guys doing? You can't even take care of trivial matters like this!"]

"We will sort this out immediately," Hanny said while adjusting her voice.

Edgar Johnson, a Swedish old man, Chairman of JH Group, and Areta's grandfather. He is very sensitive and able to read the situation, even if he can predict a problem is at the level of danger or alert just from the tone of voice of the other person.

["Put this phone on Areta."]

Hanny gulped. "Re-Areta is currently resting," she stuttered.

[“What happened to her?”]

“Oh no, Areta is fine.”

["Tell her to call me right away."]

"Okay Chairman, I'll tell Areta."

Hanny heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the cellphone connection ended. Her whole body stiffened every time she faced a chairman. Areta is known to be a strict boss, but her grandfather is many times more terrible. Perhaps this is what is called hereditary DNA.

***

Areta opened his eyes, looked around then glanced at the watch that was attached to her left arm, 15:15. Fifteen minutes, enough time to rest. She got up to her desk and took a deep breath before returning to open the pile of folders in the corner of the table that had been neatly arranged.

Areta glanced at the little extra on the desk, her photo with Hanny surrounded by three men. Instantly her heart felt warm, Areta always felt grateful to have Hanny, Damar, Tio, and Shan who were always there for her. Although their relationship is based on mutual benefit, Areta still feels quite comfortable. In the photo, she is smiling happily. A smile that never appeared on her face while working.

"Did you wake up? Very fast."

Hanny shook her head nervously when she saw Areta again struggling with piles of paper. Only 10 minutes ago Hanny left this room. How Areta can get rid of the dark circles on his face when she sleeps in just a few minutes?

"Get some more rest. You didn't sleep while on the plane, Ta. Besides, this month I can count how many hours you sleep. Come on, you're a human, not a zombie."

Areta chuckles softly, this is the only characteristic of Hanny that often irritates her, being naughty. The woman could be an assistant, best friend, and mother at the same time.

"Areta, you heard me right?" Hanny closed the folder that her boss had just started reading.

"I'm feeling better. After all, we're going to have a meeting with the hospital in a bit, right?"

Hanny caught Areta's sad expression. She knew that every time the word "hospital" was mentioned, Areta would be sad.

"Don't worry, it's not a serious problem."

Hanny peeled the orange and put it in Areta's mouth, making the woman squint in annoyance because Hanny started treating her like a child but she gave up chewing the orange.

"Then why does Doctor Rayyan want to meet?"

"This might be the problem." Hanny pointed to a blue-covered folder, giving a logical enough answer to dispel Areta's excessive paranoid nature.

Areta looked at the proposal for the construction of a rehabilitation building for patients suffering from PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) that was submitted by Doctor Rayyan. A doctor who is trusted as the main director of Areta's mother's hospital.

"Hopefully nothing bad happened." Area mumbled while chewing again the orange slices that Hanny had forcibly put in.

*****