FORBIDDEN TO FALL IN LOVE

16. Alibis

"Celine!" exclaim Valeda.

Celine who was sitting in front of Valeda's room was shocked to hear her boss suddenly exclaim from inside. He turned his head to some other workers who were sitting not far from him, but all just kept quiet with furrowed brows.

"There's a problem, Cel?" ask Lilia.

"The feeling of all work is in order. What's up, Cel?" Nanda asked, feeling that there were no problems in their work.

"Ceeelliiinnneee!" Valeda exclaimed loudly.

"Look, gih!" michael's Proposal.

Celine immediately got up and ran small towards Valeda's room. "What's up, Val? You can call me, right, instead of screaming like that?" ask Celine.

Valeda held up the phone in his hand. "There's another message coming in!" answer Valeda.

Celine shook her head in wonder. "You're! I thought what was up until you screamed indistinctly!" Celine approaches Valeda and grabs the phone they used to contact the shampoo lottery winner.

"What did he say?" ask Valeda.

"'I got this number from a shampoo pack. What kind of lottery did I win?'" Celine read the incoming message.

"That mouse!" valeda's orders.

"I'll just go meet, okay?" celine asked, asking for Valeda's opinion.

Valeda knocked on his desk, weighing Celine's words. He didn't have much time this time. "Aren't they suspicious?"

Celine laughed at Valeda's worries. "That vote was suspicious from the start, Val. We're desperate, remember?"

"You are right" replied Valeda. "Okay, meet up!"

Celine sat down on the sofa and started replying to the incoming messages. Valeda sat restlessly in his chair. For some reason, the chair felt uncomfortable at this time. Like a thousand needles protruding.

Valeda stood up, about to approach Celine, seeing Celine the henchman reply to the message. But his steps came to a halt due to the ringing of the phone at his desk.

"Yes?" ask Valeda after turning on the loadspeaker.

"Miss Valeda, Mrs Emely is here to meet you," replied Eva, who works on the front office.

Valeda swallowed his saliva with great difficulty. He could not possibly refuse to meet his own mother. Meanwhile, Valeda knew what would happen if Mrs Emely got up here.

"Pending thirty minutes. I still have an internal meeting" Valeda replied. Valeda can hear Eva tell Valeda about her condition to Mrs Emely.

"Miss, Madame Emely is willing to wait," Eva gave an answer.

"Well, thank you," said Valeda, then walked quickly towards Celine.

"Calm down, Val!" celine said that saw Valeda panic.

"My mom's downstairs! How'this?" ask Valeda. "Mama will definitely drag me on a blind date again this time. Worst case scenario, Mama will come along. I won't be able to run away or talk shit."

Celine turns her brain around to save Valeda, who starts to panic. Madame Emely is a strong person, as is Valeda. He won't let Valeda go that easily. "Who knew Mrs Emely was here for anything else?" hatch Celine.

Valeda laughed crisply. "What else do you expect other than to see me on a date? I know my mother. He won't come all the way to my office just to take me to lunch together."

Celine doesn't deny it, because she knows what Valeda says is true. "Rab again?" celine's proposal, feeling like there's no other way out.

"With the emergency stairs!" Valeda agrees. "Give me your shoes!" valeda's orders.

Celine immediately recalled the keds shoes she had kept under her desk. "No! I just bought those shoes!" reject Celine. "I've been after him for five months!"

"I'll buy you a new one!" sahut Valeda fast. "I can't go down the stairs by fifteen levels using high heels, right?"

Celine manyun's. He really couldn't just put his shoes in Valeda's hands.

BRACKET!

"There is no need to bother borrowing Celine's shoes" said Mrs Emely.

Celine, who was aware of the mother of her incoming superior, immediately stood up. "Corn, Mrs Emely!" greet Celine. "Have you had lunch?"

"Celine, you better not help Valeda escape again" Mrs Emely warned.

Celine bit her lip. He did not dare to open his mouth again to get further involved in Valeda's matchmaking matters. Madame Emely could be even more sinister than Valeda.

"Mama, I'm still in a meeting" Valeda tried to dodge.

Madame Emely who felt 'expelled' by Valeda, instead sat back at the place where Celine was sitting earlier. "You can cancel that meeting. There's nothing more important right now than your matchmaking."

Valeda threw a 'do you right' look at Celine who stood up while holding back a laugh.

"Mama's already made a lunch appointment with Mama's friend. Come on, you're also preparing to come along!" lady Emely's orders.

"Ma, this is not going to work" Valeda said. "Mama knows for herself how the men you sent for Val. Nothing's all right."

"Yes, it's Mama's fault" replied Mrs Emely. For a moment, Valeda hoped that her mother understood and did not continue her plan. "Mama was too hasty and did not check things further. Mama introduced you to a friend of Mama's son whom Mama had never even met. This time, Mama's coming."

"What!?" great-grandson Valeda.

Madam Emely looked at Valeda straight. "Mama will be in your match. After all, getting married is not just about the two of you, it's about our family."

"Mama!" whining Valeda frustrated. She no longer knew how to tell Mrs Emely that she was not interested in the matchmaking.

"You're a girl. It is not good if women are single for too long. Your career has been good. It's even better if someone is with you," explains Mrs Emely who remains firm to decide Valeda's match.

"This time, what kind of man, ma'am?" The curious Celine couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore.

"Good question!" praise Madam Emely, as if that was the question she had been waiting for. "He's an old friend of Mama's. Name's Sebastian. The boy lived in Singapore for a long time. Mama's friend said, Sebastian will settle in Indonesia next month."

Valeda rolled his eyeballs. He's not interested in anything Mrs Emely has to say.

"Sebastian is a good match for you, Val. Mama met him a few times. He's a polite boy" praised Mrs Emely.

"Val doesn't want to meet him" Valeda refused without further ado. "Val is not interested."

"You'll love Sebastian the moment you meet him" she dropped out.

"Mama likes it, not Val" Valeda refused again.

Celine just shook her head to see how the two people before her were so stubborn towards each other. However, he was too curious about the continuation of the drama before his eyes.

"Valeda," Madam Emely's voice sounded deep. "Mama never asked for anything from you. This time alone, be a filial and happy child Mama. Don't be like your three sisters."

Valeda's voice choked at Madam Emely's request. He did not demand anything from Valeda. But, her little heart still vehemently refused what was asked of her now.

"Let's go have lunch and meet Sebastian" Mrs Emely said.

"Madam, sorry I interrupted," Celine opened her mouth. "But Miss Valeda really can't right now" he added.

Valeda looked at Celine questioningly. Celine who usually just kept quiet and listened, bravely mediated Madame Emely's talk, even supporting Valeda.

"I don't accept the reason for the meeting" Madam Emely replied firmly.

"No, Madam," said Celine quickly, then looked at Valeda. "Miss Valeda, isn't this a good time to tell Mrs Emely the real reason?"

Valeda's brows furrowed hearing Celine's words. She herself did not understand what Celine meant.

"Your girlfriend is heading to the restaurant for lunch together" Celine replied.

***