CHAPTER 45: A GRACEFUL FOREIGNER COMES TO ALARIC’S OFFICE.

Alaric and Donny finally arrived at Alaric’s private office just a little past two in the afternoon. The sky had cleared, now bright with streaks of thin, curling clouds.

Alaric swiped his ID card to open the door, and the moment it swung open, the scent of coffee and cool air-conditioning greeted them. The office wasn’t large, but it was cozy.

Dominated by white and light grey tones, the space felt clean and modern. Its minimalist design was complemented by shelves lined with small prototypes, neatly displayed digital blueprints on the walls, and a few framed awards — tokens of pride, but nothing flashy.

Donny headed straight for the sofa in the corner of the room, facing the window. He dropped onto the plush surface with a relaxed plop, swinging his legs and unscrewing the bottle he brought from the car.

"Man, your office’s nice. Small, but it totally feels like your brain. Cool, neat, and full of plans," Donny remarked, glancing over at Alaric who was already seated at his computer.

Alaric just let out a light huff and kept typing. His fingers moved fast across the keyboard, focused but still giving off his usual laid-back vibe. "No worries. I don’t have much on my plate today, just important stuff. Give me a bit and I’ll be free," he said without looking up, not wanting to break his concentration.

Donny watched his friend for a moment, then got up, curiosity taking over. He slowly walked toward the door. "Bro, I’m gonna wander around a bit. Just wanna see the rest of your office."

Alaric turned briefly, still typing. "Sure. Just don’t get lost. Not that it’s even possible. This isn’t the Helix HQ, just my little base camp. No matter where you go, you’ll end up at the pantry in like three steps. It’s super easy to remember."

Donny smirked. "Still. Who knows? Maybe there’s a secret room where you do all your alien experiments."

Alaric raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. He probably knew Donny was talking about his experimental projects that were too technical to understand. Donny had even once joked that his brain would explode if he ever joined Alaric in inventing all those wild new technologies.

He had chosen to take over his family’s company instead. Less hassle, he claimed. And to be fair, he did know his father’s business inside out, so it wasn’t hard for him to jump right in.

Donny stepped out into the reception area. The central AC here hit colder than in Alaric’s room.

His eyes were drawn to the front desk setup. It was pretty simple. An arched high desk wrapped with a thin LED light strip, a waiting sofa, and a few green potted plants to keep things from feeling sterile.

But his attention was immediately caught by a man standing at the desk.

The guy stood out. Big time.

He had bright blond hair, almost white, like some high end European doll. He wore a pastel blue satin shirt, tight ivory trousers, and most eye-catching of all, a long lavender scarf covered in tiny floral patterns.

He stood with a certain flair, like a theater actor who forgot he wasn’t on stage.

"Umm I... meet... uh... the... you know, important person in... the creation industry... what is it... Craft? Craft-something?"

The young bob-haired receptionist tried her best not to laugh while figuring out what he meant.

"I think I get it, sir. You mean Craftpartner?"

"YES! That one! Craftpartner!" the man shouted, snapping his fingers proudly like he just solved a quiz question.

"But," he scratched his head, looking unsure. "I forgot the name. But he’s handsome. Young. Smart. Smiles a bit... maybe? I saw his photo once, I think... Alarik?"

Donny, who’d been watching this like a reality show, finally stepped in with a grin. "You mean Alaric? I know him. Want me to take you to him?"

The guy immediately turned to Donny, smiling with relief. "Oh, thank God! I was about to perform interpretive dance to explain it!"

Donny chuckled. "No need for that, sir. Come on, I’ll take you in."

As Donny turned, he walked with an exaggerated guide-like stride, glancing back like he was giving a VIP tour. "Right this way, sir," he said dramatically. The man followed, nodding eagerly like a kid promised candy.

"Should’ve done this earlier. No one here understood what I was saying," the guy muttered as he shook his head. "I’ve lived in Indonesia so long, I forgot all my English. Truly a tragic irony."

Donny laughed. "You’re something else. A foreigner who forgot his own language."

They walked side by side toward Alaric’s room. Donny couldn’t stop grinning as the man beside him moved so expressively. Even walking felt like a stage performance. His hands kept rising for no reason, his mouth moved as if reciting lines to himself, and his eyes scanned the hallway like he was touring a royal palace.

In the quiet corridor, the soft squeak of leather shoes echoed on the polished marble floor. Donny walked with mild reluctance, occasionally glancing at the tall blond man beside him.

His formal jacket had been too flashy to begin with. He had even taken it off earlier, revealing just the shirt. But now, walking toward Alaric’s office, he had put it back on, making Donny’s eyes squint from the clashing colors.

And that pair of sunglasses he still hadn’t taken off made him look less like a businessman and more like a B-list action movie star.

Just before they reached Alaric’s door, Donny stopped.

"Hey, you. What’s your business here, anyway?" he asked, tone flat but probing.

The man turned slowly. With a smug lift of his eyebrow, he answered in broken, half-accented Indonesian.

"Ugh, so nosy. Why do you want to know my business so bad?"

His voice was sharp, his tone mixed with a Western lilt and a snobbish edge. Like a socialite fresh off a private jet.

Donny said nothing. He didn’t even blink for a few seconds. His brain was processing too much, too fast.

"This guy’s full of himself. Doesn’t even speak proper English, and his Indonesian’s a mess too. My head hurts. Should’ve just let him wander into the storage room or the cafeteria."

Before he could say anything, the guy had already strutted ahead, then turned to block Donny’s path to the door.

"Ugh, you stay here. Why are you tagging along anyway? Ike doesn’t need you."

He said it with a dismissive tone like Donny was just a background character in his glamorous life.

Donny blinked twice. His expression now screamed *what the hell*, a mix of shock, irritation, and amusement.

He almost turned around and walked straight back to security, but curiosity got the better of him. So he sank into the cream-colored leather sofa outside Alaric’s office. Through the transparent glass wall, he could see part of the conversation inside.

The guy was talking animatedly to Alaric. His gestures were exaggerated, hands flying like he was pitching a concept to a panel of TV judges. Donny couldn’t hear a word, but the man’s dramatic expressions said plenty.

"Who even is this guy? Shows up acting like a CEO. And why is Alaric just nodding along?"

A moment later, the door opened.

The man walked out with a satisfied grin, glanced at Donny, and said:

"Ike’s heading out. Thanks for guiding me, even if... well, you know."

He waved his fingers dramatically like brushing off something irrelevant. His grin? Infuriating.

Donny let out a long sigh and watched him disappear around the corner.

Without wasting another second, he stood up and walked into Alaric’s room. His curiosity was through the roof.

"Ric, who was that?" he asked straight away. "What did he want? He wasn’t messing with you, was he?"

Alaric, who had been studying a form, simply smiled and set it down.

"Relax, Don. He’s not messing around," he said. "That was Mr. Villegas’ assistant. You know, the director of the Creative Tech Development Division at Vektora. One of the main partners of the National Creative Tech Tournament I want to join."

Donny frowned. "Oh, so that arrogant dude wasn’t just some random guy?"

Alaric let out a soft laugh. "Nope. He came because their company’s actually interested in inviting me directly. Said I have great potential to win. So instead of applying like everyone else, they handed me the form in person."

He lifted the form and showed it to Donny.

"Usually people register online first, then if they meet the criteria, they get this form. But apparently, they think I deserve a direct pass, so here it is."

Donny blinked. "Whoa. You’re not just promising, Ric. You’re getting scouted."

Alaric gave a small smile, humble as always. "The prize is big, Don. Two hundred million. And more than that, it could be a stepping stone for my career."

Then he held up the form again.

"He also asked for a signature. Said it’s proof for his boss that the form was delivered in person."

Donny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and then he left acting like he was doing a magazine cover shoot."

They both chuckled, letting the tension from earlier fade away.