Chapter 2
Sienna had pride, too much of it, if she was being honest. But even pride had limits, and hers was currently being tested by the fact that she had nowhere to sleep for the second night in a row.
She had considered checking into a hotel—until she remembered that checking into a hotel required money. Which she did not have.
So instead, she wandered.
Jakarta at night was a different beast. The neon lights, the traffic, the constant hum of life, it should have been exhilarating. But for the first time in her life, Sienna felt small. Invisible.
The thought made her scowl.
She was not the kind of woman who blended into the background. She was the kind of woman people noticed. Admired. Envied.
“Lost, princess?”
Sienna groaned before she even turned around. “You again?”
Rafa leaned against his motorcycle, arms crossed, expression lazy. “Don’t sound so excited.”
“I’m not,” she said flatly.
“You sure? Because you’ve been walking in circles for the past thirty minutes. Either you’re lost or you’re training for a marathon. Which is it?”
Sienna squared her shoulders. “Neither. I’m thinking.”
“Ah.” Rafa nodded. “Thinking.
That’s what we’re calling being homeless now?”
Her nostrils flared. “Excuse me?”
“Come on, Sienna,” he said, not unkindly. “I know the look. The ‘I-have-nowhere-to-go-but-won’t-admit-it’ look.”
She bristled. “I have plenty of places to go.”
“Great. Where?”
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “That’s none of your business.”
Rafa smirked. “Right. Let me guess—you’re on your way to your penthouse, where your personal chef is waiting with a five-course meal, and your butler is fluffing your pillows?”
Sienna lifted her chin. “Something like that.”
Rafa sighed, pushing off his bike. “Alright, come on.”
“Come on where?”
“My place.”
She scoffed. “Excuse me?”
“You need somewhere to stay. I have a couch. Unless you’d rather keep wandering the streets, pretending you have a plan.”
Sienna crossed her arms. “I don’t need your charity.”
“Good,” Rafa said. “Because I’m not offering charity. I’m offering a deal.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deal?”
“You help me out for a few days, I let you crash at my place.”
She frowned. “Help you with what?”
He shrugged. “I run a garage. Could use an extra set of hands.”
She stared at him. “You want me to work?”
“Scary thought, huh?”
She scoffed. “I don’t even know how to fix a car.”
“You won’t be fixing anything,” Rafa said. “Just helping out. Cleaning. Organizing. Running errands.”
Sienna wrinkled her nose. “So, what? You want me to be your assistant?”
“More like an intern,” Rafa said, amused. “Unpaid, of course. But you get a couch, food, and no creepy men following you home. Seems like a fair trade.”
Sienna chewed the inside of her cheek. She hated everything about this. The idea of working. The idea of accepting help. The idea of owing Rafa anything.
But she hated the idea of sleeping on the street more.
Finally, she exhaled sharply. “Fine. But this is temporary.”
Rafa grinned. “Of course. Just until you get back to your… penthouse.”
Sienna shot him a glare but climbed onto the back of his bike anyway. As they sped through the city, the wind whipping through her hair, she realized something unsettling.
For the first time in her life, she had no idea what came next.
a witty, emotional, and fast-paced contemporary romance novel about Sienna Santoso, a runaway heiress who finds unexpected love and independence while escaping an arranged marriage. Facing family pressure, personal growth, and undeniable chemistry with Rafa, a self-made entrepreneur, she must decide between her past and her future. A gripping slow-burn romance filled with tension, humor, and heartfelt moments.
