Nadira had just finished a meeting when a receptionist knocked on her office door.
"Miss Nadira, there's a delivery for you."
Nadira frowned. She wasn't expecting any packages. When she saw a medium-sized box with the logo of a prominent florist, her curiosity grew even more.
"From who?" she asked as she took the box.
"There's a card," the receptionist replied before leaving.
Nadira carefully opened the box, and instantly the soft scent of moon orchids filled the air. The pristine white petals with gentle purple streaks were so beautiful, as if speaking in silence. Her fingers brushed a small card tucked inside.
To: Nadira
From: Evan
Her heart skipped a beat.
Evan.
Nadira's hand trembled slightly as she placed the card on her desk. She stared at the flowers for a long time, letting her mind wander.
Why did Evan send this? What does it mean?
This was no ordinary flower. Moon orchids aren't just a casual gift. They are rare, classy, and... full of meaning.
Nadira took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sudden feelings stirring in her chest.
She reached for her phone, staring at Evan's name in her contacts. Her finger hesitated above the screen.
Should she text? Call? Or... pretend nothing happened?
In the end, she simply put the phone back on the desk. Not now. Not today.
But her eyes remained fixed on the moon orchids.
—
Nadira tried to distract herself by returning to work, but her focus was broken. Again, her eyes glanced at the moon orchids on the corner of her desk.
Why did Evan send these flowers? Why now?
After so long, after everything that happened, he suddenly appeared with a beautiful and... confusing gift.
Finally, Nadira gave in to her curiosity. She grabbed her phone and typed a message.
Nadira: Why send flowers?
Sent.
Less than a minute later, her phone vibrated. A reply from Evan.
Evan: Pretty, right?
Nadira sighed. Of course Evan would respond like this—always avoiding the heart of the question.
Nadira: That's not an answer.
Evan didn't reply immediately. Nadira put her phone down and tried to focus again, but her mind was too chaotic.
A few minutes later, her phone lit up again.
Evan: I saw the flowers at home. Made me think of you. That's all.
Nadira stared at the message for a long time.
Is that all? That simple?
She wanted to believe it, but deep down she felt there was more. Something Evan wasn't saying.
Her fingers typed again.
Nadira: I'm getting married, Van.
Message sent.
No reply.
Nadira stared at the screen, waiting seconds, a minute, two minutes… still no response.
Until finally, she heard a knock on her office door.
"Nadira."
Her heart seemed to stop when she recognized the voice.
Slowly, she looked up.
Evan stood at the doorway, looking at her with an expression hard to read.
—
Nadira Learns the Truth
They sat facing each other in a quiet cafe on a late afternoon. Nadira held her coffee cup, raising an eyebrow at Evan.
"So," she said, sipping her coffee, "what's with the flowers?"
Evan looked at her briefly, then shrugged. "I just remembered you like moon orchids."
Nadira smiled faintly but didn't fully believe him. "We hardly talk, Van. I didn't even know you still remembered that."
Evan didn't answer right away. He just stared at Nadira, as if weighing something in his mind.
Silence.
Nadira finally put down her cup. "So, what's really going on? Why do you suddenly... feel different?"
Evan leaned back in his chair, looking Nadira straight in the eyes. His jaw tightened slightly before he spoke.
"I have a child."
Silence.
For several seconds, Nadira just stared at Evan, waiting for a punchline that never came. She even chuckled softly, though her voice sounded awkward. "What?"
"I have a child," Evan repeated, softer but firmer.
Nadira's world spun for a moment.
"You're serious?" she almost whispered.
Evan nodded. "I only found out a few weeks ago."
Nadira bit her lip, trying to digest it. "Who's the mother?"
Evan rubbed his face. "Ayla."
Nadira frowned. "Who?"
Evan took a deep breath. "I don't know either."
This time, Nadira leaned forward. "Van, don't joke around."
"I'm not joking, Dir," Evan's voice was flat. "I don't know Ayla. I don't remember ever being with her, don't remember having a relationship, don't remember anything about her. But... the child exists. And the DNA test says he's mine."
Nadira was silent.
Her blood stirred, but her mind was full of questions. This wasn't something she could process in one breath.
"So, you mean..." she said slowly. "You have a child with a woman you don't even remember?"
"Yes."
"And you believe it?"
"I have to."
Nadira stared at Evan for a long moment. "Are you sure this isn't a trap?"
Evan gave a small smile, but his eyes remained dark. "I hope not."
Nadira shook her head slowly, looking out the window. This was too absurd.
One thing she used to believe about Evan was that he wasn't the settling down type. He was impulsive, too free, and three years younger than her. And now he sat in front of her, calmly saying he had a child?
And somehow, the part that scared her most wasn't the fact that Evan had a child.
But the fact that Evan had changed.
Something inside him trembled, as if everything she thought about Evan all this time was wrong.
And that was far more frightening.
—
Evan Accepts the Truth
Evan stared out the cafe window, but his mind drifted far away. The image of Raka kept filling his thoughts.
The child looked too much like him.
From the jawline, the arch of the eyebrows, to the way he furrowed his brow when thinking. Exactly like in the old photos he had seen.
Now, even though his mind still struggled to accept it, his conscience said otherwise.
Raka really was his child.
Evan rubbed his face, feeling tightness in his chest. This should have felt strange. It shouldn't have been so easy to accept. But the truth was, from the first time he saw Raka, something inside him immediately connected.
And that was scary.
"Evan?" Nadira's voice brought him back to reality.
Evan turned and found Nadira still looking at him, her expression a mix of confusion and worry.
"You okay?"
Evan wanted to say he was fine, but he knew that would be a lie.
"No," he finally admitted. "I don't remember anything about Ayla. But... every time I see Raka, it doesn't need a DNA test to know he's mine."
Nadira was silent, letting the words hang in the air.
Evan took a long breath, then exhaled slowly.
"Funny, isn't it?" he said with a bitter smile. "I never thought about having a family. Never imagined I'd be a father. But now, even without memories of how Raka was born... I know I can't leave him."
Nadira stayed quiet, but she could see something in Evan's eyes—something she had never seen before.
A burden. An awareness.
And for the first time, Nadira realized Evan was no longer the man she used to know.
—
Back to the Office, Back to the Battlefield
Evan returned to the office with his head full of things he hadn't fully processed—about Raka, about his lost past, about how he should behave. Yet, as he passed by the desks, he knew one thing for sure: work must go on.
"Van," Reza's voice stopped him before he could sit down at his chair.
Evan turned. "Yes?"
"We're entering final tender next week. I need you full-time on the team to wrap this up," Reza said with a serious boss tone. "Can you?"
Evan looked at him briefly, then nodded. "I can."
Reza patted his shoulder once before returning to his office.
Evan sighed, pulled his chair, and his screen lit up. The tender documents were waiting to be reviewed. In the coming days, his life would be filled with meetings, data analysis, negotiation strategies, and proposal revisions.
He let himself drown in work, keeping his mind busy with numbers and documents. But among all that, one fact he couldn't ignore remained.
He was no longer just Nathaniel Evan, an employee at his father's company.
He was now also a father.
—