Kevin frowned as he stared at Sam, who was fixated on something ahead without blinking once.
"Sam, what the hell are you staring at?" Kevin snapped. His eyes followed his cousin's gaze. "Wait, don't tell me you're planning to...."
Before Kevin could finish, Sam stood up and walked toward the object he'd been watching.
"Wow, Sam's seriously lost it. Getting hounded to get married has finally fried his brain," Kevin muttered.
Elina, who was setting down a plate of fried tuna, jumped when Sam suddenly appeared.
"Good Lord." Elina patted her chest. "You startled me, sir. Would you like some more?" she asked.
Kevin, who heard her from his seat, snickered. Sam, meanwhile, frowned and glared at Elina in annoyance.
"Do I really look that old to you that you're calling me... sir?"
"Well, what am I supposed to call him? Mister? Big brother? This guy is so difficult," Elina grumbled.
Sam let out a long sigh. "I don't want any more food. But I need to discuss something important with you. Could you come sit over there with me?" Sam pointed.
Elina looked around, glancing right, left, and behind her. There was no one there besides her.
"You mean me, sir?" Elina pointed at herself.
Sam let out another long sigh. "Don't call me sir. I'm only twenty-seven and I'm not married."
Elina nodded. "Hmm, sorry, Uncle."
"What?" Sam's eyes bulged. He turned around. Sure enough, Kevin was howling with laughter at his seat.
"Sorry, but what does Uncle want to talk to me about? We don't know each other, so why do you want to talk to me?"
Sam sighed deeply again. This girl was incredibly irritating, he thought. Even though she'd downgraded him from sir to uncle, that still wasn't appropriate for someone his age who had such a baby face.
"Uncle?" Elina's soft voice snapped Sam out of his thoughts.
"Could you come sit over there with me for a moment? It's awkward talking while we're both standing like this," Sam requested.
"Okay, Uncle."
Elina followed behind Sam. She carried the tray, clutching it against her chest. Her gaze remained wary as she watched the two men, especially Sam.
"Sit down. Why are you just standing there?" Sam ordered.
Elina sat across from them. Kevin stared at her with an expressionless face.
"Why are you holding it like that?" Kevin pointed at the tray Elina was hugging.
"Just in case. These days, crimes can happen anywhere and anytime!" Elina declared.
"Tsk, do you really think I'm into shabby girls like you?" Kevin sneered. His expression was full of contempt.
"Shh! Don't ruin the mood, Vin!" Sam nudged Kevin's arm. Kevin turned away and chose to focus on his phone screen again.
Elina huffed angrily. Kevin's words made her feel disrespected.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Uncle. I'm the belle of the village back home. Plenty of young men—even married men—have chased after me!" Elina refused to back down.
"Then I guess all those men have cataracts!" Kevin shot back.
Elina was about to answer when she fell silent as Sam began to speak.
"That's enough!" Sam cut in. "I'm sorry about my cousin...."
"My name is Elina Kartika Putri. Just call me Elina!"
"Okay, Elina. I'm sorry for my cousin's rudeness. But I want to offer you something. How long have you worked here? And how much do you make?"
Elina frowned. "Why are you asking about my personal business, Uncle?"
"Sorry, but I just want to offer you a job. The salary is...." Sam leaned closer and whispered in Elina's ear. Her eyes immediately widened.
"What? One hundred million a month?" Elina cried.
Hearing that, Kevin, who had been sipping his drink, nearly choked.
"Sam, you're still in your right mind, aren't you?" Kevin protested.
Sam ignored his cousin's rambling and looked at Elina seriously.
"Well? Are you interested?" Sam asked.
Elina swallowed. She could faint just imagining one hundred million every month. That was several times more than what she earned at this eatery.
"Wait a minute. Are you trying to sell me, Uncle? Could you be part of a kidnapping ring that sells girls overseas?"
"You're insane!" Kevin exclaimed at Elina's words.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not the kind of person you think I am," Sam protested.
Elina narrowed her eyes, searching for honesty in Sam's gaze. "But you're offering that much money to someone you just met. What else could it be besides some kind of shady job?"
"Okay. Instead of letting you keep misunderstanding me, I'll tell you what the job is." Sam took a deep breath.
Elina grew even more wary. She gripped the tray she'd been carrying tightly. If the foreign man in front of her tried anything shady, she was ready to smash the tray into Sam's head in an instant.
"You have to marry me and become my wife!" Sam announced loudly, making Elina's eyes widen even further.