This was Alya's third morning since moving into the luxurious house. Fortunately, Arka's parents, Mr. Bambang and his wife, were away on business overseas. So Alya didn't have to feel too awkward.
She had no idea what she would say to Arka's parents about her presence in the house. Especially since Mr. Bambang had once been her former boss. Ah, whatever. Arka could explain everything later. Alya just had to follow the script.
Alya was starting to get used to the rhythm of the household. As soon as she woke up, she tidied her room, then went downstairs to help out in the kitchen for a while. Getting to know the household staff here also felt important to her.
“Where should I put these vegetables?” Alya asked, pointing to the imported produce that, honestly, looked pretty unfamiliar to an ordinary person like her.
“Just put them in the big refrigerator on the right, miss. They’re for this afternoon’s menu,” Auntie Nah replied warmly.
“Okay, got it!” Alya answered enthusiastically.
Auntie Nah smiled as she watched the girl’s cheerful energy. This was the first time her young master had brought another woman to live in the house, aside from Sari, who worked as Caca’s nanny. In Auntie Nah’s opinion, Alya was friendly, warm, and completely at ease.
Alya went back to keeping busy, helping her peel onions or handle other small tasks.
“You’ve worked here a long time, haven’t you, Auntie Nah?” Alya asked in between their activities.
“Very long, miss. I’ve even been helping take care of Arka since he was little.”
“Really? Wow, that’s a seriously long time!” Alya’s eyes widened with excitement.
Auntie Nah nodded. “Arka was incredibly active when he was little. Cute, handsome, and adorable. He was also very sharp and curious about everything. Sometimes even I had trouble keeping up with all his energy. Haha.”
Alya smiled. For some reason, this time she found herself interested in hearing about Arka’s past from someone else’s perspective.
“Arka was also extremely smart, miss. His grades were always perfect in school. And whenever he entered a science or basketball competition, he always won,” Auntie Nah said proudly.
“Wow, he used to be the basketball captain too?”
“Yes, miss! No wonder he’s so tall and broad-shouldered...”
“That makes sense...” Alya let out a soft laugh. But a moment later, she furrowed her brow and lightly tapped her chin.
“You said he used to be active and friendly... so how did he become so stiff, cold, and scary now, Auntie Nah? He can be really annoying sometimes, you know,” Alya complained, propping up her chin.
Auntie Nah’s expression slowly turned gloomy. The older woman let out a long sigh.
“That’s just it, miss... Ever since the end of his school years, Arka became quiet. It reached its peak with what happened four years ago... I thought it was just part of growing up, but it turned out—”
“Wait, Auntie Nah. I think Caca’s awake,” Alya interrupted, sharpening her hearing as she caught a faint knock from upstairs.
“Oh, you’re right, miss. Could you check on her?”
“Sure. I’ll go upstairs first.”
Alya hurried toward Caca’s room. The door was slightly ajar.
“Oh, Caca’s awake!” Alya greeted the tiny child sweetly as she rubbed her eyes at the edge of the bed.
“Where Mommy go?” Caca asked in her raspy just-woke-up voice.
“Mommy just finished helping Auntie Nah in the kitchen. Come on, let’s brush your teeth and wash your face first,” Alya coaxed warmly. She took Caca’s tiny hand and led her to the child-sized bathroom.
Alya’s behavior now truly looked like that of a real mother.
“Do you like having long hair like this, Caca?” Alya asked as she slowly combed through Caca’s fine hair.
Caca nodded firmly. “Daddy says so I can be like Cindelella! Her hair long and pwetty,” she answered innocently with a wide smile.
“Yeah, you’re very pretty. Which princess do you like best, Caca? Cinderella or Snow White?”
“Umm... Caca likes all of dem! Dey all so pwetty. Caca wanna be a pwincest too!”
Alya gently stroked Caca’s hair, then crouched down to bring herself to the child’s height.
“But Caca’s already a princess. Daddy and Mommy’s princess. You’re so pretty today.”
The little girl instantly flung her arms around Alya’s neck. Alya returned the warm hug without hesitation.
“Tank you, Mommy. Caca wuvs Mommy and Daddy so much,” Caca whispered brightly.
“Mommy and Daddy love Caca too,” Alya replied softly.
“Caca happy Daddy brought Mommy home. Caca sad... all my friends get picked up by their mommies, but Caca doesn’t have one...” Caca said quietly.
Those innocent words were like a sharp blade slicing into Alya’s chest. Her hand stopped mid-stroke against Caca’s back. Her expression turned sorrowful.
Alya’s heart ached. Without realizing it, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She tightened her embrace around the innocent child.
“Oh, Caca’s awake!”
Alya startled and turned around, quickly wiping the corner of her eye. Sari stood in the doorway, smiling.
“Sari! Caca bwushed her teef with Mommy!” Caca announced excitedly.
“Wow, what a smart girl you are! Come on, let’s get you changed, then you can play with Sari,” Sari coaxed.
Alya slowly released her embrace. “Mommy’s going to take a shower first, okay? Caca can play with Sari.”
“Okay, Mommy!” Caca scampered over to Sari.
“I’ll take Caca downstairs, Alya,” Sari said politely.
“Okay, Sari. Thank you.”
Alya watched the little girl leave. A warm, deeply moving feeling filled her chest, but it was threaded through with a pain she couldn’t explain.
She straightened Caca’s bed for a moment before stepping out of the room. Her gaze then landed on Arka’s bedroom door across the hall. Strange. It was still tightly shut, even though by this time Arka was usually dressed in his office clothes and ready to demand punctuality from everyone else.
Slowly, Alya approached her boss’s room and knocked.
“Mr. Arka? Are you awake?” Alya called from outside.
Silence. No answer. Alya glanced at the watch on her wrist.
It was already 7:00 a.m. If this continued, they could all be in serious trouble and late for work. Rather than get yelled at later for supposedly failing to remind him, Alya worked up the nerve to turn the doorknob.
The door wasn’t locked.
She poked her head inside. The broad-shouldered man was still curled up beneath his thick blanket.
“Tsk, how can he still be sleeping so soundly at this hour?” Alya muttered in disbelief.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Alya pounded harder on the already-open wooden door. “Sir, it’s late. Traffic’s going to be awful!”
Arka remained motionless.
Alya slowly approached the side of the king-size bed. She bent down and looked at Arka’s face. The sharp lines of his features didn’t look nearly as hard as usual.
“Sir... Mr. Arka...” she called again, lightly patting his arm.
“Ugh...” Only a weak, hoarse groan came in response.
Growing frustrated, Alya touched Arka’s arm more firmly. But she immediately flinched. A searing heat burned against her palm.
“Are you sick?”
Alya reflexively pressed the back of her hand to Arka’s forehead. He was burning up.
“Oh my God, you’re so hot! You have a fever!”
Alya spun around in a panic, intending to get a cold compress and a thermometer.
But before she could take a step, a muscular hand seized her wrist and yanked her hard. Alya lost her balance and fell directly onto Arka’s chest.
An unmistakably compromising position.