"La! Aishla!" a girl shouted as she ran toward Aishla, who had just gotten off public transportation.
She was Salwa—Aishla's friend from work. Salwa was the most excitable person among the employees there. Salwa and Aishla were a year apart, with Salwa being the older one.
Breathing heavily, Salwa wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders and ushered her into the boutique. Then she dropped onto the fluffy carpet. Ever attentive, Aishla immediately got her a glass of water.
"Here, drink this first, Wa."
Salwa downed the water Aishla handed her in one gulp. Then she wiped the remaining drops from her lips.
"Praise God," Salwa said as she set the empty glass on the table. "La, did you really have a photo shoot with Mr. Arsyan yesterday?!"
Actually, all the employees already knew. Anatasya had sent the photos from the shoot to their group chat, embarrassing Aishla half to death. Especially when the employees who secretly had feelings for her started complimenting her.
"What was Mr. Arsyan like? Is he handsome? And could you feel the charm of a widower, La? Is it true he can't smile?" Salwa asked one question after another. She was incredibly curious about that widower with one child.
Aishla rolled her eyes in annoyance. She left Salwa babbling on and asking about the widower who had dared to behave indecently in front of an innocent girl like her. Aishla cursed the man who had left her haunted by what they had done yesterday.
Alisya shouldn't have provoked him by hugging Arsyan from behind. It had ended with Arsyan kissing her full lips. Aishla had wanted so badly to throw an empty bottle at them back then. But she still remembered that they were her bosses and she was only an ordinary employee.
"My Aishla! Why did you leave? I haven't gotten answers to all my questions, Aishla!" Salwa shouted, making the other employees turn their attention toward her.
For the umpteenth time, Aishla felt embarrassed. She walked to the restroom to change into her work uniform. Her shift would begin in fifteen minutes. Aishla was used to arriving early.
"Once was enough—Aishla had to meet a perverted widower like him yesterday. My eyes have been completely corrupted. Didn't he think about the fact that I was there?! He just lunged at her like that!" Aishla grumbled, still irritated with the widower.
When she was finished, Aishla came out. She was startled to find Salwa leaning against the wall beside the restroom door. She snorted when Salwa grinned and linked arms with her.
The girl was determined to get more detailed information about their employer's son. Salwa was sure Aishla could figure out what Arsyan Ayandra Arkatama was like. After all, Aishla was an observant person.
"What?" Aishla snapped, shooting her friend an unamused look.
"Hehehe... don't be like that, La. I just want to know about Mr. Arsyan, that's all. Out of all of us, you're the only one who's met him in person."
"You want to know?"
Salwa nodded several times. A sigh escaped Aishla. She gave in. She would tell Salwa about the perverted widower who had no sense of place. While they waited for a man who was mopping the floor, Aishla led her friend toward the stairs. They sat on the middle step.
Salwa immediately propped her chin on one hand and waited for Aishla to tell her everything.
"La?"
"Huuuff..."
"Come on, tell me, Aishla! I can't wait!"
"Be patient, my dear Salwa."
Aishla drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then she told Salwa everything, from when she first received Anatasya's message asking her to come to the boutique to the kiss Alisya had received right in front of her.
Aishla wasn't jealous. She was just disgusted. That widower had seemed so perverted, unable to hold back his desire to do something to his lover in a public place.
"So, did Ma'am see it?" Salwa asked after her friend finished telling the story.
"No. Ma'am had already gone inside to get some snacks. I swear, Wa, I was so disgusted with them. My eyes aren't innocent anymore, sob..."
"Tsk, it's fine. That's nothing compared to me sometimes watching stuff that's rated eighteen-plus."
"Huh? Eighteen-plus what?"
Salwa stammered. She'd let that slip. Aishla was so innocent. There was no way she could corrupt the mind of a girl who was still pure. It was enough that Salwa herself had been corrupted.
"AISHLA!"
Someone's shout made Salwa breathe a sigh of relief. Diaz walked toward them from the boutique's main entrance. Diaz was the only employee who was close with Aishla because they were the same age. That made Aishla comfortable enough to start conversations with him or respond when he invited her to chat.
"What is it?" Aishla asked as she stood. She didn't look at Diaz, instead staring at the urn beside her.
"Ma'am called earlier. She said to tell you to come to her house. She sent the address too," Diaz replied, making Aishla freeze.
Was something important going on that Anatasya had asked her to come to the Arkatama family's home? Aishla hoped she hadn't unknowingly made some kind of mistake.
"What does she need me for?"
Diaz shrugged indifferently, then sent the address to his peer's phone.
Aishla's body went limp, especially when she realized her employer had messaged her too. Before every shift, Aishla deliberately kept her phone in her bag. She left it on silent, so she wouldn't know if anyone tried to contact her.
"Salwa! What am I going to do? Ma'am really told me to come to her house!" Aishla cried hysterically. She didn't want to set foot in the Arkatama family's residence. She felt unworthy.
"Then just go over there. What's so hard about that, La?!" Salwa replied indifferently.
"Ugh, Salwa, you're always like this!"
"Now go! I'll pray you run into that perverted widower!" Salwa burst out laughing at the irritation on her friend's face.
Without changing clothes again, Aishla hurried to her employer's house. She used Anatasya's motorcycle, which was available for anyone who needed it. All along the way, Aishla kept praying that she wouldn't run into that perverted widower. She didn't know why, but she felt the description suited him perfectly.
The motorcycle Aishla was riding stopped in front of a towering gate. She got off and looked around for someone to ask. But the area around her seemed completely deserted. Having never visited a rich person's home before, she became confused. There was no way she could shout Anatasya's name. People might think she was crazy.
"Oh God, what do I do? Should I just call Ma'am?"
After waiting for nearly ten minutes, Aishla decided to call her employer. But then she remembered she didn't have her phone. Her bag was still at the boutique. In her rush, she'd forgotten to take the phone that she'd put back inside her backpack.
"Oh, God, what am I going to do? Aishla left her phone behind again!" she muttered, standing with her back to the gate.
Aishla remained focused on figuring out how to get inside the Arkatama family's residence. She was utterly confused. Every now and then, she bit her nails, stamped her feet, and even lightly smacked her head. None of it escaped the notice of a man sitting inside his car. The gate had already been opened wide. Aishla hadn't noticed at all. The girl was completely lost in her own thoughts.
Hoooonk!
The sudden honk made Aishla jump. Her heart pounded hard. She nearly had a heart attack. Aishla kept reciting prayers for forgiveness as she gripped the handlebars of her motorcycle. Once she'd calmed down, she looked behind her. But she was startled again by the horn of the black car. Aishla flared up when she realized the person inside was that perverted widower.
"Astaghfirullah, oh God! Why is he so arrogant? When we die, we'll all ride in the same coffin anyway!"