It's night almost 10'oclock, the food shop reached its closing time. The people which had been working non-stop since evening finally have their rest. They leisurely sat at the tables and chat.
"Huh! Everything went well! I never expected that!"
Mrs. Wiyata was full of sweat but the people present could sense her joyfulness and excitement.
A man in his late twenties, who's helping Raina previously, added, "Aunt Wiyata. I told you already that everything will be fine! Your food shop had been open for more than twenty years since I was just a boy. Although we're indeed get affected by the calamity on your family, suddenly closing make all of us your cooking's fans were at lost!"
"I agree with you, Abdul! If someone is from a family like me, where my mom can make me lose my tongue, would certainly depend on the food outside. My family all once tried the nearest food shops close to my home, but only yours fit my family's taste. I know it's a bit extravagant, but I can say that I grew up with your cooking…" A woman in her late twenties, who was helping with cleaning, nodded solemnly.
Mrs. Wiyata was so moved that she almost shed tears, "Oh, Abdul, Melati, I'm just an ordinary human! I never know what are the others think…" She then stood up abruptly squeezed her fists, "I feel so spirit! I'll go clean the kitchen first!"
"Mom--" Raina called out yet her mom was just waving her hand.
Abdul laughed as he slapped his thigh, "Lil' sister Raina, let your mom be. If she's too excited she can't sleep well later."
Melati opposed him, "But if she's too tired, she can't sleep well either! The whole body gonna be aching and sore! I'll help!"
Abdul watched her walk to the kitchen and dryly scratched his eyebrow. He then turned his eyes to the group of teenagers in front of him, "I'll go and help too. You kids should just go home and rest."
Sekar responded as she looked at her watch, "I'm waiting for my dad."
Abdul turned to look at Raina and Haydar, waiting for their answer.
Knowing this guy most likely would follow her, Raina answered for him, "We're waiting for her to go first." She said while pointing at Sekar.
Abdul nodded casually, "Then I'll go home after we finished cleaning the kitchen. I'll send both of the women home safely."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Abdul." Raina thanked him sincerely.
Abdul simply waved his hands and hurriedly strode to the kitchen.
Confirming that his back was gone, Sekar limply lay her head on the table, "… It's the first time in my life that I work so hard. My arms all sour."
Haydar indifferently glanced at her and thought, her nothing compared to his fairy's at all.
Raina chuckled lightly, "I feel a bit guilty using your white smooth hands to wash vegetables."
"It's fine actually. My hands are just exposed to water constantly without soap at all, like swimming! I can just use lotion if my hands dry." Sekar said as she rubbed her hands.
Listening to her statement, Haydar peered at Raina's hands. As he was about to hold it, Raina moved her hand away.
She smiled yet not smiled to him, "Hm? What are you doing, oh my guardian~?"
Oh-oh! It's started, it's started! Sekar silently put her chin on her backhand and turned her eyes to watch their interactions.
"Cough…" Haydar covered his mouth with his fist, "It's nothing…"
Raina huffed at his awkward appearance and spread her palms in front of him, "You want to see, right? Here, you can see whatever you want. Not so beautiful and full of calluses."
Just like she said, her hands were full of calluses. Haydar quietly touched her finger and unconsciously squeezed his other hand to a fist.
Raina was watching his reaction and playfully said, "Ah~ Even your hands are more like a princess than me!"
"Don't say that. You're hurting my pride. I feel like I'm not manly enough…" Haydar blankly glanced at her and pushed her hands lightly.
Raina and Sekar laughed at his funny response. Haydar only smiled helplessly but inwardly, he was not laughing at all…
The sound of a car horn sounded from the outside. Hearing the familiar sound, Sekar subconsciously stood up, "My dad is here!"
Raina and Haydar glanced at each other then stood up with her to send her.
As they walked out, they noticed a low-key branded car. Raina silently rubbed her eyes, feeling that actually, such a car was parking here in front of her humble food shop…
A middle-aged man with a shirt got off the car. His aura was majestic and noble, an aura that Raina never sense. Opposite of hers, Haydar twitched his mouth after seeing the man's face.
… Wasn't this the old man, his father's friend, who loved to visit his family by the new year and was persistent to match him with his daughter?? So his daughter was actually this light bulb??
Warning sounds pop in his head. He directly held the wrist of the girl beside him and dragged her a bit behind him.
Raina was confused at his sudden act and was about to ask, yet it was halted after she heard him say, "Uncle Bayan."
The middle-aged man folded his sleeves as he glanced at Haydar, and with sharp eyes, he saw the boy holding the wrist of the girl behind him.
"Such a coincidence. What is the youngest son from Dewanta Group doing here?"
… Dewanta Group?! Haydar was the son her dad kept on talking about?!
Sekar widened her eyes and covered her mouth in shock, abruptly staring at Haydar in disbelief. … What did she just do?!
Haydar perceive the meanings of the light bulb's reaction and knew that she never expected that he was from the Dewanta Group. Since she knew about it now, he was waiting for her next reaction. Would she support this old man's decision or would she reject it? If yes then…
He stared coldly at the old man said rudely, "Can you see with your own eyes what Am I doing here?"
Raina felt the current atmosphere was a bit weird and too tense. Since she didn't what was going on, she choose to stay silent and observed more.
Mr. Bayan glanced at the girl behind him and said with a little threatening, "Does your father know that you're playing around?"
"It's not playing around at all. And even he is not as tight as you watch over your daughter, of course, he knows about it. Not only him, my mother, grandpa, and brother also know." They should have long known about it from his mom.
Raina turned her eyes back and forth at the uncle in front of her and Haydar. The uncle was pretty terrible,… but Haydar's face was no less chilling than him. She had never seen him like this before.
Mr. Bayan stared at him with deep eyes and silently scored minus at his rude attitude and thought he was not fit to be the heir of the Dewanta Group.
"Father. Let's go home." Sekar abruptly said.
"We have to finish this matt-"
Sekar interrupted boldly and firmly, "Father, I said let's go home."
Raina saw the other side of Sekar. A week of interacting with her had given her many impressions of Sekar. She was a spoiled girl yet a lively one, loved to complain if she met trouble, and would be arrogant if she met something or someone she didn't like.
This time, she saw the solemn expression she had never shown before. The way she talked to her father, it could be seen easily that she didn't have a good relationship with him.
Raina watched the three and was immediately certain that she shouldn't get involved. She shook the wrist that was being held by Haydar and whispered to him, "I'll go in first."
Haydar too didn't want her to get involved in this matter so he let her go. He whispered softly, "Wait for me inside. We'll go home together."
Raina hummed at him, then nodded at Sekar and finally at Mr. Bayan, before entering the food shop to join with her mom.
"Since your girl is gone, you can stop acting now." Mr. Bayan said suddenly.
Haydar folded his arms and said indifferently, "I'm not acting. That's how usually I am." he then glanced at him up dan down, "… it seems like my father's kind and polite rejection has made your confident bigger, huh?"
Knowing they were going to bicker, Sekar just leaned on the car and took out her phone to play with.
Haydar received a silent answer from him and added, "I don't care whether you want to climb up using us as the ladder, or only want to control your daughter's future, or your weird obsession or even the trauma left by your ex-wife. Just don't you dare to cross our line."
Hearing him saying her mom, Sekar glanced lightly at her dad to see his reaction. Sure enough, he almost exploded.
"... Are you investigating me?" Mr. Bayan's breathing became messy.
Haydar gave him a small smile deliberately, "Not only that, but we also know the very details of your ex-wife's acts behind your back at that time. Our Dewanta Group isn't that stupid to let even an unidentified ant come in and out of our territory as it wants. They have to pay the price for it."
"Sekar. Go in." Mr. Bayan avoided the boy's playful sight and walked toward the car.
Sekar hummed casually and said to Haydar one last time, "Don't worry, he can't control me. Say bye to Raina." Without his reply, Sekar entered the car.
Watching the car leave, Haydar let out a sigh and proceed to call his father to inform this.
Inside the car, the father and daughter were as silent as grave. Sekar didn't even care if her dad was angry or what, she was just busy playing with her phone.
"How long have you known him?"
Sekar continued to play with her phone, "He just transferred to my school a week ago."
Mr. Bayan was silent for a moment before asked again, "What about that girl?"
Sekar understood what her father currently thinking. She put down her phone in annoyance and said to him with a bad tone, "Father, you have been threatened by that boy just now. You're the one who knows how terrifying the Dewanta Group way to shut annoying people up. Do you want to lose your hard-working company and go back to mom's house begging for backing?"
Mr. Bayan frowned in disgust, "Who wants to beg that whore?!"
Sekar sneered at his reaction, "Yes, a whore. You're the one who once married to that whore for the sake of your business. You even have a child with her. Yet you're still disgusted by her."
Gripping the steer tightly, Mr. Bayan gritted his teeth, "Sekar, I never educated you to talk like that."
Sekar glanced lightly at him, "You're right, you never did so. However, my current living environment educated me to be strong and harsh, Father. If not, I will already be a puppet under your hands."
After saying that, she turned her head away and watched silently at the night scene through the window.
She knew she never had a perfect family in the first place. His mom loved to sleep around with other men, while his father was too obsessed with his business even wanting to send her as an offer for the development of his business.
Aware of her weird family, she was determined. In the future, her small family won't ever be like her current family. Her husband should be loving and put the family on first matter. When they have children, they should care more about them. She didn't wish her future children felt once what she had gone through. They have to grow up full of love in a normal and loving family.
Right now, she should just endure it. Only a half year, she could cut the string between her and her father completely.
[Extra:
One day - 10
One day when Sekar complaint about the dozen guys pursuing her…
Sekar: "If I ever meet someone who isn't get affected by my charm, I'll chase him even I have to go to hell! But of course, that's exclude taken people!"
Raina: "…" Whatever you want. I wish for your wish will come true sooner.
Later, after she met Jadrian…
Sekar: "Oh-oh-oh! He ignores me again today! The way he ignores me is so handsome! I'm determined to chase after your brother!"
Raina: "…" Aren't you afraid of him? How did you suddenly become infatuated with my brother now?]