Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

After the congregational Maghrib prayer with her family, Elena said goodbye to her room on the grounds that she wanted to study seriously in preparation for tomorrow’s exam. Elena even asked Mommy to tell Aunt Endah to take her dinner to her room. Everyone was amazed. They glanced at each other, exchanging questions through their eyes. Elena isn’t usually talkative and quiet like tonight. Ivand and Viero themselves immediately left their place after the prayer was over.

Rizky’s presumption is that the cause of Elena’s change in attitude must have been the loss of her favorite watch. Then Rizky smiled at his father so he didn’t have to worry about his little brother. But as a father and the only man closest to the girl, Jeremy felt something was wrong. Not an ordinary problem as hinted by Rizky. Unable to contain his curiosity, Jeremy immediately interrogated Rizky. Because Rizky was the one who had been with Elena this morning. Rizky then casually said that Elena was sad because she lost the watch she had given him. Rizky also said that he would special order a watch for Elena later instead.

“It’s like you don’t know your little brother, Bro, how would you like him to be replaced with a new watch? He’ll feel at home in his room if he doesn’t find the watch,” said Jeremy, feeling doubtful about Rizky’s plans.

“Brother, didn’t Elena tell you anything? Maybe she has a crush on a guy or something? Coz your little sister has been acting strange lately.” Jeremy expressed his concern.

“El didn’t tell me anything, Dad,” replied Rizky while thinking about something.

“The most important thing is that the monthly guests want to come. As usual, it wouldn’t be Elena if she didn’t create drama at home,” said Vanessa as she put her mukena in its place.

Vanessa always responds to Jeremy’s attitude, which she thinks is over, in a relaxed and calm manner. Jeremy was silent as he looked at Vanessa meaningfully. He was sure there was something going on inside his daughter. To be precise, since gaining her freedom, Elena has begun to change. Maybe what he did was wrong? Should he regain control of the girl’s freedom? But Jeremy is very sure that the girl is still under his supervision today.

“Just let Mommy talk to Elena later. Daddy just accompany Bang Eki,” said Vanessa again and then immediately left the prayer room.

Vanessa didn’t immediately go upstairs but walked towards the kitchen to instruct Bi Endah, one of her household assistants, to prepare their dinner and serve coffee for her two beloved adult men.

In her room, Elena quickly put on her earphones to improve her mood, not knowing where her mind was wandering. She didn’t want her feelings of jealousy to disturb her focus on studying. Tomorrow was the third day of the National Exam, and the subject was mathematics. Elena didn’t want her unrequited feelings to affect her education. However, Elena was determined that after finishing the exam, she would intensify her efforts to approach Devan. She didn’t care about other people’s opinions regarding their significant age difference. What mattered was that Elena wanted to express her feelings to Devan. Even if it led to heartbreak, Elena was willing to take some time away to calm herself. She believed she would be fine and could fall in love with another man.

For a moment, Elena fell silent, enjoying the lyrics of the music that began playing and greeted her ears. Successfully, music proved to be the most powerful healer for the music enthusiast’s emotions. Elena’s study mood slowly improved. The girl reached for a thick book containing a collection of National Exam questions from various years. It also included several sets of new questions following the predetermined curriculum by the government.

Behind Elena’s bedroom door, Vanessa stood. She hesitated to enter, fearing she might disturb her daughter’s study session. However, Vanessa’s strong inner urge overcame her hesitation. With a firm grip on the doorknob, she moved forward. Creak… The sound of the door didn’t disrupt Elena’s focus on studying. Slowly, Vanessa pushed the door wide open. There was nothing unusual with her daughter. Elena appeared deeply engrossed in her studies, moving her body to the rhythm of the music without noticing Vanessa’s presence. Finally, Vanessa decided to leave to avoid disrupting Elena’s concentration. Perhaps another time, Vanessa would talk heart-to-heart with Elena as fellow women. But for now, it wasn’t the right time. Let the girl finish her National Exam smoothly first. They could have an intensive conversation later.

Vanessa closed Elena’s bedroom door slowly. Then she went downstairs to join her son and husband.

Meanwhile, in another place, Devan was curled up under a thick blanket in his room. Since the afternoon, his body didn’t feel well. So after waking up from a dream where he met Gita and his daughter, Devan immediately returned home and delegated all his work to Lucky. Devan didn’t have a fever, but the headache he experienced made him comfortable lingering in his room for a long time. Even vertigo, a condition that often accompanied Devan whenever he was burdened with heavy thoughts, had flared up earlier in the evening. Fortunately, Devan promptly took medication and rested. So his illness didn’t become severe. Now, all Devan needed was rest and to calm his restless mind after encountering Gita and his daughter Naysila in his dream that afternoon.

The next morning, Elena didn’t ask Rizky to drive her to school. She wanted to take her car and planned to hang out with her two friends to find entertainment to ease the jealousy in her heart.

After the exam, as usual, Elena gathered with Citra and Melodi. This time, they decided to visit Galeria Mall based on Elena’s suggestion.

Galeria Mall is a shopping center located in a strategic location, Jenderal Sudirman Street. Its central location makes it easily accessible by various types of transportation. The mall is open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Although not a large mall, Galeria Mall has complete facilities and adequate parking space.

The mall, often referred to as Gale, is also suitable for relaxation as it has many cafes and restaurants. One of them is Canting Jogja located on the mall’s rooftop. In this luxurious restaurant, visitors can enjoy various delicious dishes while accompanied by a beautiful city view.

The three girls were now at one of the food stalls lining up there, King Korea Resto. This eating place is suitable for those who love Korean cuisine, such as BBQ Rice Bowl, Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Dakgalbi, and many more. The variety of menu options made this place crowded with Korean food enthusiasts. While enjoying their food, they chatted and joked as usual. Don’t ask about the theme they were discussing; the three girls themselves never knew the number of themes they covered every time they gathered.

Elena’s goal to forget all her burdens succeeded, and her mood improved. However, suddenly, the person who was the main cause of Elena’s jealousy appeared not far away. The smile on Elena’s lips disappeared instantly when she saw the two people walking towards the three of them.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Why do I have to meet him here!”