One

"How do you do, Honey?" Lucas' whisper in my ear with his hand wrapped around my stomach sounded so sensual. I really liked this man's voice especially when he whispered like this. The blood in my body heats up. A heat that makes me want to feel his warmth immediately.

However, I can't. I'm already late for work. No matter how much I wanted to curl up in a blanket with this man, I couldn't miss my work.

"I'm making pancakes. This is the only breakfast I can cook today," I replied.

"Hmm." He murmurs right in the crook of my neck.

"Luke," I tried to avoid. "I'm late."

Lucas exhales harshly. "Okay," he says.

Somehow, no matter what the circumstances, Lucas never protested if something annoying involved my work. He would understandably let me get on with what I was doing.

I smiled. After that, we passed breakfast quietly. At nine o'clock, I arrived at work.

Natty was already at the cash register.

I wasn't late, but my arrival was out of the ordinary. Normally, I would arrive at least fifteen minutes before work starts.

She smiled at me.

"It's okay, Sara. Don't make a face," she said.

I shrugged. "Well, I need this job so much. I can't make me lose a job for coming late. I should have come earlier."

Natty rolled her eyeballs. "Our boss was never even here. She or he would't notice anything except for our sales."

"Well, you have the point, but that was never my point."

"Whatever," she retorted. She looked annoyed, but believe me, she was the only person who made me feel comfortable to keep working here even though the risks were very high. One of them is being the target of the rich people's wrath.

Ever since I was little, I've been unable to hear high voices. It wasn't because of trauma or anything like that. It's just that my parents never raised their voices in front of me even though they were very angry. Mom and Dad would be quiet or avoid me for some time, and then we would talk with a cool head.

A customer returned a set of clothes she bought a month ago. She said the clothes were too small on her. We couldn't accept it because it had exceeded the deadline. Also, there was no receipt. The customer, in full consciousness, berated me in front of other customers who were shopping. I was already shaking. I was on the verge of tears. Fortunately, Natty took over. The brave woman firmly confronted her until the customer gave up and left with an expletive coming out of her mouth.

"Don't be afraid of women like that, Sara. She can only take refuge behind her wealthy husband's name." Her words made me feel better.

I laughed sarcastically to myself. What made me feel better? I just felt worse. That woman can use her husband's money as she pleases, while me? I have to use my own money to feed the four adults living in the house.

"Sara!" Natty's shout brought me back to the present. Destroying the envy that came back after remembering her.

"Yes?"

Natty leaned closer, putting her lips to my ear. "The owner of this shopping center is coming to our store," she whispered.

I gasped. My throat suddenly felt very dry, not knowing how to respond to the information Natty had just given me. I just stood there, frozen. Apparently, my condition surprised Natty, so she tapped me on the shoulder a little hard.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah....," I stammered. "No, nothing. I-I just... I was wondering who the richest person was," I continued, ending with an awkward smile.

Natty shrugged. "Well, no one ever knows. They were very secretive. The only legendary rumor I know is that they have a child. Whether male or female, it's also a mystery."

I cleared my throat awkwardly. The family I worked for was quite mysterious. They were very private. I knew enough, but I didn't talk much to Natty. I just listened without responding.

"If it's a boy, and they're looking for a daughter-in-law, I'll do whatever it takes to get on their search radar." Natty raved incessantly about this wealthy family.

"Didn't most rich people already have their own candidates?"

Natty let out an exasperated breath. "That's right," she said.

I laughed softly, then went back to my work; checking the clothes one by one, so that no rejected items were sold to customers. SOP that must be carried out every day. The loss was more than double if I accidentally sold a defective item, and that was the amount of my salary for six months.

I shuddered at the thought of losing four months' salary, while all the expenses in my house relied on that money. We could go into debt or even starve to death if that happened.

***

I staggered towards the apartment door. The elevator to my place was quite close, but it felt very far. I was exhausted. There were so many customers today, I even cut down my rest time to improve my sales record. I need to get as many bonuses as possible. There's something I have to buy, and it can't be with my salary money.

Huh! When will I be able to manage so much money without worrying about my basic needs being compromised?

In fact, it was very tiring. I often thought about giving up, but I loved my husband very much. I know he's also trying hard with his business. There is no instant business that can generate wealth in a short period of time. As long as we still support each other, I think I can survive.

Apparently, love can drive anyone crazy. Including the most spoiled woman like me. The old me, how could I possibly do everything by myself, especially when it comes to cooking. There was mom who always did it for me. There was dad who would happily fill my savings every month without having to be asked, without me doing anything other than being the family's favorite sweet child.

See me now? Besides being a waitress at a clothing store, I'm also a servant to the parents of the man I love. That's how easily love changed me.

I frowned when the door wouldn't open even after entering the security pin many times. I set this pin. Using the door in front of me at all times. It's also impossible for me to forget because the security code is a combination of important dates in my life. Then, why couldn't it open?

I tried to calm down. My right hand reached into the bag slung over my left shoulder, looking for a cell phone to call Lucas. Maybe I had forgotten, or something had happened while I was working.

The crease on my forehead deepens when I hear the ringtone of my husband's cell phone ring, but he doesn't answer my call. Was he sleeping? I kept trying to call him. There was no answer either.

I tried again and again. At the end, I called my mother-in-law. Hopefully nothing would happen.

"Hello, Auntie. The password I entered is wrong. Do you change the password?"

"Don't call me!"

The phone just disconnected. What was going on? My in-laws have never been friendly, but never this rude. Seriously, I'm so tired right now. The only thing I wanted right now was to take a shower and sleep, not stand in front of the door of a house that couldn't be opened at all-by me, the owner.

I exhaled roughly. It's exhausting. I try calling Lucas once more time. I could still hear it ringing, but again it went unanswered.

What was wrong with everyone? I really feel furious now. If this keeps up, where am I going to rest?

That's fine. I'll try to calm down. Inhale, then exhale. I did the breathing technique a few times. After feeling a little better, I called my husband back. I almost smiled when Lucas answered. However, the smile disappeared before it even appeared, after Lucas said something that really pierced my solar plexus. It left me speechless, so that the tiredness I'd been feeling all day seemed to vanish into thin air.