Chapter 3

The loud chime of the doorbell echoed throughout the whole house. It didn't take long for the main door to swing open, revealing a middle-aged woman standing behind it.

"Good evening. Welcome to the Bimantara residence," the middle-aged woman greeted respectfully, looking much like a receptionist at an office building. "Who are you here to see?" she asked politely.

The girl with her hair in a single ponytail nodded awkwardly. "G-Good evening. I-I'm here to see the homeowner. I heard they're looking for a babysitter, so I came to apply."

"Please, come in. I'll go get the hosts," the middle-aged woman said, stepping aside slightly to leave a gap at the door.

The young-looking girl nodded again and stepped inside, adjusting the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder as she walked past the middle-aged woman—who was likely a housekeeper or maid, though she couldn't be sure. She was invited to sit on a sofa in the living room while the woman disappeared down a hallway, presumably to call the homeowners.

While waiting, she looked around the living room. The decor was simple. Four sofas of varying sizes surrounded a rectangular coffee table covered with a floral-patterned cloth and decorated with artificial flowers. A landscape painting hung on the wall. That was it—no other fancy accents. Honestly, something simple like this was more than enough.

A woman walked into the living room holding a baby. She sat down opposite the simply dressed girl and looked at her intently, while the baby was busy gnawing on a rubber duck toy.

"Excuse me..." Mrs. Bimantara's voice drew the girl's attention. "You want to apply to be a babysitter? Are you sure?" She had assumed the applicant would be an older woman, like most of the domestic helpers working in households. But this girl looked so young. Did she even know how to care for a baby?

When it came to looking after the chubby little guy, Rosa had no intention of hiring just anyone. She didn't want her grandson receiving careless care. Besides, she had thought her youngest son would contact a placement agency, but this girl had shown up on her own. Without an agency? How did she even find her way here?

The girl offered a small smile and nodded. "I have experience caring for babies. I'm confident I can do it, ma'am," she said.

Mrs. Bimantara still wasn't completely convinced. Despite the girl claiming to have experience, for some reason she couldn't bring herself to just take her word for it. Trying to stay polite so the girl wouldn't feel rejected right off the bat, Rosa offered a gentle smile. "Um... let me discuss this with my husband and sons first, okay? Just a moment..." she said, rising to her feet and leaving the living room.

At this time of night, the Bimantara family usually gathered in the family room. Even if everyone was doing their own thing, they were bound to be there. Rosa hurried over to her husband, who was watching television.

"Dear... someone is here to apply as a babysitter for Bian," Rosa informed him.

Adnan, who was typing away on his laptop, looked up. "Wait, isn't that a good thing, Mom? Someone showed up right away."

"I didn't include our home address in the ad," Adrian chimed in.

His words made everyone exchange glances—except for the chubby little guy, who couldn't care less and was entirely focused on squeezing his rubber toy.

They sat in silence for a moment before everyone rushed out of the family room and headed toward the living room. There sat the girl with her hair tied in a ponytail, dressed simply on one of the sofas. Her head was bowed, her fingers nervous and intertwined. Agam cleared his throat, prompting the girl to lift her head and see the entire Bimantara family standing nearby.

She looked at each of them one by one until her gaze locked with the youngest son's. The girl quickly averted her eyes.

The patriarch, followed by his wife and sons, took their seats on the sofas. They all stared at the young woman who had come to their home claiming she wanted to be a babysitter.

"Could you introduce yourself?" the host, Agam, spoke up.

The girl in the ponytail nodded. "My name is Rabia Anjasari. I'm nineteen years old. I graduated from high school last year. I have experience caring for babies."

Agam nodded. She was still very young, having graduated just last year. She should have been able to find better work than being a babysitter or child caregiver. Hmm...

"How did you know we put out an ad looking for a babysitter?" Adrian asked. Something felt off to him about the young woman sitting across from them. How did she know where they lived? He hadn't listed any details about the Bimantara family at all.

The girl who introduced herself as Rabia avoided making eye contact with Adrian. Looking slightly downward, she answered his question. "I-I'm sorry. I happened to overhear it while helping carry some things in front of a shop."

"A shop? What shop?"

"I'm not completely sure, but the sign said Rosa Gallery," Bia explained, still keeping her eyes away from the youngest son, who kept pressing her with questions.

Rosa gasped softly. Her reaction didn't escape the notice of Agam and Adnan, who both immediately gave her a meaningful look. Well, now they knew who had accidentally leaked their identity—and the fact that they were looking for a nanny. Adrian let out a soft sigh the moment his mother's gallery was mentioned. That meant Rosa and Bia had bumped into each other by chance, leading the girl straight to their doorstep for the job.

"Well, alright. But are you really sure you want to be a babysitter? You're still young, you could definitely find a more suitable job," Rosa suggested. She felt bad letting such a young girl work as a nanny. It hardly seemed ideal for someone her age.

The girl's ponytail-bound head bowed even lower. "I... all my documents were stolen when I got robbed. I came from a small village, and if I go back... I'm sorry, but if you take me in, I'm willing to work without pay! Just please let me stay here. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Rosa and Agam exchanged looks, feeling a wave of sympathy for the young woman standing before them. Mrs. Bimantara then turned her eyes toward her two sons, communicating silently through her expression. Adnan nodded in agreement, seeing no issue with it, while Adrian still looked doubtful.

"Rabia, here's the thing... even if we agree, you still have to win over Bian," Mrs. Bimantara said, adjusting the baby on her lap. In the process, the rubber toy the chubby little guy had been holding fell to the floor. "He's the one who decides whether you get to be his nanny."

"I understand, ma'am," Bia replied softly, accepting her fate.

"Alright, give it a try. Call out to him," Rosa prompted.

Even though the baby wasn't fussing and didn't mind being held by others, that didn't guarantee he would readily accept a complete stranger into his daily routine. Rabia would be spending almost twenty-four hours a day around Bian, and the baby could easily get cranky and refuse to be near his new nanny. After all, Adrian had been the exact same way as a child. He was happy to let anyone pick him up, but rejected every single nanny assigned to care for him, leaving Rosa with no choice but to watch her youngest son herself.

Hmm, was Bian going to take after Adrian in that way, too? The apple rarely fell far from the tree.

Finally, Bia lifted her head and looked toward the baby sitting on Rosa's lap—who was currently staring down at his dropped toy—with a look of deep longing in her eyes. Unnoticed by anyone else, a faint smile formed on her lips, the corners turning up slightly. She nodded at Mrs. Bimantara's request.

"Bian..."

The baby, who had been looking down, snapped his head up the moment he heard his name called. His bright, sparkling eyes met the gentle, warm gaze of the girl sitting across from him. Abian, who usually took his time warming up, suddenly let out a delighted laugh. His little arms reached straight out toward Bia, his whole body leaning forward as if trying to leap over to her.

"Ah! Mm! Mm! Mmm~!" The chubby little guy grunted with effort, pushing his body forward, desperate to reach the person in front of him.

Rosa had no choice but to stand up and hand Bian over to Bia. The baby squealed with joy, bouncing up and down in the girl's arms the moment she held him close.

"Aah!" The chubby baby's tiny hands patted Bia's cheeks, a wide grin plastered across his face. "Aaah! Mm! Mm-mm-mah! Mah!" he babbled away in his own little language.

Watching this scene unfold, it was obvious Bian had fully accepted the girl as his nanny. The rest of the Bimantaras, who had spent the last few days watching the chubby little guy stay mostly quiet, had no idea Bian could be this lively and expressive around anyone. He clearly adored the girl named Rabia.

You missed me, didn't you? Me too. Mommy missed you so much, Abi. Bia's brown eyes grew hazy, tears welling up on her lower lids. She felt like crying right then and there.