Amara's footsteps felt heavy as she climbed the spiral staircase covered with thick carpet. The closer she got to the upper floor, the clearer the sound of a baby's piercing cries became, mixed with the sound of objects being moved roughly. Lasmi, who was walking in front of her, looked tense, repeatedly straightening her uniform as if preparing to enter a battlefield.
"Wait here for a moment," Lasmi whispered as they reached the front of a large, closed teak wood door.
Lasmi knocked on the door gently. "Sir... the new nanny has arrived."
"Come in!" The voice was not only heavy, but also contained a vibration of suppressed anger.
As soon as the door opened, the sight inside the room stunned Amara. The nursery was very large, perhaps the size of her entire house in the village, but the atmosphere felt so oppressive. In the middle of the room, a man in a disheveled black shirt was pacing back and forth while cradling a baby who kept struggling.
"He still won't touch the bottle, Lasmi! Three types of formula have been changed today!" Arlan exclaimed without turning around. His face looked tired with real lines of frustration on his forehead.
Lasmi immediately signaled Amara to come closer. Amara stepped forward, her head bowed as instructed, but her eyes caught Arlan's figure up close. The man was much taller than she had imagined, with a firm jaw and a very masculine woody perfume—mixed with the sour smell of baby milk.
"This is Amara, Sir. The girl I told you about from the village," Lasmi said softly.
Arlan stopped walking. He turned around and stared at Amara from head to toe. His gaze was so sharp, as if dissecting every secret Amara carried.
"Her? She's still a child," Arlan hissed coldly. "Does she know how to take care of a baby? Kenzo is being very fussy, I don't need an amateur here."
Amara dared to raise her face slightly, although she immediately bowed again when her eyes met Arlan's intimidating dark eyes. "I... I'm used to taking care of my two younger siblings since I was little, Sir. Please give me a chance."
"Argh!" Arlan groaned as Kenzo, the baby in his arms, started crying louder again until his face turned red. Arlan seemed to lose his patience. Without many words, he thrust the tiny baby towards Amara. "Take him. Prove to me that you're useful, or you'll be sent home tonight."
Amara deftly received Kenzo's tiny body. As soon as the baby's skin touched her arms, an extraordinary wave of warmth suddenly spread throughout Amara's body. Her chest throbbed intensely, the pain from the build-up of fluid inside seemed to find its "trigger."
Strangely, as soon as he was in Amara's arms, Kenzo slowly began to calm down. His sobs diminished into soft whimpers. The baby leaned his head on Amara's chest, right at the point that hurt the most, and began to sniff as if smelling a familiar scent.
Arlan was stunned. He narrowed his eyes, watching how the baby, who could not be calmed by anyone before, suddenly became tame in the hands of this village girl.
"Why did he calm down right away?" Arlan asked, his voice now lowered, but still felt threatening.
"Maybe... Kenzo just needs a comfortable hug, Sir," Amara answered nervously. Her heart was pounding not only because of fear, but because the leakage in her chest was getting out of control. She could feel her underwear starting to get soaked.
"Lasmi, leave us. Let her try feeding him the milk one more time in front of me," Arlan ordered absolutely.
Lasmi gave Amara a worried look before leaving and closing the door. Now, in the spacious room, there were only Amara, the baby who was starting to get restless looking for something on her chest, and Arlan who was standing only a few steps away from her, watching with his arms crossed.
Amara swallowed. She knew Kenzo wasn't looking for the plastic bottle lying on the table. Kenzo was looking for the source of life that was currently torturing Amara's body.
Amara felt cold sweat starting to trickle down her temples. Kenzo in her arms began to behave more aggressively; the baby's tiny hands gripped Amara's shirt right at her chest, while his head kept moving wildly, sniffing for the source of the sweet scent that intoxicated his sense of smell.
The pain in Amara's chest was unbearable. She knew that if she didn't release her breast milk soon, not only would Kenzo explode in tears, but her clothes would also be soaking wet from the unstoppable leakage.
"Sir... I'm sorry," Amara's voice trembled, she stepped back one step. "May... may I ask Sir to go outside for a moment? I want to try to calm Kenzo alone. Maybe he needs a quieter atmosphere without anyone else."
Arlan's eyebrows furrowed instantly. His sharp eyes narrowed, staring at Amara with a gaze that seemed to be able to penetrate the girl's heart.
"You're kicking me out of my own son's room?" Arlan asked in a low, very intimidating tone.
"It's not like that, Sir... I just think maybe Kenzo feels tense because the atmosphere here is too... stiff," Amara tried to find a reason, her hands holding Kenzo, who was starting to whine in frustration, tighter.
Arlan stepped forward, reducing the distance between them. Amara could smell Arlan's strong masculine scent, which for some reason made the hormones in her body react even more wildly.
"Listen, Village Girl," Arlan said, his voice now right in front of Amara's face. "I just met you ten minutes ago. You're a stranger. You think I'll let you be alone with my son without my supervision? Don't expect it."
"But Sir, Kenzo really needs peace. I promise I won't do anything," Amara pleaded almost begging. The baby was now pulling on Amara's collar with his mouth open, searching.
"What exactly do you want to do that I'm not allowed to see?" Arlan asked suspiciously. His eyes dropped, noticing Amara's hands that kept pressing her own chest as if holding back the pain. "Why are your hands there? Are you hiding something?"
Amara's face flushed red. "No, Sir. I... I just..."
"Don't lie to me!" Arlan snapped softly but piercingly. "Take the bottle and give it to him now. In front of me. I want to see how you work."
"He doesn't want the bottle, Sir! Look, he's refusing it!" Amara exclaimed in despair as Kenzo started screaming again for not getting what he wanted.
Kenzo's crying this time was much more heartbreaking. The baby was kicking, and accidentally his elbow pressed on Amara's swollen chest. Amara moaned softly, tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes because of the combination of physical pain and mental pressure.
"Why are you crying? Just because I scolded you?" Arlan looked surprised to see the girl's tears, but his ego remained high.
"Please, Sir... I beg you," Amara whispered between sobs. "Let me try my way. I guarantee Sir Kenzo will be quiet in five minutes. If not, Sir can fire me right now. But please... give us some privacy for a moment."
Arlan was silent. He saw his son suffering and saw the girl in front of him who looked so tormented by something he didn't understand. There was an urge in Arlan's heart to yell again, but seeing Amara's fragility, something foreign stirred in his heart.
"Two minutes," Arlan finally hissed as he turned towards the door. "I'll be standing right behind this door. If I hear a suspicious sound, I'll come in and you'll regret stepping foot in this house."
SLAM!
The teak door closed hard.
Amara exhaled a shaky sigh of relief. She immediately locked the door from the inside, even though she knew Arlan might be watching her through CCTV or standing right behind the wood.
"Shh... shh, darling. Forgive me, okay," Amara whispered to Kenzo.
With trembling hands, Amara sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. She unbuttoned her uniform one by one. As soon as the fabric opened, Kenzo immediately fell silent, his wet eyes staring intently at Amara. When Amara brought the baby closer to her chest, Kenzo immediately grabbed it greedily, as if he had found a lost treasure.
Slurp...
Amara closed her eyes, her head leaning back. The agonizing pain slowly turned into extraordinary relief. But behind the door, Arlan stood frozen. The sudden silence inside the room only made him more curious and... fluttered.
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