Grandma Putri turned and glanced toward the stairs, waiting to see if Ajeng would bolt out from her grandson's room, then scamper down those steps in a rush.
But as one minute ticked by it became clear that Ajeng's cry had resounded just once, and then above, silence returned, peaceful once more.
Ajeng did not come racing out.
"Phew, thankfully, it looks like Ajeng can handle her first issue," Grandma Putri muttered to herself, though she had no real idea what had actually transpired upstairs.
What mattered most was that Ajeng could hold her ground.
In Sean's room.
The boy had been laughing uproariously at first, but now his laughter had vanished.
Replaced with a cynical gaze at his caregiver.
"Aren't you scared of frogs, Miss Ajeng?" Sean probed with searching eyes, a child of genius, inheriting his intelligence directly from his father.
Sean could already read exceptionally well, was skilled in mathematics, and fluent in several languages.
But that brilliance was his secret, while everyone else judged him to be naughty and dumb, so much so that Sean pretended he couldn't write at all.
"Not at all, why should I be scared? It's adorable, isn't it? This is the villagers' squishy," replied Ajeng, nonchalantly stroking the frog belonging to the boy, showing no fear whatsoever.
"Squishy?" Sean inquired, furrowing his brow.
"Yes, see, if you squeeze it, it's soft."
Quack! The frog noisily objected to Ajeng's squeeze.
Sean, not wanting his frog to be harmed, quickly snatched it back up and hugged it.
"Why did you scream earlier?" he countered.
"Just startled," Ajeng answered crisply, her wide smile unfurling.
Ugh! Sean grumbled internally.
That morning, Sean carried on pretending to be Ajeng's buddy, they talked about various things - school, favorite foods, and much more.
Ajeng felt she had conquered the youngster. Her job seemed very easy, not at all as frightening as Miss Ratih had warned.
At 10 o'clock, Reza returned from playing golf with Ryan.
Meanwhile, Rilly had stayed in her room since earlier and refused to come out, the girl was a homebody.
"Grandma, has Sean's nanny arrived yet?" Reza asked.
Ryan had already headed to his room, while Reza approached his mother, who was in the living room. Grandma Putri and Grandpa Agung were having their legs massaged by the masseur, relaxed while watching TV.
"Yes, her name is Ajeng, she's been with Sean all morning, this one seems to fit well," Grandma Putri replied.
Reza didn't say anything more, the man with the cool demeanor just nodded slightly, affirming his mother's statement.
Since the divorce, his relationship with Sean had been strained.
"You'd better meet this Ajeng, after all, she's the one taking care of your son now. I’m too old, can’t manage alone..."
"Yes, Grandma," Reza interjected swiftly, before Grandma Putri could expound at length.
He even immediately left the room and ascended the stairs.
Approaching Sean's room, the door was still open. Inside, he saw a stranger, a woman sitting on the carpet playing with Sean.
"Ahem!" Reza cleared his throat.
Sean just glanced up, while Ajeng promptly stood up, greeting him.
"Mr. Reza..."
"Dad," Reza cut her off.
"Oh Mr. Reza," Sean mocked.
The six-year-old boy then gave his father a dismissive look, as if 'Mr.' implied Reza was not his father.
While Reza returned the look with his own chilling expression.
Ajeng found herself caught in the midst of battle, her tongue stiffened entirely, too tense to address this handsome man with 'Dad'.
So stiffened, in fact, that Ajeng almost wished to pull her own tongue out.
Because she had to speak, to break this oppressive tension.
"Dad Reza! Allow me to introduce myself - I'm Ajeng." Her nerves made her introduction sound almost like a curse.
Sean laughed.
Hahahaha, his laughter filled the room.
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