Agatha massaged her throbbing temples, with many assignments from college and the need to figure out how to make money in the near future. Her part-time job salary at the cafe wouldn't be enough to buy that apple-logoed phone.

Agatha walked wearily to the park near the campus after class. Searching for an empty seat, she settled down alone. Staring blankly at whatever was in front of her with a cluttered mind.

"Should I borrow money from the bank?" Agatha murmured. "But the interest would be high, for sure."

Agatha let out a soft scoff. "Do I really have to be a lowly woman like Grace said? Selling my body to wealthy men and earning a handful of money overnight?"

Agatha chuckled bitterly, sounding more like she was mocking herself. "That's a truly insane decision."

Agatha fell silent. There were still two hours left before her shift at the cafe. But her enthusiasm seemed to vanish into thin air.

Agatha was tired, wanting to give up, wanting to cry, but her eyes were too dry to shed tears. Agatha had been pretending to be strong for too long, living as an orphan.

"Mom, Dad, what should I do? I can't live without you. Why did you have to leave so soon?" Agatha bowed her head, covering her face with her hands.

On the other side, after picking up Layla from school, Jayden went to the park because his daughter insisted on seeing the fountain. Jayden couldn't refuse because he promised that three days ago.

However, Jayden's steps suddenly halted as his eyes caught sight of Agatha sitting alone there.

"Why, Dad?" Layla turned with a furrowed brow.

Jayden, snapping back to reality, quickly shook his head. "Layla, don't you want to go to another friend? It seems like this place isn't interesting enough."

Layla scrunched her eyebrows in annoyance. "No, Dad. My friends said this park's fountain is the best."

Jayden had anticipated that response. In truth, he just didn't want to disturb Agatha as she seemed to need some peace and quiet. If Layla saw Agatha, his daughter would definitely want to play with her.

"Dad! Look over there! That's Aunt Agatha, right?" Layla pointed towards Agatha with sparkling eyes.

Ah, Jayden had just worried about this. But it seemed he had to come up with a different approach to persuade Layla.

Jayden positioned his body next to his daughter. "Do you want to meet her? Don't. Aunt Agatha wants to be alone."

"How does Dad know? Dad must be lying, right?"

"Hey, pay close attention. Doesn't Aunt Agatha look sad? That means we shouldn't disturb her. Let her find solace," Jayden tried to coax gently, holding Layla's shoulders and looking at her warmly.

Layla fell silent. Jayden let out a relieved smile. Unfortunately, just when he thought Layla would nod her head, the little girl freed herself, turned around, and ran away.

Jayden stared in disbelief, about to chase after her when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. Jayden flinched.

"Let it be, Boss. Layla has never been this happy before."

Jayden turned to see Rey standing beside him. Hearing those words, Jayden abandoned his intention to run after Layla. He took a deep breath.

"Why does Layla like that girl?" Jayden murmured, watching Layla who was now with Agatha.

Rey shrugged. "Maybe she has a strong motherly aura?"

Jayden dissented. "Layla doesn't even like my stepmother. And that girl still looks young, so her reaction should be the same as when she sees a female employee at my office."

"That's true. Layla doesn't like going to your office because there are many women who flirt with her. But with that girl, she's very enthusiastic."

"Have you found out about her?"

"Ah, yes." Rey took out his phone to open the notes he had prepared a few hours ago. "Yes, Boss. The results are truly astonishing."

Jayden turned his head, raising an eyebrow. "What's so special? Tell me briefly."

"Agatha Marvelly, a senior student who recently became a trending topic for winning first place in an International debate competition. But it's not just that, Boss. She's always been the consecutive champion whenever she represents her campus. Competitions in any field."

Jayden fell silent. His eyes stared intently at Agatha, who stood a few meters away from him. Layla appeared to be smiling brightly near the girl, and Jayden couldn't even remember the last time Layla laughed so freely with him.

"It seems like I need a partner again, Rey." Jayden pulled up one corner of his lips, then stood up.

"A partner?" Rey squinted his eyes, also standing up. "Do you mean a partner in marriage?"

Jayden chuckled briefly, leaving Rey curious as he walked towards where Layla and Agatha were. Rey, who didn't understand, just silently watched his boss leaving. After a few seconds, he suddenly realized something. Rey softly smacked his lips.

"Dad, come here! Let's sit together!"

Jayden was greeted with a wave from Layla and her bright smile. His heart suddenly warmed. The girl was sitting, leaning against a big tree, with lush green grass underneath.

Briefly, Jayden's gaze met Agatha's eyes, who was also looking at him approaching. Jayden immediately took a seat next to his daughter on the right side.

"You look very happy, Layla. What have you been up to?" Jayden looked at Layla curiously.

Layla's face looked radiant. "We've been playing guessing games, Dad. If we can't answer, there's a punishment."

Jayden furrowed his brows in curiosity. "What's the punishment?"

"There are two. Singing a song or getting a kiss," Layla answered enthusiastically.

Jayden's eyes almost bulged out before he cleared his throat softly. "What kind of punishment is that? It's too easy."

"Aunt Agatha said it herself, she said I shouldn't have a harsh punishment."

Agatha playfully pinched Layla's cute, button-like nose. "Because Layla is special."

"Hmm, can I join too?" Jayden asked mischievously.

The question made Agatha's breath almost hitch. She struggled to swallow her saliva, her face heating up. What was really on that man's mind?

"Dad, you can't sing. Don't tell me you want to be kissed by Aunt Agatha?" Layla furrowed her brows, and her lips automatically formed a pout.

Agatha was even more taken aback, quickly interjecting before any more strange questions could come out. "Ah, sorry, actually this game is just for children."

Jayden held back a smile and nodded in understanding. Then, when he saw some beautiful flowers and a wooden sign that said they could be picked, Jayden suddenly thought of something.

"Layla, would you like to pick some flowers for Dad? As a replacement since I can't play with you," Jayden pleaded.

Though reluctant, Layla didn't refuse. She stood up after patting her skirt. After Layla left, the atmosphere between Agatha and Jayden became awkward.

Agatha desperately tried to control her nervousness. Usually, she tended to be indifferent and uninterested in men, but now Agatha wondered why she felt something different.

"I'm Jayden. You can call me whatever you like, Jay, or Jayden," Jayden chirped, looking at Agatha while offering his hand, not wasting the opportunity. He thought this was the right beginning for Layla's future.

Agatha turned her head, hesitating before finally shaking Jayden's outstretched hand. "Alright. Nice to meet you, Jay."

Jayden withdrew his hand and averted his gaze, his heart suddenly pounding for some unknown reason. "Do you like kids?"

A smile immediately appeared on Agatha's face. Afterward, she nodded. "They are very cute. I love seeing them laugh."

"Would you like to be a nanny?" Jayden offered without looking away. His gaze stayed fixed on Layla, who was carefully choosing flowers.

Agatha frowned, slowly turning to face him. "A nanny for Layla?"

Jayden nodded, but then smirked slightly. "If you want to be a nanny for me too, I can't refuse that."

A blush instantly formed on Agatha's face, and she looked sharply at him. "Hey?"