He's Very Generous

Agatha returned to Layla's room after finishing cleaning up the entire area. Jayden was in his room, and Agatha didn't know what he was doing as his room was always closed. However, she realized that she shouldn't interfere and be nosy. "It turns out Layla has woken up and is already showering," Agatha smiled upon hearing the sound of the running water in the bathroom. While waiting for Layla to finish, she sat on the sofa and looked around the room with amazement. "This room is unique, for a girl like Layla, the room decor seems more suitable for a boy." "I thought Layla would like cute things like teddy bears or Barbies, but even the collection in her wardrobe is robots with superhero characters. Her neatly arranged toys also don't have any bright-colored girly items," she praised with a slight shake of her head. "The pictures hanging on the walls are mostly of superhero characters." Agatha admitted that Layla was a unique girl. "She reminds me of my childhood." Agatha chuckled softly, suddenly recalling her past that had been enjoyable. "Who dreamed of becoming a hero to save people in need," she continued with a tight smile. As the night grew darker, Agatha was now sitting with Layla in front of the television. Jayden was still getting ready to go back to the office for the night shift. "Layla, starting today, your dad will be working overtime and sleeping at the office. He'll come back in the morning to take you to school," Agatha remarked after thinking for a while to say it. But it wasn't Layla who appeared surprised; it was actually Agatha who was stunned because Layla only responded with a nod. Agatha had thought that Layla would be sad if her father had to leave her every night. "Are you okay?" Agatha repeated her question, but Layla remained focused on the TV show in front of them, disregarding Agatha's information as if it were nothing. "It's fine, Aunt. Papa's job is like that," Layla replied nonchalantly. The response further puzzled Agatha and worried that Layla might be lying to her. She gently touched Layla's shoulder to observe how the girl's face looked as she answered her question. "Are you really okay?" Layla turned to receive the touch. She nodded with a wide smile. "Yes, because now Aunt is here." Agatha was taken aback, Layla's smile looked genuine. She was instantly touched by her reply. Agatha was delighted that Layla made her feel valued to the point where she couldn't hide her smile. The spontaneous worry that emerged disappeared just like that. "What would you like for dinner? I can cook for you." Layla's eyes lit up immediately. She loved it when someone cooked for her. "Wow, great! Can I ask for anything?" "You can, anything as long as it's for Layla," Agatha chuckled playfully as she tousled Layla's hair until the girl pouted. Layla didn't get upset, but instead joined in the laughter. When Jayden suddenly arrived, she then stopped laughing. Layla quickly got out of her chair and approached her dad. Agatha also turned when a fresh scent of perfume suddenly attacked her nose. The distinctive masculine fragrance made Agatha spontaneously hold her breath to calm her racing heart. "Papa is about to leave, right?" Jayden fixed Layla's hair after nodding. "You behave while Papa is away, be good with Aunt Agatha so she enjoys staying here." "Aunt Agatha will definitely enjoy it. I'm not a naughty child." Layla retorted. Jayden tweaked Layla's small nose and then extended his pinky finger. "Promise not to make Aunt Agatha angry with your behavior?" Layla linked her pinky finger with Jayden's. She nodded in agreement. "I promise as much as possible!" "Smart girl," Jayden praised with a small chuckle, patting his beloved daughter's head. Layla, who enjoyed the gesture, smiled sweetly. Jayden then turned to look at Agatha, who had been observing them all along. "Agatha, I'm leaving Layla in your care. Please take good care of her. If she misbehaves, just lock her in the room. You can do anything if she's disrespectful." Layla widened her eyes before Agatha could respond. "I'm a good girl, Pa!" Agatha couldn't help but giggle. After seeing Layla return to watching TV, she turned to Jayden. "Aren't you going to have dinner first?" "I can eat there later, are you planning to cook tonight?" "That's the plan, but is it okay if I use the kitchen while you're not here?" Jayden nodded with a slight smile. "Use it as you wish." Agatha smiled happily, before remembering something that had been bothering her earlier. "But what about the cooking ingredients? You never cook, right?" "The cooking ingredients?" Jayden furrowed his brow for a moment. "Ah, you're right. I never buy them. Wait a moment." Jayden then took out something from his wallet. It was a debit card. "Use this to buy ingredients, if you want to buy something else, that's fine too." Agatha widened her eyes, hastily shaking her head. "That's not what I meant, you don't need to give me—" "Just take it for the sake of my daughter. You can use it for anything," Jayden placed the card in Agatha's palm without permission. "For anything?" Agatha swallowed hard as Jayden nodded, she was almost out of breath. "How much is in it?" Jayden suppressed a smile. That was a question he didn't expect. "There's definitely enough, even to buy a house." Agatha's body almost went limp if she didn't take a deep breath for a few seconds and then slowly exhaled. She looked at the rectangular card in her hand. Agatha's hands were trembling as it was the first time she held a card with such a fantastic amount. "Is it okay to have this? As a caregiver who is just living off others, this feels like too much for me. I should work hard first before receiving something like this," Agatha said softly. "You can have it. I don't care about your position," Jayden surprised her with the calmest tone. "But—" "It's time for me to go, don't overthink it. Here, I'm the host, you have to follow my words. Understand?" Jayden interrupted, deliberately making Agatha unable to refuse. He also pretended to look at his watch. Agatha had to take a long deep breath. Her heart still felt uneasy, but what could she do if this was an order from her boss. "Yes, I understand." Jayden nodded briefly, then turned to leave. Agatha suddenly widened her eyes, realizing she hadn't said anything. "Wait!" Jayden's hand, about to open the door, stopped instantly. He turned back with a quizzical look. Agatha cleared her throat and smiled. "Thank you." Jayden was taken aback, for some reason his heart was racing seeing that smile. Without much response, he just nodded briefly and quickly left. Agatha let out a heavy sigh. She looked at the precious thin object in her hand. "I know he is very generous, but this is too much." "Even after thinking about it, I still don't understand why he is so kind?" Agatha muttered to herself, still puzzled. "He must feel sorry for me, but to hell with whatever the reason is... my heart has been pounding since earlier." Agatha kept murmuring in her mind about what had just happened. She also touched her chest that was thumping fast because of Jayden's actions that were truly beyond her comprehension. "Aunt, after dinner, would you help me with my homework? I'm feeling lazy, maybe I'll be motivated if I do it with you." Agatha's reverie was interrupted upon hearing Layla's words. She snapped back to reality, realizing that she was here to work. Agatha had to make Layla feel comfortable and happy around her. That way, Jayden's gift wouldn't mean she could get away with things. "Of course, I'd be happy to help." Agatha replied with a bright smile. "Yay! Thank you, Aunt Agatha!" "Oh, but there's a condition," Agatha grinned mischievously. Instantly, Layla turned with a puzzled look. "What's the condition, Aunt?" "Accompany me shopping, shall we?" "Is that all? I can't refuse that! Let's go, Aunt!" Layla quickly stood up and held Agatha's hand. A small laugh escaped from Agatha's lips as she watched the adorable antics of the child. Several moments later, after they had shopped at the minimarket near the apartment, Agatha proceeded to cook with Layla. Although it was a simple menu, when the meal was ready and Layla started eating, she seemed to eat with such gusto that she had two servings. "Are you full?" Agatha chuckled as she saw Layla rubbing her stomach. Layla nodded and gave two thumbs up. "Aunt Agatha's cooking will be crowned as the tastiest food in the world!" "Oh, you're making me fly to the sky." Agatha covered her mouth as if blushing shyly. Layla giggled at her reaction. Before getting up from her seat and patting her forehead. "Oh, yes, homework, Aunt. I almost forgot." Agatha laughed, watching Layla rush off to her room. After a few seconds, she reappeared with a bag and placed it on the carpet in front of the TV. Agatha, who had just finished washing the dishes, sat down there too. "What should I do, Layla?" "Help me choose colors for these pictures, Aunt. I'll do the coloring later." Layla took out a colored pencil with a square case. Agatha nodded in understanding and reached for the item. "Oh, sure. Here." "By the way, you like superhero characters, right, Layla?" Agatha asked when she saw Layla's bag with images of one of the heroes in cartoon form. "Yes, Aunt. Because I want to be strong like them." Layla gazed at the characters with a smile. Agatha furrowed her brow, not understanding the meaning behind that answer. "Are you not strong now?" "I want to be strong, but the heart in here isn't, Aunt." Layla touched her chest, her expression turning melancholy. "It's weak and gets sick easily."