You're Unequal

"I don't understand why you're saying this," Agatha whispered with restrained emotions. For a few seconds, she turned her gaze out the car window. Agatha's lips drew a thin line, then she turned her head back to the man who was now staring at her with a contemptuous look. Agatha clenched her fist to control herself. "But I never expected a dignified man like yourself, who seems well-educated, to have a bad attitude towards the lower class without knowing the truth." "No wonder my son was melted; it seems you're good at talking too," Jonathan replied with a brief laugh. Agatha really wanted to shut the man's mouth if her sanity hadn't gone mad. "Please clearly state your intentions and reasons for taking me here." "Agatha Marvelly, your name." Jonathan glanced at Agatha for a moment, then turned his gaze straight ahead. "You're studying at a prestigious university on a scholarship, winning national and international championships consecutively every year, possessing a charming appearance, and being talented in everything." Jonathan intentionally paused his explanation, wanting to see Agatha's reaction. But the girl remained silent, making Jonathan more eager to continue his speech. "It sounds extraordinary, but unfortunately, your family background is very poor. Pitiful. You live alone in poverty." Jonathan chuckled. "I pity how difficult your life has been until now." Agatha widened her eyes, instead of sympathy, the man's laughter clearly showed his disdain. Especially his calm and relaxed expression, made Agatha unable to hold back her anger even in the form of a grumble. Agatha gritted her teeth after taking a long breath. "Enough. Why are you looking into my life? What do you want from me, actually?" Now, Jonathan changed his facial expression to a flat one. He had played enough. "How long have you been living with my son? And how deep is your relationship with him?" "Mean—' Before Agatha could protest with her mouth wide open, she was surprised by the next question. "What have you done to make my son pick you up and drop you off every day?" Jonathan's words came out sternly. His gaze, originally forward, now turned to look at Agatha beside him. "What have you done that my son allowed you to stay with him?" Jonathan continued. Flat, calm, but piercing. Agatha struggled to swallow her saliva. "I'm sorry, it seems you've misunderstood." "I have no special relationship with your son. I only work for him. And it wasn't me who asked for the job from him, but your son offered me to work with him. Your son himself also asked me to stay with him." A moment of silence. Agatha took a deep breath. "I indeed didn't give anything to Jayden Byanthara, but I work to give love and care to his daughter." Agatha glanced briefly at Jonathan. "Your son asked me to be a caregiver for his daughter, Anna." Jonathan automatically clenched his jaw. The muscles in his clenched fist became more visible. "How dare he. You should have refused." Jonathan gritted his teeth. A grumble escaped from his lips. "Why did you accept it? Ah, you must need money, right? How much did he offer you that a girl like you easily accepted the job?" Agatha's hand clenched tightly. "At that time, my circumstances didn't allow me to refuse his offer. I had no choice; only with that job could I continue my life." Agatha wanted to get out of there immediately, but the luxurious car she was forced into still hadn't stopped. Moreover, the man beside her was intensifying the discussion. Agatha truly couldn't remember what dream she had last night to be confronted with someone who tested her patience by continuously interrogating her. "If that's the case, I don't care about whatever reasons you had for staying with my son, but I have to warn you not to go too far." Jonathan wasn't playing around with his warning. He did this for his son's future. Agatha didn't intend to interrupt, opening her ears wide to find out what the man actually wanted. Though she put on a calm face, the last sentence made her heart pound a bit. Agatha chose to stare at the passing vehicles outside. "Please don't develop feelings for my son." Like a thunderbolt striking in broad daylight, Agatha froze as those words pierced her ears. Her heart seemed to stop beating, and Agatha could barely breathe for a few seconds. Her lips fell silent. Jonathan smirked as he glanced at the speechless Agatha. He didn't hesitate to continue his words. 'Don't fall in love with him. And don't think you can marry him. You and my son are not equal. In any aspect, including status." Agatha was already shocked to the core by the long sentence, and it instantly made her emotions rise to the surface. She realized her situation, but she couldn't accept being openly insulted like that. The word 'marry' also briefly stunned Agatha. She hadn't even thought that far after realizing her feelings. "You're very different," Jonathan continued, with emphasis in his voice. He intentionally stressed the last sentence. Agatha gritted her teeth consciously. Without being reminded, she already knew her status. So when Jonathan finished his long speech and silence followed, Agatha couldn't hold back her response anymore. "Just calm down. I have no feelings for him. I'm also aware of myself." Despite her chest tightening after that lie, she maintained her flat expression as best as she could. "All girls like you are the same. Hypocritical. I know you've liked my son since the beginning. Who wouldn't like him?" Jonathan couldn't hold back his laughter. Agatha didn't bother to look, as showing her anger would reveal her feelings. She didn't want Jayden to know she liked him. She chose to maintain her composed expression and answer the questions as briefly as possible. 'I'm not like them," Agatha whispered. The car suddenly stopped at a quiet bus stop. Agatha clenched her fists, realizing that the car had been circling to test her emotions. She knew well that the bus stop in front was near her apartment. "I want an agreement so that I can trust you." Agatha stayed silent. Instead of holding back her annoyance, she also didn't understand the man's unfinished intentions and conversations. She tried to open the door, but it was still locked. She instinctively held back her curses in her heart. "I will give you however much money you ask for as long as you stop working for him. Or you can work there with the condition that you must hate my son. Don't show any affection, make him dislike you." Agatha chuckled, finding it funny for some reason. But she didn't say anything and just listened. The instructions she had just received were truly beyond reason. Agatha didn't expect that the supposedly respectable father of her boss would involve money to get rid of a poor girl like her. Agatha suddenly remembered Jayden. She wondered if the man knew what his father was doing? And whether his father's demeaning attitude towards others was also passed down to Jayden? Agatha truly wasn't sure of her own answer. Because she also didn't understand the real nature of Jayden Byanthara. "You're just a caregiver, right? All you need to do is care for his daughter, but no need to care for my son. If you're warm towards his daughter but cold towards my son, he won't easily fire you." Jonathan continued with his threats, disregarding Agatha's feelings. He actually hoped the girl would be hurt by his words to stay away from his son. But after minutes of explaining at length, the girl's unresponsive was unsatisfactory to him. Jonathan really wanted to see Agatha's anger, but it seemed he misjudged her, as she was not like the typical poor girl. "Unless he finds another girl to replace you. Although it would be difficult, he could still fire you." A brief pause, Jonathan closed his eyes for a few seconds. But to his disappointment, there was no response, once again he smirked. "Besides, I actually know my son is just using you; he could never like you." Jonathan's jaws tensed as he looked at the silent Agatha still staring out of the car. Agatha wasn't ignoring or ignoring Jonathan's words. She was silent to hold back any sarcastic remarks and debate that could explode at any moment. She didn't want it to happen because such a response would only harm herself. If it weren't for her concern for Layla:s feelings if she chose to quit her job right now, Agatha would have responded to everything since before. Because if the man managed to provoke her emotions, Agatha was sure she would be fired immediately. Just holding back her emotions wasn't enough, how could she bury her feelings for Jayden Byanthara? "To be honest, I met you to warn you that you and my son can never be together. I'm his father, I won't allow him to have a relationship with anyone else except the woman of my choice," Jonathan emphasized the last sentence once again. Agatha finally let out a long breath after Jonathan finished his tirade. She decided to respond after two minutes of silence between them. Uncertain if her decision would bring peace of mind or not, what mattered most was that she could leave the man beside her by risking her feelings. "The second option. I choose that. I will do my best to hate your son and never develop any feelings for him." Agatha took a deep breath. "You can hold me to my word." Jonathan smiled satisfactorily, then nodded calmly. "If you're caught breaking the agreement, I will fire you without giving you a single penny. Remember that."