Don't be Nervous, Agatha

"Is it okay to occasionally be a filial child, right?" Jonathan blinked briefly, then chuckled softly. "A filial child, hmm? Well, that's fine. So, should I sometimes consider you as a son too?" Jayden sighed, without needing to bother answering, he walked past Jonathan towards the dining table. Agatha, who had been silent behind Jayden, swallowed hard as Jonathan now looked at her with a blank expression. "I'm sorry, I—" "Hi, you two look compatible. Like a mother and son pair. Equally worthless in my eyes," Jonathan suddenly interrupted. He then chuckled. "Ah, but don't take it to heart. Please just enjoy dinner tonight. Don't be shy," Jonathan said with a sweet smile at Agatha and Layla before turning on his heel and leaving them. In that moment, Agatha's jaw tensed, her left hand clenched tightly. She never expected the man to be so insane. "See, Auntie? This is why I'm reluctant to come here," Layla quipped a few seconds later. Agatha turned and only then realized Layla's grip was tightening. Agatha instinctively looked at her with concern. She was quite surprised to hear the man's insults that involved Layla. "Are you okay? Is it okay for us to sit at the same table with them?" Layla nodded softly. "I'll tell my ears not to hear anything, Auntie. Hopefully, I won't cry in front of them again. Because that would be very embarrassing." Agatha was taken aback. She smiled at Layla's wise behavior of controlling her emotions. Agatha acknowledged that Layla's character was far better than the man's. Agatha patted Layla's shoulder to encourage the girl and herself. She wasn't sure if the dinner ahead would be accompanied by nothing but the sound of clinking cutlery, devoid of any heartrending session. "Come on, Auntie. We need to hurry and eat so we can visit grandma and go home." Agatha nodded. Right. She couldn't waste time. Staying in this house for a long time wasn't an easy task. Along with Layla, she walked towards the very large and long dining table. Once again, Agatha was awestruck just by one look at it. Various types of food, from appetizers to dessert, felt very expensive even before she tasted them. As Agatha was about to sit next to Layla, her shoulder was suddenly touched gently by someone. With a surprised expression, Agatha turned around. Instantly she fell silent in confusion as she looked at the woman smiling at her. "Hi, good evening. What's your name?" Agatha tried to relax her stiff lips. Honestly, the woman's beautiful appearance made her nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Agatha wasn't sure who this woman was, nor could she guess if her personality was like the man's. "Oh, good evening. I'm Agatha. Agatha Marvelly," Agatha replied. She saw the woman still smiling, then unexpectedly shifted the chair located in the middle, and without warning sat down on the right side of Agatha. Unlike Layla, who was on her left, she remained quiet without greeting. "Don't be nervous, Agatha." A small laugh reflexively came from her lips. "I'm Kinara, Jayden's stepmother. Nice to meet you... Jayden's girlfriend, right?" "Uh, no, Auntie. No. I'm just Layla's caretaker," Agatha quickly clarified to avoid any misunderstandings. She was quite surprised to hear the word girlfriend. "Well, it seems like I had overly high hopes. I almost wanted to praise if you two looked good together." Kinara's smile faltered, initially happy because she thought Jayden had brought a girlfriend who could accompany her in the house. Honestly, Kinara was lonely. Besides her mother-in-law who kept her company, her busy working husband rarely came home. Not to mention, her biological and stepchildren lived alone in an apartment. "I'm just working, Auntie. There's no relationship beyond that," Agatha explained with a smile, although she actually smiled wistfully inside. Kinara nodded in understanding, but her gaze turned melancholic and her lips quivered downwards. "Such a shame, I already liked you." Agatha just smiled thinly. "Thank you. And sorry that I couldn't meet your expectations." Kinara nodded. Now her smile slowly reappeared. "You must have a very strong compassionate aura, that's why Layla likes you. I am truly amazed." Agatha smiled awkwardly, feeling uneasy in the silent dining atmosphere. It was only them conversing. "Thank you for your praise, Auntie." Kinara smiled, Agatha's appearance was the first reason she liked her. Simple and polite. Unlike the women she met in the office or the children of her friends who dressed extravagantly, Kinara preferred to see girls like Agatha. Who were just themselves. Meanwhile, across the table, in front of Layla, Jayden had been watching Agatha since the moment she sat down. His interactions with Kinara were also under his watchful eye. He cautioned that his stepmother's actions could make Agatha or Layla uncomfortable. Seated now, Kinara leaned closer to Agatha and softly whispered in her ear, "Tell me your secret sometime, alright?" Agatha was startled by the sudden gesture. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Kinara then looked at her with a teasing smile. Seemingly aware of Agatha's confusion, the woman leaned in again and whispered something. "The secret to make Layla like me. Do you know? She hates me. So, would you be willing to help me?" Kinara cajoled, then leaned back and flashed a sweet smile. Without waiting for Agatha's response, she calmly returned to her seat and put on a neutral expression as if nothing had happened. Right after that, Jonathan arrived and sat in between them. Right in front of Kinara. 'Well, after a long time, this dining table is finally lively again. Well, even though one suddenly isn't present," Jonathan opened the conversation. He smiled lightly. "But it's okay because my most filial son brought a new face here," Jonathan added, directing his gaze at Agatha. His smile didn't falter, as if it had been planned from the start. Agatha herself was looking down at the dining table. But she realized that the person who had just spoken was now looking at her. Quietly, she suppressed her emotions within. "Oh yes, it seems I should introduce myself," Jonathan interjected again. Then he glanced at Jayden, who was looking at him coldly. He responded with a humorous chuckle. "My name is Jonathan, father and head of the family in this house. And the woman in front of me is named Kinara, the wife I love the most," Jonathan said, looking at Kinara, who smiled sweetly at him. Jayden clenched his fists upon hearing the last sentence. Truly a hypocrite. He didn't understand why his late mother had married that man. Even less than a year after her passing, Jonathan married Kinara without his consent. That was the reason why Jayden held a grudge against Jonathan, even though he had cherished him before. "And, oh, for the empty seat next to Jayden, it's usually occupied by my stepson, named Cakra. If you have social media, you probably already know who he is," Jonathan continued, followed by a small smile. "He's quite popular among young people, especially girls like you." "Until when will you keep beating around the bush? You know I don't have much time here," Jayden said, already fed up. He was sure the man wouldn't stop talking unless he interjected. Jonathan smiled slightly upon hearing Jayden's complaint. It pleased him immensely to provoke Jayden's emotions. Jonathan then nodded calmly after glancing at Agatha, who remained silent and motionless. His lips curved into a subtle smile unnoticed by others. "Alright. I think the introductions are enough. Because the most important thing is for you to know who we are. Regarding your background... hmm, maybe I can ask that another time." Jonathan smiled sweetly as Agatha, suddenly lifting her face, gazed at him expressionlessly. "That's if I don't forget." Jonathan sighed wearily. "What more can I say? There are more important things on my mind. Although I wanted to ask a lot of things about you. Because this is the first time my son has brought a woman here. Sadly." Agatha clenched her fingers tightly underneath the table. The emphasized words by the man were more than enough to make her angry. But only momentarily before she composed herself. Agatha took a deep breath. No matter what, the world was harsh for lowly people like her, wasn't it? "Thank you. Although I am a stranger, I am grateful to sit among the extraordinary people here," Agatha replied with a smile just as sweet. Jayden was taken aback; their conversation was quite sarcastic. It was as if there was a deep-seated hatred. As if they had met before.