Incident of Lost Money

Agatha had finished tidying up all the tables and chairs. Wiping away sweat, she sat on a kitchen chair, observing her boss stirring a drink at the pantry table. "Boss, I... want to talk about something," Agatha spoke hesitantly. "Just say it." "I'm in need of money, can you give me my salary in advance?" Agatha bit her lower lip, contemplating the potential negative outcomes. Noah Alferd, the owner of the café where Agatha worked, turned his body. "You remember, right? This isn't the first time? What's the problem now?" True, isn't it? Agatha could already predict that response. Noah even knew that something was not right when she asked for her salary early in the month. "I can't say it." Agatha looked down at the white floor. Noah let out a long sigh. "You know the café across the street, right? It's only just opened, but it's already very busy. I'm not sure this café has as many customers anymore." Agatha looked up, and a cup of coffee was handed to her by Noah. She accepted it reluctantly. Noah's response made it clear that she couldn't get the salary she was asking for. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I won't ask for this anymore." Agatha looked at the coffee made by Noah. "Thank you for the coffee." Noah nodded and turned his body to make another drink. "Drink it all, then go home. You must be very tired. I'm sorry, but this time I can't help you." "It's okay. My problem isn't that important anyway." Agatha forced a smile. "That's good to hear. I'm relieved." *** Agatha rode her bicycle home from work. The cloudy evening made the surroundings darken faster. Agatha was lost in thought during the journey. The offer from Jayden and Grace's iPhone became the main source of problems weighing on her mind. Arriving at her boarding house, Agatha was surprised to see Olivia Daelyn, the owner of the boarding house, standing by the door. After parking her bicycle, Agatha walked closer, putting on a friendly smile. "Good evening, Aunt." "It seems that you still have the audacity to greet me," Olivia responded with a sarcastic look. "How would you like me to address you, Aunt?" Agatha furrowed her brows, not understanding, even though Olivia never liked her since day one. Olivia smiled sarcastically. "I thought you would run away again because today is the time for you to pay off your mounting debts." Agatha suddenly remembered. She nodded in understanding. "Ah, I have prepared the money. Wait a moment, let me get it. Please wait here, Aunt. I'll be back soon." "Don't lie to me!" Olivia shouted. Agatha had already entered her room. "What a mean old lady, really like a bull," Agatha muttered after closing the door again. Agatha then placed her tote bag on the bed. She quickly opened the drawer under the study table, where she kept her money. But to her surprise, she was silent for a few seconds as she saw that the drawer was completely empty. "Where is my money? I'm sure I kept it here," Agatha frustratedly murmured. With anxiety, she searched through her drawer again. Not just there, but in every place she could think of that she might use to store money. Unfortunately, there was nothing. The money worth hundreds of thousands, which she had put in her wallet, was gone. Even her wallet was missing. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Who took my money?" Agatha messed up her hair in frustration. "Whose hands dared to take my money?" Agatha clenched her jaw, her fists tightly closed. A knock on the door impatiently made Agatha's heart almost jump out of her chest. It must be Aunt Olivia. "What should I do? What excuse should I come up with?" "Open the door, Agatha. Do you want to run away again, huh? If you don't open it, I'll break in!" Agatha flinched. Then she closed her eyes for a moment and muttered to herself, "Mom, Dad, please help me." "Agatha!" "Yes, one moment, Aunt." Agatha slowly opened the door, feeling her cold sweat starting to drip. "Where is the money? I don't have much time to wait for you!" Olivia protested with a fiery glint of emotion. Agatha swallowed her saliva with great effort. The palm of her hands was already sweaty. She nervously clenched her fingers. "I'm sorry, but my money–" "Hah?" Olivia laughed. "Once again, you can't pay, right? But you pretended to say that you wanted to take the money. You're such a liar! Just leave! You're only causing me losses! Quickly pack up your things!" Agatha widened her eyes and hurriedly grabbed Olivia's hand. "W-what? No, Aunt. Please give me another chance. I promise I will repay it. Please don't throw me out--" Olivia roughly brushed off Agatha's hand. "Hey? How dare you say that? I have given you three chances already, but what was the result? You cheated on me again, right?" "My money was stolen, Aunt!" Agatha retorted immediately. Her fist tightened. "I'm not lying! My money in the drawer is gone!" Olivia crossed her arms, scoffing. "You think I'll feel sorry for you? Clearly not. Tonight, please leave my boarding house. If you don't want to, I will have someone remove all your belongings outside." Olivia still glared at her. Agatha furrowed her brow in response. If it had reached this point, there was no use defending herself. It was better to surrender since her missing money hadn't been proven to have been stolen. Agatha finally took a deep breath, stepped back, and nodded. "Okay, fine. What else can I do? Aunt no longer trusts me. It's better if I leave." Olivia smirked. "Good, you finally realize it." Agatha looked at Olivia as she turned around and left the room. Her body instantly felt weak, and her emotions were a jumble. "So, this is my fate, huh?" Agatha let out a bitter laugh. "So sad and pitiful." Agatha sighed softly. "But it's okay. I'm not a weak girl who likes to cry." Agatha didn't want to dwell on her fate any longer. She immediately stood up and moved to organize her belongings. Although she didn't know where she would stay, Agatha didn't want to endure another outburst from Aunt Olivia. As Agatha walked out of the gate, she ran into Clarissa who was about to enter. However, her fellow campus friend who slept in the room next to hers seemed to avoid making eye contact. Agatha immediately grabbed Clarissa's arm. "Why are you--" "Agatha, I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry," Clarissa interrupted. Agatha was taken aback as Clarissa quickly walked away from her. "Hey, Clarissa! Answer me!" Clarissa's indifferent attitude clearly made Agatha suspicious. After all, Clarissa usually greeted her warmly. But this wasn't the right time to think about that. Because now she had to find someone who could help her find a place to sleep tonight. "Aluna is not the right choice because her mother doesn't like me. And definitely not Boss Noah." Agatha muttered dispiritedly while dragging her suitcase along the way. "No, no." Agatha shook her head when a name suddenly popped into her mind. "I can't possibly go to meet Jayden, can I?"