Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

“Uncle, what are you doing here? Just hang out with Daddy and the others!” Elena chased him away because Devan was sitting in the chair that was previously occupied by Kyla. So when Devan arrived a few minutes ago, Nindy and Kyla immediately ran away. They must have conspired to leave him alone with his battery, who unfortunately looked very handsome tonight.

“Missed you Bee,” said Devan then took the food from Elena’s plate. Chewing while watching Elena’s annoyed face which looked very cute and adorable.

“Uncle Devan!” Elena shouted while looking at Devan sharply. “Uncle, let’s go! El doesn’t want Daddy and the others to think different things about us,” continued Elena, who had run out of ways to get rid of the battery next to her who had been smiling at her.

“Us? Oh, now let’s just play with us. Fix, tomorrow Uncle will tell your Daddy and Mommy that we will get married as soon as possible!” Devan teased with an increasingly bright smile.

Elena’s lips were clenched with her molars clashing together. His sharp gaze focused on Devan who returned to spooning food from his plate casually.

“Oh!” Elena was annoyed with her shoulders slumped because she could no longer face Devan’s arbitrary attitude and behavior.

“This is what makes Uncle miss you all the time,” teased Devan while enjoying a dish that tasted very delicious. However, Devan’s prank didn’t last long.

“Come on, join the others!” asked Bagas to suddenly pat Devan on the shoulder.

“Okay,” Devan answered briefly then immediately got up from his seat. But Devan didn’t leave immediately. Devan bent slightly then whispered in Elena’s ear, “See you tomorrow Bee.”

Elena instantly breathed a sigh of relief when Devan finally hung up. In a hurry, she got up, intending to find the girls and rejoin the party. Elena wandered to every corner of the garden, where Kia’s birthday celebration was held. They were all gathered in the southern part. Due to her slight haste, Elena accidentally bumped into someone.

“S-Sorry, Uncle, I didn’t mean to,” Elena apologized for her clumsiness as she had collided with someone.

“No problem at all. What’s your name, Beautiful?” the man said with a radiant smile upon realizing that the girl who bumped into him was the one he saw earlier in the afternoon.

“You’re Uncle Dion, right?” Elena said, recognizing the man in front of her as Devan’s younger brother.

“How do you know?” Dion replied, a bit surprised. He fell silent as he tried to recall who the girl in front of him was. Her face seemed so familiar. Elena’s hair and her pair of brown irises reminded Dion of someone he had met five years ago.

“Well, I know. We’ve met a few times. Uncle Dion came with Uncle Devan earlier, right?” Elena almost forgot her main purpose of joining the girls because of the amusing expression on the mature man’s face.

Dion and Devan were siblings who hardly resembled each other physically. If Devan had curly hair and fair skin, Dion was the opposite. Dion had a tan complexion with straight jet-black hair. Dion was also warmer when interacting with others, unlike Devan, who tended to be cold. Devan didn’t talk much if he wasn’t pleased, while Dion had a more sociable and pleasant personality. Perhaps their professions influenced their different personalities. Devan, a former state intelligence officer, used to hide his identity and true self, while Dion’s work was more related to public affairs. Despite the differences, Devan always showed warmth when he was with people he cared about.

“Okay, Uncle Dion. El will go first, okay?” Elena immediately left when Nindy waved at her. A signal for him to join immediately.

“Elena. I remember now. She’s Uncle Dev’s daughter,” Dion muttered with a meaningful smile when he remembered who Elena was.

At 10 pm the brothers and relatives started saying goodbye to go home. Now all that remains are the members of Club Cogan and their second generation who are members of Club PTT with complete formation. The women have started to disperse and go into the house. The event was deliberately held outdoors, more precisely in the park. So as the night gets older the air temperature will get colder. So it’s not surprising that men order their favorite women to immediately come in and rest.

Because she felt uncomfortable, Elena intended to leave early. Being in the same place as the man she loves is of course not good for her heart health. Not to mention Elena’s weakness in not being able to hide her feelings, making Elena afraid that someone in her family would feel suspicious. Moreover, it seemed as if Devan deliberately wanted to show off their relationship in front of everyone. Like before, when the man just came and immediately threw a tantrum.

Elena’s steps seemed hesitant as she approached the Cogan Club who were gathering on the terrace of the house. In fact, Elena had conveyed her desire to go home early to her Mommy but the woman was still busy helping Mother Aisyah. Inviting Ivand and Viero was of course impossible. It was impossible for his two brothers to obey his wishes. So Elena was forced to come to Jeremy. Accompanied by Nindy, her cousin Elena approached.

“What is it, honey?” Jeremy asked when he saw his daughter coming.

“Daddy, can El go home first? El’s head is dizzy,” Elena lied so that Jeremy would immediately give her permission.

Elena’s gaze focused on her Daddy. For him now the most important thing is to leave this place right now. Devan was silent while watching Elena who looked nervous. To be honest, Devan really wanted to announce his feelings for that girl to everyone. But now is not the right time.

“Want me to take you home?” Dion offered enthusiastically. Everyone immediately turned their gazes towards the 30 year old man.

“Thanks, no need!” Jeremy said as he looked at Dion with unreadable eyes.

“Okay, let Eki take the delivery!” After saying that, Jeremy got up from his place and put his arm around Elena’s shoulder. Taking his daughter away to look for Rizky. Even with Nindy who also followed him. No man can take his daughter without her permission.

“Who are you looking for Dad?” asked Nathan who happened to be passing by.

“Where is Brother Eki? El is asking to be taken home,” replied Jeremy as he took his cell phone out of his shirt pocket to contact his adopted son.

“It’s normal Dad, Brother Eki is trying to manipulate Lala. While he has the chance,” explained Nathan with a chuckle. “Well, let Nathan take El home. Besides, why don’t you just stay here?” continued Nathan while looking at Elena.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“There’s no need to ask too much. I just want to go home quickly. This is a woman’s business,” said Elena, who was impatient.

“So bitchy about being a girl!” Nathan teased with a chuckle. “How can Daddy have a girlfriend like Uncle Jeremy,” said Nathan, who only dared to say it to himself.

Elena’s lips curled when she heard Nathan’s taunt. Then Elena pulled Jeremy’s shoulders a little lower. He whispered something in Jeremy’s ear who immediately laughed.

“Oh, I’m actually laughing. There’s nothing funny about it, Dad.” Elena sulked.

“Just use Daddy’s car.” Jeremy took the car keys out of his trouser pocket and gave them to Nathan.

“Be careful on the road. When you get home, change straight away and go to sleep!” Jeremy rubbed the top of Elena’s head with a loving look.

After making sure that Elena left with Nathan, Jeremy immediately returned to gathering with his friends. It’s rare for them to all be together like today. So Jeremy didn’t want to just miss this valuable opportunity. Moreover, 2 of them must return to Surabaya tomorrow.

***

When she got home, Elena immediately changed into her party dress into a nightgown. Then she cleaned off the remaining make-up which had previously made her the object of criticism from her sisters. Her long hair, which was previously left loose, is now tied loosely with a rope. Only after that did Elena head to the bathroom to clean herself.

Feeling more comfortable and fresh, Elena came out of the bathroom. He picked up the cell phone on the dressing table and then walked towards his soft bed. While opening the WhatsApp chats that had piled up, Elena pressed the nightlight button on the nightstand which was right next to the bed. Of all the messages that came in, one message caught his attention the most.

“Tomorrow at 9 am, Uncle will pick you up at Citra’s house. Uncle has a surprise for you.”

Just by reading the message from Devan, Elena’s heart immediately started acting up. This is what made Elena feel uncomfortable being in the middle of Kia’s birthday party. In fact, before leaving, Elena had prepared herself as best as possible by looking unlike her usual appearance. Dress up like an adult woman so that Devan will be fascinated by her. Even though the reality that Elena got was the opposite.

This time Elena had no intention of replying to the message. He pressed the power off button and then just put the flat object on the nightstand. Tonight, Elena wanted to just rest her heart and mind about that man for a moment.

***

At one in the morning Jeremy and Vanessa went home while Ivand and Viero chose to stay at their grandparents’ house which was right next to Aisyah’s house. Jeremy allowed them to stay because tomorrow was a red date.

“Brother, do you feel the change in Elena’s attitude?” Vanessa finally expressed her anxiety. Actually, Vanessa has been feeling it for more than a month. When Elena insisted on staying longer in Surabaya. Even though since childhood, Elena has never been separated from the two of them. In the past, when Elena only had to go to Kediri for four days, Elena immediately fell ill. But why did Elena insist on staying in Surabaya at that time? Even worse, Elena had expressed her desire to continue her education in Jakarta with Azka or abroad. Elena’s wish, which she thought was very strange.

“Yes, because of you, dear, I gave El permission to be close to Dirga. Honestly, I don’t like Elena being close to any man!” Jeremy was honest as he glanced at Vanessa who was sitting next to him.

“In my opinion, darling. It wasn’t Dirga who made our daughter change.” Vanessa’s words succeeded in making Jeremy suddenly hit the brakes on the car. Luckily the roads were slow so it was under control and didn’t cause chaos on the road.

“Your habit is to suddenly apply the brakes!” Vanessa protested, spontaneously looking for a handhold when her body almost fell. Because the distance between her house and Aisyah was quite close, Vanessa deliberately didn’t wear a seatbelt even though Jeremy had reminded her earlier but Vanessa herself was stubborn.

“Indeed, apart from Dirga, who else is the guy close to Elena?” Jeremy asked, driving his car back to medium speed.

“Yes, as far as I know, it’s only Dirga. But I’m not sure, darling,” said Vanessa, making Jeremy suddenly surprised.

So far, Jeremy just gave in when Vanessa gave Dirga permission to come to the house. Even when Dirga asked Elena to leave. Jeremy did all this because he trusted Vanessa’s decision. But what he was worried about has now happened. Elena escapes from his supervision.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll find out who the guy is,” replied Jeremy to calm his wife’s heart. In his heart, Jeremy is now wondering, who is the man who dares to disturb his daughter? If he was a gentleman, he would definitely meet him soon.

“Yes. But you promised not to play rough. I don’t want Elena to be angry and disappointed later. After all, Elena is still unstable, dear. Don’t be too harsh!” warned Vanessa seriously.

Jeremy smiled then reached out his hand. He touched Vanessa’s head then gave her a gentle rub there. Starting tomorrow, Jeremy will again order his trusted people to follow Elena wherever she goes.