"Good morning, Mrs. Katty. I came a bit early today," Jake greeted Mrs. Katty, who looked slightly startled to see him.
"You're not wearing your usual suit, Mr. Porter? Aren't you working today?" Mrs. Katty replied, turning Jake's greeting into a question as she received baby Elsa from his arms.
"As I mentioned last night, I'm only taking my boss to the airport today. And for the next few days, I'll be picking Elsa up in the afternoons. My working hours are shortened until my boss returns from Japan," Jake explained again. He understood that at Mrs. Katty's age, memory didn't always work perfectly.
"Oh, I see. Sorry you had to repeat what you said last night, ha ha. I've had a lot on my mind, so maybe I didn't listen properly," Mrs. Katty admitted. She then turned her head back toward the inside of the house. "Mina, come here for a second!" she called out half-yelling to someone inside.
A young woman, about 22 years old, appeared before Jake and Mrs. Katty. Her hair was tied in a small bun, with messy strands falling over her forehead.
One word came to Jake's mind: sweet.
But in Mina's mind, the word that popped up was the complete opposite: gangster.
Mina's first impression of Jake wasn't entirely wrong. How could it be? Jake, with his body like a bodybuilder, was wearing a tight T-shirt underneath a matching leather jacket. His dark sunglasses—currently perched on top of his head—only added to his bad boy image in the eyes of a small-town girl like Mina.
"Auntie, who is he? Don't get too close to him," Mina whispered in warning to her aunt.
Mrs. Katty sighed heavily. "Hold this baby," she said, pushing Elsa toward Mina, snapping her out of her suspicious gaze at Jake.
"This sweet baby's name is Elsa. You'll be taking care of her until her father comes to pick her up. This is your first task here. Do you hear me?" Mrs. Katty continued in a half-scolding tone.
"Auntie, why do I have to take care of a baby? I'm here for training so I can get better grades later," Mina protested, which made Jake frown. He didn't quite understand what was going on.
"Be quiet. Stop complaining, or I won't give you the additional certificate and your grades will suffer. Even though I'm your aunt, you have to follow the rules in my place." Still scolding, Mrs. Katty silenced Mina, who immediately sealed her lips.
The sight amused Jake slightly, making him smile faintly.
"Mr. Porter, I apologize for the fuss my niece caused. Her name is Mina. She just arrived from the village. She's here for training to earn extra credits before entering midwifery school. For today and the next three months, she'll be helping me take care of Elsa," Mrs. Katty explained.
"Mina, introduce yourself to Mr. Porter!" she added.
Seeing how reluctant Mina seemed toward Jake, Elsa's father felt a bit uneasy. "It's all right, Ma'am. You already introduced her," he said gently.
"And Miss Mina, it's nice to meet you. I hope my lovely daughter won't be too much trouble for you," Jake said with a polite nod. He gently stroked and kissed his sleeping baby's forehead before turning back to Mrs. Katty. "I'll be going now, Ma'am," he said, bowing his head briefly to both the caregiver and Mina.
Jake walked away, leaving behind a complicated impression in Mina's heart.
'I don't believe he's a good man. And why is Auntie Katty being so kind to him? Is it because he's handsome? And this pretty baby? I don't believe that man—who looks like a thug—is her father. I won't be fooled. Just wait, Mr. Gangster!'
Mina kept her suspicions about Jake to herself. She didn't want to talk too much in front of Mrs. Katty. She needed her aunt to give her a good evaluation so she could gain useful experience before entering nursing school in the neighboring city.
***
"While I'm away, please help Victor. He'll need your assistance to finish the work I've left behind."
"Jake will drive you to the office, and you can go home with Victor. The way back is on the same route as our apartment."
Kody gave Mary these instructions while he was busy tidying up his clothes. Mary responded briefly, as she was also occupied organizing her husband's luggage.
"Hey, grab that suitcase too—but be careful. It's a gift for my business partner over there," Kody said to Jake, who was going back and forth carrying his boss's belongings.
"You wait downstairs. We'll come down as soon as my wife is ready. We'll stop by the office to drop her off before heading to the airport," Kody added with another command.
"Yes, Sir," Jake replied.
The three of them departed for Gold Fashion's office first. The atmosphere during the ride felt stifling to Jake. The two employers didn't engage in any light conversation and instead acted like they were ignoring each other.
After more than an hour, the car finally stopped in front of the office to drop Mary off. As Jake resumed driving, Kody let out a heavy sigh.
"Huff… Why do I have a wife who's so cold?" Kody grumbled. Jake could see his boss through the rearview mirror, fiddling with his phone. Not long after, Kody started talking to someone on the phone.
"Milan, are you ready? I'm on my way to the airport," Kody said.
Hearing this—and being sure that Kody was speaking with the woman Jake had seen acting intimately with him several times—made Jake grip the steering wheel tighter. His chest felt tight with anger and sympathy. He felt terrible for Mary, who was clearly being betrayed. Jake knew just how deeply she loved her husband.
But what could he do? Who was Jake to them, really? He was just a man thrown away by life—lucky enough to have Elsa. Just a former street thug who got even luckier to be given a proper job with a good salary, thanks to Mary. He knew that his presence had never been truly significant, let alone having the right to interfere in his employers' troubled marriage.
Jake tried to shut out the disgusting conversation between Kody and his mistress. He forced himself to focus, though his mind was filled with Mary's sad face—and the memories of the intimate moments between them, whether in reality or his inappropriate dreams.
"Yes, yes… I'll wait for you at Narita Airport. Bye…" Kody said before hanging up. He then turned to Jake.
"You weren't recording my conversation with Milan, were you?" he asked suspiciously.
Jake frowned. Kody seemed to be accusing him of eavesdropping. But Jake didn't take the bait. He knew better than to provoke the temperamental man. Instead, he stayed silent, prompting Kody to repeat himself.
"Hey, are you deaf or what? Why didn't you answer me?" Kody asked again, tapping Jake's shoulder this time.
"Ah, yes, Sir?" Jake replied, pretending to be startled. He glanced briefly at Kody before quickly returning his eyes to the road. He also took out the earpods he had put in earlier, right when Kody started flirting with Milan.
"Did you call me, Sir? Sorry—I was listening to music. Forgive me, Sir. What did you ask?" he said with a chuckle, lying smoothly.
Yes, he had been wearing the earpods—but they weren't playing anything. He only wore them to block out the disturbing conversation between Kody and Milan.
"Never mind. Just don't forget to bring all my stuff. Make sure nothing's left behind," Kody replied with a grumble, giving a different excuse. Jake couldn't help but smile at Kody's cluelessness.
"Of course, Sir. We'll be there soon," Jake answered calmly.
"And one more thing…" Kody added in a cold tone. "Just do your job as the driver. I told you to go straight home after dropping Mary off at the office while I'm away. You're not allowed to come to my house or see my wife. You understand why, don't you?"
Jake was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Yes, Sir. I understand."
He didn't want to prolong the painful topic. He didn't want to hear another random warning from Kody—jealousy that he refused to admit, even though it was about his own wife being close to another man, even if that man was just their driver.