Prank!
The deafening sound of glass shattering against a mirror rang out. Shards lay scattered across the floor of a bedroom on the second floor of a luxurious mansion standing in one corner of Jakarta, the capital city.
A man in his thirties, who had been hurrying down the stairs, finally dropped his briefcase on a step and ran back upstairs.
“What’s wrong, Emeli?” he asked, his face filled with concern.
“Are you sick again?” the man asked, staring intently at his daughter’s face when she didn’t answer.
“I don’t want Dad to leave! I don’t want to be alone!” Emeli screamed passionately.
“You won’t be alone. Dad already asked Aunt Elena to keep you company while I’m away from home.”
Instead of calming down at Arshaka’s words, Emeli’s emotions exploded even more violently.
“How many times have I told you? I don’t like that aunt! I don’t want her!” Emeli screamed again.
Muhammad Arshaka, thirty-two years old. Among women and his subordinates, he was known as a cold and rigid man. But after his wife’s death, that cold, indifferent nature disappeared whenever he faced his beautiful, sickly daughter, Emeli Arshaka.
According to the doctor, Emeli suffered from a rare disease usually found in people over forty and more commonly affecting men. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, was a neurological disease that weakened the muscles and affected physical functions.
Emeli had been living with the disease for several years, and last year it had truly reached an advanced stage, to the point that even swallowing had become difficult. Whenever she drank, she even looked like she was drooling. Thankfully, with treatment, the child’s condition had gradually begun to improve.
Although the disease could not be cured, treatment could reduce the risk of complications.
“Don’t go, Dad!” Emeli’s voice grew softer, almost pleading. She wrapped her arms around her father’s waist as he stood in front of the wheelchair she occupied.
“Sweetheart, Dad has to work. We need money for our living expenses,” Arshaka said gently as he crouched in front of his daughter. He stroked Emeli’s head.
“You need money for my treatment, right, Dad? It must be expensive, huh? Why don’t you just stop? I don’t even know what my life will be like in the future. It’s like you’re playing a claw machine. If you’re lucky, your effort wins you a prize, but if you’re not, you don’t just get nothing—the money disappears for nothing.”
“Emeli, what are you saying?! I’ll do anything to make you better. I’d even risk my own life so I can keep living with you.” Arshaka gazed sadly at his daughter’s face.
“But the doctor said my disease can’t be cured. I’m just waiting to die,” Emeli said, meeting Arshaka’s gaze with tear-filled eyes. Deep down, she had accepted that she might have to leave this world, but she didn’t want to be separated from her father.
“Who says that? Doctors aren’t God. Dad only believes in God, and God willing, He’ll never separate us.” Arshaka turned away and looked up, blinking to keep his tears from falling.
“Are you still leaving today, Dad? I’ll be lonely at home.” The child’s words were full of pleading.
“Just let Dad go out of town today. I promise I’ll find a caregiver for you so you won’t be lonely anymore. But promise me you won’t be rough with your caregiver again, okay? That way, she’ll stay.”
Seeing the beseeching look on Arshaka’s face, Emeli finally nodded.
Arshaka smiled. He knew his daughter was obedient; it was just that the little girl was so temperamental. Perhaps it was because she was tired and desperate from being unlike other children.
“For now, you’ll stay with Aunt Elena, okay?”
Emeli nodded weakly. Arshaka glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was time for him to leave. He didn’t want to be late meeting his client.
“Go ahead, Dad!”
“All right, sweetheart. Behave yourself at home, okay? Aunt Elena will arrive in five minutes. For now, Dad will call Aunt Muna first.”
“Okay, Dad.”
Arshaka smiled again, kissed Emeli’s forehead, and went downstairs. After ordering the housekeeper to stay with Emeli, he ran straight out of the house.
“Step on it!” Arshaka ordered once he was seated in the car, and the driver immediately sprang into action.
On the way, Arshaka called his assistant, Toni, and asked about the flyers they had distributed, as well as the announcement they had previously posted on social media.
“What is it, sir?”
“So, Toni, has anyone applied to become my daughter’s caregiver?” Arshaka asked, his expression full of hope.
“I’m sorry, sir, but no one has contacted us yet,” Toni replied.
“Ugh!” Arshaka let out a rough sigh.
“Should we raise the salary to attract someone?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, sir. Let’s wait a little longer. Maybe no one has read the announcement yet.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for good news from you,” Arshaka said.
“Yes, sir. I’m sure someone will be interested.”
Arshaka immediately hung up and drew a long breath.
Elsewhere, Toni let out a heavy sigh.
“How are we supposed to find someone quickly? The boss’s daughter is famous for being so emotional,” Toni said before closing his eyes.
“But the pay is huge. Anyone who needs money will come running.” Toni’s spirits rose again.
In a village, a thirty-one-year-old woman sat pensively in a meadow, watching her goats devour their food.
Someone called out to her from behind.
“Kayla!” a woman shrieked, making Kayla turn around and cover her aching ears.
“What is it, Dalilah? Why are you screaming this early in the morning?”
Dalilah, a young widow and Kayla’s friend who herded goats with her, didn’t answer right away. She looked like she was trying to steady her breath after running.
“There’s a job. The pay is pretty good.”
Kayla immediately snatched the flyer from Dalilah’s hand. Her eyes widened as soon as she read the amount printed on the paper.
“Ten million?” she asked, as if she couldn’t believe it. Dalilah simply nodded.
“Could this be a scam?”
“That’s impossible. Just look—there’s a company name listed right there. That means her father is rich, so ten million is nothing to him.”
Kayla fell silent, thinking.
“What are you thinking about? Just take it! Instead of herding some employer’s goats without even knowing how much you’ll get paid, it’s better to take care of a human child.” Dalilah chuckled.
“Besides, you like little kids. If I didn’t already have a toddler, I’d apply to be that child’s caregiver myself.”
“You’re right. I’ll take this job. Hopefully no one else has applied yet.”
“Then call the number right now!” Dalilah lent Kayla her phone. Kayla immediately contacted Toni and said she was willing to become Emeli’s caregiver.
“How did it go?” Dalilah asked when Kayla ended the call.
“Aah! I got the job!” Kayla exclaimed happily, jumping up and down. Dalilah was happy too.
“Turns out no one had applied yet. I’m the first one, and—”
Kayla didn’t finish her sentence. Her expression suddenly fell.
“What happened?”
“I don’t have money for the trip,” she replied sulkily.
“That’s easy. I have some at home.”
“Okay, can I borrow it?”
“Sure, as long as you pay back double,” Dalilah joked.
“Oh, so you’re switching careers to become a loan shark now?” Kayla chuckled.
“Of course. Otherwise, how am I supposed to get rich quickly?”