Danas' eyelids fluttered. Her forehead furrowed slightly when she heard the alarm ringing from her cell phone. Danas' hand stretched out to the nightstand beside her bed. Then she felt the surface of the nightstand to find the location of her favorite flat object.
When she managed to reach the flat object, Danas immediately turned off the alarm. She got up from her sleep. Her eyes were still hard to open. She scratched her head. Then she rubbed her eyes. Trying to open her eyes a little to check the clock on her cell phone screen, Danas gasped a little because she was half an hour late from her usual wake-up time. She quickly got up from her bed and ran into the bathroom. Danas hoped Melvin wouldn't scold her this time.
After showering, Danas came out of her room just as she came out Renata came out of Melvin's room wearing only a thin kimono. Danas swallowed her saliva with difficulty. That woman had been living under the same roof as her for almost a month. Who knows how long Renata would continue to live here.
Danas himself couldn't do anything. Obviously, her life was getting gloomier with Renata's arrival in this house. The woman put on a flat face. She walked past Renata towards the kitchen. Danas herself tried her best to act like she was not bothered at all by the presence of her former best friend.
Danas continued to do her normal routine. Even so, Renata did not let Danas calm down in doing his routine. Like this morning. Renata followed Danas from behind.
Danas herself tried to ignore Renata's presence. The woman threw a friendly smile to the waiter who passed her. Until her feet arrived at the kitchen.
"Christina, have you prepared breakfast?" Danas asked.
Christina shook her head. "Not yet, ma'am. I'm waiting for you, ma'am," she said.
Danas smiled, then walked to the other side of the kitchen to get her cooking preparations such as an apron for her to wear, a frying pan, cutlery, and others. Christina helped Danas.
Meanwhile, Renata was at the threshold of the kitchen just watching it with her hands folded in front of her chest. Realizing Renata's presence, Christina did not forget to greet the woman kindly.
Renata replied only by raising one hand. I don't know what she was planning to do to disturb Danas this morning.
"What are you cooking, ma'am, for breakfast this morning?" asked Christina.
Danas looked down to grab some ingredients from the bottom of the refrigerator. "Umm," muttered Danas as she brought cabbage and carrots from the fridge to the table. She then looked at the other ingredients on the table.
"Let's just make an easy sandwich, I also wake up a little later than usual, I'm afraid the other menus won't make it in time," said Danas, who was immediately answered with a nod by his butler.
Renata who saw that just chuckled. "Even you know what you did wrong," she said.
Yet again, Danas tried to ignore Renata's every word. Danas took the knife and cutting board. She washed the carrots and cabbage that she had just brought. Then she started to cut them thinly.
While Danas was cutting the carrots, Renata suddenly came and pushed Danas' body with her shoulder. Danas staggered to the side, fortunately she immediately kept herself from falling. Plus she was holding a sharp object in her hand.
Danas growled in annoyance. She could no longer stand Renata's behavior which would even endanger her. "Can't you stop disturbing me?" Danas said sharply.
She looked at Renata annoyed. "And you have done things that have crossed the line. Are you hurting me on purpose?"
Renata raised one eyebrow. "Indeed," she said while smiling mockingly in front of Danas' annoyed face.
"Ahahah. Danas, don't be so angry. This time I just wanna help you," said the woman again while extending her hand towards the kitchen set to get a knife.
"Let me help you prepare breakfast, yes," Renata said.
Danas shook her head. "No need. You better get out of here," Danas said in a sharp tone.
Renata spluttered her mouth while shaking her head. "But I want to stay here," she said.
Then she started to take one carrot and cut it carelessly. Danas, who saw this, told Renata to get out. The waiters saw the argument.
"I wanted to help you, was I wrong?" asked Renata in a high tone.
"You didn't help me, you messed up!" exclaimed Danas in the same high tone.
Renata growled in annoyance. She didn't like being called a troublemaker by Danas. She went back to carelessly chopping Danas' ingredients. Danas again stopped Renata with her mouth.
She herself didn't dare to come closer because she didn't know how desperate Renata was to hurt her. Yet, unexpectedly. Renata accidentally cut her finger.
"Aw, Danas, you hurt me! Melvin!" Renata shouted. Then she began to sob artificially.
Danas clenched her hands into fists. She knew this was going to happen. Danas didn't do anything else and just stood where she was.
The maids were busy pacing back and forth looking for a p3k box to immediately treat Renata's wounds. Until the man who kept being called by his name came.
Showing himself in the kitchen with a panicked look. She immediately ran towards Renata who was now being treated by the butler. While her hand was being treated, Renata pulled Melvin's body and cried on the man's chest.
"Why are you in the kitchen? And what's wrong with your hand?" Melvin asked his girlfriend while rubbing Renata's back, which was shaking violently.
"Danas forced me to prepare breakfast. She tells me there's nothing free in this world. So, for payment during my stay here I've got to cook. She kept forcing me to do something I couldn't do. I ended up getting hurt. It's not Danas' fault, Vin. It's my fault for not being able to cut the ingredients properly. So, don't blame Danas, okay," Renata said between her tears.
Danas himself was no longer surprised to hear such a boastful story. Danas lifted his face to return Melvin's sharp gaze. Yes, Melvin would always believe Renata's words.
Danas shook his head. An attempt at self-defense.
Melvin then carried Renata into his room. Passing by Danas who was still stunned.
"Do you know what's going on?" said Danas. Of course it was for the servants who were still there.
However, none of them answered Danas' question. Danas looked at the servants one by one. Then his eyes ended up on the butler who just bowed his head.
" I apologize, I shouldn't have involved you guys, right?" said Danas.
Again, she had to face Melvin alone. Renata had indeed
continued to slander Danas, making Melvin hate her even more. Renata's goal was very clear if she wanted to make Danas even more hated by Melvin.
This wasn't the first time Renata had gotten herself hurt and accused Danas of doing it. Just like today, Danas always had witnesses to every slander that Renata threw. However, none of them dared to tell the truth.
Danas himself understood why. They wouldn't want to jeopardize their jobs just to defend someone who was hated by their employer.
The woman let out a long sigh as she took off her apron. Then she went back into the room. As before, she knew what would happen next.
Melvin opened the door to her room rudely.
"Are you taking out all your frustrations on Renata?" Melvin asked sharply.
Danas still had his back to her. "I didn't do that. Can't you trust me just this once?" said Danas.
A flash of anger flashed in Melvin's eyes. He pulled Danas' shoulder roughly. Forcing her to look at him. Danas stared at Melvin's face. He swallowed his saliva with difficulty.
"I didn't force Renata. I didn't do that, do you hate me so much that your eyes can't see the truth at all," Danas said defensively.
However, no matter how much Danas tried to defend himself, he still lost to Renata.
"Why should I believe a murderer like you?" said Melvin.
Melvin then gripped Danas' wrist tightly. Making Danas whimper in pain. Melvin raised the hand in front of Danas' face.
"What's the right punishment for you this time? Should I cut off one of your fingers to make it seem fair? You've already injured my lover's finger."
Danas' shoulders shook at Melvin's words. She knew that Melvin wasn't messing around with his words. Melvin had been unsparing in torturing her all this time.
Danas shook her head. Tears slowly rose from the woman's eye sockets.
"No Melvin, don't," Danas pleaded.
Her pleading face made Melvin smile widely. "You should have known from the start that you can't do whatever you want in my mansion while I'm still alive."
Melvin's other hand rubbed Danas' cheek that was wet with tears.
"I'll let you ask, what's the appropriate punishment for you today?" said Melvin with a fierce smile.
"Forgive me Melvin," Danas whispered.