Enchanted by You

"What do you want to eat today, Sir? I'll cook for you."

"No need to cook. I'll eat at the restaurant. Working overtime. If you want to cook, just cook for yourself."

"You haven't had dinner at home all week."

"That's up to me! Stop trying to control me, Kinan!"

Bayu dismissed Kinan's complaints over the phone. In truth, he had finished his work at the restaurant an hour ago. But he preferred to enjoy the evening while sipping coffee and smoking a cigarette.

Kinan, the wife he had married just months earlier, never made him happy. Their marriage was arranged, and no love had developed over time. How could it? Not only was she unattractive, but her skinny and unkempt appearance disgusted him. Falling in love with her was out of the question-or so Bayu believed.

"Bay," Kinan's voice called again.

"What?!"

"Tomorrow marks a hundred days since Father's passing. Are you coming to the grave visit? It's Friday, so it's perfect. I already asked Mother, but she refused."

"We'll see!"

Bayu ended the call abruptly. Hearing his stepfather's name made his blood boil. His current misery was all because of him.

A few months ago, when his stepfather's health was failing, and his company had gone bankrupt, the man had dragged Bayu into his troubles.

"Bay, before I die, I want you to marry Kinan."

That command infuriated Bayu. He had just returned from studying abroad and planned to take over his stepfather's garment business. But instead, he was burdened with this absurd request.

"Bay! Just do what your father asks!"

His mother, Ratna, patted his back. In the background, his stepfather's coughing echoed from the bedroom where he had been bedridden for a week.

"Well, Bay?" his stepfather urged again.

"I'll think about it. Marriage isn't something you can decide on a whim. Don't think that just because you raised me and brought me this far, you can control my life!"

Bayu didn't care about being rude to his stepfather and stormed out of the room. He headed to the kitchen to quench his thirst with cold water from the fridge.

His gaze fell on Kinan, the daughter of their long-time housemaid, Mbok Sumi. Her sweet face contrasted with her frail, malnourished frame, making her look much older than her 18 years.

"Did you hear what Father said, Mbok Sumi?"

Bayu deliberately raised his voice so Kinan could hear. The girl, dutifully chopping vegetables for dinner, glanced up briefly before lowering her gaze.

"What did Father say, Sir?"

"He's gone mad! After all my years of education, he wants me to marry Kinan!"

Kinan turned her head toward Bayu, only to be met with his sharp glare. She quickly looked down again. Bayu's frustration filled the kitchen as he crumpled an empty soda can in his hand.

"I came back home only to get married? The business is bankrupt, and now this mess?!"

Without waiting for a response from Mbok Sumi, Bayu retreated to his room upstairs, flopping onto his bed and rubbing his temples, which throbbed with anger and frustration.

"Bay!"

His mother knocked before entering in a rush. She sat on the edge of his bed and patted his thigh.

"Bay, just agree to your father's request!"

Bayu scoffed. "No way! Do you think I'm crazy enough to marry that skinny Kinan?"

"Bay, it turns out your father still has one new business-a restaurant he co-owns with a friend. I overheard him talking to his lawyer. If you refuse to marry Kinan, that restaurant will go to Mbok Sumi and her daughter."

Bayu felt like the air was sucked out of his lungs. He bolted upright, raking his fingers through his hair.

"Why is Father being so cruel to me, Mom? If not for me, who else is that restaurant for? Sure, I'm just his stepson, but he has a wife, right? Why doesn't he leave it to you? Why does Kinan have to be involved?!"

Rusdi, Bayu's stepfather, had married Ratna when Bayu was still in middle school. Mbok Sumi, their long-time maid, had been working for them even before Ratna and Bayu moved into the house. Kinan, who was only five years old then, had grown up in the household.

"Come on, Bay! I don't want to live in poverty. Don't make your father angry, or we'll end up with nothing."

"No, Mom! Marrying a maid's daughter? A scrawny one, at that? I'd rather run away back to Australia. I still have my savings!"

Bayu was stubborn, but Ratna pleaded persistently. She convinced him to marry Kinan temporarily, just until they secured the restaurant's success.

"It's only for a little while, Bay. Be smart about it! Once the restaurant is thriving, just divorce her."

"But, Mom...."

"Don't think you can keep living comfortably in Australia, Bay! If you refuse, every asset under your father's name will be gone-credit cards, cars, everything. Are you still willing to risk that?"

Having no other choice, Bayu reluctantly agreed. He walked into his stepfather's room and accepted the marriage proposal to avoid losing everything.

The night before the wedding, Bayu barged into Kinan's room.

Kinan, fresh from a shower, emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She quickly grabbed a blanket to cover herself.

"Sir, you could at least knock first," Kinan stammered.

"We're getting married tomorrow, right?" Bayu sneered.

"What do you need, Sir?"

Bayu closed the distance between them, his piercing gaze making Kinan lower her eyes. It wasn't his sharp features or intense eyes that intimidated her, but the hatred and arrogance radiating from him.

"Don't expect anything from this marriage! Feel free to consider me your husband and play your role, but I'll never let you into my heart."

Kinan's chest ached. Marriage, to her, was sacred. She couldn't promise herself that she wouldn't fall for him, but she feared the pain his cruelty would bring.

"There's nothing appealing about you, anyway," Bayu said, his lips curling into a smirk as he looked her up and down.

"I'll divorce you as soon as I can, Kinanti!"

Before vows were exchanged, Bayu had already promised her a divorce. The marriage was simple, witnessed only by Rusdi and his lawyer. It marked the beginning of Bayu's chaotic life and Kinan's daunting new role.

"Take care of Bayu for me, Kinan," Rusdi whispered to her, handing her a necklace with a key pendant.

"Someday, when you're older, you'll understand things I can't explain now-about yourself, about Bayu, and about Ratna. Stay strong to preserve this household."

"I will, Master," Kinan replied tearfully.

A month later, their lavish lifestyle crumbled. While the house remained, maintenance costs loomed. Bayu had to rely on the restaurant to sustain himself, Kinan, his mother, and their uncertain future.