Chapter 4
Sienna never thought she’d find herself washing dishes in a tiny warung, but here she was, elbow-deep in soapy water, scrubbing plates while Pak Agus hummed along to an old dangdut song playing from a battered radio. The irony was suffocating. A week ago, she had a personal chef. Now, she was trying to figure out how to scrape dried rice off a plate without breaking a nail.
“Don’t look so miserable,” Rafa teased, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. “You’re making the other employees nervous.”
Sienna glared at him. “There are no other employees.”
“Exactly,” he said with a smirk. “And I’d hate to lose our only staff member because she drowned herself in dishwater.”
She flicked a few soap bubbles at him, which he dodged easily. “You think this is funny?” she snapped. “I am a Santoso. I was not built for manual labor.”
“And yet, here you are.” Rafa reached over and plucked a clean plate from the drying rack. “Adaptability is a great skill, Sienna. You should try it more often.”
She huffed, scrubbing harder. “This is temporary. As soon as I get back on my feet, I’m going back to my real life.”
Rafa raised an eyebrow.
“And what does your ‘real life’ even look like?”
Sienna hesitated. Luxury. Parties. Private jets. A world where she never had to lift a finger. A world where everything was handed to her. And yet… why did it suddenly feel so distant?
She forced a smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Yah right! Rafa chuckled. “Not really. But I do want to know how you plan to afford that ‘real life’ of yours. What’s next on the agenda, Princess?”
“I’m looking for a better job,” she said, lifting her chin. “A real one. Not… this and the coffee shop.”
Rafa studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s find you a real job.”
Sienna blinked. “Wait. You’re helping me?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “It’s entertaining.”
She scowled. “I am not entertainment.”
He grinned. “Could’ve fooled me.”
By the next morning, Sienna realized just how unqualified she was for the real world.
“No experience?” The café manager eyed her sceptically. “None at all, where have you worked?”
Sienna smiled brightly but didn’t answer. “I have plenty of experience managing people.”
“As in…?”
She hesitated. “Bossing them around.”
The manager sighed. “Yeah, no. We need baristas, not royalty.”
At the boutique, she lasted ten minutes before being fired for telling a customer her outfit was ‘tragically beyond saving.’
At the call center, she quit after three phone calls. People were insufferable.
By sunset, she was exhausted, humiliated, and, worst of all, still jobless. Rafa, of course, found the whole thing hilarious.
“You are terrible at being normal,” he said, sipping his iced coffee as she flopped onto a bench beside him.
She groaned. “Why do people work? It’s awful.”
“Because money doesn’t magically appear in our bank accounts,” Rafa said. “Crazy concept, huh?”
She shot him a look. “I hate you.”
He grinned. “Nah, you love me.”
She gasped, throwing a crumpled napkin at him. “Take that back.”
Rafa laughed, dodging effortlessly. “So, what’s the plan now, Princess?”
Sienna straightened. “I just need to find something better suited to my skills.”
“Which are…?”
She opened her mouth, then frowned. “Shut up.”
Rafa chuckled. “Tell you what. I know a guy who owns a lounge. They need a hostess. Think you can smile and greet people without offending them?”
Sienna narrowed her eyes. “Are you implying I’m unpleasant?”
“I’m implying you have a gift for making strong first impressions.”
She sighed dramatically. “Fine. What’s the worst that can happen?” Rafa smirked. “Oh, I can’t wait to find out.”
