Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

Devan cast a sharp gaze at the two teenagers in front of him. They looked refreshed after playing in the fish pond. Devan was sure that they hadn’t rinsed off enough to clean themselves from the dirty and smelly pond water.

“Who started playing in the fish pond just now?” Devan inquired, his tone full of scrutiny.

“El!”

“Erick!”

They both answered simultaneously, pointing at each other, blaming one another.

“Erick was the one who pushed me into the pond first!” Elena retorted before Erick could defend himself.

Devan looked at Erick, who was attempting to intimidate Elena, but she didn’t care. It was a fact that Erick had initiated the chaos. Erick was the one who deliberately pushed her into the fish pond. She was the victim. Then why was she now cornered like a suspect?

“Erick, is what Elena said true?” Devan asked, looking at Erick sharply. Erick remained silent. “As a young man, you must be a gentleman! You must admit the mistake you’ve made!” Devan asserted, raising his voice slightly. In response, Erick shifted his gaze to counter Devan’s stare. But that lasted only for a split second before Erick chose to bow his head. Erick’s silence was enough to answer Devan’s question.

“I don’t like Elena being here. I don’t like it because Dad pays more attention to El than to me,” Erick expressed his feelings honestly.

“You’re funny, Erick, being jealous of me,” Elena chuckled, hiding her fear of seeing Devan angry. This was the first time Elena had witnessed Devan getting angry in her 18 years of life.

Throughout her life, Elena knew Devan as the close friend of both her parents-quiet, cold, and indifferent when with others. But that was not the case when he was gathered with the Club Cogan, a group led by Uncle Arfan, her uncle. It was a unique and fun group. The friendship among their parents had been established since they were teenagers until now. Since childhood, Elena had been close to all the children of Club Cogan. The friendship of their parents was passed down to their children.

Erick glanced to his right, looking at Elena, who had been sitting next to him. Erick’s intense gaze was a clear threat, telling her to keep quiet while he was talking to his father.

“Erick, have you forgotten who El is? Have you forgotten what El’s family means to us?” Devan asked, putting Erick in an even tighter spot.

Erick bowed his head, admitting all his mistakes. He should never have harbored negative thoughts about Elena, who was more deserving of being his sister. All his negative assumptions started when he found out Elena sneaked into his dad’s room. It was then reinforced by his father’s excessive attention to Elena, which, in his view, was unwarranted.

“Sorry, Dad!” Erick uttered softly.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Apologize to El!” Devan commanded firmly.

Erick sighed. Soon after, a heavy exhale escaped his lips. The 16-year-old teenager stared at Elena with mixed emotions, torn between anger and regret.

“El, I’m sorry,” Erick said, his voice soft and half-hearted. Erick did acknowledge his mistake, but Elena was no different. She had disrupted his peaceful life.

According to Erick, Elena was just too pampered. Even though Elena’s extended family was out of town, her house still had many servants to accompany and take care of her every need. She didn’t have to tag along and disturb the peace of Erick and his father.

Suddenly, Elena sneezed loudly, covering part of her face. Her breath instantly felt heavy and congested. Her eyes stung and felt hot.

“I’m not mad, Erick, take it easy,” Elena replied with a wide smile, ignoring the discomfort creeping over her body.

“Okay, I consider everything clear now. I’m going to take a shower.”

Again, Elena sneezed, and this time, it wasn’t just once. Instantly, Devan panicked while observing Elena’s pale face.

“El, what’s wrong with you?” Devan got up from his seat, intending to check Elena’s body temperature.

“Just ignore it, Uncle. She’s being dramatic like Daddy; I just sneezed,” Elena lied, concealing her condition to avoid worrying Devan.

Elena’s body tensed. Her heart pounded rapidly as Devan got very close to her. Even the masculine scent of Devan’s body infiltrated her olfactory senses.

“No, it’s okay. How about we check your body temperature; it feels warm,” Devan said, his hand on her forehead.

Elena blinked repeatedly as Devan’s hand shifted to her neck. She didn’t know what she felt at that moment, but one thing was clear: her heart was behaving abnormally, unlike usual.

Erick, who had just stood up, panicked instantly. He began to worry. Elena’s family was going back home tomorrow, and if she got sick, it could lead to serious trouble. After all, Elena was a pampered child of wealthy parents. She would likely report everything to them.

“Let me fetch some fever medicine and make hot tea, Dad,” Erick said as he hurried to the kitchen.

“You guys play strangely. You have a swimming pool, but you choose to swim with carp,” Devan grumbled, shaking his head.

“It’s so much fun, Uncle!” Elena replied joyfully. “Really, Uncle!” Elena raised her hand, showing a peace sign. She tried to convince Devan not to blame Erick later.

Erick returned shortly with medicine and hot tea in his hands. Like his father, Erick also looked concerned because of his actions, Elena was now unwell.

“Drink it quickly so you won’t get a fever!” Erick said, handing the fever medicine capsules to Elena.

Elena winced as she received the medicine and tea from Erick. Instead of drinking it immediately, she just held onto them.

“Why?” Devan said, looking at Elena, who seemed a bit embarrassed.

“I can’t take capsule medicine,” Elena admitted shyly.

Devan and Erick both touched their foreheads. They were torn between being amazed and wanting to laugh. Erick then mentioned that they didn’t have syrup medicine at home other than betadine.

“Elena has a fever, not an injury, Erick,” Devan scolded his son.

“So, what should we do, Dad?” Erick innocently replied.

“Get two spoons from there!” Devan ordered, immediately obeyed by Erick.

In a rush, Erick went to the kitchen to fetch the spoons, even though he was confused about what the two spoons were for. He handed them over to his father. Devan then took the capsules from Elena’s hand and crushed them. Erick was stunned to discover the purpose of the two spoons. He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Erick’s stomach felt ticklish. He wanted to laugh but was afraid of his father’s scolding. Therefore, Erick could only stand beside Devan, who was crouched down, sealing his lips tightly to avoid bursting into laughter.

“Open your mouth!” Devan commanded, having successfully dissolved the capsule in the tea. Devan treated Elena as if she were his own daughter.

While opening her mouth, Elena gave Erick a sharp look. Of course, Erick would tease her mercilessly after this. Elena’s self-esteem seemed to crumble in front of the two men.

“Be careful, Erick. I’ll get back at you later,” Elena muttered to herself as she sipped on the sweet tea Erick had made, which had suddenly turned bitter.

“You’re just a big baby!” Erick taunted, unfortunately, only able to say it in his mind.