chapter 1 - Keyla and Keenan

A bright morning, a glimpse of a young girl's face as she sits at her vanity. A cheerful smile has been etched on her lips for some time, radiating a pleasant aura within her.

Keyla Putri Surya Wijayanto, just call her Keyla. A 17-year-old girl who is currently a second-year high school student. Keyla is the daughter of a successful businessman named Surya Wijayanto. Her mother is Tiara Lestari, a beauty doctor. Her youthful appearance often leads people to think that Keyla and Tiara are sisters. However, Keyla's beauty is no less than her mother's. Many people praise her for inheriting her mother's beauty and her father's handsomeness.

Moreover, Keyla has an older brother named Keenan Putra Surya Wijayanto. Keyla always calls him Abang Keen, and sometimes Abang Sayang when she wants something from him. Keenan is a final semester student at his university. Soon, he will graduate as the top student in his class and will continue his father's work in the real estate business.

Keyla is now ready in her white and grey uniform. She doesn't forget to put on teddy bear-shaped hair clips on both sides of her hair. Today, Keyla has braided her hair into two pigtails, making her look cute like a doll.

"Key! Key! Are you done yet?!" someone shouted from outside her room, whom she knew was Keenan, her brother.

Keyla pouted in annoyance; every morning, her brother always shouted like that outside her room. Keyla then grabbed her favorite denim backpack from her study table. Then she walked out of her room to meet Keenan's demand.

"Yes, I'm done!" Keyla replied irritably.

As she was about to walk away from Keenan in front of her room, Keenan quickly grabbed her backpack strap, locking her from moving further. Keyla struggled to break free, but it was not that easy; Keenan's strength was greater than hers, and she could not move under her brother's hold.

Keenan brought his face closer to his sister's, pressing her against the wall, his eyes squinting as he scrutinized every corner of Keyla's face. "What did you just say?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you, Abang?! I need to go to school, I'm afraid I'll be late!"

"Are you more afraid of being late or of me, hmm?"

"Of course, I'm afraid of being late. Why should I be afraid of you?"

"Oh, really?" Keenan then tried to press his body closer to Keyla, hoping she would change her statement.

"KEYLA! KEENAN! COME HAVE BREAKFAST, DEAR!" Tiara called out to her two children for breakfast.

Keyla, feeling squeezed by her brother and the wall behind her, could only close her eyes to endure what Keenan was doing. But when Tiara, their mother, called them, her eyes widened. Seeing Keenan's attention diverted, Keyla quickly pushed her brother's sturdy body and ran downstairs for breakfast with her mom and dad.

Watching Keyla run like a child being chased by a kidnapper, Keenan smiled slyly, stroking his chin. To him, his sister's behavior was very adorable.

Without lingering, Keenan joined them for breakfast. He saw Keyla eagerly eating the fried rice made by Tiara. Although they had fried rice for breakfast every day, they never got tired of it as long as Tiara made it.

In their house, there was only one housemaid whose job was to clean inside and outside the house. The kitchen was Tiara's domain, and only she was allowed to cook for them. They often invited Mbak Yuni, the housemaid, and Pak Budi, the personal driver and security guard, to eat together at the dining table.

Surya and Tiara always taught their children to respect others, regardless of their status; they were still human beings who deserved to be respected. Moreover, Mbak Yuni and Pak Budi were very helpful in their household. Long before Keyla was born, Mbak Yuni and Pak Budi had worked in their home. Mbak Yuni often took care of Keenan when he was little, and Pak Budi always drove him to and from school, as Surya and Tiara were always busy with their jobs. However, they never forgot their responsibilities as good parents to their children.

While spooning some rice into her mouth, Keyla glanced at Keenan sitting across from her. Her feelings were still mixed up remembering what had just happened. Although they were biological siblings, Keenan's behavior often crossed the line.

"When you eat, look at your plate, not elsewhere, or you might choke," Keenan teased when he caught his sister looking at him.

"UHUK!"

"Just said it, and it happened." Despite his indifferent tone, Keenan handed his sister a glass of water to clear her throat.

"Oh dear, Keyla, eat slowly, don't rush. Take your time, there's still plenty of time," Tiara advised while patting her beloved daughter's back.

"Yes, Ma," Keyla replied after feeling relieved.

"Ma, I think I'll be home late today; I need to meet my thesis advisor," Keenan took over the conversation.

"To discuss your thesis?" asked his mother.

"Yes," Keenan replied briefly.

Suddenly, Keyla turned her spoons upside down, finishing her breakfast. She ended with a glass of milk which she drank in one go. Like a child, Keyla wiped the milk residue from her upper lip with her sleeve.

"I'm done, Ma. I need to leave now; I'm afraid of being late," she said, then stood up from her seat. Before leaving, Keyla kissed her parents' hands.

But as she was about to step out, Keenan quickly stopped her. "Wait! We're leaving together," he said.

Keyla's small lips formed an "O," her eyes blinking several times. Ah! Keyla really didn't like being in this kind of situation. She intentionally wanted to avoid her brother, but he always found a way to approach her. Keyla got goosebumps.

"I... I was about to leave. You should finish your breakfast first, let Pak Budi take me to school."

"I've finished breakfast. Let's go now," Keenan said, standing up and ending his breakfast.

"It's okay, Pak Budi can take me," Keyla tried to refuse.

But Keenan wouldn't be Keenan if he couldn't do whatever he wanted. "Pak Budi wants to have breakfast too, not just you."

Seeing their children's unusual interaction, Surya and Tiara could only exchange glances, wondering what was going on with them. What was happening between their two children?

"Pak Budi can have breakfast after taking me to school."

Not wanting to hear more refusals from Keyla, Keenan pushed her back to go with him.

Seeing this, Surya and Tiara shook their heads. Sometimes they got along, sometimes they were like cats and mice.

Keenan forced Keyla into his car. He didn't care if the girl winced in pain from his rough handling.

"Hey! You're so rough! I don't like it!" Keyla said after being forced into the car.

"But I like it," Keenan replied, leaning his head in front of Keyla's face before finally driving her to school.