Chapter 8

• ALARM BLARED. With sleepy eyes, Olivia fumbled under her pillow, searching for her phone to turn off the alarm. She lay still for a few moments, trying to shake off the drowsiness, stretching her muscles before sitting up on the bed.
• It was five in the morning, and outside her bedroom window, people were already bustling, starting their day. Olivia got out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom inside her room.
• Her residence could be described as a studio apartment, measuring four by six meters, with a bathroom and a small kitchen area of two and a half by one and a half meters. But she wasn't in an apartment building or a boarding house; instead, she was in a housing complex for employees built at the back of the Quirino family's house. A family of Italian-American descent. It was where Olivia worked.
• Olivia had been working for the Antony-Claire family for five years. Her position? Well, Olivia herself couldn't accurately classify what her role in the house was. All she knew was that she was currently just a live-in guest who slept there.
• Initially, five years ago, Mrs. Claire asked Olivia to be the caregiver for her granddaughter, Gianna. It happened on the day of Gianna's mother's funeral when, at that moment, Mrs. Claire's eldest son—whom Olivia called Granny Claire—Ignazio, Gianna's biological father, left the house.
• There was a commotion in the house at that time. Granny Claire pleaded with her son not to leave for the sake of baby Gianna. But everyone knew Ignazio couldn't be stopped. He was wounded; his heart was broken because he had just been abandoned by the woman he loved deeply. He felt so lost that he couldn't even bear to look at his own daughter.
• As if aware of what was happening around her, as if knowing that she was being neglected, baby Gianna cried loudly, nearly inconsolable. Eventually, Olivia picked her up, and the baby calmed down in her arms. And from that moment on, Olivia was asked to be Gianna's caregiver.
• FLASHBACK
• "Help me, Oliv," Granny Claire pleaded when Gianna had returned, comforted by Olivia, after the guests attending the Quran recitation had dispersed from the Quirino residence.
• "Help me to take care of Gianna. Because you can see for yourself that she only wants to be with you, dear," Granny Claire said again, her eyes fixed on Gianna cradled in Olivia's arms. Granny Claire looked sad and tired, making Olivia feel sorry for her.
• "I will pay you. I will pay your salary. Four times the caregiver's salary, dear. As long as you're willing to take care of her. Twenty-four hours," the woman continued, trying to persuade Olivia. "I don't mean to be arrogant by flaunting my wealth," she said this time with a guilty expression. "But I am genuinely desperate now. Grandma is old; Grandma won't be able to care for Gianna alone, and you can see for yourself even the nurses can't make her calm down.
• "That's why I want to buy your time, Oliv. I want you to be Gianna's caregiver. I want your time entirely for Gianna, and during that time, until Gianna can be free from your supervision, you won't continue your studies. I know that studying is your dream. But I need you right now.
• "As for your studies, it won't be a problem if you postpone it for one or two years, right? If your goal in studying is to get a good job, I promise, after you graduate, or even after Gianna can be independent, me and Antony will help you get any job you want." She promised.
• FLASHBACK END
• Olivia back then could only stay silent. Honestly, Granny Claire's offer was very tempting. And if her task was just to watch over baby Gianna, it wouldn't be difficult for Olivia. Because all this time, at the orphanage, she was already used to taking care of babies entrusted by the department or abandoned babies found at the doorstep of the orphanage.
• Moreover, her reason for moving to Manhattan from Florida was indeed to attend college. Hearing that she could afford to go to college on her own, Olivia was enticed. Especially since the salary offered was not insignificant.
• Although her foster sister, Rianna, had promised to fund her education in the past, Olivia had the intention not to burden her. Even though both of her foster sisters were now wealthy and more than capable of supporting her.
• (Rianna, her foster sister who had moved from Florida as a nurse, was eventually married to Mrs. Claire's nephew, Geremia Quirino. While her other foster sister, Ivana—surprisingly—turned out to be the daughter of Altezza Quirino and Adaline, Geremia Quirino's younger sister.)
• With the intention of continuing her education without burdening her two sisters, Olivia accepted Mrs. Claire's offer without hesitation.
• Olivia, who had previously lived with Rianna and Geremia, then moved and lived in the Antony-Claire residence. Mrs. Claire gave her a room of her own. A room right next to Gianna's room. The purpose was simple, Mrs. Claire wanted Olivia to always be there whenever Gianna needed her.
• And during the first year, Olivia slept in that room only a few times because she often slept in Gianna's room instead of the one designated for her.
• As time passed, Olivia's responsibilities started to decrease. Gianna grew incredibly fast compared to children her age, so Olivia didn't need to look after her for twenty-four hours anymore.
• At the age of one, Gianna could already talk—although not fluently yet—and walk as well.
• By the age of two, the girl had an expanding vocabulary, and Olivia no longer had to watch over her at night.
• Then, when she turned three, Gianna already attended preschool, which gave Olivia more free time even though she was still responsible for picking her up from school.
• Bored because of the excess free time, Olivia finally felt that her job as a nanny was done, and she wanted to leave the middle-aged couple's house to pursue her delayed original plan, which was to go to college.
• After carefully choosing her words, Olivia then submitted her resignation to Mrs. Claire.