LOVE YOU, UNCLE

After Giselle left the office, Randy wasn’t just sitting still. After attending the meeting, he was accompanied by Alvin, choosing to go out briefly to meet someone to clarify something that he should have done a long time ago.

Driving for about twenty minutes, Randy and Alvin finally arrived at their destination. As they had made a prior appointment, he was immediately welcomed by the on-duty staff to approach the person who was specifically waiting for him in the room.

“Papa,” Randy greeted upon entering the room, addressing the figure he wanted to meet.

On the other side, there was Maxwell Donovan, who was originally sitting in his office chair. He stood up, walked closer. The middle-aged man briefly hugged Randy, then invited his son-in-law to sit on the sofa beside him.

“Please have a seat, Randy. There are indeed many things we need to discuss right now,” Maxwell said. As if he could read what his son-in-law might want to convey to him after this.

Randy nodded. Believing that he was already comfortably seated, without further ado, he began the conversation. After all, as his father-in-law just mentioned, there were many things that needed clarification.

“Firstly, Randy apologizes for Randy’s behavior that may have seemed disrespectful to you that night. By God, Randy didn’t mean to spoil Papa’s happy birthday moment.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Maxwell just nodded. Not saying much. Giving his son-in-law the chance to express any grievances.

“All that was just a human reaction that Randy displayed. Honestly, Randy didn’t even expect to witness firsthand how Ghea was treated roughly by her mother. Oh, sorry. Randy means stepmother.” Randy remained silent for a moment. Looking at Maxwell for a moment before speaking again. “Randy can’t accept how Ghea is treated like that, Pa. Randy even heard for himself that Ghea was deliberately presented and forced to marry as a subtle form of expulsion from the Donovan family. Why is Mama Clara so evil?”

“Randy…”

Maxwell finally spoke. Perhaps his ears were already too hot from the rant of his son-in-law. But, looking closely at his face, it clearly conveyed sadness.

“Apologies for all the mistreatment Ghea received at that time.”

“Not just at that time, Pa,” Randy immediately interrupted. He quickly clarified. Who knows if until this moment Maxwell really didn’t know what his wife and stepdaughter’s behavior towards Ghea has been like all this time. “In fact, from the first time Ghea entered this house, she has received unfair and unkind treatment.”

Maxwell’s brow immediately furrowed. As if what Randy just said was genuinely news to him.

“What do you mean, Randy? For God’s sake, Papa doesn’t understand at all.”

Randy smiled sarcastically. He truly hated recounting disgusting things like this, especially when his own wife was the victim.

“Once again, Randy apologizes. Frankly, Randy didn’t care at all about Ghea’s previous background. Not to exaggerate, but compared to the other three candidates Mama presented, Ghea was ranked last. But, for some reason, she caught Randy’s attention. Initially, Randy thought everything was going as it should. After all, there was nothing unusual about Ghea. But, everything changed into a big question mark since Randy suddenly found out that Ghea had deep-seated trauma with what is called dark and confined spaces.”

“I’ve already told you, Ghea has childhood trauma. Papa and Mario have tried several times to persuade her to undergo therapy with a renowned psychiatrist. But, Ghea always refuses, Ran.”

Randy sighed softly. As he carefully chose his words, he continued to cast bewildered looks at his father-in-law.

“Do Papa even know who caused Ghea’s prolonged trauma?”

Maxwell shook his head.

“Ghea used to be locked in the storage room all day when she was little, Ran. Because of this, she developed trauma and fear.”

Again, Randy grinned. If laughing at parents wasn’t disrespectful, Randy would have done it already. Why is his father-in-law so naive? No wonder Clara’s actions for years have never been noticed by all family members, especially Maxwell himself. The middle-aged man is too trusting or can be said to be easily fooled.

“Ghea wasn’t locked, Pa. She was intentionally confined in the storage room.”

Maxwell was immediately startled. Randy’s words managed to grab his attention.

“What do you mean, Randy? Intentionally how?”

“Well, when she was little, Ghea often suffered abuse. From being beaten, yelled at, and most fatally, being locked in the storage room without light for the whole day. She wasn’t even given food for the entire day. This is a criminal act, Pa.”

Maxwell stayed silent for a moment. It seems that from the expression on the middle-aged man’s face, he finds it hard to believe what his son-in-law is saying.

“It can’t be, Ran. Papa is sure the story isn’t like this. Besides, who could be heartless enough to commit such a heinous act against Ghea?”

“You should ask that question to Papa’s wife, Mama Clara Ivanka.”

Maxwell shook his head repeatedly. Eventually, he understood the direction of today’s discussion.

“It’s impossible. You don’t mean to accuse your own mother-in-law, do you?”

“The problem is, Mama Clara is the mastermind behind all of this!” Randy’s voice slightly raised. The emotions he had been holding back finally released when mentioning the name of the person who has been cruel to Ghea all this time. “Randy apologizes, Pa. Randy apologizes. To find out what caused Ghea’s trauma, Randy deliberately hired a detective to get answers. And, if Papa knows, the investigation results really make Randy upset and utterly baffled. All this time, Ghea has been subjected to harsh, cruel treatment, and all forms of inhumane punishment. Even this has been going on for over a decade. I swear, for whatever reason, Randy is deeply hurt after learning this truth, Pa.”

Randy then handed over a special folder that he intentionally brought to show Maxwell. Pausing his words, he asked his father-in-law to read it carefully. If necessary, internalize it to draw conclusions about what has been happening all this time.

After reading the documents Randy presented, Maxwell himself sat trembling after a few minutes. His hand instinctively reached out, gripping his left chest as if a slow pain and discomfort were coursing through his entire body.

“Papa is sure this is just —-”

“That’s the reality, Pa. So, stop denying it. Just calm down. Papa doesn’t need to take any action. Let Randy handle it himself. Besides, Randy knows what to do to protect Ghea from the evil people around her.”

“Randy…” Maxwell called, shaking his head.

“It’s okay, Pa,” Randy responded with a smile. “As long as Papa knows, about the IndoAsia shares that Randy bought on behalf of Ghea, that’s just the beginning. If Randy wants, in the blink of an eye, IndoAsia can be entirely taken and owned by Randy. Especially if Giselle dares to do anything to Ghea.”

Randy was serious with his threat. He didn’t care at all if the two families that were once harmonious would end up in conflict.

“Randy, everything can be discussed peacefully,” Maxwell coaxed, trying to calm him down. Even though it was painful to hear that Ghea had been mistreated behind his back, Maxwell still didn’t want to act recklessly. “Papa knows you’re angry, but everything can be resolved with a cool head, right?”

Randy nodded.

“Of course, Pa. Definitely. It’s just that, before everything gets worse, it’s better to anticipate, right? That’s why, today, right now, Randy asks for permission from Papa. If someone disturbs Ghea and it turns out the culprit is Papa’s wife or another daughter, Randy will reluctantly retaliate for what they did. If necessary, multiple times of what they did. Randy is serious, Pa. I’m not joking about this.”

Maxwell remained silent. After giving his warning, his son-in-law immediately decided to leave. Leaving him with mixed feelings. Naturally, he was confused about how to handle things from this point on.