Chap 51
Part 51.
There was something different about the weather tonight. There were no clouds or rain. Shooting stars adorned the night sky, along with the reigning king of the night with its bright light. The moon tonight shone very brightly.
It was almost seven o’clock in the evening, Clara came down from her room carrying three medium-sized boxes, which she packed in different paper bags. Upon reaching the kitchen, Clara handed one box to Mbok Iyem, Mbak Anik, and Mbak Cici respectively.
“Clara can only give these,” she said, looking at the three female servants in Joe’s house one by one.
“Thank you, Miss,” Mbok Iyem replied to Clara’s gaze.
Clara nodded.
“Thank you, Miss,” Mbak Cici said.
“Yes, Mbak Cici, you’re welcome!” Clara replied.
Meanwhile, Mbak Anik remained silent, looking at Clara coldly, displeased.
“Mbok Iyem, Mbak Cici, and Mbak Anik, I also apologize for my mistakes while I’m here,” Clara said.
“Yes, Miss.”
“Yes, Mbak.”
Anik remained silent.
“Clara, are you here?” Mrs. Linn asked, carrying a food box.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Clara replied.
“Please bring this to Joe’s room,” she instructed, handing the dessert box to Clara.
“Okay, Ma’am!” Clara replied, taking the box. She quickly left the kitchen and walked upstairs to Uncle Joe’s room.
Anik watched her with dislike and immediately went to her room to call Vivian.
“Hello,” a voice greeted from the other end.
“Ma’am, you need to come here, look, Clara is starting to act up now, even Mrs. Linn is okay with it. She asked Clara to go to Mr. Joe’s room. You need to come here immediately!” Anik pleaded.
“Alright, I’ll be there!” Vivian said confidently.
“Now?” Anik asked, uncertain.
“Yes, I need to bid farewell to Clara, right?!” the former wife of Joe Sebastian said.
“Okay, Ma’am,” Anik replied eagerly.
“Alright!”
“Yes, Ma’am, I’ll wait!”
The phone call ended. Anik smiled satisfied. There was no underlying reason for Anik to hate Clara; the female servant just didn’t like Clara because she supported Joe and Vivian’s relationship.
—
Clara knocked on Joe’s door.
“Uncle Joe,” she called softly.
No response.
“Uncle,” she called again.
“Just a moment, Clara,” Joe replied.
Clara waited for a moment, tidying her hair.
Creak.
The door opened.
“Uncle, this is from Mrs. Linn, she said you ordered it!” Clara said.
“No, I never ordered food,” Joe said, taking the box.
“Come in, this is Mama’s code that she approves of our relationship!” Joe led Clara’s hand into his room.
Clara shyly entered Joe’s room. The man continued to lead Clara, heading to the balcony.
They sat in chairs, side by side.
“Clara,” Joe whispered. He held Clara’s fingers in his grasp.
“Yes, Uncle,” Clara replied, turning to the man sitting next to her. Joe didn’t seem to be in a good state. That’s Clara’s opinion.
“In three days, you’ll leave this house!” Joe said, bowing his head, tightening his grip on Clara’s hand.
“Yes, Uncle,” Clara whispered. “But I promise I’ll come back here to meet Kimmy and Mrs. Linn!” she said.
Silence. Joe was thinking about something. Hesitant to tell Clara or not.
“Your grandpa, he’s arrived in Jakarta, he’s eager to meet you, Clara!” Joe said after overcoming the conflicting feelings in his heart.
“Where is he from? Who is he, Uncle Joe? Can you tell me who else is in my family?” Clara asked, curious.
“He’s your grandpa from your mother’s side, Clara, his name is Freedy Lim,” Joe said.
“And then?” Clara asked, intrigued.
“That’s all I know,” he said. Joe’s hand moved to embrace Clara. “Clara, for three consecutive nights, I’ve had nightmares about you and our relationship,” he added.
“Dreams are just sleeping flowers, Uncle, maybe because you’re worried about having to part with me?” Clara teased.
“Hmm, maybe, hopefully!” Joe tightened his hug. “My Clara,”
“Yes, Uncle!” the girl replied, leaning on Joe’s body and inhaling his scent, truly making Clara feel comfortable.
“What if your family doesn’t approve of our relationship?” Joe asked. Earlier in the afternoon, he had tried to find out about Freedy Lim. Starting from the family lineage, his business ventures, and various companies under the Lim Group. It can be concluded that his wealth is immeasurable.
“Same as Uncle Joe, who still defends me, I will also continue to persevere in explaining to my new family how important Uncle is!” Clara replied.
“It seems you’re already head over heels in love with me, Clara!” Joe murmured in Clara’s ear.
“Yes, Uncle, forgive me for being so bold, shamelessly chasing after Uncle Joe’s love,” Clara replied, looking up at Joe’s face, which was so close to hers.
Silence.
They enjoyed the night atmosphere on Joe’s balcony. Cool with the breeze of the night wind, which caressed their faces.
—
At 7:25 PM.
Vivian arrived at Joe’s house. Anik, who had been waiting for her arrival, opened the door for her.
“Where’s Mama?” Vivian asked.
“Mrs. Linn is in Kimmy’s room,” Anik replied. “As for Clara, she seems to still be in Mr. Joe’s room,” she added.
Vivian narrowed her eyes upon hearing Anik’s words. “I want to meet Mama first!” she exclaimed, gesturing to Anik not to interfere too much.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Anik replied.
Vivian climbed the stairs one by one with impatience. When she reached the top of the stairs, she glanced towards Joe’s room, then continued her steps towards Kimmy’s room.
Anik’s words kept echoing in her mind; she really wanted to burst into Joe’s room, but she tried to restrain herself. She needed to find reasons before holding Clara accountable.
Vivian kept walking and finally arrived in front of Kimmy’s room. The door was open, she burst in and found her daughter already asleep.
Mrs. Linn raised her index finger to her lips, signaling Vivian to be quiet and wait for a moment.
Vivian nodded in understanding, exited Kimmy’s room, and waited in the hallway. She felt impatient, but tried to restrain herself.
“What brings you here, Vivian?” Mrs. Linn asked softly.
“I miss Kimmy, Ma, and I also want to talk to Joe!” she said.
“Kimmy is already asleep, it’s better if you come here during the day!” Mrs. Linn suggested.
“Alright, Ma, where’s Joe? I need to talk to him!” Vivian insisted, impatient to enter her ex-husband’s room.
“He’s in his room!” Mrs. Linn replied curtly and returned to her granddaughter’s room.
Vivian nodded. With fiery emotions, she began to move towards Joe’s room.
Knock.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Knock.
Knock.
Vivian deliberately remained silent, choosing to knock on the door.
Before long, the door opened.
“What are you doing here?” Joe asked, surprised to see Vivian suddenly appear.
“I want to get something! Open the door!” Vivian demanded.
“No, this is no longer your room!” Joe refused.
“I have to come in!” Vivian insisted.
“Why are you forcing it!” Joe protested.
“There must be something you’re hiding!” she accused.
“There’s nothing, fine, come in if you insist!” Joe replied, opening the door wide.
Vivian burst in. She looked around the room, her eyes fixed on Clara, who was sitting on the balcony with her back to them.
“Explain why she can be in your room, Joe!” Vivian protested, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. It hurt so much to see that little girl replacing her position.
“I don’t need to explain anything, Vivian, we have no relationship anymore, did you forget we’re divorced?” Joe said casually.
“No!” Vivian refused. She walked towards the balcony, standing right in front of Clara. “You leave this house, I don’t want you here, let alone close to Joe and Kimmy, realize who you are, Clara!” Vivian said, her anger and emotions taking over.
“Stop it, Vivian, you’re the one who should leave this room!” Joe shouted.
“I’ll leave this room after making sure Clara leaves too!” Vivian replied.
“I’m not leaving this room yet, Aunt! Don’t you forget, this is no longer your room!” Clara retorted, annoyed.
Vivian prepared to slap Clara. However, Joe swiftly grabbed his ex-wife’s hand.
“Quiet, you child, do you even know who you’re dealing with?” Vivian asked.
This time Clara chose to remain silent and bowed her head. Silence is always better.
“Get out of this room now, Vivian!” Joe yelled.
“Fine, I’ll leave this room, let’s see what happens, you two be careful!” Vivian threatened. She looked at Joe and Clara alternately. Then, she left the room.
To be continued.