LOVE YOU, UNCLE

“Are you happy?”

In the evening, after dinner together, before entering their room, Mario decided to stop by his younger sister’s room. From the front door, it was clear that Ghea was busy arranging some of the gifts from Randy’s parents today.

“I don’t think so,” Ghea whispered without diverting her gaze from the arranged boxes in front of her.

Mario smiled. He walked in, then sat on the floor right next to his sister. Affectionately, he messed up Ghea’s freely flowing hair.

“Why aren’t you happy about getting married? Besides, the guy is not bad at all. Handsome and wealthy. Stable, still single, and visually seems kind.”

Ghea stopped her hands, which had been busy arranging the boxes. She glanced briefly, then shifted her sitting position to face her brother.

“I don’t know my future husband, bro. It would be a lie if I said I’m happy. We both know Randy is a playboy, right?”

Mario nodded.

“Randy is indeed a playboy, Ghe. But, so far, there hasn’t been any bad track record about him. Never once has the news contained scandals about his love life or relationships with women out there. Most of the news is about his achievements in advancing the company with brilliant ideas and concepts.”

“Media can manipulate news, bro. What’s hard for a rich family like the Walterss to build an image or brand their descendants well in the public eye.”

Mario laughed. Besides being intelligent, his sister was known for being critical. That’s why she always liked to debate or argue with substantial arguments.

“You’re wrong. If the Walters family wanted to brand their descendants’ image, there wouldn’t have been news a while ago about Rama Adiatma Walters caught sabotaging. Even though he’s the heir, he had to face the consequences and be held by the authorities. Imagine? They didn’t even try to cover up such big news. So, we can conclude that their family is very fair.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Ghea was silent for a moment. Digesting what Mario explained. Although her brother sounded like he was defending Randy, she still couldn’t immediately accept and allow Randy to enter her heart.

“Even though this brother is often annoying…” Mario continued. “But, I really care about you, Ghe. Some time ago, I even asked about Randy with my friends who know him. And they all said positive things. Randy is far different from your ex, Rio, that jerk.”

“Bro!” Ghea interrupted. Rolling her eyes lazily, she sighed. “Why bring up Rio?”

“You’re probably still thinking about him, right? That kind of guy became your boyfriend. From the beginning, I didn’t approve of him.”

Ghea sighed again. Since the beginning of her relationship with Rio, her brother had openly shown disapproval. Several times, Mario had warned her to be careful.

However, blinded by love, Ghea closed her eyes. Three years into the relationship, she was betrayed. Even though, if asked about her feelings, Ghea still loved him.

“Enough, bro. I don’t want to talk about Rio. Besides, I’m told to hurry up and get married so I can leave this house, right?”

Mario fell silent. As the eldest child, he knew exactly what had happened in their home. And regarding Ghea being the child of their father’s affair, he had known from the beginning.

Then, hearing what Ghea had just said, without saying much, Mario pulled Ghea’s shoulder. Drawing her close to him, then embracing her lovingly.

“Nothing like that, Ghe. However it is, you are still part of this family.”

“But Mom and Giselle never liked me from the beginning, bro,” Ghea protested, looking down.

Mario knew very well about that. Since Ghea’s arrival in their family, neither his mother nor his sister had shown any liking.

Yes, Mario couldn’t protest either. As a lawful wife, his mother was undoubtedly angry and disappointed with what their father had done.

Mario was disappointed with his father’s actions too. But, hating Ghea wasn’t the right choice. For him, Ghea was just a victim of the foolish acts their parents committed. So, it wasn’t ethical to vent or unleash frustration on that little girl.

“Forgive Mom and Giselle, Ghe. I hope you understand why they are like that. Even though they haven’t liked you all this time, there’s still me, who always protects you. And even if you get married later, I will still always be behind you.”

Ghea nodded and reciprocated the hug. Grateful that out of many who hated her, there was still Mario who had supported her from the moment she entered the Denovan family until the moments she was about to leave that family. Once again, she prayed that marrying Randy was the right decision to change her fate.

If yesterday the big families of Walters and Denovan were busy with the Tingjing procession, then a week later, the Sangjit procession was held. This time both parties agreed to hold the dowry ceremony at a five-star hotel.

There was something interesting at the Sangjit event. As we all know, the Chinese ethnic group likes the dominating color red. That’s why, from the clothes worn to the dowry tray, everything had to be in a bright red color.

Then, why choose the color red? Because in their ethnicity, the color red symbolizes happiness and joy. In addition, the dowry tray must also be an even number like 6, 8, 12, except 4 because the number 4 is a symbol of death.

That night, there were so many gifts brought by Randy’s extended family. From boxes containing clothes, silk fabrics, bags, and also expensive shoes. This box had a philosophy that meant the groom would fulfill all the needs and clothing of his partner.

“Not only that, but the other boxes are also interesting. Some contain cosmetics and toiletries. Jewelry, red envelopes with money, canned food, fruits, couple candles, bottles of liquor, as well as sweet cakes and sugar flowers, each with its own meaning.

“Ghea, your future husband is really handsome,” Denisa said during the event. Out of many family members, Ghea intentionally invited her friend to be present. At least, she had a friend in times of nervousness like now.

“Handsome, huh? Just normal,” Ghea retorted, half boasting. In reality, Randy did look handsome that night. Fair-skinned, wearing a red outfit, the charisma of the man stood out even more. But due to pride, Ghea refused to admit it. Especially if Randy heard her praise. Her future husband might become conceited.

“Don’t be so dismissive. You’re getting married soon, you know. Are you ready for the wedding night? If you need a tutorial, I can find a video for you to learn,” Denisa whispered, winking. “It’s really necessary for someone like you, who is inexperienced, to learn various styles.”

Ghea squinted. Instantly, her cheeks turned red. Imagining the wedding night with Randy? Oh dear, honestly, she couldn’t handle it. Fortunately, she had anticipated it in the prenuptial agreement that she didn’t want to be touched before graduating from college.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Denis.”

“I’m not being ridiculous,” Denisa retorted. “Tonight, I’ll find and send you the videos for you to study this week. As a good wife, you must provide the best service to your husband.”

Ghea rolled her eyes, pinching Denisa until she groaned. But upon reflection, as a beginner who was inexperienced, did she really need a tutorial video for the wedding night?