Part 10

10

"Don't say you don't have a plan," Carlos urged, handing Chelsea a box of cereal.

Chelsea shook her head. "Of course, I have a plan, but I can't execute it because Vano isn't here." Chelsea's excuse was an attempt to hide her nervousness and fear of failing to convince Carlos.

"In that case, I'll arrange a meeting between you and Vano."

"When?" Chelsea asked.

"In an hour, I'll leave you at the cafe in front of this supermarket. I'll ask Vano to come and meet you there, and it's up to you how you approach him. If he agrees, you can move into my house tonight."

Carlos grabbed another box of cereal. "Remember, if Vano refuses, you won't be able to stay in my house."

Chelsea nodded, although she was puzzled about what reason to give. Nevertheless, she agreed to Carlos's suggestion.

The sooner she lived in his house, the sooner she could carry out her revenge.

"Mom, can I go shopping with Uncle Carlos alone? I have something important to discuss with Indri before moving. I need to say goodbye to her first."

"Wait, Chelsea. Where are you going?" Margareth tried to stop Chelsea from leaving so abruptly. Chelsea had said goodbye, but she hadn't given permission yet.

"I'm meeting with Indri, Mom. It's not far, just right here!" Chelsea called out from a distance, waving her hand as permission before leaving Margareth with Carlos.

"Let her be, Chelsea's moving. Naturally, she has to bid farewell to her friends before leaving, right? Who knows who that was just now?"

"Indri, Uncle," Margareth clarified.

"Yes, Indri. Who knows, Indri might be looking for her later. Chelsea might be mistaken for being arrogant just because she's moving to a new house, without asking for permission first."

Margareth nodded, trusting Carlos's explanation and continued shopping, unaware that Carlos had asked Vano to come to the cafe they had chosen.

Vano, who was busy with his campus activities, raised an eyebrow, wondering why his father was suddenly urging to meet him.

Just this morning, when they had breakfast together, there were no signs that his father wanted to meet him urgently like this.

Not wanting to argue at all, Vano grabbed his car keys and hurried to the cafe Carlos had designated.

When he arrived at the cafe, Vano scanned the area for his father, who had been insisting on a quick meeting.

However, the man was nowhere to be found. Vano reached into his pocket, searching for his phone to call Carlos. Later...

"Come with me!" Somehow summoning her courage, Chelsea grabbed Vano's hand and dragged him toward a secluded corner of the cafe.

Still not understanding what was happening, Vano followed Chelsea's lead.

"I'm sure you don't know me, but I know you." Chelsea rushed to speak before Vano could say anything.

"If I don't know you, then why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"Be quiet and listen to me. Please, sit down so we can talk comfortably." Inviting Vano to sit down, Chelsea pulled out the chair for him, trying to make a good impression during their first meeting.

However, instead of sitting in the chair Chelsea had offered, Vano chose to sit in another seat. His forehead furrowed as he observed Chelsea's behavior. She claimed he didn't know her, yet she had the audacity to initiate a serious conversation.

"Listen to me carefully and don't interrupt until I'm done speaking," Chelsea warned Vano preemptively to prevent any protests.

Vano adjusted his glasses, leaning back in his chair. He folded his arms and nodded, signaling that he was ready to hear what Chelsea had to say.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Chelsea. We go to the same campus, and I know who you are. A popular student who keeps to himself."

Vano nodded, acknowledging what Chelsea was saying, as that's how he presented himself on campus. Nobody there knew his true self.

"Besides that, I also know that you've set quite difficult conditions for your father to meet before he can remarry."

For this part, Vano was tempted to interrupt, but Chelsea raised her hand, silencing him.

"I'm Chelsea, the daughter of Margareth, your father's lover. I'm here to sabotage their wedding, but I'm posing as a supporter of their relationship."

"Wait," this time Vano couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. Chelsea had been speaking word by word for too long; he was growing impatient as it concerned his father.

"You said you want to sabotage my parents' wedding, but you're posing as a supporter. I don't understand."

"My mother entered a relationship with your father while he was still legally married to my father. This went on until my father passed away due to immense pain. I'm here to support their relationship from the outside, but eventually dismantle it."

"So, you're going to be a traitor?" Chelsea nodded, trying hard to remain calm so that Vano would believe her and support her cause.

It was indeed very risky, but she had no other option but to be honest.

"If you do that, my father will be hurt."

Chelsea shook her head. "Your father won't be hurt at all. Instead, I will open his eyes to see the true character of the woman he's loved all this time, so that he won't get trapped in the false love my mother offers."

"You mean, my mother entered a relationship with my father for ulterior motives?" Vano clarified.

"Of course, if not that, then what? And just so you know, my father passed away due to illness. He was shocked because his company went bankrupt, and it was all because of my mother's involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme. Instead of supporting my father, she had relationships with so many other men.

Interestingly, only your father is the one who wanted to commit to a serious relationship with her. I know the kind of person my mother is, so I want to save your father and also seek revenge for my own father. Do you understand my intention so far, Vano?"

Vano nodded. "I understand and comprehend your position up to this point. If you're indeed trying to help my father, I'd also like to ask for your help."

"What help?" Now it was Chelsea's turn to be puzzled. She came here to propose a deal to Vano, but he was suggesting the same thing back to her.

"I'll support my father's relationship with your mother so that they can get married, but you also need to help me get approval for my relationship with my lover from my father."

"Oh my goodness…"

"So, I'm in a relationship with a woman who my father strongly disapproves of, causing me to change drastically like I am now. You don't need to know who she is or anything about her. What matters is that you make my father comply with all my wishes, can you do that?"

"Vano, how am I supposed to help? You won't even tell me who this person is," Chelsea complained. The weight of the task she was already carrying became even heavier with the additional request Vano was making.

How could he ask her to help Carlos give his approval when he wouldn't disclose any information about the person involved? It was quite possible that this person might be the last person on Earth that Carlos would ever agree to.

She could already imagine Carlos' frustration.

"How?" Vano questioned their agreement once again because Chelsea had remained silent. She was pondering whether to accept or reject his proposal.

"W-wait a second, before I answer your question, give me at least a clue. Does your father have a major issue with the girl you're talking about, which is why he's withholding approval? Please tell me, so that I won't become your father's prey."

Vano tapped his fingers on the table, contemplating whether he should inform Chelsea about the issue he was currently dealing with or not.

"It's not exactly a problem, but you could say that my father deeply despises her family, and that's impacting him as well. It's a sort of family feud. But I'm certain that this won't be an issue if my father eventually yields to you. Especially if you two get married."

Chelsea rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You're basically asking me to become your stepmother just to lure him into giving approval. Are you insane, Vano? There's a huge age difference between me and your father."

"But your face looks older, and my father still looks young for his age, even though he's considered old by your standards. So, think about it more carefully, so that we can reach an agreement. You're the one who's breaking my father away from the woman he loves, so naturally, you should take responsibility."

Chelsea shook her head. "You're out of your mind. I won't accept this offer."

"In that case, I won't help you either. So don't even dream about staying in my house." Vano rose from his seat, ready to leave Chelsea.

"Okay, I'll do it, but I'm not promising to marry your father," Chelsea responded before Vano left.

A faint smirk formed on one corner of his lips as he looked back at Chelsea. "It's been a pleasure working with you!" he said before departing. 

"So, it's clear that if we're working together, you need to make my father fall in love with you so he'll agree to whatever you want," Vano reiterated the agreement they had made a while ago. Chelsea had lost count of how many times Vano had said this, and it was making her feel nauseous.

If there weren't other motives involved, Chelsea wouldn't agree to such an irrational arrangement. With great reluctance, she nodded her head. She was getting tired of it, but Vano kept asking the same question over and over again.

"Once you agree, I'll draft a legally binding agreement between us to ensure you stay on the path I've set. And of course, there will be a hefty fine in case you break the rules or deviate from what I've specified," Vano sighed heavily. "So, when will you move to my house?" he asked.

"If everything goes smoothly, maybe I'll start living at your house from tonight. And if you don't mind, I'd like to make an agreement with you in the document I'll sign as well. What do you think?" Chelsea hoped that by having a written agreement, she could also bind Vano to certain terms.

That way, the outcome they would achieve would be more balanced. Honestly, Chelsea was scared at the prospect of being asked to marry Carlos.

"Alright, go ahead and think about the points you want to include in this agreement. I'll also think carefully about what I'll entrust to you. So, this concludes our meeting. See you tonight," Vano left two one-hundred-thousand-rupiah bills on the table.

He knew that Vania probably wouldn't be able to cover their bill.

"Hey, what's this?" Chelsea grabbed the money that Vano left on the table.

"Use that to pay for my order. As you know, the items on the menu here aren't cheap."

Chelsea sighed in annoyance. "You can relax; I still have enough money to pay for those cheap drinks," she retorted, not willing to lose to Vano.

Instead of taking back the money, Vano chuckled. "If you have enough money for these drinks, use it to buy gas for your motorbike—your 'tail bike' as you call it." A bit of teasing before he left Chelsea at the café.

"Ugh, no wonder no one wants to be friends with you. Your mouth is sharper than a knife," Chelsea grumbled inwardly.

She wished she could just drag Vano and toss him into the deepest abyss, but unfortunately, she still needed him to exact revenge on her mother.