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47. Building Charactere
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2024-08-28 10:10:59Related chapters
Between Love and Scandal 48. Pity Dominates
A beautiful girl in a knee-length white dress sat in the corner of the room. Her gaze was blank. Occasionally, she wiped the clear water that slowly trickled down her cheeks. It had been almost an hour since she had locked herself in there, not letting anyone in, not even her brother Lucas.Lisa had a beautiful and graceful face, a mixture of American and Franciscan. She had milky white skin with thin, delicate lips like her mother's. Unfortunately, this was not her nature. Unfortunately, her nature was not. She grew up to be a superman and selfish girl. Everything she wanted had to be done, or she would do anything to get it.But this one was different. She had a long-time crush on Mark, her foster brother, whom she had taken in five years ago. She liked how he was gentle with her and sensitive to what she wanted.Since she was a little girl, Mark had always accompanied her to the orchid garden when she was bored or fighting with Lucas.Especially when her mother died, Mark took Lisa
Last Updated : 2024-08-28Between Love and Scandal 49. One Sided Love
They had been silent for almost a quarter of an hour. Lisa decided to finish her ice cream while Mark did the same. They preferred to look at the people biking near the park, looking cool, until they both had half of their ice cream left."What do you want to ask?" asked Mark, who finally couldn't stand it any longer. He opened his voice first, waiting for Lisa to speak, but the girl preferred silence.Lisa seemed to swallow hesitantly. "It's okay. It's okay." She licked at her melting ice cream. As if what had just happened had never happened."Oh."Now, Mark cursed inwardly. For some reason, his tongue felt numb, and the sentences he had neatly arranged at home suddenly blurred and fell apart in his head. Finally, he decided to join the silence, and it was boring."You're close to a girl, huh?" asked Lisa finally.Mark turned his head. "How do you know?" he answered later, but of course, in a softer tone, with a smile."Really?" asked Lisa again.She didn't even bother to look into
Last Updated : 2024-08-28Between Love and Scandal 50. Sibling Strife
"Listen to me, Luc! I can explain everything." Mark held his breath, feeling the grip of Lucas's hand tighten.Lucas squeezed Mark's shirt collar even tighter until the man was out of breath.The muzzle of the gun was perfectly aimed at Mark's cheek, keeping him from moving."Don't lie! How many times have I told you?! I never asked you for anything!" Lucas' veins tightened. "Why is she crying? What did you do?"Having crossed the line, Mark finally stood up for himself. He pushed Lucas with what was left of his strength, almost knocking him over. Lucas then tried to breathe correctly."I'm just telling him something true! Not another weird thing!" Mark was trying to defend himself in front of his adopted brother. Because he really wasn't lying. Finally, it seemed that Lucas was also 'sick' of loving his sister too much."Since when did you know he could see the truth, huh!" Lucas raised his voice. He stared Mark in the face."You know that Lisa is my real sister! She deserves to be h
Last Updated : 2024-08-29Between Love and Scandal 51. Stretching
Since yesterday's incident, Mark's relationship with this family has been strained. He could not speak his mind. He still felt unworthy and inferior because he was just an adopted son who owed this family a favour.Saturday was a day off. Mark and Lucas were at their big house. They ate together at the dining table, accompanied by Lisa, who wore heavy make-up to attract Mark's attention. But it didn't change anything. It seemed that no matter how hard Lisa tried, Mark still wouldn't see her as the grown-up girl.“Brother,” Lisa called out, causing them to turn their heads together. However, Lisa's eyes on Mark made Lucas continue with his breakfast.“Mark,” Lisa called again, her voice hoarse from yesterday's incident. But once again, Mark did not answer her. The man continued to act indifferent as if he already hated him. That didn't make the stubborn Lisa give up so easily.“Brother Mark!” Lisa shouted, pounding on the table. The intonation of her voice was not that of someone screa
Last Updated : 2024-08-29Between Love and Scandal 52. Mark vs Lucas
Silence fell over the dining table, leaving only Mark and Lucas. Since earlier, Lucas seemed to be trying to keep his emotions in check with Mark's indifference towards Lisa.Suddenly, Lucas kicked the table, stopping Mark, who was about to put chicken soup in his mouth."What do you want?" The face stiffened and turned bright red. Al was still casually eating the rest of the chicken soup in the bowl."I don't want to prolong this problem, Ed. And you can't make me love Lisa. My answer is clear. She's still my sister. Forever, and I think of her only as a sister, nothing more," Mark said.It seemed excessive to magnify Lisa's selfishness about her feelings and make her and Lucas have to behave like this.Obviously, Lucas' view of the matter was much more complicated. The man didn't accept Mark's unbiased decisions and statements and retaliated against Lisa."Okay, let's make this simple." Lucas took a breath to formulate his following sentence."You got all these benefits from my dad.
Last Updated : 2024-09-03Between Love and Scandal 53. Confide In Me?
"Oh, I know you. The look on your face says it all." Aileen explained. After all, this wasn't the first time Mark had been like this, and she understood.Mark looked down deeply. "Hmm, what do you think? What am I supposed to do when everything I have is slipping out of my hands?"Aileen paused. "There are many options. One, you can start over. Second, you can keep it. Third, you could be down for a while.""How long?""Depends on your power level."Mark smiled. This girl was brilliant; she could think of anything, read everything and understand it quickly."By the way, what's wrong with you?"Mark leaned back on the garden chair and stared at the white clouds above. He tried to formulate a short sentence to explain his situation."My current dad is not my real dad. They took care of me at the orphanage when I was ten years old. We have a younger sister called Lisa. Because we had always obeyed her wishes for a long time, there was a misunderstanding between her and me." Pause."This
Last Updated : 2024-09-03Between Love and Scandal 54. Outburst of Emotions
Mark drove home with his emotions running high. Lucas couldn't do this to him just because he hadn't accepted Lisa. He moved his car at a fast pace to get there as quickly as possible. On the porch, the man with a cross face between Francis and American sat quietly, enjoying a cup of tea. It was as if nothing had happened. Mark quickly approached the man, grabbed the cup from Lucas' hand, and glared at him."What do you mean you blocked all my cards?" Mark clenched his fists.Lucas still stared nonchalantly at Mark's red face."Are you stupid? I didn't cancel your cards. I didn't have the right. Our father did." Lucas took the teacup back from Mark's hand and sipped at it calmly."Yeah, and you told Dad to do it, didn't you?" Mark snapped.Lucas let go of the cup a little roughly. The next second, he laughed eerily. A mocking grin that made Mark even more apoplectic."Why, it wasn't yours to begin with. And you want to hear the other good news?" Lucas scoffed.This time, he got up fro
Last Updated : 2024-09-05Between Love and Scandal 55. New Beginning
Mark left Howard's house with only a few dollars in cash. Fortunately, it was enough for Mark to rent a cheap inn for at least the next few nights. He couldn't walk any further with his suitcase. Mark turned a deaf ear to Lucas' repeated calls for him when he decided to leave and refuse Lucas' offer. He already didn't care what the man said. Sacrificing his own feelings just for money? Ha, absolutely ridiculous.If Mark's hard work for the Howard family company was not appreciated, then there was no point in staying. He had not been a member of their family from the beginning. Even this time, Mark seemed to be disregarded simply because he didn't share Lisa's feelings. For God's sake, Mark loved Lisa. But this wasn't the kind of affection he felt. Lisa would be his little sister and would never change.Mark would genuinely be someone else in the Howard family. He managed to stay out of Lucas' way, even though he had to give up all his hard work. Sometimes, he wondered if he was missin
Last Updated : 2024-09-05
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Between Love and Scandal 102. ENDING
The family was filled with happiness when Aileen finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Deborah Fredina Bagaskara. The smart and chatty little girl became a source of pride for her parents, as well as for her grandparents. The house immediately came alive with the arrival of the first grandchild in the Bagaskara family, which had been rather quiet in terms of descendants.Deborah’s birth story was quite an adventure. Aileen had cravings as her due date approached, and her parents had warned her to stay home. However, Aileen insisted on going to Monas (National Monument) to see the tower up close. “My goodness, darling. What a ridiculous request is that?” Mark was frustrated because he was in a dilemma: everyone had forbidden him to fulfill his wife’s wish, but as her husband, he couldn’t bear to deny her. During her pregnancy, Aileen had rarely asked for anything unusual.He felt terribly guilty if he didn’t fulfill her request. So, that afternoon, he decided to take Aile
Between Love and Scandal 101. Pregnant
Two months after their wedding, Aileen discovered she was pregnant because her period was late by more than a month. So, the menstruation she had on their wedding night was the last one she experienced after marriage. After that, she didn’t have any until a pregnancy test confirmed two lines. "Is it true, darling? Are you pregnant?" asked Mark, looking very enthusiastic. Aileen was so moved that she couldn't speak. She had, of course, hoped to get pregnant right away after marriage, but she never expected it to happen so soon. "Thank you, darling. I’m so touched. I'm going to be a dad!" said Mark, jumping around with joy. He immediately ran downstairs to share the good news with his parents. "What? Aileen is pregnant? Alhamdulillah!" Mrs. Anna exclaimed. She was so happy because she had requested from Aileen and Mark that they wouldn’t delay having children with contraception. Mr. George was just as happy and cheered when he heard the news. "Finally, Pa. Next time, we wo
Between Love and Scandal 100. Unforgettable Moments
And finally, the long-awaited day arrived. The Bagaskara family's house had been lavishly decorated for the important once-in-a-lifetime moment between Mark and Aileen. Aileen’s extended family from Mataram had arrived the day before and stayed at her apartment to ensure they wouldn't be late for the marriage ceremony and reception. The invitations, which numbered no less than a hundred people, came in waves, filling the yard which had been set up for a garden party, much like Lisa's party from before. The only difference was that the theme here was Mediterranean, whereas Lisa’s party had been modern and contemporary. The akad nikah ceremony took place at the large mosque near the Bagaskara home, attended by close family and a few necessary witnesses. Naturally, there were also a few showbiz reporters covering the wedding of such a prominent figure in the city. Mark successfully recited his vows in one smooth breath, and everyone cheered "SAH" when the imam asked the formal ques
Between Love and Scandal 99. Found
In the morning, even before Mark could head to the police station, he was shocked by a message from an unknown number on his phone's messaging app. When he opened it, the message contained a photo of Mr. George after an accident, lying by a river in an unknown area. Mark nearly screamed when he saw the worrying condition of his father in the photo. There were bloodstains on his father’s shirt inside his suit, which had torn in several places. Without thinking, he immediately called the number that sent the message, but there was no response. He sent several threatening messages and questions, but there was no sign of them being read or replied to. "Mr. Edo, please come to the house. I need help tracking a mysterious number. Someone sent me a picture of Dad injured somewhere unknown," Mark said while forwarding the image to Mr. Edo’s number.Mr. Edo acted quickly. He also noted down the sender’s number to have their IT team check it. While waiting, they speculated about where the pho
Between Love and Scandal 98. Disappear
That night, Mr. George came home late after attending an important invitation for a project planning. He didn't invite Mark, thinking his son must be busy preparing for their upcoming wedding.As usual, whenever he traveled without Mark, Mrs. Anna insisted that he use a driver. He had rarely been allowed to drive himself lately because of concerns over exhaustion. His advancing age made it necessary for him to be more compromising and dependent on others.On the way home, unexpectedly, one of his tires went flat. He had to get out of the car and let the driver search for a repair shop. Deciding to take a taxi, he provided his address and focused on his phone. He had been reviewing some documents that his secretary had just sent, trying to match the data with the recent meeting results to decide if the project would be profitable for his company.So absorbed in his phone, Mr. George didn't notice the driver taking a different route, not the usual one leading him home. Suddenly, he real
Between Love and Scandal 97. Lisa's Wedding
"Forgive Lisa, okay? Really, it wasn’t me who pressured her to rush you," Lucas said as they had dropped everyone off at their homes, with his being the last stop. Lisa had already gone inside due to being so tired. He took this opportunity to speak privately with Emma.Emma was just about to start her car to drive home alone when she heard Lucas’s words."Oh, no problem. Maybe if I were your sister, I’d rush you too, because she wants to get married, right? Maybe she just feels bad about going ahead of you, Ed." Emma responded wisely. Despite being an only child, the girl had such a mature and understanding attitude. She could always see the good in others. Even when discussing Courtney, she defended her, explaining that Courtney was simply devoted to her mother and that deserved some appreciation. Oh my!"Thank goodness you’re not offended. What if the more I pushed, the more you’d pull back? What would happen to me?" Lucas continued.Emma smiled, holding back a laugh. "I already
Between Love and Scandal 96. At The Peak of The Hill
Lucas, feeling sorry for Emma’s life being too heavily criticized by Lisa and Aileen, tried to change the subject. He asked about possible beginner-friendly hiking destinations that weren’t too far from Jakarta. “Are you really interested?” Emma asked, seemingly unsure of Lucas’s question. “Of course!” Lucas replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever you like, I’ll like it too,” he added, which caused a burst of laughter around the campfire. Immediately, everyone began teasing the couple, who were clearly smitten with each other. “Come on, just get together already. Why drag it out?” Lisa scoffed, pouting her lips. “Yee... why are you so impatient? Want me to have a brother-in-law like Lucas?” Emma teased, stepping aside to the tent to grab something from inside. A few moments later, she returned holding a plastic bag filled with snacks. “Here! Share it equally, okay? Don’t fight over it!” she said, handing it to Lisa, who then distributed it to the others. “Wee, nice
Between Love and Scandal 95. Hiking
The day Mrs. Anna came back from the hospital after the poisoning incident, Mr. Alex, Lucas, Lisa, and Gio came together to visit and check on her condition. During their friendly conversation, Lucas once again suggested going hiking together once everyone was feeling better.Mark remembered this and quickly contacted Lucas to confirm that he and Aileen were available for hiking next weekend if their schedules allowed. Of course, Lucas was thrilled. He immediately started organizing the schedule with Emma, Lisa, and Gio.Mr. George and Mrs. Anna were a bit worried, but then they remembered that Mrs. Rebecca and Courtney, who had motives to harm their family, were still abroad for an extended period. So, they eventually gave their blessing."Really? Your friends are coming?" Emma sounded so excited on the other end of the line as she told the girl she was close with."Yes! Lisa and Gio are coming too. How fun is that? So, can you make it next weekend?" Lucas asked to make sure. He woul
Between Love and Scandal 94. Leave
"Shut your mouth, Al!" Mrs. Rebecca shouted loudly while holding her chest. Courtney, worried about her mom, immediately approached and hugged her. "Mom, are you okay? Hang in there, Mom, just stay calm. I won’t be easily tricked by them. Let’s go home, okay? You don’t look too well," Courtney urged, very concerned as she saw her mom's face turn pale and her chest rise and fall, struggling with her emotions. She feared her mom might suffer a heart attack, which could be dangerous, she thought to herself. "Listen! I’m leaving Dad for now! If anything happens to him, you’ll know how cruel I can be!" Courtney threatened as she pointed toward Mark and Mr. George. She then turned back toward her car, guiding her mom. Mrs. Rebecca reluctantly complied because she wasn’t ready to face the arguments from Mr. George and Mark. For a moment, she was terrified that Courtney would realize the truth and turn away from her to side with them. Thankfully, Courtney still loved and trusted her
