Chapter 8. Enemies in the Blanket

"What? Dad's strategy? What do you mean?" I asked Billy, stammering with curiosity.

 

"Yes, my father told me to hide my son or daughter if we had one later, and I obeyed him. After a few years, it turned out that his words were true. There were indeed many enemies in the blanket who wanted to get rid of my husband because we thought we didn't have any children. When other people betrayed me, it was not a problem, but I didn't expect that the betrayer was my own brother." Mrs. Sandra's reply sounded so annoyed while looking at her two younger siblings.

 

Aditya seemed to just sit back and play with his nails while watching and listening to the drama played by his stepmother and uncles. He did not say a word because it was not an area that he should interfere with. Anyway,  for him, Mrs. Sandra's voice was loud enough to fill this room. While Mr. Benny and Mr. Billy looked so sorry for what they did this morning that they disappointed their eldest brother, they looked down and did not move.

 

"I'm sorry, sis. In the future, I won't do that again. Give me a chance to fix my mistake earlier, sis. Can we forget for a moment and introduce me to your son instead?" He asked Mr. Benny, accompanied by a nod from Mr. Billy, his younger brother.

 

"Hold your breath first, mom..." said Aditya, suddenly sounding soft to calm down.

 

Mrs. Sandra let out a long sigh. Indeed,  since yesterday, when she saw her husband being stabbed critically, her emotions were unstable and uncontrollable; her anger seemed to overflow; her mind was unstable; her desire to always be angry and screaming hysterically—that way, the pressure in her soul was a little relieved if she screamed out.

 

"Well, introduce him to my only son, Aditya Rashaad. Son,  this is your uncle, Uncle Benny, and this is Uncle Billy." Mrs. Sandra said that after feeling a little calm, she introduced her two younger siblings while pointing at them one by one.

 

Aditya held out his hand as a sign of introduction, while Mr. Benny immediately hugged his nephew with a little blue.

 

"Aditya, my uncle Benny, where have you been all this time? Why do you have to hide? If you had appeared long ago, I would have protected you with my own life, son. Did your mother introduce me to you?" I asked Mr. Benny.

 

"Oh, really, this is so over the top," Aditya thought.

 

"Of course, uncle, it's nice to meet you in person. Mom always told me about both of you, uncle, as well as my cousins; there's Sinta, Diana, and Widy too." Aditya replied as if he had memorized his uncle's family tree.

 

"Great, brother, you really introduced us all." Mr. Benny asked Mrs. Sandra.

 

"Of course it can't be memorized in a day, can it?" Mrs. Sandra replied curtly.

 

Benny and Billy felt amazing energy as they hugged the young Aditya's body. They believed 100% that the handsome young man was their nephew, no doubt, for whatever reason, because they only relied on their instincts and the similarity of his face with his brother-in-law, Fajar Rashaad.

 

"Nice to meet you, son. Come to our house if you have time. Meet your aunt and all your cousins." Mr. Benny was invited.

 

Aditya nodded with a polite smile.

 

"Yes, let's schedule a meal together sometime; there are many things that Uncle wants to discuss with you." The invitation came from Mr. Billy's sweet mouth.

 

"Of course, uncle, we still have a long way to go; let's take it slow." Aditya replied.

Benny and Billy felt amazing energy as they embraced the young Aditya's body. They believed 100% that the handsome young man was their nephew, no doubt, for whatever reason, because they only relied on their instincts and the similarity of his face with his brother-in-law, Fajar Rashaad.

 

"Nice to meet you, son. Come to our house if you have time. Get to know your aunt and all your cousins." Mr. Benny was invited.

 

Aditya nodded with a polite smile.

 

"Yes, let's schedule a meal together sometime; there are many things that Uncle wants to discuss with you." The invitation came from Mr. Billy's sweet mouth.

 

"Of course, uncle, we still have a long way to go; let's take it slow." Aditya replied.

 

Billy and Benny nodded simultaneously while patting Aditya's shoulders proudly.

 

"Oh yeah, mom, do you want to go home with me today or what? I have an appointment with Mr. Weber and Mr. Abraham." Adit asked Mrs. Sandra.

 

"Let's go home together; let your uncles take care of the company." Mrs. Sandra answered and was still so stern, making her younger siblings not want to say anything anymore, even though Mr. Benny and Yuan Billy really wanted to see the condition of their brother-in-law but were too lazy to ask if they would be yelled at by their brother again.

 

"Alright then, at five in the afternoon, I'll wait downstairs, mom." Aditya said he then went to say goodbye to continue his activities and did not care about his two uncles, who still wanted to talk to him.

 

***

 

At exactly 5 p.m., Aditya went downstairs, followed by Uncle Joseph. Downstairs,  there were several vehicles lined up, and Mrs. Sandra, Mr. Weber, and Mr. Abraham were already standing waiting for Aditya while chatting.

 

Aditya just nodded his head at the elders; he felt no need to apologize as he didn't feel late. The promised time was 5 p.m., and he got down on time. Aditya walked out first to open the door for Mrs. Sandra; after she got in, he also got in, and the vehicle drove away, seen from a distance by Mr. Indra and Mr. Calvin watching them until their vehicle was no longer visible.

 

When the convoy arrived at the hospital lobby, Aditya and his entourage headed straight for the elevator to go up to the top VIP floor of the hospital. Upon arrival at the VIP room, the guards were lined up, and security was tight.

 

Mrs. Sandra also signaled the guards to tell Aletta to immediately hide first, considering that Mr. Weber must know her a little because Aletta had been her husband's secretary in their company 20 years ago.

 

The door to the patient's room opened, revealing a male body lying helplessly on a patient bed with tubes everywhere.

 

Mr. Weber and Mr. Abraham did not say much; there was a clear look of sadness on their foreheads. For them, Fajar was like his son, especially since his father had entrusted his son Fajar to them, especially to Mr. Weber, who was almost the same age as the late Mr. Ali. Mr. Weber was also a personal assistant to his father, Mr. Fajar, who was the first leader and who built the Rashaad Group company from scratch.

 

After a long time in the room, Mr. Weber and Mr. Abraham left the hospital, while Aditya and Mrs. Sandra intended to accompany Mr. Fajar.

 

Mrs. Aletta came out of hiding, and Aditya immediately welcomed and hugged his beloved mother, who looked sad.

 

"How are you today, son?" Aletta asked.

 

"I'm fine; everything went so smoothly; don't you want to go home?" Aditya replied and then asked back.

 

"Thank God... no, I'd rather stay here to see how your father is doing." Aletta replied.

 

"Alright, mom, but don't be sad anymore, mom; your eyes are swollen like this." Aditya said it again.

 

Aditya felt worried about his mother's condition like this; however, for him, his mother did not need to sacrifice in such a way that it sacrificed his health as well as his feelings.

 

Aditya did not want his mother to fall ill because of his disturbed mind caused by excessive worry.