9 Stop Your Insulted!

Alvon glanced at one of his brothers.

“I’m not interested, except for their research on astronomy.” He emphasized.

“Who invited you?” said Ciko, reaching for a tissue to wipe his lips. “How is it, brother?”

He turned to Ronnie, who was still enjoying his cup of warm milk.

“This late at night?” responded Ronnie thoughtfully.

“It’s not night yet, after all, Marcel only has free time right now.” Ciko explained. “During the day, he has to be a maid.”

Ronnie chuckled, while Shirley remained silent. She still held a grudge because Marcel had asked her to eat her siblings’ leftovers.

In the lab, Marcel watched Venya work.

“We have to clean up first,” Venya said as she checked the supply of vials in the cupboard. “We have to sort out which ones can still be used.”

Marcel nodded and said, “Which part should I clean? There are still tubes that contain chemicals, and one of them I drank once ....”

“What?” Venya looked at Marcel with a furrowed brow. “Which one did you drink?”

Marcel was silent as he tried to remember.

“I just took a tube and drank it all,” Marcel replied hesitantly. “After that, I was hospitalized and put into a coma—Nana’s words.”

Venya looked at Marcel with incredulous eyes.

“You’re very reckless, Marcel. Not all of this liquid is safe for you to consume!” Venya said angrily. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Ending my life,” Marcel said flatly. “I was desperate to end my life, and I thought one of these liquids would surely take my life ... but it turned out I survived and was just in a coma.”

Venya looked at Marcel in disbelief.

“Just, you were saying?” She commented, shaking her head. “That’s a miracle! You still survived that suicide, meaning you were given a second chance to improve your life.”

Marcel was pensive after hearing Venya’s opinion. He thought she was right, this was a second chance for him to improve his life.

“Yes, I’m grateful for surviving that suicide attempt.” Marcel affirmed. “That’s why I’m going to continue my parents’ research, even though it’s not my field of expertise.”

Venya took a breath, she felt a momentary emotion after knowing that Marcel had tried to end his own life.

“I probably would have done the same thing,” Venya said, making Marcel jump in surprise. “If I hadn’t seen my father’s existence.”

Venya’s eyes were fixed straight on the middle-aged man, who sat back with an expressionless face.

“Then we can’t afford to waste this opportunity,” Marcel said as he pushed up his shirt sleeve. “What I need to do, you just tell me, and I’ll do it.”

Venya surveyed the lab, which was in a deplorable state: the glass display cases were faded, dusty, and the floor hadn’t been cleaned in years.

“You can help me clean this lab,” Venya replied. “Like I said before.”

“Let’s prioritize what’s more important, so we can get started,” Marcel said as he grabbed a mop and rag.

Venya helped by sorting out the broken tubes and throwing them into the rubbish bin.

Meanwhile, Marcel swept the floor, mopped it and when it was still not completely dry, suddenly a group of people suddenly entered without permission.

“Hey!” Marcel scolded angrily. “What the ....”

“Well, well, so this is the lab that harmed our mother and father?”

“It’s definitely like a warehouse for used goods!”

Marcel switched on a brighter light and saw who had suddenly stormed in.

“This is what you call a research lab?” scoffed Ciko with a grin.

“It’s not at all what I expected,” Ronnie retorted. “What are you proud of about this shabby lab your parents left behind, Marcel?”

Receiving scorn from Ronnie and his brother, Marcel just sighed.

“You’ll see,” he said, looking at the floor, which was again stained by his brothers-in-law’s footwear. “I certainly didn’t promise you anything.”

Ciko snorted, while Alvon, who said he was not interested, was now busy looking at a glass cabinet filled with tubes of liquids of various colours.

“Who is she?” Alvon pointed out suddenly.

Suddenly, all eyes turned to the direction Alvon was pointing.

It’s bad, Marcel thought to himself. He forgot to hide Venya and Meru!

“Who are you?” asked Ronnie to Venya who was embracing her father in the corner of the room. “Are you intruders or robbers?”

Venya shook his head and said softly, “No ....”

“Don’t lie!” snapped Ciko as he stepped towards Venya threateningly.

“Leave them alone!” exclaimed Marcel, more resolute than he had ever been.

“Who are you?” Ronnie immediately pushed Marcel’s chest. “Don’t try to organize me and my brother, after all, this is your home area ....”

“But this lab is my parents’ inheritance!” snapped Marcel with a sharp look in his eyes, unlike usual when he could only stare dumbly under the pressure of Ronnie and his brothers.

“So?” asked Ronnie in a challenging tone.

“Everything in here, including Venya and her father, is my responsibility.” Marcel emphasized.

“So your name is Venya?” Ciko looked at the woman who was still embracing her father with a dismissive look as if she had just found a piece of dirt. “You’re so filthy, just like this place that never gets cleaned.”

“Stop insulting her, Ciko!” warned Marcel. “Venya and Mr Meru have never been responsible for you, have they?”

“What did you say earlier, Mr Meru?” interrupted Alvon as he turned to Marcel.

“Yes,” Marcel nodded briefly.

“If I’m not mistaken, isn’t he the scientist who used to work with your parents?” Alvon asked for confirmation. “But since the research stopped, I heard that this Mr Meru went crazy.”

Ciko laughed out loud at Alvon’s words.

“Seriously, is this guy out of his mind?” he commented.

Marcel clenched his fists as Ciko clearly hurled the insult without any respect for his elders.

“Watch what you say, Ciko!” Marcel said again.

“This research will change the lives of mankind!” Meru suddenly exclaimed loudly. “They will be stunned by the amazing results!”

Ronnie turned to Meru, and Ciko and Alvon stared at the man with strange expressions.

“I knew he was crazy!” said Ciko as he laughed until tears came to his eyes. “The research results failed miserably like this, how can you say the world will be stunned-your hallucinations are indeed high!”

Venya did not respond, but was busy calming her father, who continued to rant.

“This lab is the only place where I am in charge, so please don’t ruin it.” Marcel intervened. “It’s fine if you don’t believe in our research, but behave yourself in this lab ....”

“That’s a lot of talk,” Ronnie said, tugging at the front of Marcel’s shirt. “Who are you here?”

“This is my parents’ lab,” Marcel said boldly. “Your father even recognized and allowed me to use this lab again.”

Ronnie disliked being challenged the most. He raised his hand to silence Marcel’s mouth and ....

To Be Continued—