LOVE YOU, UNCLE

A tall and graceful woman walked briskly into the lobby of the Akasia Group building. Her straight, flowing hair complemented her attire: a black blazer and heels from a well-known brand. It was Giselle Annastasia Donovan, the second child of Maxwell Donovan, who happened to be Ghea’s stepbrother. It was unclear why she had gone to the trouble of personally coming to Randy’s company.

After briefly inquiring with the receptionist about the location of the executive office, Giselle headed straight to her destination. Upon reaching the door, a secretary greeted her, asking about the purpose of her visit and whom she intended to meet.

“Can I help you?” the secretary inquired.

Giselle turned, removing her previously worn sunglasses, and then responded, explaining her reason for being there.

“Where’s Randy Walters? He’s in his office, right?” Giselle asked, pointing to the room in front of her.

The secretary nodded, smiling, trying to maintain a friendly demeanor.

“Mr. Randy is indeed in his office right now.”

“In that case, I want to meet him right away.”

“Sorry in advance,” the secretary replied, “Has Miss Donovan made an appointment with him before?”

“I’m his sister-in-law,” Giselle quickly replied, appearing visibly hurried and impatient. It seemed like there was something crucial she wanted to discuss with Randy immediately. “I don’t think I need to make an appointment. Just let Randy know I want to see him now. There’s something important we need to discuss.”

Randy’s personal secretary found herself in a dilemma. On one hand, she had received instructions not to disturb the boss. On the other hand, she had to try to deter a seemingly stubborn visitor who showed no signs of stopping and was determined to meet the occupant of the room.

“I apologize, Miss. But Mr. Randy is currently busy. He expressly asked not to be disturbed. I suggest you come back and make an appointment for tomorrow.”

However, Giselle paid no attention. Instead of heeding the secretary’s advice, she boldly barged into Randy’s executive office. Stepping forward, she turned the doorknob and entered, only to be met with a sight she shouldn’t have witnessed.

Regardless, Giselle was momentarily shocked. Her black eyes caught a glimpse of an intimate scene where the room’s owner was holding and passionately kissing a girl she recognized all too well-her own stepsister, Ghea.

“Giselle!”

Realizing there was an uninvited guest who had intruded without permission, Ghea was startled. Especially since the uninvited guest was someone who had harbored strong resentment towards her.

“What the heck is this?!” Randy exclaimed afterward. Just from his tone, it was evident that he was displeased because someone else had dared to disrupt his peace.

“S-sorry, Sir,” Randy’s secretary stammered. Naturally, she felt afraid as she had neglected her duty, allowing a stranger to enter the executive office without permission or authorization. “I tried to prevent it. But, she insisted and forcefully entered without permission. Should I call security?”

Randy raised his hand. Instead of agreeing to the suggestion of calling security, he asked the secretary to leave the room, allowing the uninvited guest to state her purpose for coming to Akasia.

“So, what brings you here?” Randy asked without beating around the bush.

Giselle approached, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a folder and unexpectedly tossed it disrespectfully onto Randy’s work desk.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Randy Walters. I’m sure you’ve taken over a significant portion of IndoAsia’s shares, right?”

Ghea was taken aback, shocked by what Giselle had just said. Previously, Ghea had heard from Mario that IndoAsia, led by her father, was indeed in a precarious situation. If they didn’t find significant investors to support them, the company Maxwell had led for years would undoubtedly go bankrupt. However, Ghea had thought the issue could be resolved promptly, considering it wasn’t the first time her father faced the threat of bankruptcy. Now, hearing from her stepsister that her husband had taken over a considerable portion of her father’s company’s shares, it surprised her.

“Why does it matter if I’m the majority shareholder now? You should be grateful. Not only did I save IndoAsia from bankruptcy, but I also helped find significant investors willing to collaborate with you.”

Giselle stared sharply. She was not satisfied with Randy’s casual response.

“Grateful, you say? I bet you intentionally bought a large portion of IndoAsia’s shares because you must have some hidden agenda, right?”

“Stop talking nonsense, sis!” retorted Ghea. She refused to accept that her husband would be accused of such things by her stepsister. “Uncle Randy is right; if Papa’s company is struggling, and Uncle Randy helps by acquiring a significant portion of the shares, Papa and the other board members should be thankful. At least, IndoAsia is now free from the threat of bankruptcy, right?”

Giselle turned and grinned, looking at Ghea with disdain and cynicism.

“What does a little girl like you know? In fact, all these problems are happening because of you.”

“Enough!” Randy interrupted, asking Giselle to stop her tirade.

“Why?” Giselle replied, laughing at Randy. “Doesn’t your wife know that she’s the source of the problem?”

“What do you mean?” Ghea asked, curious as to why her stepsister was implicating her in this issue.

While Giselle laughed again, this time determined to express all the frustration built up in her heart.

“Just so you know, your husband has swept up most of the major shares of IndoAsia. And even now, we’ve just learned that those shares are actually in your name, Ghea. Are you two conspiring to take over Dad’s company? Is that it? Or did you force Randy to take over everything as revenge?”

Ghea blinked for a moment, digesting what Giselle had accused her of. Shortly after, she shook her head. Regardless, she had no knowledge of the issues her stepsister was talking about.

“I—”

“Just assume everything you accused her of is true,” Randy interjected amid Giselle’s accusations. “Now, what do you want? Is it wrong for Ghea to become the majority shareholder of IndoAsia? It’s better to have a family member in that position than an outsider, isn’t it?”

“The problem is, you’re doing all this for a reason. I’m sure both of you are slowly planning to seize what the Donovan family owns.”

Laughter erupted from Randy’s lips. He felt very amused by Giselle’s accusations.

“Yes, maybe I do have a specific goal behind all of this. But, to be honest, I don’t need the Donovan family’s meager wealth. I apologize in advance; compared to your family, it’s meaningless even if I have just a tiny fraction of it. So, don’t be too confident.”

“You! How dare you insult—”

“Enough!” Randy immediately cut her off. “I don’t think there’s anything else to discuss. Please leave this room immediately. Or if you need security, I can call them right now to escort you out.”

Giselle clenched her jaw, wanting to curse right then and there. But she knew she was currently in the lion’s den. Instead of causing a scene, she chose to leave promptly, leaving with a sense of anger.

“Uncle, what’s really going on?” Ghea asked Randy after making sure Giselle had truly left her husband’s office. “Is it true that my brother suddenly bought IndoAsia’s shares and named them under my name?”

Randy, seated at his desk, simply nodded. He thought, why keep it a secret anyway?

“Yes, Ghe. I deliberately bought the majority of IndoAsia’s shares in your name.”

“But, for what?”

Randy then looked at Ghea standing in front of him. They locked eyes for a few moments before he spoke again.

“I did all this so that in the future, you won’t be looked down upon. I don’t want to see you hurt, oppressed, or treated unfairly. As I promised before, as long as I’m alive and by your side, I swear I’ll protect you, take care of you, and, of course, ensure you live happily.”

***

Elsewhere, Giselle, who had just left the Akasia building in a fit of anger, decided to stop by a coffee shop to calm her mind. While sipping on a cappuccino latte, a man who seemed to have made an appointment arrived shortly after. Without hesitation, he pulled a chair, sat right in front of Giselle, and asked, “What’s going on? Why did you suddenly call me?”

Giselle took a sip of her drink first, took a deep breath, and then slowly began to tell her story.

“Do you know Randy Walters?”

“Sure,” the man nodded. “Who doesn’t know a wealthy playboy like him.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Giselle laughed cynically before responding.

“Just so you know, he’s clearly challenging me to a war right now.”

“What do you mean?”

Giselle sighed. Slowly, she tried to explain herself.

“I just found out that Randy is now the largest shareholder in IndoAsia. And for some reason, I’m convinced that he’s doing all this to retaliate for what my mom and I have been doing to Ghea all this time. That’s why, before it’s too late, I have to give Randy a fitting response.”

“Oh my, Giselle,” the man in front of her said, bewildered. “Don’t play games with the Walters family. They can do anything to retaliate and destroy us completely.”

“That’s why I called you here. I want you to help me find a way to retaliate for what Randy has done.”

The man remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his options. Perhaps considering whether he could help Giselle find weaknesses or maybe uncover important aspects of Randy’s personality that could be used as weapons against the youngest member of the Walters family.

Then, after a long pause, the man in front of Giselle looked up. He flashed a smile, as if he had an idea that could be useful for Giselle to execute her plan.

“It seems like I know what you can do to retaliate against Randy’s actions that you consider dangerous.”

“What?” Giselle asked, intrigued.

The man waved, giving a signal, asking Giselle to bring her face closer. Giselle complied, bringing her face closer, then listened carefully to what the man whispered until her eyes widened. As if catching a breath of fresh air, she then broke into a wide smile.

“Your suggestion is truly brilliant. Just wait; I’ll implement it soon. Let’s see what Randy will become after this.”