At 11 am...
Angelica helped Renee arrange the groceries in the fridge and pantry for the next few days. She didn't know what to do, and it was better to do the work she was supposed to do since her purpose there was to be a maid, even though Charlie didn't want it.
'He even said that he wanted me... but maybe not anymore,' she thought to herself as she arranged canned drinks in the fridge, but her mind was focused on the strange behavior of Charlie. 'We've even kissed three times... but after that, he just left, silent... like nothing happened.'
"Hey!" Renee tapped Angelica's shoulder.
Angelica immediately jumped, almost dropping the can. "Oh my goodness, you startled me!" She quickly placed the can in the fridge.
"Besides, you were daydreaming," Renee said, taking an empty cardboard box from the used can container. "What are you thinking?" She asked, walking towards the pantry table, placing the box there, and then grabbing a paper bag.
Angelica sighed, following Renee and sitting in a chair. The pretty girl in gray pants, a white t-shirt, and a blue blazer stared silently at the busy maid, taking out various types of meat and sausages from the light brown paper bag.
"Is there a problem?" Renee asked.
"I don't know," Angelica replied wearily.
"How can you not know?"
"Because I don't know..."
Renee smiled, glancing at the unenthusiastic Angelica. "Is this because of Mr. Charlie?"
"Honestly, I still don't understand him... I mean, he's a very mysterious man," Angelica said with concern.
"Aren't you friends?"
"I don't even know how to label our relationship," Angelica said, shrugging. "Suddenly he helped me when we accidentally met at the beach. Then he also gave money to my family so I could get out of my awful engagement. I intended to repay his kindness by working here... he said he wanted me to make him happy, and working here was the way... but when I arrived here, he introduced me as a friend," she continued, honestly, because she needed someone else's opinion about Charlie's behavior.
"That means he's very kind to you," Renee replied casually, putting the meat stock in the fridge.
"I know he's very kind, but I'm worried that his kindness might have an ulterior motive... I mean... um..." Angelica felt reluctant to talk about what happened in Charlie's room this morning.
"What he means by being kind to you is because he likes you, you don't have to worry about that," Renee said with a smile. "If I were you, I'd be happy... being treated kindly by a handsome man, even helped in everything... isn't that perfect?"
Angelica furrowed her eyebrow.
"In tough economic times, don't waste the opportunity to get help from others if we need it," Renee added.
"But... what if he asks for something in return like intimacy... I think you know what I mean. I feel like I'm selling myself," Angelica replied with a pained expression.
"If you don't feel like you're selling yourself, then there's nothing wrong with it... the important thing is he doesn't belittle you or insult you or resort to violence... and as a strong woman, you should also be able to use the situation to your advantage."
"What?" She frowned.
Renee smirked and approached Angelica with five paper bags, placing them in the box. "Make him yours and not want to let you go," she said.
Angelica fell silent, horrified by Renee's words, as they echoed Kate's thoughts, contrary to her desire to hold her dignity high.
"You'd better throw this in the front gate trash," Renee said, handing the box to Angelica.
Angelica sighed heavily, immediately stood up, and took the box before heading towards the kitchen exit.
'Their advice seems to want me to become a cunning woman who takes advantage of a rich and handsome man. I want pure love, not what they say!' she grumbled in her heart as she continued to walk until she accidentally met a middle-aged man in dignified attire entering the living room.
"Oh, wow..." the middle-aged man stopped, looking at Angelica with a thin smile and admiring eyes. "Who are you? I mean, you seem new here..." he asked hesitantly, gazing deeply at Angelica.
"I... I'm a new maid here," Angelica replied with an awkward smile, slightly bowing her head.
"You must be joking!" The man shook his head, raising his eyebrows. "How can a beautiful girl like you be a maid?"
Angelica blushed, not knowing what to say, but she was curious about who this man was.
"I'm Benjamin Parker, Charlie's father," the man said, extending his hand to Angelica. "Nice to meet you!" He continued with an enthusiastic smile.
"I'm Angelica Mahoe," Angelica replied, shaking Benjamin's hand while her left hand held the box. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Benjamin."
"Okay..." Benjamin withdrew his hand. "Then I should go see Charlie... Maybe we can talk another time."
"Oh, sure!" Angelica nodded.
Benjamin immediately continued walking towards the stairs, passing them to the upper floor until he reached Charlie's room. He turned the doorknob, and it turned out to be unlocked, so he entered and saw the room so quiet, and of course, he saw Charlie sitting casually on the sofa playing the guitar without singing.
"She's too beautiful to be a maid," he said, slowly approaching Charlie.
Charlie immediately stopped playing the guitar, looking straight ahead, realizing that the voice speaking was his father's.
"I think she's more suited to be your date..."
"Shut up!" Charlie snapped.
Benjamin sighed and stopped beside Charlie.
"Why did you come?" Charlie asked without turning as if he didn't want to see his father's face.
"I came because I'm worried about you... I don't want you to hurt yourself again," Benjamin replied, glancing at Charlie's hand still wrapped in a bandage. "It's been 2 years, you've tortured yourself enough... You need to change to find comfort in a way other than hurting yourself or isolating yourself like this..."
"You better be quiet, I don't need your advice!" Charlie shouted.
"Son..."
"I'm not your son anymore!" Charlie shouted, turning to look at his father, who seemed to make him sick.
Benjamin shook his head, looking at Charlie sadly. "You will always be my son forever... I can't prove that I'm not guilty, one day you'll know that I never..."
"Stop this nonsense!" Charlie immediately tossed his guitar, then stood up and looked at his father as if he were a demon. "I don't want my new home to be used to talk about that issue again. I'm disgusted! I hate you!"
Benjamin took a deep breath, feeling immediately choked by Charlie's attitude.
"Go!" Charlie pointed towards the door.
"Alright..." Benjamin nodded. "But... I came because I also want you to know something... I'm going to marry Freya... she's pregnant..."
Charlie immediately smiled faintly. "You even immediately married your girlfriend when she was pregnant ...Ah yes... besides, no one dares to stop it. Just do it...I don't care... but this is so embarrassing because I'm 27 years old and the man who told me that his Dad was going to have another baby with a woman who wasn't my mom. That sounds crazy..." he said sarcastically and turned away from his father.
"The situation is different..."
"Yeah, different... just do it... I won't forbid... I'm worried he'll drink poison!" Charlie looked at the view from the window, but his eyes seemed to be imagining something. "Go away... don't appear in front of me again!"
"Maybe you can come to our wedding... take Freya down the aisle... You know she's an orphan and alone in this city," said Benjamin patiently.
"Just ask Jacob. I won't even come... I hate weddings," Charlie replied.
Benjamin was disappointed again, but he had no intention of complaining. Instead, he remembered Angelica whom he met in the living room.
"Okay, I'll go... but... think about that girl named Angelica. She's so beautiful... look at her eyes, maybe she can bring love that can melt you... maybe..."
"Enough!" Charlie exclaimed with emphasis.
"Okay, I'll go," replied Benjamin then immediately left feeling disappointed but he was also relieved because Charlie agreed when he said he would remarry.
A few seconds after Benjamin left, Charlie clenched his hands into fists, his breath suddenly became short and his body seemed to lose control. He sitting on the floor, looking outside while squeezing his hair, so hard.
"No, no!" he shouted in frustration. "Enough, I'm tired, I'm tired. I want to forget her, I hate her!"
Charlie felt like his world was collapsing. Every second felt like the burden was getting heavier. He lamented his situation alone in a room filled with the darkness of his emotions. All his father's words only triggered infinite pain, making him seem unable to move to escape the darkness of his past.
His body was shaking, and his hands were still tightly gripping his hair. he shouted as if he wanted to release all the pressure inside him. Charlie feels devastated, with no way out of his emotional abyss.
Shouted from Charlie's room, startling Angelica who was outside the gate. She rushed back in and found Benjamin entering the car, of course, this surprised her because he had just come to find Charlie, then Charlie was hysterical in his room.
"They're so weird!"
Not wanting to waste time, Angelica jogged into the mansion and then saw Renee rushing up the stairs, making her even more convinced that this was truly an urgent situation.
"Oh, Lord!"
Angelica ran up and down the stairs until she reached the top floor. She went into Charlie's room and saw him in a rage, breaking his guitar and even breaking the glass table.
"Mr Charlie… stop, I beg you…" Renee begged but didn't dare come any closer because Charlie was still furious and panting.
"Fuck you, you bastard!" Charlie cursed, grabbed a painting on the wall, and slammed it.
prackk...
"Aghhh... I hate, I hate you!" Charlie shouted then kicked anything in front of him.
Angelica was silent with fear, not expecting Charlie to do something as crazy as this. .but seeing him barefoot and kicking anything in front of him while there was broken glass on the floor, made her worry that it would hurt his feet so she immediately ran over to him and hugged him from behind.
"Hey, stop, don't be crazy, don't be crazy!"
"I can't, I hate this fucking life!" Charlie struggled like he was going crazy.
"Calm yourself, Whatever your problem is, you have to control yourself!" Angelica exclaimed, continuing to hug Charlie so tightly, that her body even went back and forth, following Charlie who was struggling.
"Don't mind me, damn it!"
Charlie grabbed Angelica's hand and forced her to let go of her embrace and pushed her away, but instead, she fell near the shattered glass shards.
"Angelica!"
Renee immediately ran, approaching Angelica, who was injured on the palm of her hand due to being hit by broken glass.
Charlie immediately fell silent, gasping for breath, looking at Angelica's hand which was bleeding profusely.
"Angelica...we better get out before he loses control even more and hurts us!" Renee exclaimed as she invited Angelica to stand up.
Angelica released the pain by holding her wrist tightly so that her injured palm didn't feel so painful and the blood didn't keep flowing. She stood up panting and glanced at Charlie who was just silent with a look so cold, it made her feel scared and like she didn't recognize him anymore.
"I don't know, you look scary now," she said worriedly.
Charlie was silent, continuing to look at Angelica's hand.
"Come on, let Andreas take care of it!" Renee exclaimed, embracing Angelica from the side.
Angelica kept glancing at Charlie as she walked out of the room with Renee. She was still confused, in shock, She didn't expect Charlie to go berserk even though this morning he had been so sweet to her since they met, he had always acted relaxed as if he had no problems.
After Angelica left, Charlie went limp, slowly sat on the floor, and leaned against the edge of the sofa. The image of him pushing Angelica to the ground and her hands bleeding haunted his mind, and suddenly he also remembered her mother's face, remembering her message to look after Angelica.
"I'm stupid, I'm always bad at looking after the girl I love! I'm stupid!"
Charlie groaned, looking down and squeezing his hair without caring that his head was starting to hurt. Oh, sad, that man looks so tormented as if drowning in regret and hatred, but who caused all that?
____
Renee invited Angelica to sit on the sofa, then called Andreas to meet Charlie. After that, she took the first aid kit in the drawer in the cupboard, then approached Angelica who was waiting for him, still holding her wrist.
"I didn't expect him to be like that, does he often get angry?" Angelica asked.
Renee sat next to Angelica. ."I don't know, I'm new here."
"I thought you knew a lot about him..."
"I just know that he is not close to his father he is closer to Gustave," said Renee while cleaning Angelica's wound using a tissue.
Angelica grimaced in pain, looking at her hand which was torn and bleeding continuously until Renee continued to wipe it. "Who is Gustave?"
"A middle-aged man... he was like his confidant, always there for him... even like a father figure to him" Renee explained.
"Then where is he now?"
"He died, about a week ago... he had a heart attack," Renee explained again, turning to open the first aid kit to get a bottle and get another tissue. She poured antibiotic liquid on the tissue, then took Angelica's hand again.
Angelica was silent as if she didn't expect this fact.
"I think he was devastated by Gustave's death... because he had relied on him so much and been so close to him..maybe he loved her too, so when he died, he immediately returned him to his family, then went to Hawaii after burying him," explained Renee while focusing on treating Angelica's palm.
"That's sad," whispered Angelica.
"It's a shame I don't know what happened before... but, what is certain is that he hated his father... I don't know why."
"But his father came with a normal attitude, I mean like there was no conflict with him... his father also looked friendly," said Angelica, remembering Benjamin's face.
"You're right, his father is friendly," replied Renee, nodding her head. "He's nice and friendly...But... maybe there's something that makes Mr. Charlie hate him, even throwing a tantrum when he comes."
Angelica fell silent again, feeling curious but also afraid because it turned out that Charlie was so sensitive. She was afraid that he would lose control again and it would hurt her.
___
Hawaii, 8:30 a.m.
Darren, along with two of his trusted thugs, got out of his car which stopped in front of Robert's bar. He walked towards the main door which was still tightly closed, then kicked it.
"Robert, Robert!" he shouted with his hands on his hips, so arrogant like a jerk even though his clothes were formal in the form of a black and white suit. "Come out, our business isn't finished yet!"
From inside, one of the thugs who was still sleeping on the sofa immediately woke up. He walked lazily towards the main door and then opened it.
Bughh...
The thug immediately received a blow from Darren. He collapsed, then Darren entered the bar which was empty and messy as if it had been used for a party.
The other two thugs woke up, and from upstairs, Robert hurried across the stairs with an angry look at Darren.
"How dare you throw a tantrum here!" he exclaimed while pointing at Darren.
Darren smiled faintly, looking at Robert, who was now acting bravely towards him even though previously he had always been submissive.
"Our business is finished…."Charlie has given you more money, so don't think you can act arbitrarily here anymore!" shouted Robert, glaring.
"Oh... now you're brave... now you have a new favorite," Darren replied casually, walking around Robert. "It looks like he's so rich... he gave you a lot of money... You even partied here," he continued with a sarcastic smile.
"Of course he's rich, he's much better than you!"
"Oh really?"
"Angelica deserves to be with him more than you!" shouted Robert, glancing at Darren hatefully.
Quickly, Darren immediately grabbed Robert's shirt. "How can you say that after I helped you survive in poverty? Have you forgotten how you kowtowed to me so that I would help you by getting Angelica in return?"
Robert looked up and glanced at Darren angrily.
"Now you let her go with another man, all of you demean me in front of him with 500K dollars? Is that enough? Do you think my pride can be bought?" Darren asked angrily and immediately pushed Robert down onto the table. "It's not worth it! You must pay dearly for this insult!" he shouted.
Robert immediately turned to look at Darren. "I've paid for it! .it's worth my debts. You have to think, you don't deserve Angelica!"
"But that doesn't mean you can trick me, no, I can't accept that!" shouted Darren, then turned to his two thugs. "You guys, search this place, get the money!" he exclaimed again.
"Hey, you can't do that!" Robert approached Darren again.
Darren immediately kicked him, making him fall then stepped on his stomach.
"Ahh!" Robert was in pain, struggling to remove Darren's leg from his stomach which was so painful. He turned to look at his 3 thugs who were just silent. "Hey, stupid. Help me!" he shouted.
The three thugs were about to attack Darren, but who would have thought, Darren took out the gun tucked in his waist and immediately pointed it at Robert's head.
"You come any closer, and his head will explode!" he exclaimed with a sly smile.
The thugs didn't move, afraid that Darren would shoot Robert.
Robert was silent, he could only surrender and let Darren's thugs search the bar, Maybe they would find Charlie's money which he still kept in his room.