34. Knowing Father's Deceit

A woman passed by Raya-Indra's shop with a cynical look, making the girl who was sitting inside the shop with her boyfriend shake her head in surprise and clench her hands in annoyance. Unable to bear the anger that had already peaked to the top of her head, Raya decided to ascertain what exactly was wrong to make people underestimate her shop. As she was about to stand up, her right arm was held by her boyfriend, Indra. "Uh, where are you going?" "I'm really upset, darling. People have been looking at our shop with such disgust, some even spit. I have to investigate. You stay here, I won't be long." "Ok, fine. I'm also curious, who exactly has incited people to look down on our shop?" "Then, I'll make sure," Raya exited the shop and walked quickly while occasionally looking around. People would either look down on her or not. It turned out to be the same thing, they were still looking at Raya strangely, making her even more furious and wanting to find out what had happened, until suddenly she heard a man's heavy voice that made her stop her footsteps. "Never buy from Raya's shop, all the snacks she sells are expired!" Hearing the heavy voice of the man she recognized, she took the initiative to get closer and closer to the wall of the closed shop near the intersection. To Raya's surprise, the owner of that heavy voice turned out to be a burly man sent by her father, not just one, but three. Her eyes bulged, still unable to believe what she was seeing. She covered her hands with both palms. Unable to stand all the insinuations about her shop, Raya began to approach and refute everything the burly man in the thug-like suit was saying. "Oh, so this is why my shop is so quiet?" Raya stared boldly at the three burly men sent by her father who were now staring in another direction, as if not listening to Raya speak. "How much did my father pay you to be asked to close down someone else's business? Answer!" Raya was already furious, her eyes full of the anger she had just shown with every word that came out of her mouth. Her hands were clenched even tighter, causing a slight cut on her palm from her long fingernails. "Answer!" "Ekm, sorry, we're just carrying out orders from the boss, Miss," said one of the members of the thugs. The one she called boss was the chief who had now grabbed the burly arm of the member who dared to speak the truth in front of Raya, Mr. Kevin's daughter. "That's not the answer I wanted," "We're just following Mr. Kevin's request that you no longer get close to Indra. We will always be loyal to Mr. Kevin who has paid us dearly for this," Raya chuckled at the words of her father's head thug. "Cih, if I pay you twice what you gave me, would you do the same? If I ask you to persuade Father to return RV Corp? How is that? Isn't it fair?" Raya tried to offer something that could benefit her. The three thugs glanced at each other, getting paid twice as much, who wouldn't want to? Surely everyone would, but because they felt there was something odd about Raya's offer, they chose to reject it. "No! We're only loyal to Mr. Kevin. Because he's the only one who will take care of everything if we get into trouble, only him!" Feeling rejected, Raya smacked her lips, trying to think of a way to get them to side with her but failing, she could only give in. "Oh, I see. Alright, keep doing it. Maybe later I'll tell Father myself!" Raya was really upset this time. How could she not be? Her father had gone so far to separate her relationship with Indra. On the way to her shop, Raya massaged her temples roughly, still not expecting her father to be that mean to his own daughter. She stopped at the side of the road and sat down on the asphalt. "Aish! What should I do? You've really gone too far!" _ A chill began to creep in as the first rain fell last night. Everyone passing by used umbrellas or raincoats to protect their bodies from the cold rainwater like today. Two men were sitting on the park bench of the 'Ability to Read' foundation. Despite the cold, the enthusiasm of the children who want to learn is very high. They all want to be able to read or write in braille soon. Remember, even though they can't see, they are smart kids when it comes to remembering letters to read. Now that the two young men had finished teaching, they were still waiting for someone on the foundation's park bench with a black umbrella in one hand. "Gif, are you sure that girl, what's her name? She said you guys met here, but why didn't she show her nose?" The friend began to ask questions while occasionally looking to the right and left curious as to what kind of girl Gifer was referring to. "I'm pretty sure, Ris. She contacted me on the phone herself," "How come she already knows your cell phone number?" "Yes, we exchanged cell phone numbers," "Ah yes yes. Gif, it's cold here. Let's go to the foundation," invited Haris who had started to feel the rain getting heavier and the air getting colder. Meanwhile, they only used one umbrella for the two of them. "No Ris. I'll wait for him here," "Aish, I'll go in first," Just as Haris said that, a girl from across the street called Gifer's name loudly. Making Haris slightly squint his eyes to see who the girl was. "GIFEEEERRRRRR!!!!" "Ah, looks like she's coming, Ris," Gifer stood up with the help of his cane and heard the shouted voice. The corners of his lips were pulled back until his white teeth were visible, indicating that he was very happy that the girl had come to see him. The girl crossed over and met the two boys. "Gif, who is she?" Belvina asked while carrying a clear white umbrella. Haris was still gawking at the girl who was already in front of him and Gifer. "Ah, he's Haris my best friend," Instantly Haris woke up from his reverie and introduced himself by extending his hand. "Haris," "Belvina, just call her Vina," Belvina accepted Haris' hand and immediately let go. "Ah, Gif, I think I should go inside. I think the rain is getting heavier," Haris said so while tightening his arms around his chest, walking towards the foundation while singing, knowing the situation that he had to leave while Gifer was with an important person. It was actually just a light drizzle. "Come sit down, Vin," They sat down on the park bench. "Gif, actually..." "Why did you invite me to meet, is there a problem?" "No, ah, I mean, not a problem. It's just that I want to confirm the thing that is currently always lodged in my mind," "Alright, tell me what's wrong?" "Gif, are you Raya's former lover?" Both of Gifer's blind eyes immediately bulged. His brain searched for the question he was going to ask the girl in front of him. 'How does Vina know that I am Raya's ex? Does she know Raya?' he thought still wondering. . To Be Continued