Marcel frowned as he watched Venya guide Meru towards a glass cabinet filled with small tubes.
"What have you been doing here?" Venya asked in a soft tone as she looked at Meru. "Do you know what those tubes are for?"Marcel was silent as he observed Meru's sudden silence and inactivity."I ... my daughter used to accompany me!" said Meru while nodding."I am your daughter," Venya said patiently and compassionately. "We used to do research here together, there was Mr Fabi too ....""No! My daughter is still young, she doesn't understand anything yet!" Meru argued.Marcel continued to observe the interaction between Venya and Meru, after all, the two of them were his only hope of extricating himself from his current situation."My father has been like this since Mr Fabi and Mrs Lana left," Venya said slowly. "Maybe with us resuming this research, who knows, my father could recover?"Marcel was silent for a moment."The problem is that we also need a lot of money to continue the research," he said later. "My mum and dad haven't left a single penny since they left, and I even had to pay the Delvino family's compensation using every drop of my sweat."Venya paused in thought."I see, I myself have some savings, but certainly not enough to be able to support our research in the future. Unless we can find a big sponsor who is willing to fund us unconditionally," she said at length.Marcel almost despaired at this."That's rather impossible," Marcel commented as he flicked through the files he'd found a while back. He had nothing to look forward to accept a settlement."Wait a minute!" Marcel's eyes narrowed as he found a special envelope that had escaped his notice. He quickly took the envelope and opened it."It's a card!" Marcel exclaimed in disbelief. "Yesterday I didn't find this ... I found a card and an empty account book."Venya, whose focus was divided between her father and Marcel, couldn't say much until Marcel approached her."I'll check this card at the bank," Marcel said as he showed Venya an elegant black card. "Who knows if there's some money on it, but I'll keep looking for sponsors who will fund our research."Venya smiled brightly and replied, "Very good! I'll try to help you, as well as recover my father's condition .... As for sponsors, I'll also look for more ...."Marcel nodded happily, at least a ray of hope was beginning to shine through."Let us stay here for a while, okay?" Venya asked after Marcel put the card back. "Later, when our house is repaired ....""No," Marcel shook his head firmly."Ah, but at least for tonight ... Please, my poor father ...." Venya pleaded again."I mean, you no longer have to stay here temporarily ... Whenever you want, feel free to use this lab as a place to stay." Marcel emphasized. "Just one message, don't let your existence be known by the Delvino family."Venya nodded quickly."Of course, they were the ones who kicked my father out after the research stalled and didn't produce any satisfactory discoveries." She told Marcel. "After this lab was abandoned, I was forced to use it when my house was hit by the wind."Marcel folded his arms across his chest and said, "It's good that you understand, I don't want you and your father to be kicked out again.""Thank you, Marcel." Venya smiled with sparkling eyes.***As planned, Marcel went to the only bank closest to the Delvino residence. Shirley had threatened that she would throw Marcel in jail if he travelled far and returned late."How can I help you, Sir?" one of the customer service representatives asked Marcel."Look, I'd like this card checked." Marcel asked. "I got it from my parents' estate.""May I briefly check the card, Sir?" the customer service officer asked kindly."Here, please.""Thank you, please wait a moment."Marcel sat down to wait and glanced around, where a few more customers were arriving and being served by an empty clerk."Sorry, Sir. I'd like to check your identity cards," the clerk pleaded.Marcel took out his wallet and pulled out a piece of ID card and handed it to the customer service officer.After that, Marcel went back to waiting quietly, hoping that there would be some money on the card."Thank you for waiting," said the customer service officer as he faced Marcel. "On this card, the account is filled with more than ten billion funds, Sir ....""What, more than ten billion?" Marcel's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the customer service representative's explanation."Yes, I can print it in the passbook if you want."Marcel sat down weakly, he didn't expect that the funds on this card were beyond his original estimation."Is it compulsory to get a printout?" asked Marcel after he had got over his shock."Oh no, Sir!" shook the customer service officer. "You can still access the fund amount at any time, by installing an app that supports your mobile phone."Marcel was stunned."That's the problem, I don't have a powerful mobile phone that can be used to install the apps I need." Marcel explained."Oh, well ..." The officer smiled with an inexplicable expression, he was somewhat doubtful about Marcel's statement which contradicted the contents of the account he had just checked. "Perhaps you'd like to withdraw some of the funds to purchase a supportive mobile phone, Sir? I can help you install it and also link it to your registered account."Marcel considered the officer's suggestion and agreed to make some withdrawals. After that, he quickly went to the mobile phone shop and bought a brand-new unit equipped with advanced features and near-perfect specs, according to the shop owner.As soon as he got his new mobile phone, Marcel went back to the bank to install the app and link it to the account his parents had set up for him.Marcel had deliberately completed all his business on the same day, so that tomorrow he wouldn't have to leave the house again.But of course, this angered Shirley, who had warned Marcel not to stay away for too long."Where have you been?" asked Shirley as Marcel walked up the stairs. "Ronnie went back and forth looking for you, but ....""What do I have to do?" interrupted Marcel rather than listen to Shirley lecture."Wash Ronnie's car, then shine his shoes!" replied Shirley, holding back her anger that Marcel had dared to interrupt her. "Ciko also asked you to tidy up his room, don't forget!"Marcel nodded and said, "I'll do it one by one ....""Whatever," Shirley snapped while scrunching her waist.Marcel walked away with a faint smile on the corner of his lips, his heart so light when he knew that there were billions of funds stored in his account.To Be Continued-That morning, Marcel helped Nana prepare breakfast for the entire Delvino family. Sweat streamed down his forehead and down the back of his neck while Shirley and the others chatted and ate."Mr Marcel, eat in our room first." Nana whispered when she saw Marcel sitting miserably by the operating washing machine."Later, Nana." Marcel replied in a low voice, he glanced at Shirley who was busy eating the crispy chicken thighs that were served. Not to mention the greedy voice of Ciko, who was busy grinding black pepper beef, which made Herman admonish him to be more polite at the dinner table.Marcel held his stomach, which was sore because he had not been filled with anything, but had been forced to work hard to help with the household chores."I'm so full!" exclaimed Ciko as she reached for a tissue to wipe her lips."Eat more politely next time," Herman said flatly. "After this, mum and dad will attend a meeting with a client from the company that produces the drill ....""I remember
After Ciko was satisfied with humiliating him in front of Nana, Marcel went to the lab on an empty stomach because he didn't want to eat anything the Delvino family gave him anymore.Venya had just finished cleaning Meru's body when Marcel appeared."How did you and your father eat?" Marcel asked curiously. "Do you feel comfortable living here? Do you need to clean the place first ....?""No, it's better like this so that none of the Delvino family members will be interested in entering this lab." Venya shook his head disapprovingly. "The important thing is that there is a place for me and my father to sleep ...."Marcel shrugged and did not insist."Speaking of eating, how was it?" Marcel repeated curiously."Don't worry, we have a formula that if taken can cause a sensation of fullness for the next two-three days." Venya explained."Are you serious?" Marcel was wide-eyed. "How is that possible?"Venya took a breath and replied, "It can't be helped ... we had to live frugally after t
Marcel looked flatly at his brothers-in-law."I don't think this is a good time to torture our brother-in-law," Ronnie commented. "Mum and Dad said that if Marcel doesn't want to eat, we shouldn't force him."Ciko snorted."Gosh, that's what mum used to say to us." She commented. "We don't need to tell mum ....""Huft, boring!" Alvon chided, he was Marcel's brother-in-law who was neutral - never defending Marcel, but also never trying to prevent the abuse from happening in front of his eyes."Ron, today, I'll just tell Marcel to clean up all the leftovers." Shirley intervened. "No more fuss, remember, he almost killed himself yesterday because of you."Marcel wondered why Shirley was defending him this time, though of course that only sparked laughter from the mouths of Ronnie and Ciko."That's just because your husband is mentally weak!" scoffed Ciko. "A real man wouldn't be as weak as him!"Marcel resisted the urge to answer his brother-in-law's insults."Even his life refuses to le
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 a
"Here's to that sassy mouth of yours!" exclaimed Ronnie as he smashed Marcel's jaw with his fist. "Argh, bastard!"He cursed as his hand hit something hard."What's wrong, brother?""What's wrong?"Coki and Alvon turned their attention towards Ronnie who was rubbing his knuckles.Marcel himself was confused when suddenly his brother-in-law shouted while he gave no resistance."What did Marcel do to you?" asked Coki in a probing tone. "Why are you in so much pain?"Ronnie didn't answer immediately, especially since he still didn't know exactly what had caused his hand to hit a piece of iron.He was sure that he had hit Marcel's jaw, but why was his brother-in-law standing still?"Answer me, brother! What did you do to Marcel?" asked Ciko urgently."Never mind, let's not talk about it!" replied Ronnie firmly. "Let's leave this place, let them continue their failed research ... and we should prepare to celebrate their failure."Ciko and Alvon looked at each other briefly at their eldest
"Can't you tell me what the characteristics of the liquid you drank were?" asked Venya as she searched among the glass cabinets."I don't remember," Marcel replied immediately. "I was in a frenzy, so I just grabbed the chemicals and downed them."Venya then faced Marcel and looked at him seriously."Do you still remember which tube you took?" She asked again."No, I told you that I just grabbed it." Marcel explained. "Is it important for us to know what liquid I drank? All that matters is that I'm okay in the end."Venya sighed."Of course it's important, because to my knowledge, none of the formula stock here is safe for consumption." She explained. "But never mind ... we'll have a hard time finding a trace of it, since there are no remains of the liquid you drank."Marcel nodded, he did not remember anything about what happened after he drank the liquid and fell into a coma."Then what do we do now?" Marcel asked curiously. "I don't understand at all, so I'll just handle the funding
As soon as Shirley stepped away and was out of sight, Marcel took his wife's dirty clothes to the laundry, putting almost everything in the washing machine except for two sheer, low-cut dresses to be washed separately.As a normal man, Marcel certainly had the desire to have intercourse with Shirley. However, that was before he was kicked out the night after they were officially married."Get as far away from my room as you can! Don't you ever sleep in the same room with me, look in the mirror first!"From that moment on, Marcel abandoned his male instincts and assumed that he was never married."Mr Marcelino, breakfast!" Nana looked over to the laundry, where Marcel was sitting in front of a bucket and washing Shirley's dress using both hands. "Where did I throw the leftovers ...?"Marcel turned to Nana and said, "I'll take care of it, Nana. Don't forget to tell your children to eat.""Yes, Sir." Nana nodded again and left Marcel to his work. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, bu
"Are you serious?" Venya put on a mask and approached Marcel who was lying on the cleaned practice table. "I can't guarantee what the reaction will be ... Why don't we use mice or something?"Marcel looked up at the ceiling above him thoughtfully.A while ago, he had indeed offered himself to Venya to be a guinea pig in their trials."Good idea," Marcel said. "Every formula we come up with should be tested on humans and animals, only then will we know the difference."Venya nodded and quickly took a tube of bright green liquid and put a few drops into Marcel's mouth."How does it taste?" Venya asked carefully after Marcel swallowed the green liquid. "What do you feel, nausea? Feeling like vomiting ... or what?"Marcel tasted the liquid, he felt a bitter sensation for a few seconds. Afterward he tasted nothing but bland water with no mixture at all."No reaction yet," Marcel replied. "It was bitter at first, but suddenly the taste just disappeared and turned into plain water.""Oh yeah