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-"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
"Mum and Dad are going out of town for a week!""Oh yeah? How exciting!""My life is free, call Brother Ronnie! Ask him to come home soon ....""We can have a party for three days and nights!"The kitchen was abuzz when Marcel appeared to help Nana prepare the food."Are you on holiday with mum or what?" Alvon asked curiously."I don't know, who cares anyway? The important thing is that we can do whatever we want at home!" replied Ciko immediately. "It'll be fun if we have a party ....""Don't be absurd, I actually want to use this quiet moment to watch a science fiction film." Alvon interrupted. "Parties make the house noisy, and I don't really like that.""You can stay in your room, lock the door and watch all you want." Ciko suggested. "I guarantee no one will bother you!"While her siblings argued, Shirley preferred to play with her mobile phone and not participate in the conversation."Marcel, where's the food!" shouted Ciko impatiently. "You're so slow!""Yeah, slow!" chirped Al
"I can't be sure," the woman shook her head. "But what is certain is that you are not like me, my father, and other humans ... Your blood seems to be created with complicated elements that I don't really understand ... Maybe that's why, you have different reactions when you should feel the pain of being scalded, or your energy is quickly replenished even though you only eat a little bread ...."Marcel was silent for a long time, listening to Venya's explanation about the irregularities."Could it be because I ... drank that liquid?" said Marcel while thinking hard. "Unfortunately I don't know what kind of liquid I drank, maybe you can research it if you have some left over ...."Venya shook her head, she remembered very well what the atmosphere was like when she first smuggled into the lab with her father."When my father and I arrived, there were mop marks on the floor that were full of dust." Venya described."Do you see any other marks? Maybe the bottle I drank from ... or some lef
That night the atmosphere at the Delvino family residence was so frenetic with the sound of music, the stomping of people dancing, accompanied by flickering lights that made my eyes hurt.Marcel had been going back and forth delivering drinks to the center of the party with the help of Eli and Nana. None of them recognized Marcel as the son-in-law of the house."Drink here, hey!""Hurry up, where's the food!""Marcel, don't be slow!""Shirley, take care of that one waitress!"Marcel, who was still busy clearing up the empty glasses on the table, felt his arm being pulled roughly.He turned around and came face to face with his own wife."What have you been doing all this time?" scolded Shirley as she roughly threw Marcel's arm away. "How's that dish? They're starving because of you!""I was cleaning up, didn't you see?" retorted Marcel amidst the deafening noise of the music. "Tell your friends to wait a minute!"Shirley pursed her lips when she heard Marcel dare to argue."Drink, hey
"Shirley!" scolded Marcel, who felt his blood boil, not out of jealousy but because his status as husband and son-in-law in this house was never considered at all."Dude, she's my wife!" said Marcel again in a louder voice. "Keep your hands off her!"Both Shirley and the man turned to Marcel."What's wrong with you?" scoffed the man with a flushed face. "Am I bothering you, Beautiful?"Shirley chuckled."Don't you mind my husband, Peter!" She waved her hand as she giggled amused. "He's probably tired because he's been busy attending to our needs."Marcel shook his head as he watched two humans who were completely ignorant of his existence."Stop this party!" Marcel ordered Shirley sternly. "It's almost morning already, don't you think about other people's peace?""Who the hell is that, so loud?""Can't you just enjoy the atmosphere?"Ronnie and Ciko's voices interrupted each other."This is it, Bro! Marcel's ruining our peace!" exclaimed Shirley as she glanced sarcastically at Marcel.
Breakfast went smoothly that morning, although it was a little late because it was colored by a conversation that they thought was important about Marcel.“You two are sure that the blood test showed the real data, right?” asked Naya, the person who seemed most doubtful about the truth of whether Marcel was a real pharmacist or not.“Of course, Auntie ...”“Sorry, I personally still have doubts about the test.” Marcel interrupted, making Stefi and Lista turn to look at him.“What do you mean by that?” Lista snapped in a low whisper.“What’s going on?” Naya snapped. “How can a pharmacist doubt that he is a pharmacist?”Stefi smiled before responding to her mother’s words.“What’s strange? We have to understand for the time being, it’s natural that Marcelino doesn’t know much, he was raised without knowing anything about medicine.”“It’s okay,” Damian interrupted. “No child is able to remember his entire life journey, so we shouldn’t force Marcel to be able to remember everything in a s
“What’s the matter, Sir?” Ivan asked with his face turning serious again.“Supervise this lab so that Mrs. Venya feels safe while conducting research,” Aldi answered firmly. “We never know when the competition between us and the Delvino family will erupt, especially if Marcel is already there.”Diko narrowed his eyes.“Does that mean Mr. Marcel is on their side?” He confirmed.“It depends,” said Aldi. “But it’s okay, I believe Marcel inherited the talents of both his parents.”“How can you be so sure, Sir?” Ivan asked with a frown.“Because I know Marcel’s father and mother well,” answered Aldi as he continued his steps. “As simple as that.”Diko and Ivan looked at each other than both shrugged not understanding.The first day of living with Lista’s family, Marcel was treated very well. From there he began to worry about Aldi’s stories about the gloom that had occurred in the family.“How did you sleep, Marcel?” said Stefi when she came to visit Marcel’s room with Lista. “I see the se
“Is this valid?” Marcel asked, looking at Lista doubtfully.“What do you mean?” Lista replied offended. “You doubt the ability of our people who checked your blood sample?”Marcel shrugged.“I’m never sure, even if you believe me, that I’m a real pharmacist,” he said slowly. “What I know is that I have lived with my parents since I was little. And they never said that I had talent in the medical field.”Stefi immediately filled the empty seat next to Marcel.“But with the proof of this letter, you must be sure that you are a drug expert.” Stefi intervened. “The person we have been looking for a long time.”“Why should I be that sure?” Marcel asked as he turned to look at Stefi. “I personally don’t really know you guys apart from the news about the Delvino family that is widely circulating.”“Wow, we’re happy that you’ve had the chance to hear about our big family.” Stefi commented. “But from now on you must be sure that the talent for dispensing medicine flows in your veins.”Marcel s
“Don’t talk carelessly,” Herman warned Alvon. “What is clear is that our extended family is not just any family.”It was Shirley’s turn to look at her father with a clueless look.“What kind of family are we, Dad? Nobleman?” Shirley asked, both curious and confused.“A kind of family with high social status,” nodded Herman in a deep voice. “Father had no idea that Marcel was the drug expert we had been looking for... what do you think about this?”Shirley shrugged.“Why don’t we track down Marcel’s parents now?” Reina suggested quickly. “If they’re not surprised, that means Marcel’s true talent has been covered up all this time.”Alvon exchanged glances with Shirley.“If all this isn’t a dream and Marcel is a pharmacist, that means we’ve thrown away the jewel we had all this time.”Shirley sighed.“But he’s stingy with me,” he said curtly. “How come I was only given three million, how can a pharmacist count on giving money to his own wife?”“Watch your words,” Reina reprimanded her fi
Herman looked at Marcel who did not immediately answer his question.“I—they were looking for me, Dad.” Marcel explained because the facts were like that.He never knew about the pharmacist or the Delvino family’s relatives before they appeared after Aldi managed to find them first.“Did you know about this beforehand?” Herman asked again.Marcel shook his head and answered, “The problem is that they recognized me as the medicine expert they were looking for, so I didn’t dare to take any further interest in my past.”Herman then looked at Reina.“But Marcel is our son-in-law,” said Reina, pretending to be understanding. “It’s impossible for you to just take her away, what about our daughter?”Stefi glanced at Marcel and said, “It’s up to Marcel, our business is just coming to take him home.”Marcel knew what Stefi’s gaze meant, he was implicitly telling her to choose.“Is it true that these two are relatives of our family, Dad?” whispered Shirley in a voice they could still hear.“A p
“What’s wrong, Bro?” Marcel asked as he walked down the stairs. He turned his gaze straight towards the sounds he heard.“Mr Marcelino! Sir ...!” call Nana again, she’s not usually like that when she calls members of the Delvino family.“What’s going on, screaming?”“Auntie Nana just made my virtual meeting a mess!”Shirley and Alvon’s voices shouted at each other, making the atmosphere at the Delvino family’s house even more lively.“Why is that Nana?” Reina asked in surprise at Herman who was turning off the laptop.“You just go down and check whether the food is ready.” Herman ordered. “We have to treat Marcel well, so that he can use his energy again.”Reina nodded and quickly came down from the room. He passed Marcel who had already reached the bottom of the stairs.“Marcel!” call Reina.“Yes ma’am?” Marcel stopped in his tracks and turned to his mother-in-law.“What’s all the fuss about like that?” Reina asked as she continued her steps until she arrived in front of Marcel. “Are
Dito could no longer refuse, he still had to be aware of his position in front of Shirley’s father.“Excuse me, Sir.” Dito said goodbye, Shirley immediately held his hand.Marcel looked away, disgusted.“But, yeah. “Don’t believe what Marcel said earlier,” asked Shirley pitifully.“How will father believe when your hands say otherwise?” Herman asked firmly. “Come here, let’s talk nicely.”Dito turned to Shirley and nodded his head, then they were forced to separate when Herman told him to.“I have a work permit, Dad.” Marcel said goodbye because he was not interested in participating in the conversation between father and son.“No, Marcel. You have to come too,” said Herman, shaking his head. “You just sit down first, Mrs. Delvino said you were discharged from the hospital?”Herman joined in the act, although in his heart he was quite amazed that Marcel had managed to escape from the supervision of Lista and his family.“Okay, Dad.” Marcel just nodded, he didn’t want to prolong the pr
“Oh, the people have arrived! “You just ask him directly,” said Shirley, pointing at Marcel with her chin.“What is it?” Marcel asked, embarrassed.“When are you going to pay all your parents’ debts?” Dito asked back in a style like collecting a debt.“My in-laws and I have agreed that I will pay off the debt as soon as I get more money,” Marcel answered flatly. “What’s the matter with you anyway and why should I explain it to you?”Dito suddenly became silent.“Even if my in-laws’ family objected, they should have contacted me directly to discuss this matter further.” Marcel added.“That can’t be the case,” shook Dito’s head. “I am one of Mr. Herman’s office employees, so I have the right to know when your payment will be completed.”Marcel shrugged and replied, “I will contact my in-laws directly if I want to make the payment.”“Why don’t you finish things now, Cel?” asked Shirley interrupting. “You’re so embarrassed that you owe us money.”Marcel threw a warning glance at Shirley.
Shirley’s voice was so loud, Nana even jumped in surprise.“Patience, Madam ... Mr. Marcelino has had an accident ...” said Nana stammeringly.Shirley snorted, her eyes scanned Marcel from head to toe with a probing gaze.“Why are you wearing those clothes?” Shirley asked curtly.“These are clothes from the hospital,” Marcel answered flatly. “I was in care for more than one night, that’s why I didn’t go home ...”“Whose fault is it that you ran away?” Shirley said fiercely.“I didn’t run away, don’t make accusations without evidence!” Marcel replied. “I went to work, then ....”“So what? Have you had a disaster? Robbed? Mugged?” Shirley actually got even crazier. “Old song, Cel! You pretend to be sick, so that I feel sorry for you. Isn’t it? Having a husband like this is such a showman!”Marcel sighed. Timidly, Nana placed a cup of hot tea on the table.“Please drink it first, Sir.”“Thank you, Nana.” Marcel nodded, but Shirley immediately pushed the cup aside until the contents spill