CHAPTER 30: 30. GRADUATION ALBUM

Riki felt exhausted and hot. Sweat drenched his entire body. At that moment, he was sitting in the gazebo in the Raynold family’s garden.

When Riki and the others arrived, they were asked to rest first. However, it turned out that the big Lord named Christopher Raynold, Zeno and Arvin’s grandfather, had arrived. Chris thought they had come to help harvest vegetables.

After Chris said he would give each of them $50,000, they agreed to help.

"I am very happy to see these young actors harvesting vegetables in my garden," said Chris as he brought them drinks of carrot juice.

They felt very awkward around Chris. Not only because Chris was older than them, but because Chris was a great man. He was the leader of several companies, all of which were hugely successful. Even though Chris had now handed over most of his companies to his son or his trusted people, he was still a very great man.

Seeing Chris, Riki became very excited. Because he wanted to be like Chris someday.

"Is this your friend, Zeno?" asked Chris.

Zeno, who was sitting next to Riki, nodded his head, then turned and smiled at Riki. He put his arm around Riki’s shoulder and said.

"Grandpa, do you remember Edwin Khaizer? He is his son," said Zeno.

Chris was very surprised at that moment. Then he looked at Riki with pity and admiration in his eyes.

Then, he smiled warmly, "I’m so relieved to see you survive this far, son. I’m sorry I couldn’t help your father back then... I’ve been in Australia, taking care of business there. I just returned to this country around... definitely when Zeno graduated from high school. I was very surprised to hear the news about your father. He was such an extraordinary young man. He once interned at my company in Australia, and I heard he was quite successful in his business, but it turns out... Uh, I’m sorry to tell you this, kid, because my words are useless at this point, I know that. But if you need help, don’t hesitate to let me know. Just think of me as your own grandfather."

Chris reached out his hand to pat the boy on the head. Then, Chris quickly left, because the man felt very sad when he remembered Edwin. Moreover, Riki looked a lot like Edwin.

"Well, now that I’ve heard the gist of your story, I’m quite interested," said Arvin, the young lawyer who sometimes helped his father at the company. He was an icon of a hard-working young man. He had even been featured in a magazine.

"It’s very rare to see my brother interested in something," replied Zeno.

"Shut up, Zeno, don’t make it seem like I’m never interested in anything."

"You’re not even interested in dating, Arvin..."

"That has nothing to do with this! Shut him up, Riki!"

Riki immediately shut his friend’s mouth with a piece of yellow watermelon.

"Don’t bother your brother, Zeno."

Zeno couldn’t protest, he just ate his yellow watermelon in annoyance.

"Like I said before, I’ll help you guys. Send me all the evidence, and I’ll process it right away. I’ll also try to get you both out of that agency without paying any penalties. As for the payment, don’t worry about it... I’ll be happy to help you. I’ll consider this a good promotion for me, because you guys are quite famous, I’m sure this issue will be widely reported."

Hearing this, Deva, Sean, and Travis felt very relieved. Not only were they being helped, but they also didn’t have to pay any fees.

Riki was very relieved to see this.

While they were discussing the legal issues with Arvin, Zeno invited Riki into the villa.

Well, they were at the Raynold family villa on the outskirts of town. The villa had a very large area of land, which was used as a garden to unwind.

The villa wasn’t very big, but it looked very luxurious.

"Why did you bring me here?" asked Riki.

Zeno led Riki into a room, a fairly spacious room on the second floor. The room also had a small balcony that looked directly out onto the garden.

"Wait a minute, I think it’s here," muttered Zeno.

Riki just stood silently watching his friend rummage through a large teak cabinet. He approached Zeno and crouched down beside him.

"What are you looking for?"

"Ah, here it is! I knew this album was here. This is my mother’s high school graduation album. Oh yes, my mother and father have an age difference of about seven years, and my mother is older. Although my mother didn’t know your father very well, she once mentioned that she, your mother, and your father graduated at the same time. Then your father went to college and did an internship at my family’s company. At that time, we didn’t know that your father and my mother graduated from the same school because when your father was interning, my mother wasn’t married to my father yet. They only found out about it after your father was accused, and my mother said that her graduation album was in this villa. I thought you might want to see it."

Riki was already flipping through the graduation album while Zeno talked at length.

Not only did he find his father’s figure when he graduated from high school, who did indeed resemble him, but Riki also found his mother, Anton’s father, and even Anton’s mother. Although he wasn’t sure, Riki thought he saw the fathers of Alvin and Gidion, Anton’s friends, as well.

Riki spent quite a long time just looking at the album, thinking about many things.

"What are you thinking about, Rik?" asked Zeno, who was lying on his side on the bed, looking at Riki, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Riki, who was looking serious, looked very funny.

Zeno remembered that he used to always help Riki, who always had difficulties in high school and university. But because Zeno was also very busy, he couldn’t always help him.

But suddenly, Riki came, wanting to buy his shop. It was very surprising, and Zeno tried not to show his surprise. Even Kaivan, who was also his good friend, didn’t say anything about Riki’s change. Kaivan only complained because his twin sister and cousin liked Riki. Kaivan was annoyed at Zeno for defending Riki, saying that Riki was a good young man.

Come to think of it, Kaivan’s expression at that time was very funny. When he saw his cousin dating Riki on television.

"Uh, I just thought... it turns out my father’s enemies went to the same school as my father. Zeno, can I meet your mother? I want to ask her many things about my father and mother. Because, I’m sure the deaths of my father and mother have something to do with them. I mean... ugh — I don’t know where to start telling you."

Zeno immediately sat up after sensing the conflict.

"I have plenty of time, you can tell me everything. Besides, problems can be solved faster if we face them together. But, I can’t pressure you if you don’t want to talk," said Zeno.

Riki didn’t answer, he just remained silent, then looked at his father’s photo again.

"No, I’ll tell you... are you willing to help me? I don’t think I can do it alone," said Riki.

Zeno smiled broadly when he heard that.

Riki had changed a lot.

In the past, Zeno often helped him, but he said he could face everything alone. But clearly, he was just lying. It was obvious that Riki needed help.

And now, he could be open about his situation. Zeno thought that was much better than before.

"Now, you’re more open, Riki... do you remember how you used to always avoid me?" asked Zeno.

Riki was silent.

He remembered that he was always in the same place as Zeno. From high school to college.

Riki also always remembered that Zeno often helped him. But back then, Riki thought he didn’t deserve to be near Zeno, because Zeno was in a different world from him. Zeno was the son of a conglomerate.

That’s what Riki thought at the time.

After thinking about it again, Riki should have asked Zeno for help from the beginning, right? That way, he wouldn’t have to suffer like he does now.

But Riki used to only think about himself. He always complained about his suffering, even though he himself didn’t try hard enough to escape it.

He used to think that asking for help from someone much richer than him was pointless. Because Riki thought that rich people were all evil and selfish.

"It turns out I was immature back then," Riki muttered.

Zeno laughed out loud, then fell silent when he saw the serious look on Riki’s face.

"Of course you weren’t mature, after all, everyone has a different time to reach maturity. Even mature people sometimes make mistakes, Riki. So don’t worry."

"I’ll tell you, but—"

Riki stopped talking after hearing Zeno’s stomach growl loudly.

Then they both laughed out loud.

"Hahahaha... oh my god, I’m embarrassed to be this hungry," said Zeno, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes from laughing too much.

"If you’ll let me, I can cook for you. Consider it an apology for always thinking badly of you in the past," said Riki.

The two of them got up and went to the kitchen downstairs.

"What did you think of me?"

"I’m not going to say."

"So... you thought that badly of me?"

"Not at all! You’re very nice, how could I think badly of you."

When they arrived downstairs, it seemed that Arvin and the others had finished their conversation.

Travis left with Deva to prepare the things Arvin had asked for.

Meanwhile, Sean was left there. They thought it would be better for Sean to stay with Riki at that time.

Riki was surprised that they had entrusted him to take care of someone older than him, as if they really trusted Riki.

"How about you guys just stay at this villa? It’s safer for Sean here than at Riki’s apartment," said Chris, who had also heard what had happened to Sean.

"But, won’t I be a bother?" asked Sean, feeling truly guilty.

"Hahaha, of course not, you can think of me as your own grandfather," replied Chris.

"Give me your inheritance, Grandpa," joked Riki.

They all burst into laughter at Riki’s jokes.