My bodyguard is a Handsome Bum
Childhood and Her Parents
The somewhat eccentric old woman immediately smiled happily and immediately hugged Vander. "So you're right Vander's Zenry's son?! It's me Zoe! I didn't expect to see you here again!"
Zoe then looked at Vander from the bottom to the top of her head. "It's been a long time, now you've grown so tall! The last time I saw you when you were ten, you were still as tall as my ears. And now, wow you're even so handsome! If only I were ten years younger, maybe I'd be your doctor," the woman joked.
"Vander so you know this lady?" Said Lara with her innocent look.
"What a beauty, who are you?" Zoe said without awkwardly directly caressing Lara's face.
"I'm Lara, I— I'm Vander's wife, greetings," replied Lara timidly.
"I'm Zoe. Well, if my rival is like you, I'll just back off" the old lady joked. "I didn't expect my little Vander to actually be an adult now, you're even married" Zoe said.
Intrigued to tell more stories, Zoe invited Lara and Vander to sit in the restaurant area of the inn, and asked Lola, who was also the receptionist, to immediately prepare food and drinks for Vander and Lara.
"Well Mom," said Lola, who rushed to do what Zoe told her to do.
"Mother?" Vander looked at Zoe.
Zoe finally told him everything that happened, a few years after Vander left his hometown.
"So the receptionist's your son, ma'am?" Ask Lara.
"Oh come on baby, don't call me when I'm not used to it, just call Zoe."
"Alright— Zoe."
Zoe also explained that Lola was not her biological child, but only her adopted son who she adopted fifteen years ago. And Lola was also the one who had helped him manage this inn for ten years running.
Zoe herself was once the most famous pimp in the region. Because before becoming an inn, this place was a brothel managed by Zoe. But a few years after the departure of Vander and he adopted Lola, he decided to close the place and turn it into an inn like now.
"I feel this job is much better than my previous job you know, it's a very lowly job" said Zoe, embarrassed and regretted remembering her past.
"That's Zoe, there's nothing wrong with your past! You never forced anyone to work as a call girl anyway, did you? The women themselves come to you and ask you to find customers for them to make money" Vander said blatantly.
Zoe laughed and then spoke with a joke. "It turns out that your cute and outspoken nature is very similar to your father, huh?!"
On the contrary, the look of Vander's face actually seems less like if equated by his father. "Don't equate me with that baj¡ngan!"
Seeing her husband talk about her father, Lara was shocked. He became increasingly curious about his past as a child. What's really going on with Vander's relationship with his father? Seems like he really had an unpleasant past as a child? I'm getting curious.
"This place is pretty crowded, right?" said Lara saw quite a lot of people in and out of the inn. Not only the restaurant, in that place there is also a kind of mini casino that likes to be used by residents and inn visitors to play cards.
"Hey Zoe! Where's food!" Excite the old man playing cards at the end of the casino table. Seeing the men look fun playing cards while drinking, Vander was interested in joining.
"Darling, would I like to join them, please?" Vander said, asking his wife for permission.
Lara nodded in allowing signs.
While Vander is busy joining the other men there, Lara thinks it's time she took the opportunity to ask further questions about Vander's past through Zoe.
"By the way, this place feels very family," praise Lara to see the atmosphere of the inn feels very nuanced warmth.
"That's it, for suburbanites like us this is how to enjoy life, by having fun with family and relatives" he explained while relaxing drinking local alcohol that Lara did not know her name.
"Hey I'm kind of wondering how you can tame it?" Zoe teases Lara about Vander.
"Oh I-I don't know Zoe, why do you ask me that?"
"Because I've known the boy since he was in the womb. I just didn't think that the hard-nosed Vander knew or was already a husband."
"You seem to know a lot about Vander and his family?"
"That's how," Zoe again sipped her drink.
"Oh yes Zoe was invited to visit my mother-in-law's grave for the first time, to be honest I don't know much about Vander's family and childhood. So if you don't mind— can you tell me about Van and his family back when he was living here? I beg..."
Zoe fell silent, thinking it would not be better if Lara asked her husband directly.
"Vander dia— he doesn't seem to like it very much if I ask about his family genealogy. So Zoe, I was hoping you'd share a little with me" Lara said expectantly.
Seeing Lara who is sincere and very curious about Van in the past, Zoe was finally willing to tell him.
Zoe told me that little Vander was a good boy. He is very intelligent, loyal friend, brave, and likes to help people. It's just that his rebellious nature and his own free will, often makes others think that Vander is a bad boy. "When all the riots that Vander made and whatever he did, all of that must have been a reason. Although the reason sometimes like weird anyway...!"
Lara smiled as she confirmed Zoe's words about her husband's nature. "And Vander's parents, have you known them for a long time?"
"Yes! I know both very well. You could say, I was the bridge between Vander's parents until they ended up getting married."
"Certainly that?" Lara.
Zoe recalls Vander's parents' past, and tells Lara;
Vander is the only son of Zenry Liuzen with Anika. Vander's father was a wealthy and famous plantation businessman in the region. He is not only famous for a wealthy garden owner, but also famous for his physical values are valued by many women, plus he is famous playboy.
Zenry is quite successful in running his estate, but not with his love relationship. The man tends to like changing women almost every day, even Zoe herself who is a friend of Zenry until tired of seeing her friend always asked her to find a woman to accompany him.
"You could say so. Because Zenry itself is basically very fond of being mobbed by beautiful women," he said.
It's fitting that Vander once said that he likes beautiful women, it turns out that his father's derivative is so, thought Lara.
For Zoe Zenry it is unique. How not? He often hires women, but the women are never invited to sleep. There may be, but only one or two people, even that was just love last night after that he did not want to know again. Sometimes, too, the reason Zenry hired women in his place was only for the reason of being able to help women who needed money. Zenry himself once told Zoe that he would not want to be involved more with women. Because he thinks it will only trouble him. Until at last he met the sweet fairy adoration of his heart Anika, who changed all his thoughts about love.
"Well, if it's Vander's mother?" Lara asked increasingly curious about Zoe's story.
"Yes, and their meeting took place thirty years ago, precisely in the spring of this city."
#Flashback
At that time Zoe who was 27 years old as usual at night, he who was smoking would wait and supervise the prostitution business. Suddenly as he was relaxing there, a long-haired young girl appeared, and dressed in a hat came up to him.
Zoe stared strangely at the figure of the skinny girl whose clothes were oversized.
"Miss, can I work at your place?" Said the skinny girl quietly while bowing her face.
Seeing her unattractive appearance, as well as her downcast face wearing a hat made Zoe hesitate. How can this woman attract a man with this look?
"Sorry but are you sure you want to work here? How old are you? I do not accept women under the legal age (legal age in this story is 19 years old)"
"A-I'm nineteen Miss,"
"You keep your head down!" Zoe's orders.
The young woman then opened her hat and looked up her head. Zoe was shocked after seeing it firsthand. He did not expect how beautiful the girl face was even without the slightest polish. Knowing that the woman was of legal age and had a good physique, Zoe accepted. Without lingering Zoe immediately took the girl and put on her makeup, and put on a pretty sexy dress.
"Wow you're so pretty! I think my other employees will be jealous of you" Zoe said, praising her. "But by the way I don't know your name yet, what's your name?"
"I'm Anika," she said shyly while covering her chest that was quite exposed because the model of the cleavage dress is very low.
Zoe then brought Anika to be introduced to her client, and it just so happened that the new Zenry suddenly came to her and said to find a girlfriend. And instantly the man's eyes immediately looked at Anika who was standing behind Zoe.
The enchanted Zenry immediately asked, "Hey Zoe, is the beautiful woman behind you a new person?"
"Yes, why is it?"
"I don't want to know, just don't give him to anyone, because I want him to just make me tonight!" Zenry is very pushy, making Zoe inevitably agree to the request of her best friend.
Zenry and Anika meet for the first time. And for the first time too, Zoe saw Zenry smilingly staring gently at a woman she met.
And after that night, Zenry every day came to Zoe's place and asked specifically for Anika who always accompanied him. The two of them are getting closer. Their closeness gradually changed, which is no longer as a customer and a paid woman. Bringing them both close together is like a man and a woman in love. Until finally Zenry felt very confident to propose to Anika and married her.
#Flashback done.
"And after that?" Lara seemed enthusiastic to hear the continuation.
"A year married, Anika finally gave birth to Vander, the family looked very happy. Unfortunately, two years after Vander's birth the disaster came." Zoe's face looks sad in light of the tragedy twenty-seven years ago at the Zenry residence.
That night as usual, Anika will spend time with her son while waiting for her husband to come home. But who would have thought that suddenly there was a great fire in his residence. As a mother of course the first thing Anika thought about was, immediately save her very small son.
After trying Anika finally manages to bring the crying Vander out of the fire with Zoe's help. But unfortunately, when Anika herself wanted to try to get out, the woman was even first trapped in ruins before she could save herself.
"I remember once, Vander was two years old, he cried loudly in my arms while I could only see his mother struggling to save herself when no one dared to come near. Finally because of the oxygen depletion Anika was left at that place." Zoe suddenly let out her tears remembering the incident.
"And you know, what I was thinking when I found out that Anika was dead was, how could such a small Vander have to endure considering that the mother she used to be with was suddenly gone? Therefore after Anika died I and helped by other good people took turns to take care of Vander."
"Where's Vander's father?" Ask Lara curiously.
"Zenry— since Anika died the man was like losing the direction of life's purpose. He was drunk, gambling and playing with women. He doesn't even care about his son. Even on the day of the family event every year at Zenry school did not want to attend at all. Every year on the show Vander would only be a student who ate alone while watching other children chatting with his father and mother."
"W-why is his father so good?" Lara Lirih asked withstanding a cry.
"Because Zenry always thought that his wife's death was due to Vander's fault, the man thought that if Anika didn't save Vander at that time maybe Anika would still be alive."
In the end, Lara's tears were no longer able to contain her. Her tears flowed as she could not hear her husband's story of grief in the past, which even her wounds may still be very pronounced today.
"Ah I'm sorry, because telling stories too laugh your emotions so come crying too," said Zoe apologized.
Lara shook her head while wiping her tears. "No, Zoe, you're not wrong, I'm grateful that you've told Vander a story I never knew before. I'm just happy, because after this I'll be able to understand it even more."
Lara turned her head towards Vander who was currently playing cards with other visitors. My eyes Lara looked at her husband from afar guiltily. If I had known sooner about Vander and his difficult childhood, I would have done better.
Suddenly, Zoe clasped Lara's hand and said, "Son, I know you're a very nice woman and are very much loved by Vander. I just want to tell you, please give the child as much love as possible. Vander may seem indifferent and feel all is well, but deep in the untouched space of his heart, there is a fragility that he hides. So I hope you don't stop loving her?"
Lara nodded in understanding. "I understand."
I just wish I could continue to love her selflessly.
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