The Hidden Passion of the Step Uncle

"Mommy, I want to go to Manhattan." The eighteen-year-old girl whined to her mother.

Her mother looked back at her daughter and her husband in turn. The near-fifty-year-old man could only shrug his shoulders as if he felt no guilt. The wife squinted back.

"Papa said that if you lets me, I can continue my studies in Manhattan."

A sly smile developed on her mother's face. "You really want to go to Manhattan?" her mother asked slyly.

The girl with waist-length hair nodded her head enthusiastically.

"I will allow you to study there." Her mother said again, still with a smile on her face. Elara became more enthusiastic and looked at her mother expectantly. "But there are conditions." She said which made Elara's eyes round.

"Co-conditions?" stammered Elara. She knew this was not a good idea. Her mother was the most cunning person ever. A selfish person at the same time. But for the sake of her desire to study there, what could she do. "What are the conditions?" asked Elara fearfully.

"You can go to college in Manhattan, as long as you stay at Granny Ada's place."

Duaarrrrrrr! As if lightning had just struck her head, Elara could only look at her mother with her mouth agape.

"Mom..." she said softly. "Why do I have to stay at Granny Ada's place? Isn't our family Granny Claire. Why don't I just stay at Granny Claire's place?" Elara coaxed her mother.

Her mother shook her head. "I can't. You know that Granny Claire's family isn't doing well right now. Granny Claire has enough Gianna to take care of, she doesn't need another kid to wear her down. So if you want to go to college there. You have to be willing to live with Granny Ada. If you don't want to, then don't go there. Just look for colleges around here."

"But Mom... I promise I won't bother Granny Claire. I'll actually help Granny to look after Gianna, take care of Gianna too." She coaxed again. Her mother clucked back.

"You? Take care of Gianna? You can't look after your sister, how can you look after your cousin?" Her mother snorted again.

"Mommy, please..." Elara whined again. But her mother shook her head again.

"Yes, or nothing. That's the only choice you have." Abigail said, leaving her eldest daughter with her husband.

Elara watched her mother leave with an annoyed frown on her face. She looked back at her father who was pretending to look at the tablet in his hand.

"Papa... help me." Elara coaxed her father.

"Help you with what?" replied her father in a lazy tone. "I told you that you have to persuade your mother yourself. If I help you, your mother will be even less likely to let you go." His father replied with a regretful face.

Elara scowled at her father. Her face twisted in annoyance again. She folded her hands on her stomach with her back leaning against the same sofa her father was sitting on.

"Why go to Manhattan anyway? Isn't there a college in Kansas that you like?" his father asked again.

Elara turned to her father and nodded. Her father squinted back. "There isn't a campus you like, or a boy you like who isn't there?" her father asked suspiciously.

"Papa! Shhh... shut up." Elara instantly silenced her father's mouth. "If Mommy's hears about this, she won't let me go to Manhattan." The girl whispered in her father's ear. Her father just nodded in understanding. He lowered his daughter's hand and grasped it tightly.

"Elara, darling, listen to me." He said in an authoritative tone. "It's not that I don't want you to go to Manhattan. I won't forbid anything that has to do with education, and neither will your mother. Even if you want to study abroad, we won't stop you as long as... your goal is to study. Not chasing after love or men. " Her father said seriously.

"Your mother and I, we were once young people like you. We've liked, admired, and even fallen in love with someone. But..." her father paused again. "Making that person an excuse to go to the same school, that's not acceptable to us."

Elara looked at her father in silence. She did not know that her mother was listening to their conversation behind the wall where she had disappeared.

"It's about your future. You have to set your priorities first. Didn't you say you wanted to be successful?" her father asked, to which Elara nodded. "You said you want to be successful like Uncle Geremia, Aunty Flavia, Aunty Francisca?" Elara nodded to her father. "So you should know what makes them successful, right?" he continued.

Elara was silent, she already knew the answer, but let her father repeat the same discussion.

"It's because they are serious about their studies. They do what they love. They do everything wholeheartedly. They start everything because they love the field. Not because they are pursuing the opposite sex." Her father continued.

"I'm not forbidding you to like or love someone. But, doing an action because of someone else, it's the same as expecting that person to return what we've sacrificed for them.

"If in the end we don't get what we want from them. If in the end they don't think you exist and even ignore you, then you will be disappointed and think that everything you have done so far has been in vain.

"And at the end of the day, you'll stop your efforts halfway and I don't want you to do that.

"Your mother and I want you to go to college because you want to study that field. Not because he's there." Her father said at length.

Elara was still looking at her father. Her father had not guessed wrong. Elara really wanted to study in Manhattan because her crush was studying there. She got a scholarship to study at one of the prestigious universities in Manhattan. And actually, Elara also got the same offer, in fact she got offers from three different universities because of her intelligence. But until now she has not decided where to go because she herself does not have a definite goal.

And what her father said wasn't wrong either. She actually felt the same fear. If she went after him, if he liked her back, she might have a wonderful adolescence. But if not? Will she be ready to continue her studies with the heartbreak she will experience?

But the other reason besides the man was that Elara wanted to be free from her mother's monitor. Elara wanted to be free like her peers who left home and lived independently by renting a flat. She also wanted to be free from her mother's curfew.

But...?

Elara knew that her conservative-minded mother would not allow it. It wasn't that her mother didn't believe she could control her relationships. But her mother was too afraid of something happening to her.

Manhattan is not a small city that is safe from crime. Especially now that the news is full of bad things happening to teenagers. And her mother was indoctrinated by that. That's why her mother has always given strict rules.

Her mother never allowed her to play outside for too long without monitoring. According to her mother, if Elara and her friends wanted to play, it would be better if they came to Elara's place instead of playing outside. Abigail was happy to provide everything Elara and her friends wanted as long as they stayed at Elara's place, not the other way around.

And so far, Elara's friends didn't mind, and could even be said to be very enthusiastic. But it was Elara who felt caged. And now, she wanted to be free from her confinement. She wanted to be as free as any other eighteen-year-old.

Elara knew that living with Granny Ada wasn't a bad choice. Her grandmother was a kind, caring woman who was never controlling. Definitely different from Abigail. But there was one thing that made Elara reluctant to live with her. It was Granny Ada's youngest son. Rayyan Quirino.

Yes, Rayyan Quirino. The youngest son of the Altezza-Adaline couple, who is seven years older than Elara, has always considered himself the most handsome man in the universe and is a self-proclaimed playboy.

Elara didn't like him because he was always teasing her. Meeting him was like meeting a mortal enemy. There was never any peace.

Other people who saw their fight would probably find their behavior funny and laugh at it. But for her, her step-uncle's behavior only made her blood pressure rise with anger.

Then something occurred to Elara. "Uncle Rayyan, he's not in Manhattan, is he?" Elara looked at her father who was already engrossed in his tablet. Her father nodded his head. "Okay. Then," she said which made her father turn his head. "I'm going to stay with Granny Ada. And I'll think about which major I really want." She said with a smile framed on her beautiful face. "As long as that playboy isn't around, I'm safe." She murmured softly to which her father replied by raising one eyebrow in confusion.

ELARA'S DESIRE TO STUDY architecture and become a successful architect like her father and some of her siblings eventually made Elara decide to apply to a college with the best architecture department in Manhattan.

Putting aside her dislike for the step-uncle she desperately wants to avoid, Elara also accepts her mother's condition to live with her step-grandmother, Granny Ada.

Granny Adaline or as Elara calls her Granny Ada and her husband Grandpa Altezza, are not related to Elara and her family. Granny Ada's husband has a cousin named Antony Quirino. The Italian-American man married Elara's mother's aunt Claire Hampton. And from that marriage they became a family.

Elara's family and Altezza-Adaline's family are very close because when Elara was young, the couple used to live in the same town as Elara's family. In fact, it can be said that little Elara grew up in the care of the Altezza-Adaline couple.

The question is, if Elara and Altezza-Adaline's family are close, why is Elara reluctant to stay with them?

The problem was with the couple's youngest son. Rayyan Quirino. The man Elara hated so much. A nosy, arrogant man who had branded himself a playboy. The man who was seven years older than Elara always provoked Elara's anger. Meeting him was tantamount to the loss of peace within Elara.

"Did you agree with my terms?" Abigail asked Elara one afternoon.

Elara looked at her mother with a frown, but then nodded her head. "I registered with the college online yesterday. I just need to wait for the notification." She said with a frown on her face.

It's not like Abigail didn't know what made her eldest daughter upset about the conditions she put forward. But she had no choice.

Elara was his eldest daughter. The daughter she loved and also looked after. During this time, Abigail never let go of monitoring her and letting her live alone in the big city, it made her feel scared on her own.

It wasn't that Abigail didn't trust her eldest daughter. But she didn't trust the environment around her.

Abigail's aunt - Elara's grandmother - had offered Elara a place to stay. But Abigail was forced to refuse because she didn't want to add to her aunt's mental burden because the middle-aged woman was currently having a lot of problems at home.

As a result, the only family she could trust was her aunt's brother-in-law. The couple Altezza and Adaline because the rest of Abigail's family-or her husband's family-didn't live in Manhattan.

"When are you going to Manhattan?" Abigail asked again.

Elara mentioned a date to which Abigail nodded her head. She would later inform the Altezza-Adaline couple of that date.

Of course, the Altezza-Adaline couple were delighted to hear that Elara would be living with them in Manhattan. In their old age, Altezza and Adaline felt lonely because their children no longer lived with them. Even though they are not far apart, their home still feels lonely because of the children's chatter.

And with Elara's presence in their home, they hoped that there would be a crowd again in the magnificent Quirino palace. At least they had a friend to talk to during breakfast or dinner because Elara was basically a cheerful and talkative child.

Elara is also a sociable person so you can be sure that she will bring her friends to the Altezza-Adaline residence to liven things up.

A few weeks had passed. Elara, her parents and her two younger siblings are already on their way to Manhattan.

Ela-Elara's nickname-had asked her parents and sister not to drive her because her trip this time would not take long. The girl had promised her parents that she would return in two or three days after completing the administration at her new college. But her parents insisted on dropping her off on ethical grounds.

Elara could only comply although again the girl could only scowl in annoyance.

The car they were using was now in front of a house that had a four-meter-high gate. A scanning camera greeted them on the right and left of the gate. Knowing who was coming, the large gate opened and the guard inside gave them a respectful greeting.

Elara's father was not poor-let's just say they come from the middle to upper economic class-but their wealth could not match that of the Quirino family. In fact, it's not even a tenth of the family's wealth. Even Quirino's land and house-which Elara called a palace-were not comparable to the Fulton family's residence.

Most people with a wealthy status like the Quirino family are usually arrogant and proud, but not Altezza and Adaline or the rest of the Quirino family.

Their family is so simple. When welcoming guests, they always have a friendly smile and their treatment is always warm. It makes anyone who knows them feel comfortable and respectful.

Also, the Quirino family never hesitates to lend a hand to those who need help.

Besides her grandmother, Claire. In her mother's family there was another person who married into the Quirino family. He was Elara's grandfather, the twin brother of Claire herself who, uniquely, was married to Elara grandmother's stepdaughter Flavia Quirino.

And yes, like most Quirinos, Granny Flavia is also a humble and loving woman. In fact, she currently runs an orphanage and her husband is also the retired director of a hospital that was also built and funded by the Quirino family.

Looking at the whole family through Elara's eyes, it was indeed devastating.

But alas, nothing is perfect in this world. Because behind all the positive things about the Quirino family, there is one negative thing that has been created and that is Rayyan and Meizar Quirino.

Yes, Rayyan and Meizar Quirino-by marriage-are Elara's uncles and also the youngest of the Quirino family.

Meizar Quirino is Elara's uncle on her mother's side. He is the youngest son of Claire and Antony Quirino. Meanwhile, Rayyan-the man who makes Elara reluctant to stay at Adaline's residence-is the youngest son of Adaline and Altezza Quirino.

The two were the playboy duo of the Quirino family who were determined to date many women until they were satisfied and decided to get married. They were never indiscriminate in their search for a partner, and it made Elara feel like her ego as a woman was being touched.

Yes, both men think of women as toys, which when they get bored, they can replace with new ones.

Elara still remembered that when she was still in the second grade of junior high school, they were spending their vacation together at Claire Antony's residence in Kansas. There, the Quirino family had gathered. From the oldest to the youngest. And in the evening, her uncles were gathered at the swimming pool, enjoying the evening while talking. Meanwhile, Elara knew the wives, teenagers and children were already asleep.

Elara herself had no intention of eavesdropping. She just happened to be thirsty and wanted to get a drink, but on her way back to her room, she heard people talking and overheard.

"Stop being a playboy." The reprimanding voice Elara recognized as that of her other step-uncle, Geremia Quirino. "You're old enough, find a good woman and marry her. Don't waste your time doing useless things." The first son of the Altezza-Adaline couple continued.

In hiding, Elara saw Rayyan and Meizar shaking their heads.

"There will be a time when we will look for a future wife." Meizar answered which was then nodded by Rayyan. "Right now we intend to follow in the footsteps of the other playboys who have preceded us, don't you think?" Meizar turned to Rayyan and the man also nodded his head.

"There is a time for criminals to repent, as well as playboys." Said Rayyan-who Elara was sure was showing his usual silly grin.

Geremia shook his head. "I stopped being a playboy at your age." The man said again.

"And you got your partner in seven years after you stopped being a playboy." Meizar replied to her cousin. "I don't want to spend those seven years alone. I want to enjoy it." He said again. The man raised his fist up and again, his cousin Rayyan followed suit.

"We're not wasting time anyway, Ge. We're actually learning right now." Rayyan said with a grin.

"What are you learning?" asked Geremia in a scornful tone.

"Women and their lust for something called 'money'." Rayyan said, again with a smirk on his face.

Meizar chuckled and nodded. "Dating women makes our desire to work hard and make a lot of money even greater." Support him.

"In fact, money is the main key to attracting women." Rayyan continued. "No matter how ugly you look, if you have a lot of zeros in your account, no sensible woman will stay away."

Meizar nodded his head again. "A smart woman wouldn't want to live with a poor man. It's bullshit when they say they love us for what we are, because when there are other men whose wallets are much thicker, they will leave us." He said, followed by Rayyan's nod.

Geremia shook his head. "You are wrong. True love, regardless of your age, wealth and background.

"Real love is acceptance, really accepting you for who you are, no matter who you are, where you come from, your past.

"A real household is building everything together from scratch.

"You might think it's a cliché. But a real home is not a grand building with many doors and windows. But a real home is a person you want to go back to, feel the warmth of his embrace, get soothing from him when you're angry, sad and upset."

Hearing Geremia's answer, the two men laughed mockingly.

"There will be a time when we will bend the knee to a woman, like you, Ge." Rayyan replied, to which Meizar nodded. "But not now."

Elara was already reluctant to eavesdrop. She walked back to her room, annoyed at her two uncles.

How can any of her family members be so disrespectful to women? Aren't they afraid of real karma? What if one day their siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews and grandchildren become playboys like them?

Elara shuddered in horror at her own thoughts.

And now, years on from the last time she heard the men talk, Elara still felt the same resentment towards her two uncles.

And especially Rayyan.

Because Elara saw for herself exactly how much of a playboy he was. Rayyan was never shy about showing his girlfriend, nor did he care if the woman he was dating was single or a lover.

"Those who want to date me, those who choose to leave their boyfriend for me. I never forced them to leave their boyfriends." Rayyan said without a hint of guilt when one day Elara saw an angry man hitting Rayyan in public. When Elara asked why, the man said that Rayyan had snatched his girlfriend.

Elara didn't say much. She just looked at her uncle with an annoyed look. And her uncle, seeing Elara's annoyed face, showed a wide grin. The man who was seven years older than her was really not someone Elara could handle.

And now, Elara stood in front of the man's residence. Hoping that she would not meet that irritating figure until the end of her studies. Because Rayyan, was a blob of virus that caused anger and resentment.

"I'll leave Elara in your care, Auntie." Abigail said to Adaline.

After completing the administrative process, Elara is now officially a new student and as per her agreement with her mother, she will be staying with the elderly couple Altezza-Adaline.

"If she makes trouble, you should not hesitate to punish her." Abigail continued in a stern tone.

"Sure, I will." Adaline replied with a smile on her face. Her aged right arm wrapped warmly around Elara's shoulder. "You guys take it easy, if she causes trouble I'll hire a bodyguard to guard her." Adaline continued, which although said in a joking tone, Elara was sure the woman would actually do it.

It is said that Quirino's wives, despite being friendly, soft-spoken and seemingly caring, can do extreme and unexpected things.

"You too," her mother now looked at Elara who immediately turned tense. "Don't make trouble and don't make your grandmother worry. If you have a class that requires you to come home late, you must tell your grandmother and let her know what time you'll be home." Her mother said in a warning tone.

"Yes, Mom. I'll do everything you say. I won't be naughty, I won't hang out with random people. And I will report to grandma if I go out with my friends or come home late. And more than that, I will study hard." Elara said deliberately as if she was mocking her mother which made her mother could only shake her head.

"Take good care of yourself. I know you can be trusted." Her father said which made Elara nod her head.

Her father was not the type of person who liked to talk at length like her mother. But somehow every word her father said always made Elara's heart feel more afraid, more alert and even occasionally-if her father reprimanded her, even with a short sentence-it always made Elara's heart feel sliced.

After saying goodbye to Granny Ada-because Grandpa Altezza was away-both Elara's parents and her sister returned to the town where they lived.

Elara and Adaline were still standing in the doorway when the car Elara's family was in disappeared.

After the gate closed again, Adaline wrapped her arms around Elara's waist and led her inside.

"I'm really happy that you want to stay here." The elderly woman said in her soft, sorrowful tone. "This house is too big for Altezza and I to live in. With you here, I'm sure this house will be crowded again.

"Bring your college friends here often." pleaded the elderly woman hopefully.

"Are you sure it's okay if I bring my friends here? If they make a scene later, won't it bother you?" Elara asked skeptically.

Adaline smiled. "That's exactly what I like. The commotion." She said with a chuckle. "Since your uncles and aunts aren't here, I really feel lonely." She continued.

Elara could understand. At her age, in a house that was almost as large as a soccer field, it must have felt lonely if it was just the two of them and a few household assistants.

Adaline and Altezza Quirino have four children. In the first birth, Adaline gave birth to a pair of boy and girl twins named Falisha and Geremia. After marrying doctor Ash Clarke, Falisha decided to stay in Kansas while Falisha's twin sister Geremia still lives in Kansas. Geremia is also a doctor, just like Falisha's husband. And Geremia married a nurse named Rianna Lynch. Both of them live in Manhattan, but because they are busy, they can only visit on weekends or other holidays.

The second time around, Adaline gave birth to a baby girl named Ivana. Sadly for Adaline, Ivana was declared dead after birth when in reality, Ivana was kidnapped by Altezza's crazy ex-wife who was still obsessed with Altezza. Ivana managed to return to the Quirino family when she was twenty-eight years old. They found her in a coma as the older sister of Rianna-Geremia's wife-who had grown up together in the same orphanage.

And the third time giving birth, Adaline managed to bring out the most annoying man in Elara's life named Rayyan Quirino. The handsome youngest decided to continue his studies in England along with Claire-Antony's youngest son, Meizar. But both of them chose to live in different countries after graduation.

Elara herself actually wondered why she had to hate him when he had never intruded into her personal life, other than little pranks whenever they met.

Perhaps it was the man's principles that made Elara dislike him.

His choice to be a playboy and date many women made Elara's feminine soul feel humiliated. From that one ugliness, Elara hated many other things about the man and never looked positively at anything Rayyan did.

Does it make sense to hate someone?

Elara herself didn't know. For now, she hoped that he would never show his face in front of her and would only return to America after she finished her studies.

Elara entered her room. The room Adaline had reserved for her. Why special? Because after finding out that Elara was going to be staying at her residence, the elderly woman had deliberately redecorated the room. Painting it, replacing the bed and all the furniture with the minimalist style of furniture that young people like to use. Even the curtains and even the bed cover Elara was sure were items that the middle-aged woman had deliberately bought for her.

Elara lay down and imagined her college days, which she believed would be fun. Aside from imagining making new friends, she also fantasized about having a boyfriend and living her college years like most girls her age did.

But her idyllic daydreams soon changed.

Three months into his studies, they discovered that Antony Quirino had suffered a mild heart attack and that left Grandpa Tony's youngest son-Meizar-worried and decided to return to America.

And three months after uncle Meizar's return, before Elara's second semester classes began. The youngest Altezza-Adaline also returned.

The question is, why does Rayyan have to come back? Even though the youngest son of Grandpa Tony is Meizar?

The answer is not really known to Elara. But from the glimpses she heard, Rayyan's return to America was because he was asked to help Meizar.

Yes, Elara's uncle said it was difficult to manage three Quirino family companies at once. One is his father's construction company, one is his older brother's entertainment company, and one is Meizar's own company.

For this reason, Grandpa Tony personally asked uncle Rayyan to help uncle Meizar.

And with the return of the man, Elara's unpleasant life was about to begin.

Like today, when she opened the door after returning home from her outing, she found a tall, muscular man with copper-colored hair lying on the sofa in the living room with his head on his mother's lap and the TV remote in his hand. The man glanced at her and waved his hand at Elara with an ignorant smile.

"Hello, little niece." The man greeted in an annoying tone to Elara's ears.

"What are you doing here?!" Elara asked with a snarl that made Granny Adaline chuckle at the sound.