FORBIDDEN TO FALL IN LOVE

68. Surprise

Valeda was still weighing whether he would eat the food in his hands, or choose to undo his intentions. It was not that he did not believe Daniel's words, but fear was indeed within him.

"What's up, Love?" rangga asked, glancing at Valeda. His right hand did not get off the wheel, while his other hand perched sweetly in the gears. Despite the glance, Valeda knew that Rangga was paying attention to him.

"No... It's nothing." Valeda's lie. He opened the food box on his lap. A sandwich came out in front of his nose. Valeda was willing to resign with his fate and raised the sandwich, before suddenly his phone rang. Valeda held her breath, feeling grateful for being bullied while going to eat. Valeda put the sandwich back in her hand into the box and reached into the small bag next to it.

"Daniel?" terka Ranges.

"Father" replied Valeda. Valeda pressed the green button and then stuck the phone to her ear. "Hello, Pa?" greet Valeda.

"DO YOU HAVE NO BRAIN!? WHY FOLLOW THE TRACES OF THAT TRASH!?" Mr. Suherman suddenly shouted, making Valeda keep the phone away from his ringing ear.

"What's up, Pa?" valeda asked slowly, when there was only the roar of his father's breath hunting from across. "Who's that 'trash' you mean?"

"Lucas! Who else!?" great-granddaughter Mr. Suherman.

Valeda could hear his father's growling rage. He was sure something happened, but not sure what it was. "Papa, Val doesn't understand. Can you speak slowly?"

"In this moment, you are still pretending not to understand!?" Mr. Suherman is getting angry. "Where are you!? Go home now!"

"Pa, what is ter-" Valeda did not finish his sentence, because Mr. Suherman had already cut off the phone unilaterally.

"What's wrong?" ask Rangga.

"Papa asked me to come home" replied Valeda.

"Is there a problem?" Rangga gave a glance.

Valeda took a long breath. "I don't know either. Papa got angry and asked me to come home soon."

"Hmm, then we go straight to your house." Rangga turned his head towards the rearview mirror, then took a right turn to turn his vehicle back. "You just calm down. I'll accompany you at home, so Mr. Suherman won't be too angry."

Valeda laughed softly. "What would Papa do to me?"

Rangga shrugged his shoulders at a glance. "Who knows you're afraid" he said.

"I still don't understand, what makes Papa so angry. I don't feel like I'm doing anything bad or wrong."

"Dating with Daniel is a bad and wrong thing" Rangga said.

"Why don't you like Daniel? As long as I'm with you, Daniel is a good man. Her personality is amazing. I'm..." Valeda smiled broadly, recalling how Daniel expressed his feelings, ".really liked Daniel."

"Don't talk about him," Rangga snorted. He could not hide his frustration anymore. "When you're with me, don't talk about him."

Valeda stared fixedly at Rangga. For a moment, no one made a sound. Rangga focused on looking ahead with a sharp look. There was no friendly smile like Valeda used to see. "Ladders..." Valeda called out to him in a slow tone.

"Hm?" Rangga answered as he could.

"Are you jealous?" The question glided smoothly from Valeda's mouth.

The car that Rangga drove had a moment, because Rangga was really shocked by the question that was thrown from the woman next to him. "W-what!?" Rangga.

Rangga snorted while smiling blandly. "You like Daniel so much."

Then, there was no more conversation between the two of them. Valeda knew that Rangga was not feeling well. Giving him an explanation right now, would be a waste.

Thirty minutes later, Valeda and Rangga arrived at Mr. Suherman's house. The house looked gloomy because Valeda knew her father was in a rage.

Rangga let his car park in the front yard of Valeda's house, while he rushed to follow Valeda inside.

"You don't have to accompany me. I'm not a kid who can't protect myself. After all, he is my father" said Valeda when Rangga align his steps with Valeda.

"I wonder, what made your father so angry like that," replied Rangga bluntly.

"Valeda.." Lucas' voice emerged from the living room.

"Hi, Brother," said Valeda. "Where is Papa?"

Lucas caught Valeda's arm. His eyes flashed, revealing both anxiety and happiness simultaneously. "Whatever Papa says, keep it! Although this is a path that cannot be said to be true, yet everything will become very valuable."

Valeda threw a questioning look at Rangga, who answered him with a shrug. He himself also did not understand Lucas' babble.

"Daniel is with Papa in his study" Lucas added.

"Daniel?" reset Valeda.

Lucas was excited. "He really became a responsible man by admitting everything manly in front of Papa."

Valeda swallowed his saliva with great difficulty. He suspected that Daniel had been holding their fellowship all this time. But aren't they dating now? That is, they are not pretending anymore. They love each other. Valeda did not understand why her father became angry about it.

'Does Papa really disagree that my partner is an ordinary person?' inner Valeda. He walked quickly to his father's office. The ladder followed behind him in silence.

Geck, tok, tok!

"Papa, this is Val" said Valeda from outside Mr. Suherman's study door.

"Lake in!" mr. Suherman from the inside.

Valeda opened the door of the black-coloured workspace that felt heavy in front of him. The door made no sound when Valeda pulled it wide open. Mr. Suherman was sitting on the sofa of the room with one of his hands twitching his forehead. Mr. Suherman's eyes closed, as if he was thinking about something seriously. Opposite him, Daniel sat quietly. He looked up when the door of the room opened. Daniel briefly threw a smile at Valeda when their gaze met.

"What's up, Dan?" ask Valeda as she approaches Daniel.

Mr. Suherman let out a long sigh, but never opened his mouth or lowered his hand. From behind his knuckles that began to wrinkle, Valeda knew that his father was thinking hard.

Daniel did not immediately reply when Valeda asked. He let Valeda sit next to him first, then gently caressed his lover's cheek. Valeda could see the radiance of love from Daniel's sparkling eyes. However, behind that, Valeda can also sense Daniel planning something, and he has to get into Daniel's game again.

Valeda raised an eyebrow, asking once again in silence about what made Mr. Suherman angry.

"I told your father that you were pregnant with my son."

***