Background

It seemed like the nonsense joke he had heard in the past was not entirely a joke.

A crazy idea suddenly occurred to Rudi, "do you think Mary is close enough to Daniel?"

Rudi's question made Laura's brow furrow, trying to remember what Mary had told her lately.

"I don't know how Daniel thinks about her, but Mary is very fond of Daniel. She would visit Daniel's filming location, photo studio, or even his hangout in between her busy schedule. That child is really..." Laura sighed in annoyance. She didn't like the way her daughter was pursuing a singer like Daniel. She wanted her daughter to have a lover with a steady job and income, not an artist of obscure origins like Daniel. 

A sly smile spread across Rudi's face when he heard his wife's chatter.

He would avenge the bitterness in his heart by making Mary snatch Daniel away from Renessa.

"How much does Mary need?" Rudi asked enthusiastically.

Laura looked at Rudi in confusion. Usually, her husband would chatter and protest if Mary started to show interest in Daniel. He always said that it's better for man to chase. The man's head must be so big because his beautiful daughter was doing the pursuing. But this time Rudi's enthusiastic voice left Laura a little confused.

"Probably around 100 million. But that's not an exact figure. The producer this time is quite experienced and won't be easily lured by money." Laura said quietly.

She rubbed her forehead lightly as she recalled her and Mary's conversation this afternoon.

"Mom,,, please mom... help me to persuade dad. Tell him that I want to be an actor in a movie made by Suradara Hermansyah. Just say I want to spread her wings in the acting world," Mary pleaded with a sad expression to her mother.

"You know I don't like you constantly chasing that boy named Daniel and neglecting your career and even your health, right?" Laura sounded annoyed as she averted her eyes. She didn't want to look at her daughter's sad face. She would give in quickly the longer she saw her daughter's pleading face.

"Please don't tell him that Daniel is also in the same movie, mom. He'll refuse if he finds out that Daniel is also the lead actor," Mary still tried to persuade Laura.

"What about you just ask your father yourself." Laura said, not wanting to be haunted by guilt if Rudi rejected her request. Lately Rudi had always been annoyed when Mary refused his lunch invitations just because of a singer named Daniel. He was annoyed that his daughter had chosen a boy rather than him, her father.

"Come on, mom. Dad always listens to your requests. He never says no if you are the one asked,," Mary approached Laura and began to hug her mother.

"Honey, I'm not saying I don't want to, but your shooting schedule is packed, if you add a job as a movie actor, won't you suffer because of your busy schedule?" Laura tried to persuade Mary to change her mind.

Mary was silent at her mother's words. Since starting her career as a model two years ago, Mary's career has steadily increased over time. Her face has now started to appear in several fashion magazines and TV commercials. And now the chance to appear in the movie and getting wider recognition really tempted her.

"The job as a movie actress is tough, honey. You can spend the whole day on set and you also have to mingle with the other actors so that your acting doesn't get stiff," Laura reminded.

She was also a little worried about Mary's health. Mary's body has been weak since she was a child. As her mother, Laura always pays close attention to her emotions and health. If the child felt depressed or stressed even a little, her health would deteriorate quickly and it sometimes worried her.

"Mom, in this movie, Daniel will have to kiss the female lead. I don't want to see Daniel making out with another woman even if it's just on television. I really love Daniel, mom," Mary's eyes started to tear, she sobbed and Laura's guard finally broke down.

"I'll try to talk to your dad, but I want you to promise me to make your health your priority. If you're physically down, I'll talk to your producer to stop your modeling work for a while," Laura said firmly.

"Honey," Rudi's voice snapped Laura out of her reverie, "what are you thinking about? Did you hear what I said earlier?"

"I am sorry, dear. I am a bit tired. What did you say?" Laura looked at Rudi with confusion in her head.

"I'll transfer the money tomorrow, tell Mary that I'll support her to get Daniel," Rudi said with a meaningful smile.

Laura looked at Rudi with confusion, she couldn't believe her husband had suddenly changed his decision so drastically. He not only allowed Mary to play a movie, but also gave her daughter the permission to get close to Daniel.

Now it was Laura's turn to frown. She never really minds her husband's attitude that forbids Marry to get close to Daniel. It was like Rudi was playing the bad cop while she was the good cop. That was quite effective since Mary had always told her everything.

Laura had never liked Mary approaching Daniel. She always hoped Mary could realize after approaching Daniel that he was just an ordinary singer and not someone who deserved to be deified. Now that her husband suddenly stopped being the bad cop, Mary would not hold back and would try everything to get Daniel. It would only be a matter of time before she could get the man.

"I disagree with Daniel, Dear. There are still many men who are better than him. I want Mary to get a man who is established and has a steady job, not someone who works in the entertainment industry whose popularity can decline at any time," Laura said seriously.

She always took care of Mary and gave her the best since childhood. She knew her daughter would not be able to hold on to a man whose source of income could disappear at any time. Now, Daniel could make a lot of money doing movies and singing, but how long would that last. She didn't want her daughter to live in misery if that time came.

"Do you know who Daniel's family is?" Rudi asked with excitement in his eyes. Laura looked at her husband quizzically, not understanding what he was trying to say.

"Daniel is the grandson of Irwan Dinata, one of the richest men in the country," Rudi looked satisfied when he found surprise on Laura's face.

"Daniel is the grandson of the oil and coal businessman?" Laura looked incredulous. She was looking at Rudi in Disbelief like she could not believe what she had just heard.

It was when she saw the seriousness in the man's face that she realized that the man was not playing.

She hadn't expected Daniel to come from such a powerful family. This was the first time she knew this. There were a few people from the Dinata family who became doctors and lawyers, but most of them were quite successful businessmen. She wondered why Daniel wanted to be a singer if he could be a wealthy businessman.

"Where did you get this from, dear? Don't get me wrong. Why would that child keep such an important thing a secret? He could have easily gained popularity if he had revealed his true identity. He really did not look like one of the members of that powerful family," Laura said suspiciously. She had searched about the man but she did not find anything important.

Now that Rudi say this, she finally realized that it was weird how little information she found on him. It was clear that somebody was trying to hide the information about him and his family background.