Rosachae

"Starting today, I'm entrusting her to you all. You have only one daughter. Adding one son won't be a problem either, and don't worry about money issues. I'll send money every month; you know my job, so I can't take this child with me."

A man dressed in heavy clothing with half of his face covered stood gazing at the newly awakened husband and wife. It's exactly 1 a.m. If it weren't for this man appearing on the camera screen, they would never open the door.

The husband looked at his wife, seemingly asking for approval. The wife just shrugged, seemingly indifferent. She didn't appear to reject it, but she wasn't accepting it willingly either. She was too lazy to take care of another child, yet too attached to refuse the money that would come with it. The husband let out a soft sigh, looked towards the guest who had arrived, and nodded in agreement.

"Nevertheless, he still has a blood relationship with Mia. I'm his uncle; I can't let this child be abandoned. Before we proceed, may I know what happened to Reki and Marianata?" the husband asked curiously, glancing towards the six-year-old boy covered in wounds.

"An accident. Reki and Marianata had an accident. That's all the information you need. The child won't remember anything, so if he asks about his parents, tell him they passed away in an accident. Other than that, you can take care of him as usual. I'll transfer the money on the 2nd of every month. I have to leave now, and maybe I'll come again later, unsure," he said hesitantly. Slowly, he rose from the large sofa that was damp from the rainwater sticking to his body. With a gentle touch, his large, cold hand stroked the head of the soundly sleeping boy.

"I'm leaving," he bid farewell shortly. The husband nodded in response, waving his hand before closing the door.

"Alright, we've decided to take care of him. I hope this won't become a problem in the future. Do you understand my words?" the husband asked his wife, who still seemed indifferent. The wife stood up from the sofa, shrugged her shoulders briefly, and then smiled faintly.

"Absolutely, as long as the money keeps flowing, no problems will arise. Jeffrey isn't the type to lie, although I don't know his occupation, I do know he has a lot of money. We won't get an opportunity like this twice, so we have to make full use of it," the wife explained with a slightly sneering tone. The husband didn't object, or rather, he couldn't object since their family truly needed the money right now. Their family's finances had taken a sharp decline this year; his gambling habit and his wife's shopping habits were making their financial situation worse. In other words, taking care of this boy was the only way they could earn extra money.

The boy's name was Zen. His full name was never mentioned for several reasons. Zen was the distant relative of the husband. Zen's father was known as a renowned pilot with a high salary, while Zen's mother, Marianata, worked as a nurse in a major hospital in the capital. However, despite their high incomes, Reki and Marianata were known for living in isolation. They never attended social events or visited the remaining family members after the unpleasant incident a dozen years ago.

Because of that, this needy couple could never approach Reki and Marianata, and they struggled to borrow money or ask for help from them. Truth be told, none of them cared about the safety of Reki, Marianata, or Zen; what they cared about was money and how to continue their lives amidst the clutches of debt.

"I'll take this child to the room, the one upstairs that's empty, right? It's never been cleaned, has it?" the husband half grumbled. His hands now cradled little Zen's body as he headed towards the room. The wife shook her head.

"Why bother cleaning it? No one's staying there. You want to add more work for me? Don't be crazy. If you want it clean, clean it yourself. I've already accepted him here; my cooking burden will increase too." The wife furrowed her brow as she answered her husband's own question. She adjusted her clothing and walked back towards the main bedroom.

The husband just snorted roughly at his wife's response. He always knew that his wife loved money above anything else. He had wanted to file for divorce a long time ago, but the inheritance issue left by his wife's mother always held him back. The big man walked with his heavy steps; his weight of seventy kilos clearly made him tire quickly even when climbing a few steps.

Slowly, he laid Zen on the bed, the accumulated dust making itself known. The dust on the wardrobe and on the floor refused to be outdone, along with the spider webs in the window area.

"At least you're not on the streets, even though it will be tough for you here. I guarantee it's much better here than on the streets," the husband muttered to the still sleeping Zen.

The man who had just turned forty-three looked at Zen with a direct gaze. There was a slight sense of pity within him; as he had told Jeffrey, Zen was related to him by blood after all. Zen was his nephew, though in reality, he and Reki were never close.

Reki was a distant relative rumored to have had mental disturbances since childhood. Because of this, Reki never left the house and was always confined to the basement. Until one day, there was news that Reki had become uncontrollable and caused something bad to happen to his entire family. The husband wasn't sure, and no one dared to talk about it; everything seemed to be covered up. The husband also didn't care much to know what had happened; he simply knew that Reki was insane and a criminal.

Strangely enough, after that unfortunate incident occurred, Reki went on living as if nothing had happened, even pursuing a career as a pilot. The husband couldn't wrap his head around it-what company would accept a mentally unstable person to fly an aircraft? Not stopping there, Reki was also heard to be courting a young lady to marry. A bright girl named Marianata, a girl whose name often appeared in the news for her school achievements. The husband felt suspicious; how could Reki land a normal job and an exceptional wife? Unfortunately, he was too lazy and timid to dig deeper.

The husband preferred his leisurely life with his shopping-loving woman of choice. He chose to live in peace.

Little did the husband know, those were the last moments they had to enjoy their lives.