Kaelua Island #3

As our car drove in, everything suddenly lit up. Well, if I recalled correctly, we had just gone through a series of events cloaked in darkness or dim lighting. Ahead of us stood a mansion — no, more like a palace, grand and luxurious. Good lord, I could bet this building was more magnificent than the residences of all the world leaders combined.

“Welcome, Jesse. This place is our family secret.” Dad patted my shoulder as we got out of the car.

Me? Honestly, so much had happened since the moment I arrived that I could only let out a hollow, breathless laugh.

.

.

Wow, look at this mansion. The structure looked incredibly ancient, yet it held this powerful, imposing presence. Saking masifnya, this place didn’t feel like a mere residence anymore — it was easily on the level of an old, ancestral palace.

“Is our family some kind of noble or something back then?” I asked Dad, keeping my voice down to a half-whisper.

Dad let out a soft, hearty laugh. He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulder as we walked side by side into the sprawling courtyard of this massive estate. I cast my gaze around, marveling at every single inch of its extraordinary architecture. The design closely resembled an old castle once occupied by aristocrats. From how many centuries ago, though? A hundred years? Or perhaps even more?

“What’s the deal with that building over there?” I asked again, gesturing toward a specific direction.

Dad glanced toward where I was pointing — a wing of the building on the right side from where we stood. In stark contrast to the well-maintained left wing, this particular structure looked profoundly decrepit, bleak, and completely untouched by modern civilization.

“Your grandfather signed a special agreement with the island’s previous owner never to disturb that section,” Dad answered calmly.

I simply nodded, though my eyes remained glued to the mystery-shrouded building. Parts of its foundation appeared fragile and eroded by time, overrun by wild creeping vines, and it was plunged into total, pitch-black darkness. It was a bizarre, jarring contrast compared to the rest of the estate.

“Come on, let’s go inside. Your grandpa’s missing you very much.”

I watched the subtle shift in Dad’s expression as he uttered those words. The lines on his face couldn’t lie. Well, my grandfather was a highly temperamental and… incredibly selfish man. Three of his children, including Dad, desperately harbored ambitions to escape his authoritarian regime. As for the youngest? My youngest uncle was utterly subservient. According to Dad, he was only in it for the inheritance — since his daily routine consisted of nothing but sleeping, drinking, and partying, without contributing a single useful thing to the family.

The moment we reached the main entrance, I froze in my tracks. The design of the doors looked exactly like the massive castle gates I’d seen in fantasy films. Absolutely fantastic and intimidating. The giant wooden doors slowly swung open, and a sharply dressed butler immediately welcomed us.

“Welcome back, Mr. Daniel. The Head of the Family is already expecting you and the young lady in the banquet hall,” the butler said, bowing respectfully.

Good lord, just hearing his overly formal tone made me suspicious that my family might actually be descended from true royalty. Or maybe Grandpa was just hopelessly obsessed with playing the aristocrat?

Dad and I walked side by side, cutting through a vast corridor toward our destination.

“Dad,” I called out softly.

“Yeah?” Dad replied without turning his head.

I paused for a brief second before gathering the courage to ask, “How on earth did Grandpa find this remote island?”

Dad seemed to hesitate for a moment, perhaps digging up old memories from when he was first introduced to this place.

“You know where the origin of our family’s absurd wealth comes from?” Dad asked back. I shook my head innocently. Dad smirked knowingly and whispered, “This island is the answer.”

……

Once again, we arrived in front of another pair of massive doors. Judging by the aroma drifting through, I assumed this was the main dining hall. The two servants guarding the doors immediately flung them open the moment they saw us.

As we stepped inside, the sharp clinking of forks and knives against porcelain plates instantly hit my ears. It looked like they had already started dinner together. And wow, my eyes immediately caught Mom and Jordan, my older brother, already sitting and mingling with the rest of the extended family.

I quickly took a seat to the left of Jordan and Carla, my female cousin. Carla nudged my arm playfully, grinning as she chewed her food.

“So? Did you see the T-Rex yet?” she half-whispered.

I glared at her instantly. Good lord, this girl apparently already knew the secret about this island and hadn’t muttered a single word to me!

“Don’t blame me. I could lose access to my daddy’s credit cards if I dared to put this into words,” she whispered back, defending herself against my sharp gaze.

I let out an annoyed scoff and began picking at the food served in front of me with half-hearted interest. My appetite had completely evaporated. Carla, noticing my sour expression, leaned her head closer again.

“Don’t be so grumpy. I bet you’re going to love the gift Grandpa has prepared for you!” she said excitedly, keeping her voice incredibly low.

I rolled my eyes jengah. At most, Grandpa would probably just gift me some overpriced luxury bags or limited-edition branded shoes — the exact kind of things I had absolutely no use for right now.

I went back to pushing the dish around my plate, taking occasional tiny bites. The atmosphere in this room was incredibly tedious and stiff. There was absolutely no warm conversation. In fact, the whispering between me and Carla earlier felt like the loudest interruption in a room completely dominated by the rhythmic clicking of silverware.

“How is your business progressing, Daniel?”

I spontaneously snapped my head toward the end of the long table — toward Grandpa. The cold question was directed at Dad, who calmly continued cutting the steak on his plate. With a smooth, fluid motion, Dad transferred the cut piece of meat onto Mom’s plate. A romantic gesture right in the middle of all this tension.

“Great. Thanks to your advice last time, Father,” Dad replied. His voice sounded incredibly stiff and formal as he responded to Grandpa.

I knew for a fact that Grandpa’s relationship with his children was very cold, with the sole exception of the youngest. Ah, but that was just because the youngest was a master at playing the suck-up.

From my seat, I could see Grandpa letting out a faint smirk, clearly proud and smug over the compliment Dad gave him. He reached for a napkin to the right of his plate, gently dabbing the corners of his mouth to clear away a few stray crumbs from his meal. The old man, who still looked remarkably fit, suddenly stood up from his chair and clapped his hands twice.

Instantly, every single pair of eyes in the room locked onto Grandpa. Including mine.

“Thank you, my children and grandchildren. I am deeply pleased that we are finally gathered here in full at the family property I am most proud of. Oh, and…” His sentence trailed off, and his sharp eyes locked directly onto mine.

Good lord, I absolutely loathe being the center of attention.

“Welcome to Kaelua Island, Jesse. Now you know where your middle name comes from,” Grandpa continued with his signature, mysterious smile.

My brain went completely blank. Oh my god. I only just remembered that my middle name is literally… Kaelua!