Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown

Versi Bahasa Indonesia di sini.

Content warnings: dysfunctional family, mention of manipulation

Being born into wealth has always been something that Evan was grateful for. He was able to achieve many great things because of his family background — good education, tasty food, and various pricey entertainment for his personal enjoyment. He went to Jakarta Intercultural School since he was in Early Years to High School, a school which, everybody knew for its prestige and expensive tuition fees. He was one of the few lucky ones to attend Yale University, an Ivy League university that cost him at least $51,400 USD a year. Now, it was also because of his family background that he was able to achieve one of his many dreams to build an animal shelter. And he was only one step away from that dream.

Despite his wealth, Evan was not born into socially equal parents.

Randy Yohanes Alatas was born Chinese-Indonesian, living in Padang, West Sumatera. And he was not rich, but neither was he poor. His whole family was there to the point that they adopted some of Minang’s culture — including names. His father’s family did not name their children with father-side family names anymore (unless it was their original Chinese name) but they were more flexible in terms of it. Thus, that was how his name came to be. And his father was a veteran actor. He starred in different soap operas and films throughout his career years. Even at his ripe age, he was still active in the acting business though he now only focused on taking on film projects. Despite being one of the highest-paid actors, Randy Alatas was not born into wealth. He was a stranger to the world where his mom was in. Yet, despite all that, their fate got intertwined.

Liliana Andrea Putri Tjahyadi was the only daughter of Goenawan Soeharso Tjahyadi, a renowned mining company owner that made it to the list of Indonesia’s 50 richest in the last two decades. Being the only child of an extremely wealthy family made her struggle as she had nobody to share her burden with. Throughout her life, she was ‘polished’ to be the woman she was today. And her father was already matchmaking her with a man who shared a similar lifestyle to her, yet she stumbled upon Randy Alatas at a party where he was invited as the face of the brand.

Was Goenawan furious? Of course.

But he only had a daughter to whom he could entrust all of his legacies. His fury was one of the few reasons why Evan was named after him and not after his father. Goenawan insisted that Minang people believed in a matriarchy. So, both Liliana and Randy had to agree to name Evan after the Tjahyadis.

“Do you know why we had to talk, Evan?” Randy began, his voice was deep and as stern as ever.

Evan nodded, “You want me to take over the family business, don’t you?”

“And you have to, Evan. It is an obligation for you,” He answered with determination.

Before responding, Evan heaved a sigh. He had had this thought for a long time, yet he was never civil with his father so he could never express it before. However, today he decided that it was time to pour his heart out, “Is it an obligation for me, or is it just your stupid ambition? I know that you feel like you are judged by Opa because I keep refusing the throne. But, Pi, what about my ambition?”

“Ambition, you said? Every day your grandfather reminds me what a failure I am to raise you into this ungrateful son that you don’t even want to take part in what your family has built. I was not accepted easily into the family, Evan. And you are jeopardizing my position right now because of your insolence,” Randy ended his statement with a sigh that left Evan speechless.

Evan had never known how his father was struggling because all his life, he was showered with love from his grandfather. It was also his grandfather that consoled him that everything was fine even if he were not a part of the company. But hearing this from his father with a tinge of pain in his eyes, it was all news. Evan closed his eyes briefly as he was thinking. He thought he knew his grandfather best, but as it turned out, he had not even scratched the surface of his demeanor yet. Goenawan had always been a smart businessman. Evan remembered all the stories of how his grandfather played his cards to amass such an empire. Manipulation was a trick Goenawan mastered and Evan walked right into the tunnel of endless lies.

His father, on the other hand, was someone warmer when Evan was younger. Only during his college years when he was away did his father start to change into this cold person that felt so far away. To think that his mother intended to take a piece of happiness away from Randy suddenly made Evan feel bad. He needed to do something.

“Are you willing to take over the business, Pi?” Evan asked.

Randy stared at him with a raised eyebrow, “What kind of nonsense are you asking?”

“I am asking whether you are willing to take the wheel, with Mami,” Evan uttered with so much certainty in his voice.

“Of course, Evan,” Randy answered, exasperation was clear within the message. “I took business classes years ago to prepare myself if one day your grandfather would be so kind to entrust me with his legacy. I never married your mom for her money. I married her for love. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Evan, and your mom has to bear that responsibility alone, and I wanted to aid her in whatever way I can, including business if need be.”

Evan smiled at his father’s answer, “I will make it happen and you will see it happen, Pi. I am not interested in being the CEO just yet for now, but I will be a part of the Board of Directors to keep myself involved. Maybe, maybe five years from now, I will step in myself,” Seeing how his father stayed quiet, Evan then continued. “Nobody deserves to be deserted like what Opa did to you, Pi. I am sorry I did not find out about it sooner. But I hope you understand that I, too, have a vision of mine that I would like to pursue. So, I want to be selfish just for this one time.”

“Evan,” Randy called. “I am so sorry for how I have been behaving for the past few years. Just because I am struggling, doesn’t mean I have to make you suffer with me, too. I am actually so proud of you, my son.”

Another smile bloomed out of Evan’s visage upon hearing those words — the words he had been longing to hear for some time now. So, he said, “I am proud of you too, Pi. Thank you for being my father.”

The dinner went on rather peacefully. It was a little out of expectation because earlier Evan had expected a nasty bloodbath between him and his father. It turned out that they reached an understanding instead. After that, Evan made sure that he had to see his grandfather first thing tomorrow.

And yes, being born into wealth gave him so much privilege. But with those privileges, he had to be rid of his personal desires as the cost just for the sake of the greater good. By greater, family elders had to come first.