When the men forced Merry away from the dance floor, the woman thrashed around and screamed for help. But her scream couldn't beat the blaring music.
Merry instantly regretted her decision to come here. The saying that said 'regrets always come last' was true. She regretted not listening to Clifford's warnings and insisted on going to the bar anyway. Merry prayed with all her heart that someone would appear and help her, but no one here cared about Merry's situation.
The men dragged Merry into the men's room. She tried to fight back by hitting, kicking and screaming until her throat hurt, but Merry could not win against the strength of four men at once. When they cornered Merry and began to strip her clothes, the woman felt great despair.
Right at that moment, a burly man appeared behind the four lecherous men. In just a few seconds, the man had beaten Merry's attackers and stunned them all.
Merry stared wide at Clifford, who was staring at the men with cold faces. Merry's tears overflowed and she rushed straight at Clifford. She was sobbing as she gripped the man's shirt tightly, as if refusing to part from him again.
Clifford could feel Merry's body shaking violently. Without saying anything, he wrapped the young woman in his suit. Then, he carried Merry and left before anyone noticed the commotion.
After that, Clifford once again escorted Merry to her apartment. However, the man only wore an icy cold expression and did not say a word along the way.
For Merry, being silenced like that was far worse than when Clifford scolded her. Merry shrunk and sat in a corner of a chair in silence. She kept her head lowered without daring to look at the man. Merry promised herself never to go to a bar or nightclub again.
*****
The awards ceremony began at 6 pm. As this was the most prestigious music awards ceremony in Indonesia, Lilia was also invited to attend.
Lilia arrived at the venue half an hour earlier. She was wearing a honey-colored dress that had long sleeves. The skirt of the dress swept the floor every time Lilia took a step, with a slit at the back of the skirt that exposed the woman's long legs. A dark red sash was wrapped around her waist, adding to the elegant impression of the simple dress.
Lilia was standing behind the line of guests about to enter the building. A red carpet was laid at the entrance and the show staff were busy arranging their entry order.
"Hey, Lilia!"
Lilia turned her head when she heard that familiar voice. She saw Ryan walking towards her, grinning his usual wide grin.
"Hello, Ryan." Lilia greeted him back in a voice that was still nasal.
"Hmm? Do you have the flu, Lilia?" Ryan worried, "Even though last night you still looked healthy. Are you alright?"
Lilia nodded, "Just a little flu, really. I'll get well soon. But thanks for worrying me." Lilia then shifted her gaze towards the red carpet.
"By the way, it looks like they're asking us to come inside together." Lilia said to change the topic.
Ryan also glanced at the red carpet, "Well, we just worked together on that music video, no wonder that those guys put you with me. Do you mind?"
"No problem." Lilia smiled a little. She appreciated Ryan's polite and thoughtful attitude.
After waiting for a while, it was their turn to enter. Ryan offered his arm to Lilia, and the woman accepted it as a courtesy. As soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, the journalists huddled on either side of the carpet were immediately excited. Camera lights flickered as photographers competed to frame the moment. Lilia guessed that their names would go viral tomorrow because of this.
When they got inside, Lilia separated from Ryan. This was because Lilia got a seat in the second row from the front, while the young man sat in the front row. The most popular artists and singers were deliberately placed in the front row to show their status as the entertainment elite.
Lilia found her seat and carefully adjusted the skirt of her dress before sitting down. The event wouldn't start until 6 o'clock, so Lilia looked around to pass the time. She turned to the empty chair to her left and read the name of the chair's owner.
Rani Kaliya.
Lilia frowned. She didn't recognize the artist's name, but she felt it sounded familiar to her. The placement of seats at this award ceremony reflected the popularity of the artists. If this Rani Kaliya could get a seat in the second row, it could be that she was a newcomer with a good reputation. Lilia herself didn't have many artist acquaintances in the entertainment world, so she didn't know who the popular newcomers were.
Lilia lost interest in the empty chair and went back to looking at the hall, which was arranged like a cinema room.
As the time drew closer to 6 o'clock, more and more artists were arriving. A woman in a pink dress with a skirt sweeping the floor walked to the chair beside Lilia. After confirming the name on the chair, the woman sat down in an elegant manner.
Lilia turned to the woman to greet her, just as the woman turned her head towards her. For a moment, Lilia was stunned then bursted out of laughter. Who would have thought that 'Rani Kaliya' turned out to be 'Rina Cayla'?!
She remembered William's words when they met at the store opening ceremony. The man said that Rina had signed a contract with Sara. So apparently, this was a form of their cooperation. Rina even changed her name!
In front of Lilia, Rina smiled meaningfully. Her face was filled with arrogance which showed that the woman had not given up after the incident with Peter.
"Hello, I'm Rani Kaliya." She said full of confidence.
Lilia raised her eyebrows when she heard Rina's self-introduction that sounded so arrogant. Where did this woman get her confidence? Did she think just changing her name was enough to make everyone forget her past? Was Sara Hartanto really that stupid?
Lilia chuckled and gave Rina a sneer, "Since you changed your name, why don't you change your face as well? People will be more easily fooled if you do that!"
Rina's expression froze when she heard that woman's provocation. Seconds later, anger colored her face. Rina guessed that Lilia would be shocked and panicked when she saw that she attended the same event as her though she should have withdrawn from the entertainment world. But Lilia remained calm and even dared to insult her.
Rina clenched her fists while glaring at Lilia. Then, she thought of something and her lips curved into a triumphant smile.
Rina said in a condescending tone, "Lilia Pangestu, you always boast about your talent and popularity, but look at the truth! Even if you've been in the entertainment world for so long, you can only sit in the second row from the front!"
The woman tossed her long hair with a satisfied expression before continuing.
"Unlike you, I can choose any seat I want in this event with my connections! I'm just sitting here to surprise you!" She added.
Lilia sighed and shook her head when she heard Rina showing off her connection. Maybe, instead of changing the name, it would be better if Rina changed her brain as well. Lilia could already guess that the connection the woman meant was Sara Hartanto.
Sara was the third grandchild of the Hartanto family, so she had enough wealth and status to become an influential figure in the entertainment world. But Lilia didn't expect that woman would sign a contract with Rina. She wanted to know what Sara thought to do something so stupid.
"Oh, I see." Lilia nodded with a skeptical expression, "Too bad you can't sit in the front row even though you have great connections!"
Lilia's casual words sounded like a crushing blow to Rina's ego. The smile on Rina's face immediately vanished and she hurriedly averted her eyes.
Actually, Rina was also planning to sit in the front row. However, the organizer of this event refused to accept the bribe and even threatened to make the incident public if Rina insisted. In the end, she relented and agreed to sit in the second row. When she happened to see Lilia's name, Rina begged her to be placed in the seat next to her.
Rina was determined that this time she would take revenge for Lilia's actions at the Widjaya Family celebration party. With a new name and support from Sara Hartanto, Rina believed she could beat Lilia as a model!
*****
The awards ceremony was preceded by a pair of hosts who were famous for their hilarious duet. There were 24 awards to be announced tonight, but the most anticipated awards were the best musician award and best newcomer award this year.
Lilia was invited to this event to give the award to the winner of the best single singer of the year. She was in tenth place, so Lilia still had time to watch the program proceed.
Compared to the award ceremonies for film and television, the music awards atmosphere was more lively and relaxed. The guests could chat with each other freely as long as they did not disturb the proceedings.
Lilia glanced at the empty chair to her right. She didn't know the name of the artist who was supposed to be sitting there. Lilia also didn't know why that artist wasn't present tonight, but she hoped that there was someone else near her she could talk to besides Rina.
As if hearing Lilia's wish, Ryan walked towards her after he had just gotten off the stage. The young man was supposed to be sitting in the front row on the other side of the stage, but he was sitting on Lilia's right.
"Lilia, I heard that you were invited here because you will be giving awards too later?" Ryan started to chat with her. It seemed he knew that Lilia wasn't that interested in this music awards show.
Lilia smiled and nodded, "Soon my turn will come."
Ryan stared at the stage while leaning against the back of the chair. He crossed his legs in a relaxed manner before asking, "Who do you think will get the best musician award this year?"
The young man seemed to be in serious thought as he rubbed his smooth chin.
Lilia stifled a laugh when she saw Ryan's serious expression. She shook her head, "Unfortunately, I don't really understand about music. If you don't even know who gets the award, I can only guess." Lilia said half jokingly.
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