As Chris exited the main house, he ran into Paul and Sara outside the gate. The man acted as if he didn't see them. Chris walked over to his car, took off his jacket, then opened the door and threw the jacket into the passenger seat.
Paul, who was standing not far away, turned angry when he saw Chris blatantly ignoring him. He galloped over to Chris when the man was entering his car.
"Chris! Wait a minute!" Paul shouted loudly.
Chris glanced at Paul, and found the man's face was filled with anger. His gaze then shifted to Sara who was standing beside Paul's car. The little sister kept her head lowered, as if hiding her pale face. Sara's shoulders slumped and she looked discouraged.
Sara was trying to understand the situation in front of her. Hartanto Entertainment had been taken over by Chris, so that Sara no longer had the financial strength to support William. She also lost control of Rina and the other artists the company sheltered. Sara was not willing to give up Hartanto Entertainment for granted, but she was powerless to face Jefferson.
No one in the Hartanto Family could challenge Jefferson's position as the eldest son. What's more, nobody knew when the head of the family would wake up.
Meanwhile, Chris stared coldly at his father's approaching figure. The corner of his mouth lifted into a sinister smile as he started the car.
When Paul was about ten paces from Chris's car, the young man pressed the accelerator and drove away. Paul was stunned to see his son's car getting farther and farther away. He stomped his feet while swearing.
*****
After he was quite far from the main house of the Hartanto Family, Chris took out his cell phone and called Jean.
"I told you I can handle this, Jean!"
Hearing the other person didn't reply to him, Chris continued his rambling.
"What's so easy?! Things happened beyond my expectations, you know!"
Jean was still silent.
"I don't care about that. You can transfer it to me as quickly as possible. Thanks to you, I have to promise my uncle that part of the land on Mount Fushi! You need to take responsibility for the consequences! Did you hear me, Jean?!"
Tuut. Tuut.
Jean had hung up Chris' call. Again.
"This guy really…!"
Chris took a deep breath to calm himself. He struggled against the temptation to slam down his cell phone. This time, Jean really made use of him!
The man stopped the car at a red light. He called Kenny instead.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Chris. Is there anything I can help you with?" Kenny asked as soon as the phone connected.
Kenny's polite voice helped calm Chris's anger. He cleared his throat before replying, "Where is Jean now? Is he in his office?"
"No, President Jean is still at home. Do you need anything from him?" Kenny's tone was suddenly alarmed, "President Jean ordered that no one bother him this morning—"
Chris hung up the phone without listening further. It could be said that he had the same bad habits as Jean. When the traffic light turned green, Chris turned the wheel and shifted toward the Lakeside Villa. If Jean didn't want to be disturbed, that meant that man was with Lilia. Chris didn't feel guilty at all for wanting to interrupt their time together.
*****
At the Lakeside Villa, Lilia continued to monitor the situation on the internet. The photo of Jean's back posted by Lilia became the most discussed topic at the moment, followed by Aphrodite Agency's lawsuit.
The netizens seemed to be desperately curious about the mysterious man in Lilia's picture. It was natural since Lilia had never been involved in a romantic relationship since breaking up with William Anggara.
Netizens had matched the man in the photo with every male artist in the entertainment world until they concluded that the man was rather an outsider — in other words, not affiliated with the entertainment world. In addition, the man could cook and was taller than 188 cm.
At this time, the said man was answering the phone in the living room.
Meanwhile, Lilia was concentrating on making tea on the living room's table. The woman in the pink knit dress frowned as she tried to follow the steps of the tea ceremony from YouTube.
Lilia had never tried brewing tea with these complex steps, but she did it on purpose because of the information she got from Jean's assistant. According to Kenny, Jean liked to drink tea that was brewed manually. When Lilia found tea making equipment and green tea powder in Jean's study, she immediately decided to give it a try. The equipment looked complete and expensive, perfect for tea lovers like the fourth son of the Widjaya Family.
Jean's gaze fell on the woman's figure while he was still in the middle of a call. The man crossed his legs as he continued to observe Lilia's struggle. He was so focused on Lilia that he no longer listened to the other person on the phone. Finally, Jean hung up the phone without saying anything.
Suddenly, the living room was enveloped in silence. Lilia looked up and realized that Jean had just hung up on his phone. She immediately poured the tea she was making into one of the teacups before handing it to Jean.
"I was just trying to make it after learning it from the internet, so I don't know if it tastes good. But… do you want to try it?" Lilia asked while averting her gaze.
Lilia bit her lip with a nervous expression and occasionally stole glances at Jean. She began to consider asking Merry to find her a tea-making class that she could join in between her work.
Jean reached out to receive the teacup from Lilia. The cup gave off a fragrant tea aroma. Jean frowned as the surface of the teacup felt hot in his hand. He caught Lilia's hand and rubbed her fingertips gently.
"Don't you feel like this cup is too hot for you?" Jean asked, worried.
Lilia shook her head, "It's not hot, Jean. How does the tea taste?" Her urge was full of anticipation.
Jean smiled faintly seeing Lilia's gaze fixed on her teacup. He blew the surface of the tea several times before bringing it to his lips and took a sip. The aroma of the tea was so strong that it almost made Jean choke while drinking it. The tea tasted more bitter than it should be.
If Kenny or the maid in his house made this kind of tea for Jean, the man would have thrown the cup at them and told them to remake the tea. But this was tea that Lilia painstakingly brewed.
Jean kept his expression flat as he replied, "It tastes good."
He felt a little guilty when he saw Lilia's expression that was full of relief. To get rid of that feeling, Jean gestured for the woman to move to his side.
Lilia obeyed Jean's request and sat down beside him. A broad smile adorned her face when she saw Jean drinking the tea she had made.
"Looks like I have a knack for making tea!" Lilia couldn't help herself and boasted of her accomplishments in a joking tone.
Jean nodded while putting down the cup, "My wife is a multi-talented woman." He praised her.
Lilia's face turned red when she heard that. She felt a little silly for boasting about something as simple as making tea. Lilia covered her embarrassment with a chuckle and hit Jean's shoulder playfully.
Jean easily caught her hand, "Speaking of yesterday's incident, don't you really need my help?" Jean asked
Lilia raised her eyebrows when she heard that man mention about yesterday's music awards ceremony. She leaned over to Jean's side and rested her head on the man's shoulder.
"You've helped me a lot, really. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to get the video footage and photos easily!" Lilia replied.
After pausing for a moment to think about it, Lilia continued her words.
"You used the same method for Sara's previous case, right? I'm just copying your method. I'm sure the Aphrodite Agency will take care of this case. If something like this happens again in the future, let the agency handle it. You don't have to help me whenever I get into trouble!"
Jean sighed and cupped Lilia's face with both hands, "Are you telling me to stay out of your business?" Jean asked helplessly.
Lilia immediately shook her head, "That's not what I mean! Cases like this happen a lot in the entertainment world and people will quickly forget about them. I can handle small matters like this, so you don't have to worry about me!" Lilia said firmly.
The woman felt that Jean spoiled her too much. Even though the situation on the internet had reversed course due to the announcement of the Aphrodite Agency lawsuit, Jean insisted on accompanying her at home. Even though it was past 10 AM, the man showed no sign of going to the office.
Jean's gaze at Lilia was filled with worry and overwhelming love for her. He leaned over and kissed her lips gently.
In his heart, Jean regretted his wife's independence a little. He wanted Lilia to rely on him more often. He wouldn't even mind if that woman couldn't do anything without him. But Jean knew Lilia's independence was a part of her nature.
When Jean finally released Lilia, the woman immediately stepped away while trying to catch her breath. For a few moments, there was only the sound of the two's breathing in the living room.
"Ah, Jean." Lilia called him. She stared at Jean while straightening her back as if she remembered something.
Jean frowned with an expression of dissatisfaction. The look in his eyes said, "What did you call me just now?"
Lilia immediately woke up and gave a small cough, "H-Honey, don't you want to ask me about my relationship with Ryan Fever?" She asked.
She was curious because Jean's reaction was different from ordinary people. If you heard a rumor that your partner was cheating on you, wouldn't you definitely question them?
But Jean hadn't asked anything since last night. Lilia wondered if it was because Jean was waiting for her to speak first or because the man already knew what had happened.
Jean saw the curiosity in Lilia's gaze and his lips formed a happy smile. He replied, "Since it was all just a scandal, why am I asking you?"
This answer caused a mixture of surprise and joy in Lilia's heart.
"Is that why you trusted me?" Lilia asked again.
Jean nodded firmly, "I trust you. I don't need another reason."
Jean was sure that Lilia wouldn't mess with other men. She had a personality as pure as gold and straight as arrows. Even if Lilia had a problem with Jean, she wouldn't have cheated on another man just to get revenge on him.
What's more, Jean had no intention of letting Lilia go.. It took him years to win her heart. How could he let another man snatch her up so easily?
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