Lilia was touched by Jean's words. Her black eyes glowed with joy. She inched closer to the man, closing the distance between them. Lilia reached out and held Jean's cheeks. She leaned over as she slowly closed her eyes. Just before their lips touched—
Ting-tong.
The sound of the bell from the front door brought Lilia's movements to a halt. She shot an annoyed gaze at the source of the voice. This was the third time she'd been interrupted when she was about to kiss Jean! Did Tom ring the bell just now?!
Meanwhile, Tom, who was relaxing in his own house, suddenly sneezed. He looked around wondering if someone had just talked about him.
In the sitting room of the Lakeside Villa, Jean caught the irritation in his wife's eyes. The man chuckled before landing a light kiss on Lilia's lips.
Jean's action managed to make Lilia's irritation subside a little. Lilia got up from the sofa saying, "I'll open the door."
Lilia headed to the front door and opened it. By the time the door opened, a cool monsoon wind blew in and blew out her long hair. When Lilia pushed her hair out of her sight, she saw the figure of Chris before her.
"Brother Chris?" Lilia tilted her head. Why did this man come here?
"Ah, Sis Lilia. Can I come in?" Chris asked politely. One of his hands held a gray coat that was draped over his shoulder.
"Yes, of course." Lilia immediately invited Chris in.
"Where's Jean?" Chris asked.
Lilia felt that the man sounded a little angry when he said Jean's name, but maybe that was just her feeling.
"Ah, he's in the living room." Lilia answered while escorting him to the room.
When Chris stepped into the living room, he was immediately greeted by the strong, fragrant aroma of tea.
"This tea smells good." Chris commented as he glanced at the tea set on the glass table.
Chris walked over to the sofa. But before he could sit down, Jean opened his mouth from across the seat.
"What are you doing here?" Jean asked sharply.
Chris looked at his friend with a hurt expression, 'Are you that angry because I interrupted your alone time instead of an important matter?!' He threw his coat over the sofa before flopping onto it. Chris leaned back and crossed his legs.
"Looking for you, of course." Chris replied in a tone as relaxed as possible.
Jean studied his friend closely. Chris's breathing sounded ragged, as if he had rushed here from the Hartanto Family house.
"Then? What do you want from me?" Jean replied curtly.
Chris didn't answer right away. The man grabbed the teapot and poured it into one of the empty cups. He felt thirsty after rushing to this villa as fast as he could. Chris didn't realize that his actions made Jean's gaze turn even colder, as if he didn't want Chris to drink his tea.
Jean sighed and got up from the sofa, "We'll talk about this in my study." He said while heading to the stairs.
Chris put down his cup with a frown. The taste of the tea was too strong for his taste. He hurriedly caught up with Jean while commenting, "Don't you think this tea is too bitter? Are you trying a new kind of tea?"
Lilia heard Chris's comment when she was clearing the glass table. Her face suddenly turned bright red. It seemed that the tea-making instructions she got from the internet couldn't be trusted! Lilia felt embarrassed because she had boasted earlier, even though Jean was just trying to be polite when praising her.
Jean also heard what Chris said. The man stopped walking and turned towards his friend with a dangerous gaze, "The tea is not bitter. If you keep talking nonsense, we don't need to continue this conversation." He said in a low voice.
Chris stared at Jean in shock. He finally realized that the tea was made by Lilia, so his best friend was annoyed at him for blatantly criticizing his wife. This man was totally overprotective!
*****
Twenty minutes later, Lilia finished washing the tea utensils thoroughly. She dried them carefully and arranged them on the kitchen shelf before returning to the living room.
Lilia stared at the empty room. It looked like the two men still hadn't come out of Jean's study. She looked for her cell phone and called Merry.
"Hello?" Merry answered the phone quickly. Her voice was not too nasal, indicating that the flu had lessened. But there was a loud voice on the phone. Lilia's assistant seemed to be in a mall at the moment.
"Merry, can you find a tea making class that I can take? I'm interested in tea and want to learn the tea ceremony properly." Lilia asked while covering up the fact that she was doing this for Jean.
"Tea ceremony? Ah, when it comes to making tea, I can teach you!" Merry said without thinking.
After Merry said that, she was silent for a moment. Merry felt that there was something wrong with her words. She thought about it for a moment and only realized that she was currently hiding her identity.
Merry's face suddenly turned pale. Based on the background she made for herself, she shouldn't know anything about the tea ceremony!
"Can you teach me?" Lilia asked in a surprised voice.
Lilia couldn't imagine that ever-full-spirited Merry sitting quietly and performing the tea ceremony. Maybe Merry misunderstood what she said and thought Lilia just wanted to learn how to brew tea. After all, the tea ceremony was usually only studied by tea lovers and people from respectable families.
Jean and Chris finally came out of the study after chatting for half an hour. While waiting for them to finish, Lilia had asked Merry to find a suitable tea making class for her. She agreed to start classes this Saturday.
As Chris walked down the stairs, he seemed to be in a very good mood. A small smile was clearly painted on his face since earlier.
"Sis Lilia, I'll go first, okay!" Chris said as he entered the living room.
"All right. Be careful on the road, Brother Chris." Lilia nodded.
Jean appeared behind the man. Lilia's gaze shifted towards her husband and she asked, "Do you also have to go?"
Jean walked over to Lilia and stroked her head, "Yes, I have to go to the office. Do you have any events this afternoon?" Jean replied.
"Yes, I'll see Vivi and Rachel later." Lilia wore a satisfied expression when she felt Jean's gentle hand stroking.
Chris stared at the interaction of the two people silently. He suddenly felt very lonely when he saw the two of them express their love without hesitation. Chris hurriedly looked away and picked up his jacket. He busied himself tidying up the wrinkles on the jacket until Lilia and Jean finished talking. Only then did Chris turn to Jean.
"Bro, I'll go first. Don't forget your promise earlier." Chris pointed out.
"Yes." Jean nodded.
Chris got out of the villa and headed for his car. While walking, the man took out his cigarette box and started smoking. When Chris got to his car, he leaned against the side of the car before pulling out his cell phone. But he did not immediately open the cellphone. Chris played his cell phone for a moment, his face filled with doubt. He finally opened the cellphone when he finished smoking a cigarette.
Chris called a number and waited impatiently. After a while, the phone finally got connected. The loud crowd immediately invaded Chris's ears and made him move the cellphone away reflexively.
"Where are you now?" Chris asked shortly.
At the same time, Merry stared blankly at her cell phone screen. She was spending her precious free time playing in a mall game center near her apartment when her cell phone rang. Merry would pick up the phone when she realized the caller's name on the screen.
She repeatedly made sure that she hadn't seen Chris's name wrong before replying, "Brother Chris? Why did you call me?"
Merry's anxious and suspicious voice made Chris feel even more annoyed. The man frowned and repeated, "Where are you now?"
Merry's body shrank when she heard Chris's annoyed voice. Her gaze fell on the game machine in front of her, "I-I am at the mall." Her answer was honest. As Merry said that, she heard the sound of a lighter on the line.
Chris lit another cigarette and leaned back on the chair. After pausing for a moment, he suddenly asked, "What happened to my suit?"
"What suit?" Asked Merry who was only half listening.
Merry was so focused on the game machine that she didn't realize Chris wasn't answering. A few seconds later, Merry's character lost and the game was over. She scowled with an annoyed expression. This was the last coin she spent on it! If Chris hadn't interfered with her game, she could have won!
"Hello?!" Shouted Merry on the phone. She channeled her frustration and frustration through the scream.
On the other end of the line, Chris put his cell phone away. His right ear was ringing at Merry's scream. He massaged his forehead while taking a deep breath to calm himself down. What was he doing now? Why did he get irritated so easily when dealing with Merry?
Just as Chris was about to open his mouth to repeat his question, he heard Merry's cry.
"Ah! Brother Chris, did you mention your suit?"
"Yes!" Chris replied briefly.
"Then give me your address. I'll send it to you!" Merry replied. After returning from Yogyakarta, she just threw the coat in the corner and forgot about it. She planned to get the jacket to the dry cleaners as soon as possible before sending it back to Chris.
But Chris replied, "No, I'll come and get it at your place. I happen to have some free time."
Merry felt that this news was like lightning in broad daylight.
"Huh?" The words automatically came out of her mouth. Merry looked around in panic, "B-Brother Chris must be kidding! I don't have free time like you! I have to pick up Ms. Lilia this afternoon because she has work!"
Merry deliberately lied so that Chris wouldn't come to her apartment. She didn't want to hear him nagging about the suit lying pitifully on the floor. After all, Merry hadn't been satisfied playing here!
Hearing that, Chris narrowed his eyes. His gaze turned cold and dark. Since when did this little girl dare to try to lie to him?
"Is it true?" Chris asked in a low voice.
"Yeah, right! I'm not lying, Brother Chris!" Merry nodded. For some reason, she panicked even more when she heard Chris's calm question.
"I just happen to be at the Lakeside Villa right now. How about I ask Lilia to give you time off today? I'm sure she doesn't need company this afternoon." Chris said with a sadistic smile.
Merry felt as if she had been struck by lightning again!
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