Half an hour later, Merry got out of the taxi feeling nervous. She stared at Chris's European car parked in front of her apartment. Merry slowly approached the car and tapped on the window.
In the car, Chris opened his eyes when he heard a knock. The man turned and saw Merry's face peering into the car. For a moment, Chris felt the satisfaction that he could see Merry again.
'What the hell am I thinking?!' Chris hurriedly wiped off the ridiculous feeling of satisfaction.
He frowned and lowered the window. Merry immediately put her head through the car's window and smiled broadly.
"Brother Chris, sorry to keep you waiting! Let me get your coat, okay? I won't be long, so you just wait here!" Merry said quickly.
Merry turned and was about to run into her apartment, but Chris's next words stopped her.
"No, I'll come with you."
Merry turned to Chris in disbelief. But the firmness in Chris's eyes showed that he was not going to change his mind.
"Huh?" Merry tilted her head. Was Chris so bored today that the man decided to waste time bothering her life?!
But of course Merry wasn't brave enough to ask Chris about that. She turned towards the man who was getting out of the car.
"Brother Chris, don't bother to get inside! I'll be back in just 5 minutes. I won't make you wait long, so you just wait in the car, okay!" Merry insisted, hoping she wouldn't anger the man for her stubbornness. But she really didn't want to hear Chris nagging at the condition of his suit!
Chris stared at Merry without saying anything. He could detect the faint nervousness in the woman's expression. Oh, so this little girl didn't want Chris to come into her apartment?
"Very well then. You can get it for me."
Chris's words made Merry smile broadly. But what Chris next said made the smile disappear from Merry's face and replaced it with panic.
"By the way, I haven't called Lilia. I'll ask her to give you time off today." Chris pulled out his cell phone in a casual style.
Merry immediately lunged at Chris and grabbed his arm. The young woman had a smile that looked fake on her face.
"Brother Chris, don't bother! I just remembered that I asked Ms. Lilia to leave today, so I have free time, really." Merry spoke while repeatedly glancing at Chris's cell phone with a worried expression, "Ah, I have green tea that I just bought in my apartment. You must be thirsty, how about I make that tea for you?"
Without waiting for Chris' reply, Merry half dragged him to the front door of the apartment. But she didn't notice the faint smile on Chris's face.
The man glanced at Merry, who was still half hugging his arm. This was the first time they had been close since Chris met Merry in Yogyakarta. He could smell a faint floral scent from her body. The fragrant smell and freshness made Chris's heart beat even faster.
After they got inside, Merry directed Chris to the elevator. She continued to put on a big smile while stealing glances at the cellphone in Chris's hand. She held a grudge against this cunning-hearted childhood friend. If it weren't for that party in Yogyakarta, Merry wouldn't have been caught in this situation!
When the elevator door opened, Merry finally let Chris go. The man entered with an anxious look at the interior of the elevator that looked old and neglected.
"Are you sure this elevator is safe?" Chris asked.
The elevator light was not very bright and it made the atmosphere feel dim. Plus, the buttons on the side of the door looked old. This elevator wouldn't suddenly jam and lock them inside, would it?
Merry was busy racking her brains while staring blankly at Chris when she heard the question, "Of course. I've lived here for half a year and the elevator hasn't had any problems."
"Hmm…" Chris muttered. He knew that the Hiroshi Family had dozens of villas that Merry could use, but she chose to live in this dilapidated apartment. He didn't want to imagine what would happen when Merry's older sister found out that her sister lived in a place like this.
The elevator stopped on the 17th floor. As the doors opened, Chris saw a long hallway with room's doors on either side. Overall, the apartment layout reminded him of that in hotels.
They headed to apartment number 1702 which Merry currently occupied. As they were walking down the hall, an argument was heard from one of the apartments there. Chris frowned. Why were the apartment walls here so thin and not soundproof?!
Merry stopped at the door of her apartment and opened it. Right at that moment, a black figure slipped out while meowing.
Chris stared at the creature in disgust. That cat was so ugly!
Meanwhile, Merry hurriedly blocked the cat with her feet. Then she crouched down and picked up the fat, short cat. Merry showed Chris the cat with great pride.
"Brother Chris, this is my cat! His name is Tiger! Isn't he cute?" Asked Merry excitedly.
Cute? She called the cat with black fur glaring at him cute?
Chris couldn't understand Merry's taste at all.
Around one o'clock in the afternoon, Lilia departed from the Lakeside Villas. She arrived at Central Mall, her destination, less than half an hour later.
Since Lilia still had a cold, she purposely wore a silver coat. The long coat was combined with a white knit shirt and knee-length skirt. When she got out of the taxi, Lilia put on a wide pair of sunglasses. The glasses covered most of her face. The passing autumn wind blew Lilia's skirt, revealing her slender, long legs.
Lilia looked around and found her two friends standing in the mall lobby. The two of them smiled when they met Lilia's eyes. She immediately approached them.
On the other hand, Vivi stared fixedly at Lilia's appearance. Her best friend was born to be a model. Even though Lilia was wearing simple clothes like everyone else, she still looked amazing. Her calm and confident way of walking made Lilia seem like she was walking on a runway.
Vivi lowered her gaze and compared her appearance to Lilia's. She let out a deep breath. In terms of beauty, she and Lilia were like earth and sky!
"What's the matter, Vivi?" Rachel turned when she heard the sigh, "Are you fascinated by Lilia's beauty?" She teased.
After getting a chance to rest and calm down, Rachel no longer looked as thin as before. She smiled more often and had a bright face. But she still chose to wear simple clothes such as t-shirts and black leggings. After being abandoned by her family, Rachel always wore black and white, as if to symbolize the purity she once had.
Vivi scowled and nudged Rachel, "Of course not!" She said.
"Sorry I kept you waiting!" Lilia greeted them when she arrived in front of her two best friends.
Around them, people started to stop walking and observe Lilia. They seemed to have thought of Lilia as a famous artist — and they weren't wrong about that.
"Shall we go straight to the meeting place?" Rachel suggested. She felt a crowd of people would form soon if they stayed here any longer.
Lilia and Vivi agreed with her proposal. They walked into the Central Mall. There were many well-known brand shops in this mall, making it a shopping place for the elite. Therefore, there were many quality cafes standing in this mall. One of the cafes became Vivi's regular meeting place.
Lilia sat in front of a round table made of wood while looking closely at Vivi, "So you actually decided to go on this blind date?" Lilia asked with a surprised expression.
Vivi nodded from her seat across Lilia while playing with her coffee cup. She took a sip of the coffee before replying, "My co-worker has repeatedly recommended his acquaintance to me. Since I happened to be on leave today, I decided to try to meet him."
Vivi lowered her head to hide her blushing face. Beside her, Rachel exchanged glances with Lilia. If Vivi saw the wide grin on the faces of her two best friends, she must have felt even more embarrassed. But luckily, Vivi didn't notice their expressions.
Lilia crossed her arms as she said, "I disagree with blind dates, but I'm sure it's time for you to fall in love, Vivi."
Rachel nodded too, "Did you know that people who have been single for 24 years are very rare these days? You are even rarer than pandas!"
Vivi didn't know whether she should laugh along or be angry at the jokes of her two friends. But at least now she didn't feel so tense over this blind date.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Vivi moved to another table which was quite far from Lilia and Rachel's table. The man she was supposed to meet was on his way to this cafe.
"Rachel, what are your plans for the future?" Lilia asked after drinking the coffee.
The woman looked at Lilia with a smile, "I've got a job, really. I'm an assistant at a design company now." Rachel replied.
Lilia could detect the faint pride in Rachel's voice. She reached out and grasped her best friend's hand tightly.
"That's great news! What's the name of the company?" Lilia asked. She felt happy for her best friend.
"Hmm… if I'm not mistaken…" Rachel muttered as she tried to remember, "It's called the Thema Design Company."
"Are you still living with Vivi? If you want to move, I can help you…" Lilia offered.
However Rachel interrupted her, "I've found a nice apartment close to the office. This apartment is also not far from Vivi's place. I'll move there at the end of this week." Rachel smiled softly as she said it, "Lilia, thank you for bringing me here from Milan. But you don't have to worry too much about me anymore.. I'll be fine."
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