Alfred came here too?!
When Lilia heard her brother's words, her heart beat even faster. She never met Alfred again after Florence's birthday party in Jogja. How should she behave in front of that man now?
Daniel studied Lilia's face closely after saying that. He felt relieved when her sister's expression didn't change. "Sis, if you don't mind, can I invite Mr. Alfred in?" Daniel asked carefully.
The young man didn't know how close Alfred was to his sister, but at least he guessed that they were quite close. There was no way the lecturer would bother visiting Lilia just because she was Daniel's sister. That's why Daniel did not refuse when Alfred wanted to come with him to the hospital.
Lilia thought about it for a moment before finally nodding her head, "I don't mind. I haven't seen him in a while."
The woman went to prepare another drink while Daniel went out into the hall. The young man saw the figure of the man with glasses he was looking for standing in front of the hallway. Alfred was staring out the window while joining his hands behind his back.
"Mr. Alfred!" Daniel called while approaching him.
Alfred turned and smiled faintly, "How is your sister's condition?" He asked.
"She's fine. Lilia doesn't mind if you visit her in her room. Do you want to come in?" Daniel offered.
"Okay." Alfred nodded and followed Daniel into Lilia's room.
The woman had just finished pouring a glass of green tea when she heard the sound of the door opening. She turned and saw Alfred stepping behind Daniel. Lilia met the eyes of the man wearing glasses for a moment. Then, she smiled kindly as she approached them.
"Long time no see, Mr. Alfred." Lilia politely greeted him.
She invited the man to sit down before handing Alfred the tea she had brewed. Lilia's gaze swept across the fine man's figure. Alfred wore a neat gray coat and white shirt. His appearance, which was complemented by black pants and leather shoes, looked like an elegant man from a respectable family.
The glasses with black edges that he used to wear now had been replaced by round glasses with gold edging. This small change gave Alfred a slightly arrogant impression.
"Long time no see either." Alfred's gaze moved up and down, observing Lilia's appearance closely, "How is your condition?"
Alfred read the news about the attack on the internet and also saw photos of Lilia's 'badly injured' condition. He knew that the news on the internet tended to be exaggerated, but he was still worried about her. Alfred was tempted to go straight to the hospital to confirm Lilia's condition, but he was not sure if she wanted to see him.
Now that Alfred saw Lilia's condition himself, he let out a sigh of relief. His worries vanished, replaced by the great joy of seeing her again after all this time. Lilia still occupied a special position in Alfred's heart to this day.
Lilia sat on the sofa across from Alfred before answering, "I'm fine. The news on the internet and the mass media has been exaggerated. I'm sorry I made you worry so much that you came to visit this early."
Lilia's attitude when she said that was all very polite and distant. She seemed to reiterate that their relationship was limited to acquaintances only.
Alfred shook his head when he heard that, "You don't need to apologize because I chose to come here. I happen to have no teaching schedule this morning and I heard that Daniel intended to visit you, so I volunteered to accompany him." Alfred answered smoothly.
Daniel stole glances at Alfred with a confused expression. He was sure that man should be teaching the elective course this morning, so why did Alfred say otherwise? But he was too innocent so he didn't suspect anything. He just thought that he'd just memorized the schedule and didn't think about it any further.
"Besides, I didn't have time to see you again after that incident." Alfred continued, "I hope you are not bothered by my presence here."
While Lilia and Alfred were busy making small talk, Daniel let out a bored sigh. He felt neglected, but he didn't dare to interrupt their conversation. The athletic youth played the glass filled with water in his hand while half listening to the two of them.
"Then how's Daniel doing on campus? I hope he's not causing trouble for you."
Daniel looked up at the mention of his name. He saw Lilia staring at him with raised eyebrows.
Daniel shrank in his chair and silently threw a pleading look at Alfred who was sipping his tea. If Lilia found out that his performance on campus was not good lately, his sister would report it to his father. The person Daniel was most afraid of was Robert, so he hoped that Alfred could help him!
Alfred put down his glass and glanced at Daniel. He caught the youth's pitiful gaze. Alfred smiled a little before answering Lilia, "He's been really nice lately. There's nothing to worry about."
Daniel felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when he heard his professor's brief answer. He was relieved that Alfred was on his side, but on the other hand he also hoped that the man would praise him even more so that Lilia would trust him. Why didn't Alfred mention that Daniel won a silver medal in that basketball game?
The young man waited for Alfred to praise him further, but the lecturer actually said, "Daniel, I forgot to bring the fruit basket I bought earlier. Can you get it for me in the trunk of the car?"
"Oh, okay." Daniel got up from his chair feeling disappointed.
"Here are the car keys." Alfred gave him the key and the young man immediately came out of the room.
After a few steps, Daniel suddenly stopped. He turned to Lilia's room with a frown. Was it just his feeling or did Alfred subtly try to kick him out of there? Would Lilia be okay?
Meanwhile, the hospital room was shrouded in silence after Daniel left. Lilia drank her tea silently. Every movement was performed gracefully and silently. When Lilia put her glass back down, her gaze fell on the bandage on her left hand. This morning, Jean refused the nurse's help and insisted on changing Lilia's bandages himself.
Lilia's reverie was broken by the sound of Alfred clearing his throat. She looked into the man's sky blue eyes with a polite smile, "What secret does Brother Alfred want to tell me?" Lilia asked.
She could already guess that Alfred wanted to talk to her alone from the way he subtly kicked Daniel out.
Alfred's eyes widened for a moment, then he smiled. He again felt a sense of admiration for Lilia's intelligence— in contrast to her brother. Alfred straightened his back before saying, "I haven't formally apologized to you for the accident. I've also given a warning to the Pranasari Family. Nora won't bother you anymore."
Lilia raised her eyebrows with a surprised expression. She thought Alfred was going to say something about her younger brother, because the man didn't want Daniel to hear this conversation.
"It's over and I don't blame Brother Alfred." Lilia replied, "In fact, I am grateful because you have fulfilled my request to resolve this matter with the Pranasari Family. Thank you very much, Brother Alfred." She smiled broadly as she said that.
Lilia's smile made Alfred amazed for a moment. The worry that had filled his heart for the past few days immediately vanished. His smile was like the sun's rays casting off the clouds.
Alfred realized that he had been staring at Lilia earlier and hurriedly drank his tea to cover his embarrassment. After he calmed down, Alfred said, "Then, I won't bring up this matter again if you let me buy you lunch."
The smile on Lilia's face disappeared when she heard that. She bit her lip and looked confused to choose the right answer.
Alfred immediately regretted his offer. He spoke as casually as possible, "Do you mind?"
Lilia hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes… I'm going to be discharged from the hospital this afternoon. Besides, I won't be allowed to appear in public for a while. I'm technically still 'badly injured'." She smiled apologetically.
Alfred nodded, "You're right, I didn't think about it. You don't have to feel guilty, Lilia." He said in a friendly way.
"The situation is a little complicated right now. But I won't mind going out to lunch with you next time, Brother Alfred." Lilia promised to make him feel better.
"Then, I'll ask you again another day." Alfred got up from the sofa, "Don't forget to take good care of your health, okay? I won't bother you any longer, and I'm sure we'll meet again. Soon."
Lilia added Alfred's message, "Soon", to her heart.
Lilia stood up to escort Alfred away. When the woman opened the door, Daniel had just returned with a fruit basket. The young man looked at the two of them in confusion.
"Eh? Mr. Alfred, are you leaving already?" Daniel asked.
Alfred nodded, "I just remembered that I had unfinished work on campus. Do you want to stay here or come back with me, Daniel?" The lecturer offered.
Daniel stared at his sister for a few moments before finally answering, "I'll come back with Mr. Alfred. Sis, since you turned out to be fine, I'll go home first."
Lilia nodded, "Yes, be careful on the road." Then she looked at Alfred.
The woman smiled as she said politely, "Goodbye, Mr.. Alfred."
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