"Father, are you okay?" Lilia asked worriedly. She hurriedly got up from her chair and pulled her father away from the broken glass.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine." Robert recovered from his shock and immediately called the maid to clean the shattered glass.
Even though the servants had wiped up the spilled wine and swept away the broken glass, the strong aroma of wine still filled the dining room. Robert gave a small cough and told Lilia to sit back in her chair.
"Why did you suddenly want to go to Jakarta to shoot a movie?" Robert asked with a sharp gaze.
"I just wanted to try acting in a film. My manager advised me not to waste this opportunity." Lilia shrugged her shoulders, "Don't you want me to shoot a movie?"
"No!" Robert said as he started to continue his lunch, "I'm just worried because you will go to Jakarta alone."
Lilia raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she didn't voice her suspicions, "I'm not going alone. There is an assistant accompanying me. Plus, my manager will also come with me there…" Lilia stared at Robert closely, "Or do you not want me to go to Jakarta?"
"It is not like that!" Robert answered so quickly that Lilia was stunned. The man cleared his throat before continuing, "You're overreacting, Lilia. I'm just surprised that you wanted to shoot a movie. Besides, Jakarta is a big city so I'm worried. But if you're accompanied by an assistant, I don't mind."
Lilia nodded with an obedient expression, but that explanation alone was not enough to dispel her suspicions. Suddenly, Lilia remembered that her parents always went to Jakarta every few months.
"Father, does our family have a business in Jakarta?" Lilia tried to voice her suspicions.
"Why do you ask that?" Robert glared at Lilia.
She read the warning in her father's gaze, so Lilia gave up trying to ask that question. "…Nothing. Forget it."
The atmosphere of the lunch that had been harmonious was now very quiet. Only the sound of plates clinking could be heard from the dining room. No conversation took place between the two. Robert didn't even ask about Lilia's relationship with Jean. Lilia stole a glance at her father and realized that the man's expression was full of concern.
It seemed that Robert really didn't want Lilia to go to Jakarta. What's in there?
*****
After he finished his lunch, Robert got up from his chair, "Lilia, I just remembered that I have work to do. You just continue your lunch, Daddy will come back upstairs." He said in a flat voice.
Lilia could only nod while watching the figure of her father rush up to his study. She sighed while fiddling with the food on her plate. After seeing Robert's strange attitude, Lilia lost her appetite.
She finished her meal with difficulty before returning to her room. Lilia took her suitcase and took one last look around. She had the feeling that she would never come back to this room again.
Then, Lilia went to her father's study to say goodbye. She stopped at the door and was about to knock, but her father's loud voice stopped Lilia.
"Sylvia, are you crazy?! Three days! I'll only give you three days! If you don't return the money to me, I'll report you to the police! Don't you know that embezzling company money is a grave offense?!"
Lilia's body froze when she heard Robert's scream. Did Sylvia pay for her departure with company money? But the Pangestu Family wasn't that poor that Sylvia had to commit embezzlement!
Then she heard Robert continue in an angry voice, "Are you listening?! Return the money as soon as possible! The collaboration project is about to begin! If the Widjaya Family finds out you committed embezzlement, what will happen to our family?! Do you want to destroy the Pangestu Family?!"
Lilia stared at the study door in surprise. She didn't expect that the words that Sylvia always said to her were now directed at that woman. But she couldn't be happy about it. Her mind felt confused by all this information.
The vibrations of Lilia's cellphone helped her wake up from her confusion. She checked her cell phone and saw a message from Merry. Lilia entrusted her greetings to one of the servants she met before rushing out of the house. So the person who took the fund was Sylvia!
When Lilia left the house, she immediately got into the car driven by Clifford. Tonight, she was scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner. Harold had asked her to come 'badly injured' to defend their story.
Along the way, Merry, who sat beside Lilia, was busy chattering about the details of the night's work. Suddenly, her explanation was interrupted by the sound of Lilia's cell phone ringing. Even so, Lilia didn't pick up the phone.
"Um… Sis Lilia… your cell phone is ringing." Merry called Lilia with hesitation.
Lilia had been staring blankly out the car window when Merr's voice finally made her turn her head. She nodded before taking out her cell phone. When Lilia read the name of the caller on her screen, her eyes widened.
'Mother'.
Why did her mother call her suddenly ?!
"Hello, Mother?" Lilia picked up the phone in a low, worried voice. She thought back to Robert's conversation that she had heard earlier.
"What are you doing now? Can I talk to you?" Sylvia's voice was even lower than Lilia's.
Lilia automatically glanced at Merry, who was staring back at her in confusion. She leaned back in the car seat and replied, "Why did you call me?"
For a moment, Sylvia didn't answer. Lilia was about to check her cell phone screen when her mother suddenly asked, "Do you have any money I can borrow?"
Lilia frowned when she heard that question, "How much do you need?" She asked, bending down to reach her bag.
"Two hundred million rupiah."
Sylvia's answer made Lilia accidentally drop her bag back.
"Do you have it?" Sylvia demanded when Lilia didn't answer.
Lilia took her cell phone away from her ear while trying to process her mother's answer. Two hundred million?!
"… Mother, what do you need that much money for?" Lilia finally asked. This was the first time that Sylvia had asked to borrow money from her. She suspected that this had something to do with Sylvia's embezzlement of company's money.
"That is none of your business!" Sylvia said fiercely.
Lilia was tempted to reply, "You ask for my money, of course that's my business!" But she managed to restrain herself. Sylvia's voice sounded frantic and impatient on the phone, as if the woman was running out of time.
She sighed as she turned her head out the window. Her gaze fell on a mother who was buying a windmill for her daughter. The little girl's face was dyed with innocent joy, while her mother smiled gently and watched her daughter lovingly. The warm sight seemed to stab Lilia's heart.
Why did her own mother treat her so coldly? Was the woman who called her now really her biological mother?
"Hello?! Lilia! Do you hear me?! Do you have two hundred million— ?!"
"No, I don't have that kind of money." Lilia interrupted Sylvia in a flat voice.
For a moment, Sylvia was silent. Then she immediately snapped, "Don't lie! Haven't you already married Jean Widjaya?! There's no way you don't have two hundred million!"
"Why would I ask Jean that much money if I could support myself through my work?" Lilia replied coldly.
"You useless child! If you don't even have that much money, why are you claiming to be working as a model?! I'm sure you just make excuses like that so you can go have fun and spend family money!" Sylvia accused her.
Lilia's patience vanished when she heard that accusation.
"Spending family money, huh?" Lilia laughed coldly, "At least I didn't steal company money like someone I know."
"W-What did you say…?"
"Since you seem in such a hurry, how about I ask Dad if he has that much money? I happen to be at home, so—"
Tuut. Tuut.
Lilia lowered her cellphone while smiling bitterly. Of course, Sylvia hung up on her when she heard Robert's name. She stared blankly at her cell phone's screen while thinking about Sylvia's request.
If her mother dared to embezzle company money, wouldn't that mean she also took the dowry given by the Widjaya Family?! What kind of holidays cost over a million dollars?!
Actually, Lilia had two hundred million that Sylvia asked for, but she suspected that her mother needed the money to return the company money she stole. Sylvia must be thinking that she better owe Lilia to than stealing company money. At the very least, Sylvia didn't need to return the money she borrowed from Lilia because she was her mother. What did Sylvia spend that much money on?
While Lilia was deep in thought, Merry repeatedly glanced at the older woman with a worried expression. Lilia repeatedly mentioned money on her phone just now, was that model having financial difficulties?
Merry dared to move closer to Lilia, "Sis, are you having a hard time?" Merry asked in a low voice.
If Lilia said yes, Merry wouldn't mind lending Lilia as much money as she needed. But Merry could not possibly say it directly! Lilia would definitely become suspicious, because Merry's salary as an assistant wasn't that big!
Merry was considering asking Chris to lend the money on to Lilia when the model replied, "No, really. What time is dinner tonight?"
"Ah… half past seven at night." Merry immediately answered.
"Then, please take me to Lakeside Villa first."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel