When Lilia arrived home, Jean wasn't there. She checked the study, bathroom, and bedroom, but she could not find Jean's figure anywhere. Lilia returned to the living room and left her suitcase lying on the floor. Then she threw herself on the sofa.
Lilia couldn't stop thinking about her mother's strange request. In the end, she decided to call her father.
As soon as Robert picked up the phone, he immediately scolded Lilia, "Why didn't you say goodbye to Dad while you were away?" Even so, his voice was filled with worry and affection.
"Sorry ... I heard that Dad is busy, so I don't want to bother you." Lilia answered while playing with the ends of her long hair, "Besides, I have to go immediately because I have work tonight."
Robert sighed before replying, "Fine, but you have to take care of your health and don't get too busy with your work. Anyway, why did you call Dad? Is there anything you need?"
Lilia was silent for a moment as she tried to decide whether to be honest with Robert or not about Sylvia's request. Finally she said, "Mom just called me. She wants to borrow two hundred million from me. You sound really worried, did something happen?"
"… What? Your mother asked you for money?" Robert repeated in a deep voice.
"Yes. Are you in trouble?" Lilia lured Robert to tell her about the embezzlement case.
"That woman really is shameless!" Robert cursed in a low voice. Then he cleared his throat, "No, your mother is not in any trouble. You don't have to worry about her. We just… got into a small argument, so your mother was probably sulking when she said that." Robert said, trying to sound relaxed, "Did you give her the money?"
"No, I don't have the courage to borrow her money because she doesn't want to tell me what she needs." Lilia replied while frowning, "I thought you knew something, dad. That's why I called you."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about your mother, everything is fine." Robert said hastily, "Whatever she says, you don't have to give her money. Don't worry, okay? Daddy has to go now."
Before Lilia could answer, Robert had hung up the phone. Lilia sighed and stared out the window. Her father refused to say anything about the embezzlement case until the end. Was it because Robert wanted to protect Sylvia? Or was it because Robert didn't want Lilia to get involved in this matter?
Lilia gripped her cell phone tightly. She wanted to call Jean and tell him everything. She didn't care about Sylvia, but Lilia didn't want her father to be blamed for this embezzlement case. But Lilia had promised that she would not interfere with the business affairs of the Pangestu Family and the Widjaya Family. She could only believe that Robert would do the right thing.
Ten minutes later, Lilia had changed into a simple t-shirt and jeans. She tied her hair back and wore a baseball cap. She would be wearing a dress and make-up at the agency office, so she just needed to leave with casual clothes.
Before leaving home, Lilia sent a message via the Other app to Jean.
[Lilia]: "I have work tonight, so I can't have dinner with you. I'll be home as soon as I'm done."
Lilia waited for a few minutes, but Jean didn't read the message. She clicked her tongue and put her cell phone back in her pocket before leaving.
When Lilia reached the front gate, her cell phone vibrated. She opened Jean's message with anticipation, but the man's answer was only a word.
[Jean]: "Okay."
That short answer made Lilia's anger explode. She typed her long scolding in the chat, but she ended up deleting the message without sending it. Maybe that man was still busy with this embezzlement case so he couldn't stay long in replying to Lilia's message.
While Lilia was struggling with her frustration, Merry was repeatedly stealing glances at Lilia through the car's window.
"Hey Clifford, do you think Sister Lilia is in financial trouble?" Merry asked with a worried expression.
Jean's head of security glanced at her in the rearview mirror, "I have no idea!" His answer was short.
But that short answer actually made Merry frown. She hit Clifford on the shoulder from the backseat grumbling, "Why are you so indifferent to Big Sis Lilia's problems?! Didn't she mention money on the phone just now? I'm sure she's short on cash!"
Clifford's expression looked tired as he listened to Merry's nagging. Lilia Pangestu running short in money? How could his overprotective boss let Lilia run out of money!
The dinner that Lilia attended was held in a house large enough to be called a mansion. The mansion was located in an elite residential area which was famous for its serene atmosphere.
The sponsor for this fundraising event was Felix Darmawan, a well-known philanthropist in Indonesia. Apart from dinner, Felix also held a small auction. The process from the auction would be used to build facilities and infrastructure needed in remote areas.
Lilia heard the news that the mayor Bambang Triyanto was also invited to attend this fundraising event. Lilia secretly admired the breadth of connections that Felix had.
It was 5:40 p.m. when Lilia arrived at the mansion. Her slender body was clad in a black dress decorated with intricate patterns sewn with gold threads. The skirt of the dress reached her heels and swung gently with each step Lilia took.
Overall, Lilia looked stunning in that dress. But unfortunately, the woman's beauty was damaged by the bandages covering her left arm to her elbow and scars from sharp objects on her neck. Lilia glanced at the 'injured' parts with a sigh. Dylan's makeup skills were amazing and the results looked very realistic.
In this event, no reporters were allowed in. There were only a few parties in the mass media that were specifically invited to cover the event. The mass media staff were standing around the red carpet that was laid out in front of the mansion's entrance.
When Lilia appeared 'seriously injured', her presence immediately caught the media's attention. After all, this was Lilia's first time appearing in public after the news of the assault broke out. Everyone wanted to know how the famous model who was said to be badly injured was.
Lilia walked the red carpet while trying to ignore the whispers of the guests. She was used to the gossip that insulted her, but Lilia felt guilty when people praised her for staying at the event even though she was badly injured.
'Harold, your strategy of making everyone sympathize with me is a huge success, you know!' Lilia thought as she showed her invitation card to the waiter in charge of receiving guests.
After being allowed in, Lilia looked around with a look full of interest. The interior of the mansion was filled with solid wood furniture which looked expensive and created an elegant atmosphere. Many guests gathered in the lobby, including well-known celebrities and businessmen. The guests chat with each other in harmony.
Lilia's presence immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Hey, isn't that Lilia Pangestu? Why did she come here?"
"Look at the wounds! Looks like the news is true! The scars on her neck look terrible!"
"Lilia Pangestu is really highly dedicated! Her agency really has the heart to order a woman that badly injured to attend tonight's event!"
"But you can't really blame the agency. This event was scheduled for a long time and Lilia Pangestu has already been paid to attend!"
Lilia listened to the gossip of the guests while harboring her guilt. She didn't want to trick them, but if everyone found out that her wounds were fake, Rina would be out of the trap of the law!
When Lilia was writing her name in the guest book, someone greeted her.
"Why did Harold let you attend the event for tonight?" The man's voice sounded deep and familiar.
Lilia sighed and put down her pen. She turned to her former lover, who suddenly appeared like a ghost.
"This is my job. You have nothing to do with this." Lilia said coldly.
William's gaze turned dark. He took a step towards Lilia while reaching out as if he wanted to grab her, but he stopped himself when he saw the bandage on Lilia's left arm.
"Lili, must you be this cold to me?" William asked softly, his tone pleading, "I've made a mistake and want to make it right. Can't you give me another chance?"
Lilia's expression turned into disgust when she heard that. She stepped back to maintain some distance between them.
"Mr. William, this is not a topic worth talking about in front of the public. Besides, I've made it clear to you many times that outside of work, we have nothing to talk about." Lilia replied firmly.
William frowned at Lilia's words. He looked at the woman with sad eyes and smiled bitterly, "Lili, you've changed.. You've never acted like this before."
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