"Brother Chris!" Merry automatically flinched away from the car's door. Her face was pale and her voice trembled with panic. Why was Chris there?!
From the driver's seat, Clifford was not surprised at all to see Chris. He knew that Chris had a good relationship with Felix Darmawan, so his boss's best friend was definitely coming tonight.
"Young Master Chris." Clifford greeted the man with respect.
Chris glanced at Clifford coldly. He just nodded before turning his gaze back to Merry.
Chris narrowed his eyes and said, "Get out of the car and come with me!"
Merry froze for a moment, trying to digest Chris's order. But the man turned around and started walking away without looking back. Merry hastily jumped out of the car. She glanced regretfully at the screen of her phone before slipping it into her pocket. Merry still wanted to continue playing, but she didn't dare to make Chris even more angry!
Clifford watched the two young people walk away in silence. The head of Jean's security team took a deep breath before starting to light a cigarette. He blew the smoke through the open car's window.
Clifford knew Chris had special feelings for Merry and that feeling made him act childish in front of Merry. He sighed and felt like a father watching his daughter being approached by a boy.
*****
Merry panted as she ran and caught up with Chris. The man's legs were much longer than Merry's and so he walked faster. The night wind blew hard, making Merry's body, which was only wrapped in a T-shirt and jeans, trembling with cold. Even though she had moved her body, it was not enough to dispel the cold.
Merry shot Chris a desperate look. She didn't know where the man wanted to go, because they were getting further away from the mansion. The night wind blew again as Merry embraced herself.
The young woman was so focused on keeping herself warm that she didn't notice that Chris had stopped walking.
"Ow!" Merry staggered backwards when she accidentally bumped into Chris's back.
"What the hell? Watch where you are walking…!" Chris turned around and started scolding Merry, but his words were interrupted when he saw Merry's shaking body, "Why don't you wear a jacket?" Chris asked, frowning.
Merry only frowned without answering. Actually, she had already brought a jacket and intended to put it on, but she left it in the car in her rush to chase after Chris. Merry didn't dare to make an annoyed Chris wait for her!
Merry looked away from Chris and then looked around them. The two of them stood on the small meadow that laid near the parking lot. There were several wooden tables scattered across the field. Each table was equipped with a large umbrella to keep out the sun. But at this time, the umbrellas were tied closed, revealing a star-filled night sky that was no less beautiful than the painting Sasha had bought earlier.
Merry's mind was broken when her body was covered by something warm. She turned to find Chris had his party coat on Merry's shoulders. The man's movements were gentle, in contrast to his irritated expression. Merry pulled the jacket tighter and whispered her thanks.
"Um… Brother Chris is here for a fundraising event?" Merry asked awkwardly.
"So it is." Chris replied curtly as he stepped away from the woman.
"Oh…" Merry stole a glance at Chris and saw that the man's expression was still annoyed, "Um… Brother Chris, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"There is nothing!" Chris replied even more curtly.
"Oh ..." Merry could only repeat his answer with a confused face. Then why did Chris bring her all the way here?!
Merry lowered her head to hide her sullen face. She started playing with the buttons of the party suit she was wearing.
The silence between them was only intermittently broken by the sound of the wind blowing.
Chris finally broke the silence with a small cough and made Merry look up, "What's the name of the game you played with Clifford earlier?" Chris asked in a serious tone.
Merry stared wide-eyed at Chris. She didn't understand why that man had dragged her all the way here just to ask about the game!
But Chris acted as if he didn't notice her surprise. If Merry liked the game so much, she'd use it as an opportunity to get closer to Merry! Chris was determined to find the game and play with the woman. He didn't want to see Merry having a good time with another man!
Merry finally recovered from the shock and a smile appeared on her lips, "Brother?Chris wants to know? So this is an online game…" Merry started explaining the game at length with great enthusiasm. Her shining eyes were no less beautiful than the stars in the night sky.
After nearly 15 minutes of listening to Merry's story, Chris's head was full of absurd information. Why did kings from different centuries meet? Why did they all have special abilities that don't make sense?
"Brother Chris, are you listening to me?" Merry asked, leaning closer.
Merry's lively movements while telling the story and her lively expression made the woman look even cuter to Chris. The man automatically reached out and stroked Merry's head. He lowered his hand, but then Chris felt that it wasn't enough and returned to stroking the woman's head.
"Don't play on and forget your responsibilities, okay!" Chris said like a father advising his daughter.
Merry frowned and away broke from Chris's hand. She looked away and said, "Brother Chris sounds like my dad! If you keep saying that, I'd better play with Clifford!"
Chris stared at Merry speechless. This woman really tested her patience!
When the auction was almost over, Lilia saw Sasha walking back to her chair with a grim expression. She was surprised that Chris didn't come back with her. Lilia took her eyes off Sasha and started thinking about this incident.
Chris had obviously taken Sasha out to talk about something that made her so sad. Sasha's face seemed to lose its color as she dragged her steps, as if she had been hit by something. Even as the auctioneer closed the event, Sasha was still sitting in her chair as if she didn't hear a word.
As the other guests left the auction room in order, Lilia met the assistant auctioneer. She needed to take care of various procedures to arrange for the delivery of the earrings she won earlier. After signing the papers, Lilia was finally free to leave.
Lilia came out into the hall and looked around. She immediately saw the man she was looking for leaning against the window's sill smoking a cigarette. The corner of Lilia's mouth automatically lifted into a soft smile. She walked over to Jean without noticing Sasha's presence behind her.
The woman in the kimono watched Lilia approaching Jean with a dark gaze. Sasha gritted her teeth before leaving the place.
Jean straightened up when he saw Lilia approaching him. The man was wearing a jet black coat and fabric pants of a matching color. His body was also dressed with a long, faded gray coat. Jean's stunning appearance made Lilia's heart flutter again.
"Why are you smoking alone out here?" Lilia asked while frowning. Jean's figure earlier looked lonely and made her worried. Would Jean also look like that when Lilia went to Jakarta?
Jean just smiled faintly and tucked his coat around Lilia's shoulders, "Wear this. I don't want you to be cold."
Lilia sighed but didn't argue with Jean. The man always did this to the point that she had given up on stopping him.
"What will you do now?" Jean asked.
"Keep you company!" Lilia answered with a big smile, "Are you going straight home?"
Jean shook his head, then he reached out and rubbed Lilia's cheek. The man's cold hands tingled.
"Is the procedure completed?" Jean asked to make sure.
Lilia nodded, "They'll send the earrings tomorrow, don't worry."
The two of them were silent for a moment after that.
"Jean, if you don't come home right away, what will you do after this?" Lilia changed the subject.
"I'll just talk to Uncle Felix. I won't take long, but if you're bored, you can go home first." Jean said while stroking Lilia's head.
Lilia laughed and shook her head, "I won't be bored as long as I'm with you." She tempted him.
Jean stared at Lilia for a moment as if trying to hold back. Finally the man looked down and stole Lilia's lips. The smell of cigarettes and Jean's scent was intoxicating for her.
*****
Around 7pm, in one of the living rooms on the second floor.
The room was not very big, but filled with classy furniture. The sofas were made of solid wood and covered with soft cushions. A table lamp with its hood uniquely decorated was attached to the marble table.
The owner of the house, Felix Darmawan, sat in one of the chairs around the table. Beside him was mayor Bambang Triyanto. The other chairs around the table were filled by the younger generation invited by Felix. Jean and Lilia shared one sofa, while the other sofa was filled by Chris and Alex. Sasha should have been here too, but she reasoned that she was not feeling well and went home first.
On the marble table, there was a bottle of red wine and various beautiful cakes to accompany their chat. The wine was opened by Felix and Bambang, who had been chatting in this room since the auction took place.
The mayor glanced at the young people around the table and said, "Young people today are extraordinary. They are already successful at such a young age." Bambang glanced at his friend and smiled bitterly, "Old people like us can't compete with them anymore."
Felix nodded in agreement, "You are very correct in what you said, my dear friend. Actually I also invited Sasha from the Hiroshi Family here, but unfortunately she is not very well. Even though I want to thank her for supporting my fundraising tonight."
"The Hiroshi family does have a lot of wealth." Bambang said in a tone full of admiration, "But you also played a big part in tonight's success. I'm sure Miss Sasha did that because of her good relationship with you, Felix."
Felix laughed and lifted his wine glass, "Of course, I also want to thank Miss Lilia Pangestu for helping make tonight's event a success!"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶