Felix watched Lilia with great satisfaction. Even though she was a well-known model in the fashion world, Lilia was not at all arrogant about it. In Felix's eyes, the graceful and calm Lilia really got along well with Jean. When the two of them sat next to each other, they looked like a couple who had been married for years.
When Lilia heard Felix's words, she raised her glass with a smile, "You have exaggerated me too much, Mr. Felix. If it weren't for your efforts and preparations, this auction could not have been a success." She said humbly.
Felix laughed, "Then, let's toast to all of us!" He said before inviting the mayor to toast.
Lilia sipped her wine while listening to Felix's conversation with Jean and his two friends. Even though Felix was much older than them, he treated them like close friends. On the other hand, the young men were also friendly with Felix. Lilia could feel their respect for that old man.
Lilia told herself never to underestimate Felix. That man was not just a generous man, but he was also able to earn Jean's respect.
While his friends were chatting with Felix, Chris repeatedly glanced at his cellphone screen. He deliberately hid the cellphone under the table to give the impression that he was listening to their conversation.
Chris clicked his tongue secretly. Why was the game file size so big?! He had to wait more than 10 minutes to finish downloading the entire file. Once the game was downloaded, Chris immediately clicked the screen. And he immediately regretted that action.
Suddenly, the game's opening music was heard loud and full of enthusiasm from Chris's cellphone, bringing everyone's conversation to a halt.
Chris hastily lowered the sound of his cell phone, but everyone had turned their heads towards him. Jean shot him a knife-sharp, cold arctic look, while Alex quietly kicked Chris in the leg under the table. Chris wanted to protest that this wasn't entirely his fault— he didn't know this was going to happen! But he swallowed back his protest and only smiled weakly.
Lilia felt her cell phone vibrate and took it out of the bag. After she read the incoming message, she nudged Jean's arm before showing him the screen.
Jean raised his eyebrows when he saw the online game invitation link Chris had just sent in their chat group.
Chris gave a small cough and got up from his chair, "Sorry, I just got a text from my acquaintance. Uncle Felix, Mr. Bambang, I'll excuse me. I need to call the person back."
Felix nodded with an understanding smile while Lilia, Jean, and Alex tried their best not to laugh at Chris's excuses. The SMS notification sound on your phone was music from online games? Your taste was quite unique!
Chris walked to the door with a leisurely pace, but as soon as he walked out and closed the door, he immediately looked for the nearest empty room. Chris swore as he opened his cell phone. He literally lost his face in front of everyone because of this ridiculous game!
He opened the chat group on the Other application and found comments from his friends under the link he had sent earlier.
[Alex]: "What was that?! I almost died laughing!"
[Jean]: "Since when have you been playing games? Are you trying to seduce someone through this game? It's not like your usual self."
[Lilia]: "Hahahaha!"
[Tom]: "Chris, are you playing this game too? Add me as your friend! My character name is 'Yuji'! Let's play together!"
Chris sighed and deleted the link he accidentally sent. Then he went to the bedroom's window and opened it then started smoking a cigarette. He glanced at the screen of his cell phone with a frown.
He was not surprised that Jean could guess his motive so easily— he had a very sharp intuition. But Chris had no other choice. Merry loved this game, so if he wanted to play with her, he would have to learn a lot and practice to master it!
Chris sighed once again. He felt ridiculous for going this far for the sake of a woman who didn't even know Chris liked her, but this was what people call love.
*****
When Lilia and Jean left the mansion, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. Since Lilia was going home with Jean, she sent a message to Merry to send her assistant home with Clifford. Lilia felt a little guilty for not coming home with Merry even though she had been keeping her waiting.
Merry received Lilia's message and her expression suddenly brightened. She patted Clifford on the shoulder, "Let's go home! Ms. Lilia said that she would come home with Ms. Jean!" She said.
As Clifford started the engine, Merry leaned back in the chair and began playing another game on her cell phone.
Suddenly, someone opened the door beside Merry and went straight in without saying a word.
Merry jumped and almost screamed, then she realized it was Chris.
"Brother Chris? I thought you were still chatting with Uncle Felix. Is your meeting over?" Merry asked in surprise.
Chris glanced at Merry with a grim face, but he didn't answer. He turned to look at the man sitting in the driver's seat, "Clifford, run the car." Chris's order was brief.
He glared at Clifford with a feeling of annoyance that was getting more and more intense. Why was this man so familiar with Merry? What's the connection between them? He didn't like seeing the two of them get along so well!
Clifford glanced at Chris in the rearview mirror, but when he saw the grim expression of his boss's best friend, Clifford said nothing. He just started the car engine and started driving.
As the car entered the Lakeside Villas garage, Lilia got out of the car with a sigh of relief. She felt very tired and her head felt heavy. Maybe she was too tensed up dealing with William and Sasha at the event earlier.
Lilia walked towards the front door while taking off Jean's coat. She had been wearing that coat for a long time and she was now feeling hot. But before Lilia could let go, a pair of strong hands grabbed Lilia and pulled her into Jean's embrace.
Lilia staggered and bumped into Jean's broad chest. She automatically raised her hand to push the man away, but Jean immediately caught Lilia's wrist. One of Jean's hands was wrapped around Lilia's waist as the man kissed her aggressively, unlike usual.
As Jean ended their long kiss, Lilia struggled to catch her breath again. She gave Jean an irritated look, but the man acted as if he didn't see her.
"Next time don't wear this dress again." Jean muttered in Lilia's ear.
"Huh?" Lilia looked at Jean in confusion. Then she lowered her gaze and studied her black dress, "Doesn't this dress suit me?"
Jean sighed while kissing Lilia's forehead. This woman did not know that the dress she was wearing was able to make Jean fascinated. This dress was suitable for a tall woman like Lilia and showed off her ideal curves, especially her slim waist.
From the beginning to the end of the program, Jean often saw other men stealing glances at Lilia. But he couldn't announce to everyone that this wonderful woman was his wife. As a result, Jean had to go to great lengths to refrain from yelling at those men!
"You…"
Jean wanted to say that the dress didn't suit her so that Lilia wouldn't wear that kind of dress again, but he didn't want to lie to his wife.
"You look very beautiful." He said in a tone full of defeat. He immediately added, "But this dress is too thin for you. I don't want you to be cold and get sick, so you can't wear this dress anymore."
Lilia listened to Jean's answer while stifling her laughter. If she could score it for the reason that guy gave her, Lilia would give it a 100! This husband was very possessive, but so awkward in conveying his feelings. If Jean didn't want Lilia to wear this dress anymore, he just had to say so!
*****
When Lilia came out of the bathroom in a nightgown, she smelled a sweet scent from outside the bedroom. She followed the delicious aroma to the kitchen. Lilia wasn't surprised to find Jean standing in front of the stove stirring a pot of porridge. The sight of Jean cooking porridge gave off a warm feeling in Lilia's heart.
The man was wearing a silk bathrobe and his short hair was still half wet from the shower. His relaxed appearance made Lilia relax. She had no idea since when she had begun to associate Jean's relaxed appearance with the warmth of the house.
Lilia realized that from the very beginning of their relationship, that man had loved her wholeheartedly. Jean's love was so deep and hidden, that Lilia often missed recognizing him. But love was between them. Lilia's eyes felt hot and she hurriedly rubbed them. Why was she suddenly being so sentimental tonight?
"Ah, have you finished showering?" Jean asked when the man noticed Lilia's presence, "Let's eat, the porridge is ready."
Lilia nodded and sat down at the dining table. Jean put a bowl of hot porridge decorated with chopped vegetables in front of her. Although the dish looked simple, Lilia was touched by the man's attention. Was there a company president and son of a conglomerate family who wanted to cook porridge for his wife other than this man in front of her?
"Thank you, Jean." Lilia said with a small smile.
Lilia started scooping up the porridge and blowing it a few times, then she swallowed it. Almost immediately, warmth spread through her body. She felt as if all of her fatigue had disappeared.
Lilia glanced at Jean and found that the man was also eating the same porridge. The fundraiser did not provide dinner, only snacks such as pastries. No wonder Jean just started cooking something as soon as they got home.
After Lilia finished half of her porridge, she realized something. She looked at Jean and asked, "When did you learn to cook?"
Lilia had been curious about this ever since Jean first made porridge for her. As the fourth son of the Widjaya Family, that man shouldn't have to do something as trivial as cooking. So where did Jean learn to cook?
When he heard the question, Jean's spoon stopped. He put down the spoon and reached out to pick up the cigarette case.
But Lilia was faster than Jean. The woman confiscated his cigarette and insisted, "You can't smoke while you're eating. Okay?"
Jean smiled faintly and withdrew his hand, "Okay." He said obediently. He knew Lilia didn't like it when he smoked while they were eating together.
"So? Where did you learn to cook?" Lilia repeated while playing with the cigarette box.
"Abroad." Jean replied briefly.
Lilia looked at Jean in surprise, "Have you ever been abroad?"
After asking that, Lilia realized that she said it wrong. Of course the man had gone abroad— didn't Jean accompany her to Milan back in the day?
Lilia cleared her throat and changed her question, "I mean, have you lived abroad?" Lilia asked.
She realized again that she knew nothing about Jean's past. Lilia consoled herself by promising to ask Claire about Jean when she went to Jakarta next week. She was determined to find out as much as possible so that she could stand tall and said proudly to a woman like Sasha that she deserved to be Jean Widjaya's wife.
Jean was silent for a moment, staring at the porridge, "Yes… about 10 years." The man replied in a deep voice.
10 years… that's quite a long time. Did Jean learn to cook during that time? But he couldn't possibly live alone without a maid, could he? Could it be that the man learned to cook for a hobby?
"When did you start living abroad?" Lilia asked while spooning the porridge back.
"14 years ago… 1 month less." Jean looked at Lilia as he answered. The man studied Lilia's expression closely, as if he was hoping to find something.
But Lilia returned the gaze in confusion. Why was Jean looking at her like that?
Lilia said, "That means you were 12 years old at the time, huh. Did you go abroad to study?"
Jean sighed and looked away as if disappointed, "So it is." His answer was ambiguous. Before Lilia could ask any more questions, Jean continued with his own question, "If you are alone, what did you do 14 years ago?"
"14 years ago, in the middle of that long summer, do you remember what happened?"
That was exactly what Jean wanted to ask, but the man held himself back. He didn't know if he could accept his disappointment if Lilia answered 'don't know'.
Lilia raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she kept thinking about Jean's question carefully. She had a feeling the man was asking something important, but she didn't know what it was.
"14 years ago ... I was 10 years old, huh. As I remember, I didn't do anything other than go to school as usual." Lilia replied.
Suddenly, she remembered the small town she once visited. When did she go there? Didn't she meet someone there? The more Lilia tried to remember that moment, the more her memory became blurred. She frowned in frustration as she continued to dig into her memories.
Jean saw Lilia's frustrated expression and sighed again. He reached out and patted the woman's head, "Forget it. It's okay if you don't remember." He said softly.
Lilia was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. The two of them went back to eating in silence.
"Um… Jean…" Lilia said after a while, "I have something to ask you…"
"What?" Jean asked, putting back the spoon. He studied Lilia's conflicted face, "Is this something hard to talk about?" Jean said with a gentle smile.
"Not really…" Lilia looked down and played with the porridge, "What… Do you know that my mother took all the dowries given by the Widjaya Family?" She asked in a half whisper.
Lilia felt uncomfortable discussing dowry with Jean. However, this was something she needed to ask. Otherwise, she would never know how much money Sylvia took and her purpose for taking it.
For a moment, Jean didn't answer. Lilia dared to raise her face, just as the man couldn't stop himself and laughed out loud.
"Jean…?"
"Lilia, you don't have to worry about that." Jean said casually, "Only you can use the dowry."
"Huh?" Lilia jumped, "W-What do you mean? So my mom can't take it?"
Jean smiled lightly at the confusion in Lilia's eyes. He shook his head and explained, "Apart from this house, all the assets of your dowry are held in a bank account opened in your name. So nobody beside you as the legal owner, can take the dowry."
Lilia almost laughed out loud when she heard that. Sylvia was so happy that she managed to sell her daughter for a high price, but in the end that woman wouldn't be able to get the money!
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