The next day, around ten in the morning, Lilia received the jade earrings she won from yesterday's auction. She kept the jewelry carefully. Lilia planned to give it to Claire when she went to Jakarta for a film shooting.
Jean had left for the office since 8 o'clock earlier, so Lilia was alone at home. She spent that whole morning practicing making tea as Alfred had taught her.
As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, Lilia got a call from Harold.
"Rina's punishment has been determined." When Harold said that, he sounded gloomy instead of being happy.
Lilia stirred her cup and inhaled the strong aroma of tea. It looked like she had started to master how to make tea. Lilia put down her cup before answering Harold, "Isn't that a good thing? So why do you sound gloomy?"
The sound of Harold clicking his tongue made Lilia smile dryly. Was the manager dissatisfied with the punishment Rina received?
"She only got half a year in prison! I don't know where she found such a good lawyer, but her lawyer managed to convince the judge that Rina committed an unplanned assault! That's why she was only sentenced to half a year!" Harold grumbled at length.
Lilia rubbed her chin while thinking about Harold's words. The man had a point— how could Rina escape with just half a year in prison? Did Sara step in to help her again?
She shook her head and rejected the possibility. Sara had lost her position as president of Hartanto Entertainment. That woman did not have enough influence or financial strength to help Rina.
"Anyway I just wanted to tell you about it." Harold continued, "By the way, I'm on my way to your house, so get ready."
Lilia tilted her head in confusion, but she had a guess as to where Harold was going to take her, "Alright. See you again." She said before ending their conversation
Lilia lowered her cellphone and stared blankly at the screen. In this situation, who would be helping Rina? And why were they helping her? Did they feel sorry for the woman? Or did they have ulterior motives?
She let out a deep breath. For now, she didn't have the answers to those questions. Lilia needed time to find out. She got up from the sofa and began to get ready to leave.
Half an hour later, the car belonging to the Aphrodite Agency stopped in front of the Lakeside Villa. Lilia came out of the house and approached the car.
Harold, who was in the driver's seat, stared at the mansion. This was the first time he had seen Lilia's new house. He sighed with a bitter expression.
No wonder this housing was called the most expensive residential area in Surabaya! The scenery here was truly beautiful and the atmosphere was very peaceful, as if they were in the mountains. Harold wondered how many years he would need to save in order to buy a square of land here.
Lilia opened the car's door and sat in the passenger seat, "Where are we going?" She asked as she took off the coat she was wearing.
Harold grinned widely at the question, "Of course to jail! We have to congratulate Rina on the judge's decision she received! I'm sure she will be happy to see you again, Lilia."
Lilia smiled at that, "You're right. We can't afford to miss this opportunity." She calmly said.
In the backseat, Merry was massaging her neck with a chuckle. Both Harold and Lilia were cunning hearts! The two of them really matched!
Hearing her laughter, Lilia turned to Merry. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Merry massaging her neck non-stop, "What's with your neck, Merry? Does your neck hurt?" Lilia asked worriedly.
Merry hurriedly lowered her hand and forced a broad smile, "I-I'm okay, Sis! I just… just the wrong sleeping position!" She panickedly answered.
Merry was tempted to tell her that she had to sleep on the sofa last night because Chris had taken over the bed! The annoying man reasoned that he accidentally left the keys to his house and forced himself to stay at Merry's apartment! Though the man could stay at the hotel owned by the Hartanto family!
But Merry could only sigh with a sad face. If she had told Lilia about Chris, the model would have asked why she was that close to Chris— and Merry couldn't answer that question without explaining her true identity!
Lilia watched Merry, who was once again sighing, with a questioning look. But she didn't say anything.
*****
The car stopped in front of the Class I detention center in Surabaya.
After Harold took care of the various procedures required to visit the prisoners there, they were finally allowed to enter at around half past 2 pm.
Lilia was waiting in the visiting room when the door opened and a woman walked in with shuffling steps. That woman was Rina, who was now wearing a prison uniform. Her face that was innocent without makeup looked discouraged. She looked like a flower that had withered.
When Rina looked up, her eyes widened when she saw Lilia. Rina turned towards the door, as if she wanted to run away from there. But the warden on guard at the door glared at Rina fiercely, as if telling her to be nice. With no other choice, Rina sat across from Lilia, with a wooden table between them.
For a moment, there was only silence as the two women observed each other.
"…Why are you here?" Rina asked finally.
Rina's tone when she said that sounded harsh. The woman looked at the overalls and pastel coat that Lilia was wearing, then she looked at the prison uniform she was wearing. Hatred and jealousy colored Rina's eyes.
Lilia was the one who got her trapped in this place!
Lilia crossed her legs and crossed her arms, "Of course to visit you!" She replied, leaning back into the chair.
Rina clenched her fists tightly. Her expression was filled with hatred as she said in a low voice, "Are you feeling proud now, Lilia Pangestu?"
If Lilia hadn't faked her wounds and caused a huge commotion online, Rina was sure she wouldn't be in jail right now!
Lilia looked at Rina with an unreasonably confused expression, as if she didn't understand why Rina was asking that, "Of course." Lilia replied.
"What did you say…?!" Rina glared fiercely at Lilia, "So you're here just to laugh at me?!"
Lilia nodded casually, "That's one of the reasons I came today. Besides, I also want to see you in a prison uniform." She replied with a provocative smile.
Rina jumped to her feet and kicked off the wooden table. If there weren't guards in this room, she would definitely grab Lilia by the collar and choke her!
"How dare you say that to me?! Lilia Pangestu, do your fans know that you are a selfish person like this?!" Rina growled. She's itching to slap Lilia and erase that annoying smile from her face!
Lilia didn't respond to Rina's words. She just pointed to the chair that fell behind Rina and said, "Yes, but no, you don't have to be that angry. Sit back."
Rina stared intently at the model, but she had no other choice. She adjusted the chair before returning to her seat with an angry expression.
"Besides, when we talk about being selfless, aren't you much better than me?" Lilia continued, making Rina's body stiffen.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"
"During the Genesis Company celebration party, you and Sara teamed up to lure me into Peter's room. Don't you think that's lowly and self-conscious?" Lilia played with her nails as she said that.
"I-I ..."
"Then what about you taking pictures of me and Ryan secretly at the music awards ceremony? You slandered me with that photo and made Ryan's fans attack me."
Lilia shot Rina a knife sharp gaze.
"Don't think I've forgotten all the trouble you caused me. I never looked for trouble with you, but you kept bothering me endlessly. Who do you think is more suitable to be called selfish now?"
Rina could only shut her mouth when she heard that. She couldn't argue after Lilia mentioned her actions one by one. Rina lowered her head and clenched her fists so tightly that her nails stuck into her palms. After a long silence, Rina finally opened her mouth.
"… I just hate you." Rina whispered softly, "I really, really hate you. Is that wrong?"
"No, you are not wrong."
Lilia's answer made Rina look up in surprise. The model put on the confident smile that Rina hated the most.
"But you paid such a high price just because you hated me. Do you think it would be worth your effort? Has Sara been visiting you since you were detained by the police?"
The warden at the door cleared his throat and reminded them that the visit was almost over.
Lilia got up from her chair and walked towards the door, but she paused for a moment to look at Rina, "Instead of arguing with me, you better use this time to think things through. Ever since you joined the entertainment world, who has repeatedly been looking for trouble with me and trying to frame me? Are you sure I made you fall like this?"
Rina stared blankly at Lilia, who walked away from the room without looking back. Before the door to the room closed, Rina caught a glimpse of the outside world in the sunlight. Then she compared it to this cold, dark prison room.
Did Lilia really keep Rina trapped in this place? She went to jail for attacking Lilia, but would Rina still be here if she hadn't attacked Lilia? More importantly, would things be different hadn't she tried to take Lilia down at every chance?
Unfortunately, no one knew the answer to that question.
*****
When Lilia came out of the prison building, she looked back and saw the iron gate swinging closed. A small smile adorned her lips. This time Rina got the hardest lesson in her life. Even if she was only imprisoned for half a year, that was more than enough. Rina would never be able to return to the entertainment world.. No matter who tried to help her, Lilia hoped that this was the last time she had to deal with Rina.
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