A few moments later, Lilia pulled Jean away to their bedroom. When they arrived at the door to the room, Lilia put her hand on the doorknob, but suddenly her movements stopped.
Jean raised his eyebrows when he saw the doubt on the woman's face, "Lilia? What's wrong?" He asked softly.
Lilia turned to the handsome man. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, "Um ... did you enter this room earlier?"
Actuall, Lilia had deliberately arranged the plans for tonight so that Jean didn't have time to enter the room earlier. She was worried that the longevity noodles she had been painstakingly prepared would turn soggy if they weren't eaten immediately, so Lilia asked Chris to take Jean down before the man entered the bedroom. She was pretty sure that her husband didn't have time to look into the bedroom.
Jean shook his head with a faint smile. He guessed that Lilia had prepared another surprise for him in the room.
Seeing that, Lilia's expression was filled with relief. But a second later, that relief was replaced by panic. She took her hand away from the doorknob as fast as lightning, as if it was electrifying her.
"A-Ah, I just remembered that I have to go to the bathroom. Come in first, Jean. I'll catch up soon." Lilia reasoned before turning around and hurriedly leaving.
Seeing his wife walking away quickly as if running away from him made Jean chuckle. He didn't have the heart to say that there was a bathroom in their bedroom. Lilia's adorable reaction made Jean even more curious about the surprise in the room.
Lilia continued walking until she reached the end of the hall and turned a corner, then she pressed herself against the wall. She peeked behind the wall and saw Jean open the bedroom door. Lilia held her breath until Jean's figure disappeared into their bedroom.
Meanwhile, Jean closed the door behind him and looked around the bedroom. The room was dim, just like the living room when he came home. Then, his gaze shifted on their king size bed. The surface of the bed was sprinkled with colorful flower petals that were refreshing to the eyes. Surrounded by the petals was a red box neatly tied with a ribbon.
Jean walked over to the bed with slow and careful steps, as if he was approaching a sleeping lion. He stood beside the bed and hesitated for a moment before picking up the gift. The box looked so tiny on Jean's big palm.
Based on the size of the box, Jean could already guess what was in it. Even so, his heart was still pounding as he slowly untied the ribbon and opened the lid of the box. Jean's eyes widened when he saw the contents of the box.
A matching pair of rings were found in the box. Both rings were made of white gold and decorated with faint sparkling diamonds.
This gift was definitely not the most expensive gift Jean had ever received on his birthday. He had also bought a ring with a gemstone that was much more luxurious than this ring. But Jean felt that this was the best gift he had ever received in his life.
"Um ... what do you think?" Lilia asked, peeking from behind the bedroom's door. She then straightened up and walked inside. Lilia felt a little relieved to see Jean's gaze fixed on the ring box in his hand, "I felt that the ring looked pretty, so I bought it. I hope ... I hope you like it."
"Very pretty." Jean replied directly. Then he realized what he said and gave a small cough to cover his embarrassment, "I mean, I really like it. You have good taste."
Hearing that, Lilia's face was covered with a big smile. She walked over to Jean and took one of the rings from the box. Then Lilia took Jean's left hand.
"I'll put this ring on for you. I want you to wear a ring engraved with my name. Likewise, I'll also wear a ring engraved with your name." Lilia explained calmly, but her legs were twitching restlessly.
Jean nodded, "Of course." His voice sounded a little hoarse as he said that.
Lilia slowly slipped the ring on the ring finger of Jean's left hand. Seeing the ring wrapped around Jean's ring finger fitfully gave Lilia a great sense of satisfaction.
This ring was a substitute for the wedding vows that she could not tell Jean. From the start of their engagement until now, that man had always followed Lilia's wishes. Jean didn't protest at all when Lilia refused to hold a wedding party. The man also agreed when she wanted to keep their marriage a secret.
Therefore, Lilia wanted to provide Jean with concrete proof of their relationship. Even though she couldn't announce their marriage yet, she wanted everyone to know that she belonged to that man and that Jean was hers.
Generally, couple rings like this were always bought by the man. However, neither Lilia nor Jean were the type to care for such traditions. As long as they loved each other, it didn't matter who bought the ring. For Lilia, the attention and affection Jean gave her was more than enough.
"Jean, this ..." Lilia started to speak, "I want you to know that this marriage is no longer a contract marriage."
Jean looked at Lilia and waited for the woman to continue her words patiently.
"I ... don't regret marrying you." Lilia continued with a serious face, "I just wanted to let you know that my marriage to you was my own decision. Even though our marriage was started by force, I still chose to marry you. That's why…"
Lilia's voice faded as she lowered her head. She was embarrassed by her words which sounded like lines from a soap opera on television.
A soft smile spread across Jean's face when he saw Lilia's adorable reaction.
Lilia noticed Jean's smile and hurriedly stretched out her left hand, "Anyway, I married you of my own accord! So if you also agree with our marriage, put the ring on my finger!" She urged with a flushed face.
Jean chuckled, "Very well, Mrs. Widjaya." He replied, smiling ignorantly
Jean paired the ring with great care. After confirming that the ring fit snugly on Lilia's ring finger, the man grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her hand.
Lilia tried to pull her hand away, but Jean's grip felt as strong as iron. The man put his left hand beside Lilia's left. The sight of their two matching diamond rings filled Jean's heart with joy.
He kissed Lilia's smooth hand one more time before saying, "If you have time, go to ABC Bank."
Lilia looked at Jean in confusion and tilted her head, "Going to the bank? What do I need to do there?"
The only thing that occurred to Lilia was the dowry given by the Widjaya Family. Jean once told her that the entire dowry was deposited in a bank, inside an account in Lilia's name. Did that man want to show her something?
But Lilia remembered that tomorrow she had to go to Jakarta.
"Do you mind if I visit the bank after I get back from Jakarta? My flight tomorrow leaves at 8 am, so I won't have time to go to the bank." Lilia said.
"Of course, it doesn't matter. No need to rush." Jean replied while letting go of Lilia's hand.
But Jean didn't intend to let Lilia go away after receiving such a beautiful gift. He then wrapped his arms around Lilia's waist and pulled her into his arms. Jean stroked his wife's hair while kissing Lilia's cheek gently.
"Tell me, who gave you my childhood pictures?" Jean whispered while continuing to shower Lilia with kisses.
"Ah? Um ..." Lilia couldn't think straight amidst Jean's constant attacks, "Bro ... Brother Chris gave it to me."
Jean made a mental note to 'discuss' the matter with Chris when he had the opportunity. If Chris knew what Jean had in mind, the man would have disappeared for a while to avoid him.
"Don't you ... don't like it?" Lilia asked while looking at Jean worriedly.
Jean immediately neutralized his expression and shook his head. He couldn't possibly hate the gift that Lilia had painstakingly prepared for the past few days.
"It's not like that." Jean replied calmly, "What I want to say is ..."
The man brought his face closer and whispered in Lilia's ear.
"My dear, our first meeting wasn't at the end of August.. But long before that. "
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