The weather in the suburbs of Jakarta was surprisingly cooler compared to the hot weather in Surabaya. A gentle breeze blew in through the open window, making the room feel comfortable.
"Sis Lilia, are you hungry?" Merry asked her while enjoying the soft sofa in the room. She stroked her growling stomach while looking at Lilia with a pleading look.
Lilia glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that it was past lunch time.
Lilia and Merry then just put their belongings in the room without unpacking them. After that, the two of them immediately descended via the elevator and headed for the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel. There were still a lot of guests having lunch, but luckily they had no trouble finding seats.
The restaurant service was also good. Less than five minutes of waiting, a waiter was already approaching them.
The waiter kindly greeted Lilia and Merry, then handed them two menu books. When Lilia was about to take her menu, the waitress immediately gasped in surprise.
"Hmm, sorry..." Lilia said carefully, "Is there a problem ...?" Her hand was still outstretched to grab the menu from the waitress.
"Oh n-no, nothing. Forgive me." The waitress replied. She then hurriedly handed the menu book to Lilia. For a moment, the woman held herself from speaking, but in the end she couldn't take it anymore, "Um, um, excuse me ... I beg your pardon for asking ... But you are Miss Lilia Pangestu, right?"
"That's right…" Lilia said as she nodded, her expression still worried.
"So it's true you appeared at Milan Fashion Week back in the day?!" The waitress asked with joy.
"Ah…" Lilia finally understood why the maid had this reaction. It turned out that the woman also watched Milan Fashion Week, "Right, that's me."
"Um ... um ... i-if it's not a bother ... C-can I have your autograph?!" The waitress said excitedly.
Lilia chuckled at that. She often received similar requests from her fans, "Of course."
Lilia gave her autographs and even took a group photo before the maid finally left. Fortunately, none of the other servants also asked to shake hands with Lilia, so they could order their food in peace. Lilia and Merry both ordered meat steaks and juice.
While waiting for their order to arrive, Lilia took out her cell phone and called Jean. In just one ring, the man had picked up the phone.
"Have you arrived at the hotel?" Jean's heavy, magnetic voice sounded like music to Lilia's ears. Even though she had just met this man this morning, she was already starting to miss Jean.
Lilia chuckled and replied, "How can you always know where I am? You're right, I just arrived at the hotel." Her hand rubbed the carvings on the table as she continued, "I will attend a meeting with other actors later in the afternoon."
On the other end of the phone, Jean heard a stiffness in Lilia's voice. He asked, "Are you nervous?"
Lilia paused for a moment at Jean's targeted question.
"I…" Lilia said hesitantly.
Before she could say anything, the maid came to the table with the drinks they ordered.
Lilia closed her mouth tightly. She didn't want to discuss her feelings in a crowded place like this. The woman then looked around the restaurant, and found her gaze fixed on the terrace outside.
There were only a few tables and chairs on the terrace facing the garden. Not a single guest wanted to eat lunch on the hot terrace, so the place was empty.
Lilia got up from her chair and went out onto the terrace. After making sure no one could hear her, then Lilia answered, "I'm not nervous. It's just… this is the first time I'm taking part in a film shoot."
Her hand walked along the old wooden porch railing as she continued to talk.
"I never studied acting, so I was a little worried about whether I could act well."
Even though Lilia seemed to maintain her confidence every time she made an appearance, she actually doubted her acting skills. Could she really stand side by side with the actors and actresses who had been in the movie industry for years?
Plus, Lilia joined the shoot without being auditioned first. She was afraid that she would disappoint Louis who had high expectations for her.
Without realizing it, Lilia let out a long sigh. She looked towards the hotel garden which was filled with shady and well-maintained trees, but for now, Lilia couldn't appreciate the beauty of that sight. She felt as if the ground under her feet were shaky and she could fall over at any time.
"Don't mind it." Instantly, Jean's soft but deep voice pulled Lilia away from all her negative feelings, "No need to worry."
Hearing that man's words, Lilia suddenly felt as if she could breathe again.
"You just need to focus on doing what you need to do." Jean said calmly.
The footing under Lilia's feet turned solid again, and the world around her became clearer.
"The director must have a reason to choose you. So he must be sure that you can act well." Jean continued calmly, his voice sounded soft and encouraging.
Lilia couldn't help but laugh out of her mouth, "Then how about you?" She asked.
"Hm?"
"Then what do you think?" Lilia repeated while trying to sound light and relaxed, "Do you think I can do it too?" But her voice trembled expectantly.
Even though Jean had convinced her that Louis believed her, Lilia wanted to hear the man's answer. She felt that Jean's positive response would give her even more confidence.
For a moment, Jean didn't say anything. Then, just as Lilia was about to retract her words, she heard the man chuckle.
"Of course, my wife can do anything!" He said confidently, as if that was the only answer.
Of all things she thought an arrogant man like him most likely would say, Lilia didn't expect that she would receive such an answer. A sense of joy and happiness engulfed her, as if Jean was hugging her from behind.
Lilia could only squat down while covering her mouth, while her face turned bright red. Luckily, she had chosen a quiet place.
"Hello…?" Jean asked. Now his voice sounded a little confused, "Hello? Lilia? Are you still there?"
"Y-Yes!" Lilia answered as she jumped to her feet as if she had just been caught by reporters.
The couple exchanged a few more words, then ended their conversation. Lilia returned to the restaurant trying to look as calm and elegant as ever.
But when she returned to her seat with Merry, her assistant looked at her with concern, "Sis, your face is so red." She said with wide eyes, "Are you okay?"
"Yes… I'm fine. You don't need to worry." Lilia frantically waved her hand.
Merry continued to stare at Lilia closely, but she didn't ask anymore.
*****
Around 4 pm, Lilia got out of the car driven by Indra. She stared at the large film studio building. It seemed that they deliberately chose this studio because it had shooting equipment that matched the theme of the film which was about a love story in the kingdom era.
The interior of the building was very large and divided into many different sections. Fortunately, Indra was kind enough to escort Lilia to the meeting room. Lilia felt that if she had to find her own way inside the building, she would get lost and couldn't find a way out.
When they arrived at the meeting room, Lilia saw Louis in the next room. The director was smoking while being surrounded by seven to eight staff members. The staff were busy recording everything Louis said while discussing the filming location later.
"Mr. Louis." Lilia said as she approached them. She smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't leave yesterday. I hope I don't delay the shooting process."
Louis exhaled his cigarette smoke before grinning, "No problem. The important thing is you are here now. We will only start shooting at the end of this week. We spent these two days helping the cast get to know each other."
The director was walking while talking, so Lilia had to follow the man. They entered another room located across from the meeting room. It was the location where the film's early scenes were shot.
The room was meant to be the bedroom of a noble lady. A square table filled with carvings stood in the middle of the room. In the corner of the room was an ancient giant bed that was used by members of the ancient kingdom. There was also a dressing table furnished with a large brass mirror.
"Please sit." Louis waved at the table in the middle of the room.
Lilia looked back at Louis hesitantly, "Um ... doesn't this include equipment for filming ...?"
"No problem, later the cast will also sit around this table." Louis replied relaxed while sitting in one of the available chairs.
Hearing that, Lilia finally sat down. Louis handed the script to Lilia from across the table.
"This is the complete version of the script the day I sent it to you. I've marked your parts. Read it first and feel free to ask if there is something you don't understand." Louis explained.
"Alright." Lilia nodded, "Ah, how about the other actors? Have they come?"
"The other cast members were walking around in the backyard. I'm sure they'll be back here soon." Louis answered, smoking again.
Lilia started reading the script with a serious face.. She had only flipped through the second page when noisy footsteps were heard from outside the room.
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