Jean ended the call reluctantly. He put his cell phone on the table before picking up the spoon again.
His eldest brother, James, kept staring closely at his younger brother. No matter how many times he saw him, James still couldn't believe that Jean could be so gentle with other people. James vowed that if the day came when Jean treated his elder brother as good as he treated Lilia, James would visit his parents' grave and burn as much incense as possible.
Irene saw James's strange expression and hid her laughter. She said to Jean, "Jean, if you don't have time to accompany Lilia while she's shooting in Jakarta, you'd better send more bodyguards to look after her."
Jean always respected his sister-in-law's opinion. He nodded and replied, "Sister Irene need not worry. I have arranged for Clifford to accompany her in Jakarta."
As soon as Jean said that, James immediately hit the table. The head of the Widjaya Family glared angrily at his younger brother, "What did you say?! Why did you send Clifford?!" James scolded, "He is the head of a security team specially trained to protect you! How could you send him...!"
"I know." Jean cut his sentence in icy cold tone, "That's why I sent him."
"You are really...!" James was so angry that he was at a loss for words. Why was Jean always being so overprotective when it came to that woman?!
Irene stroked her husband's back saying, "James, don't get angry too easily. Jean is an adult, he can make her own decisions. After all, Lilia went to Jakarta alone to shoot a movie. There's nothing wrong with sending Clifford to keep her safe while she's working there."
James snorted at Irene's words. His youngest brother always did his own way, without ever listening to other people's advice. The Widjaya family had bothered to train a special team of bodyguards to protect Jean, but the boy sent his strongest bodyguard so easily.
The more James thought about it, the more his irritation grew. The man frowned and said in a cold voice, "I'm not sure he made the right decision this time. It must be that woman who persuaded Jean to send Clifford!"
Jean and Irene both gave James a strange look, but the man didn't even notice them. The head of the Widjaya Family was too late in his own delusions.
"That woman must be using some cunning method to make Jean go along with everything she wants! I told you from the start that she is a cunning woman, right?! After all, is a woman that important that you have to send out your best bodyguard? What incidents might happen there?" James continued, he was clearly agitated by the matter.
The man waited for his brother's answer, but Jean didn't say anything. The fourth son of the Widjaya Family turned his gaze to Irene. The atmosphere in the dining room slowly changed, but James had not yet realized the danger posed by his words just now. He assumed that Jean looked away because he felt guilty.
'Finally he has enough consciousness to feel guilty!' James thought triumphantly, without realizing the true meaning behind Jean's silence.
Driven by feelings of pride, James continued to flaunt his dignified figure as an older brother, "Jean, you are too old to act like this. You must not be controlled by a woman. I know you just got married, that's why you ..."
Before James could finish his sentence, the woman next to him put down the spoon with a loud clunk. Only then did James feel that something was wrong. The man swallowed hard and slowly turned his head towards his wife.
Irene's smiling face usually gave James a feeling of peace, but this time the woman's pretty smile made him break out in a cold sweat. Moreover, Irene's eyes shot a sharp gaze towards him too.
Irene calmly said, "Since women aren't that important, you should just sleep in the guest room tonight. You don't want your rest to be bothered by insignificant things, right?"
Without waiting for James's answer, Irene got up from her chair and walked away.
James threw his spoon on the plate and sprang to his feet. He rushed after his wife pleading, "Ah, honey, that's not what I meant! Honey, please listen to me! Of course you are important to me! Dear…!"
The servants, who were waiting in the kitchen, chuckled at James's pleading voice. For them, incidents like this were normal. Though the man was the head of one of the richest conglomerate families in Indonesia, he could not do anything in front of his wife.
Meanwhile, Jean was left alone in the dining room. He put down the spoon and let out a deep breath. His eyes might have seen the delicious dish spread out in front of him, but Jean's mind was on the beautiful woman hundreds of kilometers away. Maybe he needed to seriously consider expanding his business to Jakarta.
*****
Five minutes before eight o'clock in the evening, Lilia left her room for a meeting in Louis's room. But she immediately regretted her timing, as she had met the person she didn't want to meet the most right now.
Lilia's footsteps stopped when she saw the actor nicknamed the king of the film coming from the other side of the hall. She closed her mouth tightly as the contents of the film script flashed through her mind. In this film, there were many scenes where Lilia would act with William. This was because Lilia played a side character who dedicated herself to the emperor, while William played a general who fell in love with her.
Lilia got goosebumps when she read those dim and exaggerated love scenes, but she could only accept the role. She believed that Louis, who wrote the script, knew what he was doing. After all, romance stories that involved multiple love triangles and were full of drama were really popular lately. Even though Lilia herself didn't like such stories, she still had to follow the audience's wishes.
The model ignored William and put her hand on Louis's doorknob.
"Lili."
But William was no less stubborn than Lilia. He still insisted on calling her by that nickname.
Lilia secretly let out a long sigh. From the start, Lilia had decided to be as professional as possible when dealing with William. The two of them were here because of the demands of work, not to reminisce about their past. If it weren't for work, Lilia wouldn't want to see that man's face again.
William walked over to Lilia, as if he didn't see the woman's uncomfortable expression. The man was wearing a casual looking T-shirt and pants, his hair was still half wet from the shower. If Jean was in William's position now, Lilia would have stared at the man's appearance without blinking. However, William's appearance did not move Lilia's heart at all.
"Your appearance in that costume looks really pretty." William praised her while showing off a sweet smile that could always melt her heart first.
William had thought that Lilia would at least blush or smile back at him, but his guess was off the mark. The woman just nodded stiffly before stepping into Louis's room.
The man stood there staring blankly at Louis's door, which was closed again. But a moment later, William recovered from his shock. Lilia's attitude was colder than he thought, but it didn't matter.
He was sure that over time, he would be able to melt Lilia's heart and get her back. After all, William was the man Lilia once loved! Only he knew all about her best— what she liked, what made her smile, everything!
William had absolutely no doubt that he would take back the heart of the woman he had dumped three years ago.
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