Hearing the anger in Jean's voice, Lilia automatically shuffled away. She knew how overprotective he was, so she didn't want Jean to hear about her rivalry with Shirley.
"Why do you say that?" Lilia asked, trying to sound innocent.
Jean showed two photos containing screenshots of the conversation between Shirley and her assistant that had rocked the internet.
Lilia read the contents of their conversation and the corner of her mouth lifted into a cold smile. So her guess was right— Shirley had her soaking wet on purpose while filming the other day.
"So she was the one who did it?" Jean's sharp question broke Lilia's mind.
Lilia took her cellphone back and nodded. She really couldn't hide anything from this man, "But I'll handle it myself." She replied quickly, "So you don't have to worry."
Jean stared at her for a moment with an unreadable expression. Then he finally took a deep breath and said, "… Alright. But if you need help, I'm here for you."
Lilia smiled broadly and hugged Jean's arm, "Then, can I ask you something?"
"What?" The sharpness in Jean's voice faded and he returned back to soft as ever.
"Just say there is someone you haven't met before, but they immediately tried to bring you down and humiliate you after your first meeting. Why do you think they're acting like that?" Asked Lilia.
She couldn't understand Shirley's motive at all even though they had been shooting together for a week. Why was the actress trying so hard to knock her out?
Jean smiled faintly and stroked the woman's head, "Three possibilities." He began to explain his answer, "Your conflict of interest, feelings, or character just doesn't match."
Lilia looked at Jean in surprise. She started to think seriously about the man's words.
She and Shirley had no conflict of interest. Why would the actress feel threatened by a model? They had their respective fields and Lilia was not interested in getting into the movie industry.
Meanwhile, there was a possibility that her and Shirley's personalities simply didn't match. However Lilia didn't feel that way towards Shirley. If the actress was neutral, Lilia wouldn't have a problem with her either.
Then, there was only one possibility why Shirley hated her.
Lilia's gaze returned to the handsome and perfect face of the fourth son of the Widjaya Family. She remembered that Shirley had also attended the Genesis Company celebration party. The woman was wearing a luxurious and striking dress, like a queen. Could it be that Shirley was trying to get someone's attention at the party?
Lilia leaned over and started poking Jean's cheek with her index finger, "Jean, you know Shirley Pierre, right?" She asked without stopping her ignorance.
Lilia's eyes never left Jean's face, as if trying to catch the moment when the man's expression changed.
Jean grabbed Lilia's wrist to make her stop. His eyes looked icy cold as he replied, "When the Genesis Company held the opening party of Lake Bay Housing, the public relations department invited her to attend."
Lilia raised her eyebrows with a menacing expression, which made Jean's cold expression melt away.
The man chuckled and continued, "That woman and the Widjaya Family have had a cooperative relationship for the past few years."
Lilia finally understood where Shirley's hatred had come from. When the actress appeared at the Genesis Company party, she had just won the title of film queen in Berlin. Shirley came with great pride, but Jean instead came with another woman people barely knew of. Even worse, she was forced to see Jean showing off his closeness to her.
"So Shirley likes you?" Lilia immediately guessed straight away.
Jean just stared at his wife without saying anything. His eyes studied Lilia's expression warily, but it just told Lilia the answer to her question.
Lilia took a deep breath and pulled away from Jean, "No wonder Shirley made it difficult for me in the first place. It's all because he likes you." She said coldly as she shifted away.
Jean immediately grabbed his wife's arm, "Lilia, are you mad at me?" The man asked with a pitiful look.
"Of course not." Lilia answered, but her stiff smile and anger in her eyes were the opposite of her words, "I just feel annoyed that you never told me about this."
Jean frowned, "Why do I have to tell you about someone I really don't like?" He argued, "I'm only interested in one person, and that is you. I don't care what Shirley thinks— I'll never choose her. So you don't have to feel threatened." Jean said in a serious tone.
Lilia couldn't hold back any longer and laughed out loud. Her anger vanished, replaced by an amused expression. She hugged Jean back, saying, "I know. I just want to hear you say it."
Jean lowered his head and kissed her soft lips, "So that you never doubt my love again, I will prove it to you." He whispered.
Lilia took a moment to process Jean's words. Then her face immediately turned red as a tomato.
"Jean, wait, I was just kidding! I'm not angry, so…!"
Before Lilia could end her words, Jean had pounced on her like a beast. The man didn't let her go until Lilia confessed her love and trust in Jean many times.
*****
Meanwhile, Merry was seen throwing herself on the sofa. She stared at the screen of her cell phone, frowning. Because of Jean's arrival, Merry did not dare to return to the room she shared with Lilia. She decided to text Lilia so that the model wouldn't worry about her.
"Sis Lilia, I won't be returning to the hotel today, so you can enjoy being alone with President Jean! But please remember that there is still shooting tomorrow! Don't let yourself get tired!" The message was accompanied by an abundance of heart stickers.
When Lilia read the message, she covered her red face with both hands. Where did her assistant learn such things from?!
Merry had no other choice but to depend on Chris as she had lost her place to sleep tonight. Harold had returned to Surabaya and he didn't have enough money to rent a room in such a luxurious hotel like this. This made Merry hide in the royal suite booked by Chris in the meantime.
Meanwhile, the owner of the room was feeling frustrated. Tomorrow was the last of three days off, which meant Chris must return to Surabaya immediately. He didn't have an assistant who could handle his job like Jean.
Chris sighed and smelled the distinctive smell of instant noodles. The man got up from his bed, then threw his cellphone on the bed before going to the mini bar in the room. Chris had just finished showering, so he was still wearing a bathrobe with the belt loosely tied to his waist.
The man poured himself a glass of red wine. He turned to head towards the living room, but he stopped moving as if he had thought of something. Chris returned to the mini bar and grabbed a can of coke before going into the living room.
The sight Chris saw as he entered the living room filled his chest with warmth. Merry was sitting on the sofa enjoying a bowl of instant noodles. The young woman blew her noodles with a serious look. The sight made Chris smile. Merry's adorable behavior could always cheer him up.
Chris opened the soda can he was carrying before placing it in front of Merry, "Eat slowly, no one will steal your food here." He said as he watched the woman gobble up her noodles at high speed.
Merry heard him and tried to slow down her eating speed, but the woman still ate like someone who hadn't been eating for days.
"Didn't the film crew over there give you lunch?" Chris asked, frowning.
Merry put down the plastic fork and reached for the soda can Chris had put down earlier. She drank it greedily before finally answering, "I got lunch. I also ate a lot in the square earlier! Maybe I was a little tired after walking a lot, so now I'm hungry again."
Chris watched the young woman eat her food again. Then he realized something strange about Merry's answer, "Wait a minute. You went to the square this afternoon?"
Merry nodded, "Ms. Lilia finished shooting earlier, around three o'clock in the afternoon. We actually intend to walk around here looking for food! But then Brother Jean appeared and I immediately ran away!" She explained.
Chris gripped his wine glass tightly, 'So that's why you ran to me?'
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel