That night, while Lilia was focusing on shooting her film, a huge commotion broke out in the Hiroshi family in Surabaya.
Sasha immediately called her eldest brother and reported in the most sarcastic way that Merry did not go to college in America. Instead, the young woman remained in Indonesia and worked for other people. Sasha exaggerated the story and made Lilia sound like a kidnapper who forced Merry to work for her.
Hearing that, Samuel exploded in anger. He immediately ordered his subordinates to go to university in America and investigate what happened. The Head of the Hiroshi Family knew that Merry had been doing mischief since she was little, but Samuel did not think that the child would run away from college.
Samuel opened the Other application and looked for his chat with Merry. He felt confused because the child always sent him photos of her daily life on campus regularly. Seeing the photos made Samuel even more annoyed.
On the one hand, Samuel didn't want to believe that Merry would dare to lie to him. Still, he sent someone to investigate this suspicion.
That night, Samuel couldn't sleep at all. He continued to look at the photos Merry sent with a deep sigh. When would this child stop worrying him?
*****
At six in the morning the next day, Lilia finally finished filming. She dragged her heavy body into the car and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
Merry sat down next to the model and touched her arm gingerly. She wanted to wake Lilia up, then tell her everything that happened last night. But seeing that model's tired face made Merry stop her mind.
When the car arrived at the hotel, Jean was standing waiting at the lobby door, arms crossed.
As soon as Merry saw the figure of the man, she immediately took off her jacket and covered her head with it. Not only that, Merry was also curled up on the floor of the car, praying that Jean wouldn't see her.
But Merry's prayer was in vain.
When the car stopped, Jean immediately opened the back door. The man was wearing a plain black shirt that looked a little wrinkled, as if he hadn't slept at all all night. Jean got into the car and his gaze fell on Lilia's figure. The woman was fast asleep regardless of the commotion around her.
Jean covered Lilia in the coat he was carrying, then he lifted the woman into his arms. The man got out of the car without looking back.
Merry started to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard Jean's deep voice.
"Merry, get out of the car and come with me!"
Merry's body froze. Did Jean just call her name?!
Clifford also looked as surprised as Merry. He immediately turned to his boss. At the same time, Jean looked back at him. The man's eyes were cold as ice and made Clifford automatically grip the steering wheel tightly. Even though he was physically stronger, he couldn't win against Jean's aura at all!
"You too, Clifford!" Jean's order was stern and brief.
Jean's expression was as flat as ever, but both Clifford and Merry could feel the temperature inside the car drop dramatically.
Merry bit her lip and slowly took off her jacket. Even though she was still scared to death because of Jean, at least Clifford was by her side! Merry got out of the car and watched the figure of the man enter the lobby while hugging Lilia's body.
Merry's shoulders slumped as she let out a deep breath. It must be Sasha who told Jean about last night's incident! Otherwise, how could that man know about her being here!
Merry jogged into the hotel so as not to fall behind, with Clifford following behind her. The man prepared himself mentally for Jean's impending rampage. He didn't mind being scolded by Jean many times as long as he could help ease Merry's punishment later.
*****
Shooting all night, long completely drained her energy, emotion and mind. Lilia was fast asleep until one o'clock in the afternoon. When she finally woke up, the bedroom was so dark that Lilia felt disoriented. There was only a speck of sunlight escaping through the curtains.
She sat down on the bed and rubbed her eyes, which were still heavy. Lilia fumbled around her pillow, but she couldn't find her cell phone. So she got out of bed and headed straight to the living room.
Lilia walked slowly while trying to remember where she put her cellphone. She used to put her cell phone near her pillow when she slept. But after thinking about it carefully, Lilia realized that she must have fallen asleep in the car. So the cellphone was still in the bag.
When Lilia arrived in the living room, she saw Chris and Jean sitting on one of the sofas smoking. Clifford stood behind the sofa in the stout posture of a soldier on a dismissal. Then Lilia's gaze fell on the young woman sitting on the sofa opposite them.
Merry lowered her head and tried to shrink her body as small as possible. Her hands were folded on her lap, giving the impression of a child being scolded by her parents.
"What's going on here?" Lilia asked, confused. Without realizing it, she pulled the white nightgown she was wearing tighter. How many days had she fallen asleep? Why did she feel as if the world changed so much when she woke up?
The atmosphere in the living room was heavy, and the smell of cigarettes filled the air.
Lilia opened a nearby window before turning to Chris, who was smoking non-stop, "When did Brother Chris come to Jakarta?" She asked curiously.
Chris puffed out his cigarette before he answered curtly, "I just arrived."
"Do you sleep well?" This time, it was Jean who spoke up. He stubbed out his cigarette and tapped the sofa next to him.
Lilia walked over to Jean and sat next to him with natural movements. Her gaze turned towards the four people in the room.
"Okay, what's going on here? Why does Merry look so sluggish?" Asked Lilia again.
Lilia had never seen Merry with such a depressed face. She looked like a suspect being interrogated by the police.
Jean pulled Lilia closer before turning back to Clifford, "Have the hotel staff bring Lilia lunch." He ordered.
"Understood." Clifford turned and left the room. But his steps looked stiff, as if he had been standing for too long.
Merry straightened up as she watched Clifford leave. She opened her mouth to call the man, but closed it again. This time, Clifford was in trouble because of her, so she couldn't make things more difficult for him.
Merry's actions made Lilia even more confused. She nudged Jean and repeated her question for the umpteenth time, "Seriously, what's going on here?"
Even Chris, who didn't want to go near Jean if there was no need, was here too. Was there a serious problem?
Chris sighed and started talking, "Lilia, when you hired Merry, did you check the background?"
Hearing that, Merry jumped. She cast a pleading gaze at the man and whispered, "Brother Chris ..."
Lilia looked at Merry in surprise. The way the young woman called Chris sounded familiar, as if she had done it many times. But didn't they only meet for the first time during the Ricardos' birthday party?
Jean put his arm around Lilia's shoulder and rubbed her arm to calm her down. Then his gaze, as cold as the North Pole, turned to Merry, "Choose. You will say it yourself or ..."
Merry immediately raised her hand like a student at school, "Brother Jean, I-let me say it myself!" Her answer was hasty.
Lilia's brain was still trying to process this situation. As far as she could tell, Merry and Jean had never met in person. Jean might know about Merry, but why did Merry call him 'brother' naturally?
Hearing Jean's threatening tone made Chris frown. He protested, "Can't you say it more gently? You scared her!"
This time, both Lilia and Jean looked at Chris in surprise thinking, 'Since when have you become so protective of Merry?'
Then Lilia turned her gaze back to her assistant, "Merry, can you tell me what's going on?" She asked softly.
Lilia felt like there was something she didn't know but everyone did, and she didn't like the feeling. The model didn't know Merry's true identity, because she trusted Harold's choice.
Merry looked up and opened her mouth, but a second later she fell silent again. She only found out that it was this hard to explain when your lie was finally exposed!
Plus, feelings of anxiety and fear began to eat her heart away. Would Lilia misunderstand Merry if she found out the truth? Would Lilia hate her for lying all this time? What if her idol refused to see her again after this?
Merry continued to open and close her mouth without being able to say a word.
Seeing that, Chris's patience ran out.. He clicked his tongue and stuck his cigarette butt in the ashtray, "Let me tell you who Merry really is." He said, folding his legs, "She is Merry Hiroshi, the beloved daughter of the Hiroshi Family in Surabaya, and Sasha's niece!"
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