Chris heard Jean's words and laughed sarcastically, "Huh? Why do you think I have to explain Merry's situation to Samuel?" He asked in surprise.
Merry worked as Lilia's assistant, so it should be Jean who needed to explain it to Samuel. At least, that's what Chris thought.
But that thought was easily overpowered by a single sentence from Jean.
"Because you are her brother." Jean answered calmly, as if that was enough to explain everything.
"Are you kidding?" Chris raised his eyebrows and smiled as if Jean said it was funny, "The same goes for you. Aren't you Merry's brother who watched her grow up all this time?"
"I am married." Jean replied briefly.
Those three simple words seemed to pierce Chris's heart and made his smile disappear. The man was now looking worriedly at Jean. Did his friend know about his feelings?
Jean met Chris's gaze with his usual flat expression. He might not have cared much about the fate of the young woman, but Chris was different. Jean knew that this man in front of him could not let Merry face her punishment alone.
Chris took a deep breath before grabbing his coffee glass. He drank the coffee in one gulp, then put the empty glass back down. Only then did then he have the courage to ask, "How did you know?"
The man didn't explain what he meant by what he had just said, but Chris was sure that Jean would understand. Not only Jean, but even Clifford could understand what Chris was saying.
Jean's chief bodyguard quietly clenched his fists under the table. Even though his hands were clenched tightly, he still felt as if the thing that was most precious to him was slipping away from between his fingers. Clifford did not think that the Hartanto family's second grandson would finally confess his feelings for Merry.
Jean didn't answer Chris's question, but he could guess how Jean knew it. As the saying from the land of the bamboo curtain said, there were only two things that could not be hidden in this world—coughing and love!
Chris was sure that he had been carefully hiding his feelings. But in the end, he realized that it was just an illusion. Everyone could see clearly that Chris was in love with Merry— all but Merry herself!
*****
After Merry's true identity had been revealed, Lilia's life was turned upside down. But in reality, nothing had changed from their routine.
When Lilia was busy shooting every day, Merry was always by her side, chattering cheerfully. The young woman had become more open since Lilia found out about her family. The days were so calm that Lilia suspected that their conversation at the hotel had never happened.
But the day Merry feared finally arrived.
Two days later, Jean left the hotel at the same time as Lilia. All this time, that man had always stayed at the hotel while Lilia was away for filming. But today was the day when Genesis Company officially developed their business in Jakarta. Jean must be present for the event.
Meanwhile, Lilia's filming schedule was getting busier. Sometimes, she even slept three to four hours a day. Lilia felt endless admiration for the people who chose to become actors. She also applauded the film crew who fought tooth and nail behind the scenes to make things go smoothly.
That morning, when Lilia and Merry's car arrived at the film studio, they saw a group of black cars parked in front of the building. Merry's body immediately turned stiff as soon as she saw the row of cars. Her face looked deathly pale as she turned her head towards Lilia. Merry knew that her time was up.
The number plates beginning with the letter 'L' on the row of the car show who owned it. The Hiroshi family had come to their place.
Clifford also saw a row of cars neatly lined up outside the studio building. The man gripped the steering wheel tighter and turned toward Merry. Clifford looked as if he was going to say something to the young woman, but he ended up closing his mouth tight.
Clifford almost offered Merry to take the woman away from here, but he knew that it would only make things worse. No one could stop the Hiroshi Family from bringing Merry back. Neither Jean nor Chris was here.
Two days ago, Chris returned to Surabaya. The man said that he would go to the head of the Hiroshi Family and talk about Merry, but it seemed that Chris's efforts had failed miserably.
Merry took a deep breath, then changed her sitting position so that she was facing Lilia directly.
"Sister Lilia, I don't want to get you into any further trouble, so I'll go home with them. I really enjoyed our time together." Merry said, forcing a big smile.
Lilia nodded and held Merry's hand, "I also enjoyed our time together for half this year. You are the best assistant I've ever had, Merry." She said with a serious look.
"And Sis Lilia is the best model for me! I feel lucky to be working for you! If I could ... I ... don't want to be separated from you...but..."
At the end of her sentence, Merry's tears fell and rolled down her cheeks. She wiped her wet face with her sleeve. Clifford held out a tissue to her and it made Merry's tears flow even harder.
"...But I ... sob ... really ... don't want to be separated ... sob ... from you!" Merry said between her sobs, "I still want to… sob… accompany Ms. Lilia… until your shooting is over… and… onwards!"
Lilia's eyes felt hot and she hugged Merry tightly. She didn't care if the young woman's tears ran down her clothes. Lilia only hoped that she could do something to repay Merry's loyalty who stuck by her side for half a year.
But no matter how hard Lilia racked her brain, she couldn't change this situation. As she released Merry from her embrace, Lilia felt very helpless. All she could do was watch her assistant get out of the car and surrounded by the personal bodyguards of the Hiroshi Family.
Merry followed the men in black uniforms without a fight. She knew very well that even if she tried to escape, the Hiroshi Family's bodyguards would catch her easily. Before getting into the car, Merry turned to Lilia's car one last time.
The model stood beside the car, her gaze was fixed on Merry's figure. Lilia's expression was filled with sadness and regret, which made Merry feel even more guilty. She waved at Lilia and said, "Goodbye," without a sound.
Lilia clenched her fists as Merry's tiny body disappeared into one of the black cars. In just an instant, the impressive array of cars had sped away.
As Lilia walked into the studio, she had to remind herself over and over that this incident was a private matter for the Hiroshi Family. As an outsider, Lilia had no right to interfere. Merry had made up her own mind, so she too must suffer the consequences.
But Lilia couldn't stand still. She pulled out her cell phone and called Jean. Lilia might not be able to set foot into the Hiroshi Family's mansion, but Jean sure could!
Lilia briefly explained the current situation to Jean, then immediately hung up the phone when finished. She could hear a crowd on the other end of the line and she didn't want to bother Jean for too long.
The model arrived at the door of the dressing room. She reached into the backpack Merry always carried and found the key to the room. Lilia opened the changing room door, but her legs refused to move.
The silence in the room sounded very loud and made Lilia's heart prickle. She was so used to Merry's nagging, that when the young woman suddenly disappeared, the world seemed to have lost its voice.
Lilia couldn't take it anymore and sent a message to Chris.
[Lilia]: "Brother Chris, Merry was taken away by the Hiroshi Family."
Less than a minute later, Chris replied to her message.
[Chris]: "Don't worry, I'm currently at the Hiroshi Family's house."
Reading the message gave Lilia some calm. Jean once said that Chris would definitely protect Merry, so right now she could only trust him. Then Lilia sent another message to Harold.
Her manager immediately sent two new assistants to Jakarta to replace Merry. Harold didn't know about the identity of Lilia's former assistant and Lilia herself had no intention of telling him. The model only said that Merry had to return to Surabaya for family matters. However, Lilia did not explain when the young woman would return.
Lilia was determined to go visit Merry in Surabaya as soon as she had free time.
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