Two days later, Lilia discussed with Louis and got her permission to return to Surabaya for the weekend. Nearly all of her scenes inside the film studio had been completely shot. Thanks to her performance that was not inferior to veteran actors, Louis did not protest at all when Lilia asked for a leave. The director himself planned to give the film crew a day off this weekend.
Louis also explained that he would include all of Lilia's scenes in her shooting schedule next week. Even though Lilia's schedule got tighter than before, she accepted the arrangement without objection. She was already grateful that the director was willing to accommodate her needs.
To save time, Lilia flew back to Surabaya on Saturday morning. She used the private jet of the Widjaya Family that Jean rode when he followed Lilia to Jakarta.
The model sighed while letting her body sink into the soft chair. After experiencing the pleasure of boarding a private plane like this, Lilia wasn't sure if she could enjoy commercial flights again.
They had landed in Surabaya in just an hour and headed straight to the Hiroshi Family home.
Jean, leaning against the back of the car, looked away from the familiar city view. He glanced at the woman next to him, who was sitting perched on the edge of the chair. Lilia's hands continued to play with the buttons on her shirt without stopping, a habit she always did whenever she was agitated.
The man wrapped his arm around Lilia's shoulders and pulled her into his arms. Jean scolded himself for not realizing the uneasiness that was wracking Lilia earlier.
He said in a soothing voice, "You don't have to worry too much. Brother Samuel really loves Merry. He won't do anything."
Lilia let the man hug her. The warmth of Jean's body permeated her, helping her to calm down. The woman sighed and replied, "I've been trying to contact Merry for the past few days. But she didn't answer me at all. Do you think Brother Samuel punished her with a whip or didn't feed her?"
Jean glanced at Lilia with an amused look, "Did you watch too many television dramas? There's no way Brother Samuel would punish Merry that harshly. After all, she is still his own daughter." Jean replied.
Samuel loved Merry so much that he would not touch a single hair of his daughter. How could Samuel have the heart to give her such a harsh punishment?
"I-I see ..." Lilia lowered her head to avoid the man's gaze. She couldn't tell Jean that was the kind of punishment that Sylvia gave to her when she was a child.
Her mother never gave Lilia any attention or affection, but whenever she misbehaved or caused trouble, that woman punished her. Sylvia would whip her with Robert's belt so many times that Lilia could barely stand up, then lock her up in her room all day long without feeding her.
After Robert found out about the extreme punishment, Sylvia stopped whipping her. But she compensated for it by locking Lilia in the garden tool shed on the outside of the house. Growing up to such a horrible experience made Lilia do her best not to break Sylvia's rules.
"Lilia?" Jean called. He was worried because his wife had kept her head down without saying a word since earlier.
Lilia immediately looked up, "What's wrong?" She asked with an innocent expression
"Are you alright?" Jean looked at her searchingly.
The woman nodded, "I'm just worried about Merry. It's not that I don't believe you, but I've never met Brother Samuel." Obviously, Lilia was half lying.
She didn't want to reveal to Jean her terrible and wounded past. Even though she knew that man's attitude towards her wouldn't change even if he heard about it, Lilia just wanted to show her best side to Jean.
The man stared at his wife for a few moments, then hugged her even tighter without saying anything. Silence accompanied them for the rest of their journey.
*****
The Hiroshi Family's house was built in the middle of an elite residential area in the eastern Surabaya area. The European-style house was so large that it would be more accurate to describe it as a mansion.
A large fish pond with a glass-clear water surface laid in front of the house. An impressive garden extended from the entrance gate to the house. The trees and various plants that grew there were treated with great care by the gardeners.
But in Lilia's eyes, this entire mansion could be summed up in one word—wasteful!
If the Ricardo Family house in Yogyakarta was a historical house that gave off the impression of a rich culture, then the Hiroshi Family's house was built to show off their wealth.
The car followed the rocky road until it finally stopped in front of the steps leading to the house. The double doors of the house swung open and several people stepped out. The man leading the group of servants was Adi, the butler of the Hiroshi Family. The man will turn 50 at the end of this month.
"Young Master Jean! Welcome to the Hiroshi Family's home!" Said the middle aged man.
Adi received news this morning that the fourth son of the Widjaya Family would be visiting with his wife. He immediately ordered the servants to clean the entire house from top to bottom. The butler wanted to make the best of his impression on Jean, who had been friends with Sasha since childhood.
"Uncle Adi." Jean nodded at the butler. Beside him, Lilia also smiled and greeted Adi.
The middle-aged man laughed warmly and led them into the house. As he walked, he said, "I'm really relieved that Young Master finally came. Please help the grand master to persuade Miss Merry."
Hearing the mention of Merry's name, Lilia immediately pricked up her ears.
"In the past few days, both of them were angry at each other. They could neither eat nor sleep well. I'm also worried." Adi continued. The anxiety had added to the wrinkles on the man's face.
When they entered the house, Lilia's steps stopped for a moment. The floor was made of gleaming gold marble and the walls were covered with gold wallpaper. The luxurious atmosphere in the house overwhelmed Lilia.
She looked up at the giant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the vestibule. Behind her amazed gaze, Lilia wondered how the maids cleaned such a large lamp. Then, the sound of footsteps from the direction of the stairs caught her attention. Lilia shifted her gaze to the row of stairs located right beside the crystal chandelier.
"Oh, you have come!" Said a man who was holding a cigar. He leaned against the railing and looked down arrogantly, like a king greeting his people.
"Brother Samuel." Jean also looked up as he spoke to the head of the Hiroshi Family.
Samuel's gaze fell on Lilia's figure and his gaze turned sharp. He frowned as he watched the woman intently. Was this the artist who kidnapped his beloved daughter for half a year?
Lilia felt Samuel's sharp gaze and automatically took a step back. No wonder Sasha was so obedient to her brother. The man had a grim aura that was no less frightening than Jean.
Jean stepped forward in front of Lilia, as if protecting her from Samuel's gaze. The man took his wife's hand and squeezed it gently, reminding Lilia that she was not alone, "How about you come down and chat with us?" He asked calmly.
Samuel puffed on his cigar and exhaled first before finally answering, "Yes, yes, I'm going down now."
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