While Lilia and Adi were chatting, there was another sound of footsteps from the stairs. This time, a beautiful woman walked down the stairs. The woman was about 35 years old and wearing a Van brand kimono. Her graceful and dignified appearance made her look as if she had just emerged from a famous painting.
Adi turned his head and greeted her with great respect, "Mrs. Reina."
Lilia immediately understood the identity of this elegant looking woman. She was the wife of the head of the Hiroshi Family, Reina Hiroshi. The woman's blue eyes looked like the sky on a clear day and her long hair was the color of mahogany. Reina looked the opposite of Merry, who inherited her father's light brown eyes and was always full of passion.
Reina stopped in front of Lilia and smiled warmly, "Are you Lilia, Jean's wife?" Greeted the woman in the kimono. Her voice was so soft and melodious, it made her pleasant to hear.
Lilia smiled back, "Yes, I'm Lilia. Greetings, Sister Reina." She said politely. Since this woman was Samuel's wife, the title 'sister-in-law' suited her.
"The incident with Merry has troubled you so much that you have to come here." Reina touched her cheek with one hand and sighed, "I heard you were shooting in Jakarta, right? Will this visit delay your work?"
Reina was a native Japanese woman who had lived in Indonesia for several years. However, her habits as a Japanese were still visible in her speech and behavior. Reina always spoke softly and carefully so as not to offend her partner in conversation.
"Ah, my work was not delayed because of this visit." Lilia hurriedly reassured the woman, "It's not Merry's fault, so please don't be too harsh on her. I must apologize for keeping Merry away from her family all this time."
"Lilia, don't say that!" Reina took Lilia's hand and squeezed it gently, "This incident was not your fault at all. Merry has been a naughty girl since she was a child. She always gives her father and me headaches. We're lucky that Jean is here, so he can help sort this out. Do you know that Merry is only afraid of her uncle?" Reina said with a chuckle.
Lilia smiled and nodded. She remembered the incident when Jean lectured Tom all out for causing trouble with her best friend Vivi. She guessed that it was Jean who always punished his friends when they messed up. That's why Merry was so afraid of Jean that she always ran away whenever the man showed up.
"Since you're here already, how about I show you around?" Reina offered.
That woman had a pretty sharp intuition. When she saw Lilia alone there, she immediately guessed that Jean and Samuel were in the middle of a discussion. Although Reina looked like the wife of the perfect family head, she was actually just a chess piece used by Samuel. Her marriage to the man was not based on love, but to please Steve Hiroshi, Samuel's father and Merry's grandfather.
Samuel didn't love Reina at all.
That woman had accepted that fact and played her role as the perfect wife over the years. But Reina was actually very tired of pretending and hiding her feelings.
Reina herself knew that the woman her husband loved with all his heart was Merry's biological mother. That's why Samuel always tolerated Merry's mischief and didn't dare to punish her.
*****
Reina took Lilia around the mansion according to her offer earlier. After circling the house, Reina finally took Lilia to the garden. The two of them walked side by side while enjoying the gentle breeze. A comfortable silence enveloped them, until Reina finally spoke up.
"Merry has been with you for quite a long time, hasn't she? Has she ever given you trouble?" Reina asked while stopping at the edge of the fish pond.
The woman in the kimono turned to Lilia with a curious gaze. The passing wind made the hem of Reina's kimono flutter gently. The woman held her kimono with one hand while waiting for Lilia's answer.
"Absolutely not." The model stopped beside Reina and shook her head firmly. Then she casted her eyes on the pond filled with fat, colorful koi fish, "Merry is a dedicated and responsible assistant. She's been taking good care of me all this time."
Surprise crossed Reina's face. She immediately covered it with a crisp laugh, "This is the first time someone has said that Merry is responsible. Looks like she really likes you huh, to make her work that hard for you. "
Lilia looked back at Reina and smiled ambiguously. She didn't know how she should react to her words just now. The woman's attitude felt strange, but Lilia didn't know exactly what caused the feeling.
The suspicion in Lilia's mind grew stronger and stronger. Reina was only 35 this year, but Merry was already 20 years old. Was Merry really Reina's real daughter? Or...
The sound of footsteps interrupted Lilia's thoughts. The two women turned and found Adi approaching them.
"Mrs. Reina, Mrs. Lilia, Mr. Samuel summoned all of you to the dining room." Adi said.
"Thank you, we'll be there." Reina nodded. Then she turned to Lilia and said, "Let's go."
*****
When Lilia and Reina arrived at the dining room, the two men were already sitting on opposite sides of the table. Lilia thanked Reina for showing her around, then she took the chair next to Jean.
Lilia leaned towards Jean and whispered, "How was your conversation earlier?"
Before Jean could answer, the door to the dining room swung open. A figure of a petite woman stepped inside. The young woman was wearing a trendy and expensive dress, making her look like a young lady.
It took Lilia a while to recognize Merry. She didn't resemble the simple assistant Lilia remembered at all.
Merry looked around as soon as she stepped into the dining room. When her gaze fell on Lilia, she immediately called out, "Sis Lilia ...!"
"Merry! Why do you call her Sis?!?? Samuel immediately cut in, his face flushed with anger, "She is your aunt, right?!"
Samuel's anger was not over Merry's inappropriate call. Basically, that man was just jealous of Merry's concern for Lilia. His own daughter did not care about him, and instead happily called the woman who had kidnapped her for half a year!
Merry lowered her head and muttered, "Auntie Lilia ..."
"Hmph!" Samuel snorted before looking away. He still couldn't accept it because Merry didn't greet him when she entered.
Reina shook her head when she saw Samuel's childish attitude. Then, she waved to Merry, "Come and sit here, Merry." She softly called.
"Mama..." Merry hesitated for a moment.
She wanted to sit next to Lilia, but her father's anger would intensify if she did. Finally, Merry took a chair next to Reina so that Lilia would not be dragged further into this family conflict. The young woman glanced at Samuel with a worried look.
The incident this time made Samuel so angry that he locked her in a room. Merry didn't know if Jean and Lilia could help her to get away from this problem.
Tok. Tok.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the dining room door.
"What's wrong?" Samuel asked in an annoyed tone.
The butler walked in, "Excuse me, Master. Miss Sasha is here and wants to meet you. What should I do?" Adi explained.
Before Samuel could answer, Reina immediately frowned, "What else does she want now?" She asked sharply.
One of the causes of conflict between Samuel and Merry was a call from Sasha. The woman deliberately infuriated her brother with piercing words. Reina had never liked Sasha's ploys from the start.
Samuel sighed and waved his hand, "Let her in."
The atmosphere in the dining room turned stiff as those words escaped Samuel's mouth.
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