Samuel sighed again as the atmosphere in the dining room turned stiff. He intended to talk about the incident that Merry caused this time, but Sasha's presence would only make things more complicated.
Even so, Samuel could not refuse his sister's request to join in. If it weren't for Sasha, he wouldn't have known that his daughter had run away from college. Upon investigation, Samuel discovered that Merry had deliberately asked her destined university to delay processing her data. As such, Merry's name was never registered as a student there and she was free to leave.
Even worse, Merry decided to escape into the entertainment world and become an artist's assistant. Samuel did not know whether his daughter was too reckless or stupid. The only thing that made Samuel relieved was Merry worked for Lilia as an assistant. If she had been an assistant to another artist, the treatment she would receive would have been even worse.
When Sasha entered the dining room, she didn't seem surprised by Lilia and Jean's presence there. Her gaze swept across the two of them and lasted a moment longer on Jean.
"Shouldn't you be in Jakarta? When did you come back here?" Samuel held his cigar and glared at his younger sister.
Sasha sat on one of the empty chairs and laughed, "As soon as I arrived in Surabaya, I immediately came back here. Isn't it natural for me to worry about my tomboyish niece?" She calmly replied.
Sasha's words only drew out an icy glare from Samuel.
As the head of the Hiroshi Family, Samuel always presented himself as a figure of great authority in front of others. His only exception was Merry. Only in front of his beloved daughter did Samuel become a caring father figure.
The man ignored Sasha and turned his attention to his daughter, "Merry, do you know your mistake?" He asked coldly.
Hearing that, everyone's gaze fell on Merry. Samuel may have spoiled his daughter, but he never compromised on his principles.
Merry lowered her head and nodded slightly, "I know I've made a mistake, Papa..."
Only Merry herself knew whether she really regretted what she did or not. But the young woman's apologetic attitude was enough to please her father.
Samuel nodded and said, "I've sent someone to enroll you back at the American University. Until the registration process is complete, you will remain at home. You're not allowed to go anywhere!"
Hearing that, Merry immediately looked up, "Papa, do I have to go to college? I know all the classes and my tutor has taught me a long time ago. I don't need to study anymore..."
Merry didn't like studying or school! She preferred to work for Lilia as her personal assistant.
Samuel looked at Merry in surprise, "Do you want to make me angry?" He asked sharply.
Merry shrank in her chair. She had never seen her father this angry! Did this mean her father didn't love her anymore? Did he not think of Merry as his daughter anymore?
At that moment, Jean broke his silence and finally opened his mouth, "Merry, don't make things difficult for yourself." He said in a low voice.
The young woman straightened her back and posture. She had learned to fear Jean since she was a child. To her, Jean's words were the same as the commandment of a king.
"Brother Samuel, you don't need to be angry." This time Sasha spoke up. She spoke calmly, "After all, Merry is young and doesn't have much experience. Maybe she was persuaded to run away from college this time. But in the end, she has already returned home and admitted her mistake, so don't be too harsh on her."
After saying that, Sasha purposely gave Lilia a meaningful gaze. The model caught Sasha's point at once. Oh, so that woman accused her of tricking Merry out of college and working for her?
The two women's gazes met in the air. One pair of eyes flashed with provocation, while the other pair was filled with serenity.
Lilia chuckled and supported her chin with one hand, "I agree that Merry is young and doesn't have much experience with the outside world. But why are you staring at me when you say Merry might be persuaded to run away? Are you accusing me of tricking her?"
Speaking subtly wasn't Lilia's style. She preferred to say exactly what she wanted straightforward.
Sasha frowned and looked away, "I didn't mean it." She exclaimed, "Miss Lilia, please don't get me wrong."
"Isn't it true? I thought Miss Sasha accused me of being the culprit." Lilia answered with a big smile.
The woman's eyes flared with zeal and stubbornness. She wouldn't let Sasha use Merry to bring her down. Lilia was sure that she couldn't lose to a woman who didn't dare confront her face to face.
Samuel massaged his forehead when he heard the argument, "Alright Sasha, shut up!" His order was harsh. He didn't know what his sister wanted to do, but it couldn't be anything good. With the current situation in chaos, he didn't need Sasha to add to his troubles.
Sasha shuffled away when she saw her brother's stern gaze. She bit her lip and lowered her head.
But the sight made Merry want to applaud. Someone finally scolded Sasha! In this way, perhaps she would humble herself and drop her arrogance. Merry then?leaned towards Reina.
"Who told her to find trouble with Sis Lilia! Now she's hit with her own rock!" Merry whispered with satisfaction to her mother.
Sasha shot a poisonous gaze towards Merry, who immediately hid behind Reina. However, that woman could do anything to Merry in front of her brother.
After a short silence, Samuel glared at Merry. But he also frowned and said, "Merry, if you really wanted to be your aunt's assistant, Papa wouldn't stop you."
Those words made Merry's eyes sparkle again.
"But before that, you have to finish your studies first. It doesn't matter whether you can learn something from studies or not, you have to get a diploma first. Do you understand?" Samuel asked firmly.
There was absolutely no room for Merry to negotiate. The young woman was happy that she managed to escape from college for half a year, but in the end she couldn't escape from studying abroad.
"…Okay. Papa, I want to talk to both Auntie Lilia… " Merry asked after accepting the condition. She wore a pleading expression as she looked closely at her father.
Samuel turned his gaze to Lilia, who smiled and nodded. Only then did the man give Merry permission to speak to her.
As everyone left the dining room, Samuel stopped in front of Lilia.
"Lilia, please help me to convince Merry." He said with a bitter expression.
The model nodded, "Don't worry, I'll discuss this carefully with Merry." She promised.
Samuel glanced at Merry with a worried look once again, but his daughter didn't notice. Finally, the man came out of the dining room. Samuel puffed on his cigar and exhaled the smoke as he thought.
He knew that his beloved daughter was very stubborn. Merry had shut him out after their argument and even refused to study abroad. Samuel had used various means he knew of, but all failed.
But when Jean and Lilia came to visit, Merry immediately accepted the arrangement from him without a fight. That fact left a bitter taste in Samuel's heart. He was Merry's father, but his daughter didn't listen to him at all. Even worse, he didn't even have a place in Merry's heart.
Samuel sighed sadly. Where did that little girl who always smiled sweetly at him have gone to?
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