Merry was finally able to show her true heart when there was nobody beside her and Lilia that remained in the dining room.
"Sis Lilia ...!" Merry rushed to the woman and hugged her tightly, "I really don't want to leave you! You've just started acting and your career as a model is also taking off! I… I want to accompany you to the end…!" She said in a trembling voice.
Lilia hugged back the young woman's tiny body. She stroked Merry's back as she said in a soothing tone, "I also don't want to be apart from you, Merry. For me, no one can replace your position as my assistant."
"In that case…!" Merry looked up hopefully.
"But…" Lilia continued in a stern tone, "Your studies remain top priority. Your dad is right, you need to at least have a diploma to be successful. You can't be my assistant forever. There will be times when I retire from entertainment. When that time comes, your career options will be easier to get if you have a diploma."
Merry clenched her mouth so she wouldn't cry. Hearing Lilia talk about retirement saddened her, but it was a reality she had to face.
"Do you understand, Merry?" Lilia asked while looking closely at the young woman's eyes.
"...Yes." Merry nodded reluctantly.
"Very nice. I know you can definitely finish your studies. When you graduate and want to return to work as my assistant, I will happily accept you." Lilia smiled warmly.
"Sis ..." Samuel's little princess pulled away and tried to say something. But a moment later, she closed her mouth again. Merry's expression was full of conflict.
"What's wrong? What do you want to tell me, Merry?" Lilia tried to lure her into talking.
Merry hesitated for a moment, then she finally asked, "Sis, do you know why I want to be your assistant?"
Lilia was stunned. She had asked Merry the same thing before, but the young woman did not give her a direct answer. Now that she took the initiative to touch on this matter, it meant that Merry was ready to answer her question.
"Why?" Lilia threw her bait.
Merry looked at the older woman with a shy smile, "Because I am your biggest fan!" She answered.
For a moment, the dining room was enveloped in silence. Lilia's brain was still trying to process Merry's answer so she didn't say anything.
But Merry interpreted the silence as a sign of Lilia's doubt. She hastily added, "Sis, I'm not lying! I'm really your fan! I've been paying attention to you since your debut four years ago!"
Lilia's eyes widened, "Since four years ago?"
Merry nodded excitedly, "At that time, Ms. Lilia participated in a fashion show. I also went there to help you as one of the staff. Then at the end of the program, someone accidentally knocked me down, just when you were passing by. Sister Lilia caught me and asked me to be careful. That's when I fell in love with you!"
Lilia was trying to remember what happened, but she only vaguely remembered helping someone who had almost fallen. Her simple action turned out to have a huge impact on the people she helped.
Merry was still chattering and praising Lilia, "At that time, I thought that you were a gentle person, heart of gold, beautiful, and smart! Even though you're an artist, you are neither arrogant nor condescending to other people! You really are like a goddess!"
From that day on, Merry was reborn as Lilia's number one fan. She didn't have any particular reason why she liked Lilia. It's just that Merry felt that the world looked a little more beautiful when she's with Lilia. Because of that, she wanted to stay by her side no matter what, even if she had to be her assistant.
Merry admired all of Lilia's sides, be it her stunning beauty, her talent as a model, her calm and elegant character, or even her kindness. She felt that if it was for Lilia, she was willing to do anything. Such was Merry's admiration for her idol.
Others might see her as a fanatic fan, but there were fans who were even worse than Merry, and his name was Jean! She knew because she had seen Lilia's picture from when she debuted at that guy's office. But Jean was a god-tier fan who managed to marry his idol!
*****
Merry was sent to America the next day after Lilia and Jean visited her. This time, Samuel arranged for her to be accompanied by a group of bodyguards, whose job was to ensure that Merry would not run away until she graduated from college.
Before leaving, Merry finally confessed to her father that she sent her mother's pictures of the campus. That fact gave Samuel a new headache. His daughter was sometimes too cunning for her own good!
*****
That Sunday, Lilia and Jean were relaxing at the Lakeside Villa. They planned to fly back to Jakarta this afternoon, around five o'clock.
It's still eight in the morning. Lilia went out onto the balcony on the second floor and leaned against the railing. Her gaze was fixed on the beautiful lake scenery, but her heart was not there. She kept thinking about Merry who had left for America today.
She got a message from Merry at three this morning. Lilia guessed that her former assistant couldn't sleep because she was worried about her college days. Actually, Lilia wanted to go to the airport to deliver Merry, but Samuel firmly refused. The man didn't want his daughter to change her mind, so he didn't let anyone accompany Merry to the airport.
"Why are you out here alone?"
When Lilia heard Jean's deep voice, she felt the man draping a thick blanket over her shoulders. She was only wearing a light nightgown, but that was because she wanted to feel the fresh morning air. Lilia tightened the blanket as she turned towards Jean. The man's dark blue eyes were filled with overflowing love as he rubbed Lilia's head.
"Are you thinking about something?" Jean asked softly.
Lilia smiled and took the man's hand, then pressed it against her cheek. The man had just finished showering, so his skin felt warmer than Lilia's, "I'm just a little sad that I won't be able to see Merry for a while." She answered.
"She will come back. If you really want, we can go visit her." Jean replied.
Lilia sighed and nodded. She knew that Jean's answer made sense, that Merry would not be gone forever. But this was the first time Lilia thought so much about her assistant. She had worked with several assistants before Merry, but none of them had struck her as much as the young woman did.
Jean pulled two chairs to the balcony rail and pulled Lilia to sit with him. The two of them sat on the balcony enjoying the morning air and the view of the lake.
A moment of peace like this made Lilia feel as if she didn't leave for Jakarta. It felt like everything she had experienced there did not actually happen. She wanted to stay here with Jean and enjoy the silence between them.
But right at that moment, Lilia's stomach chose to sound.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then they laughed out loud. Jean got up from his chair and reached out to Lilia.
"Let's eat." He invited her.
The two of them returned inside and headed towards the dining room hand in hand. As they were descending the stairs, they ran into Sister Mei, who was just about to call them.
"Young Master, your cell phone has been ringing all the time." Sister Mei explained as she handed the phone to disturb Jean.
The man received his cell phone with an empty hand. He glanced at the name of the caller on the screen before picking up the phone.
"Sister Claire, what's wrong?" Jean asked as he continued his steps downstairs with Lilia.
The woman glanced at Jean curiously. She faintly heard Claire's worried voice. Why was Claire calling his brother so early in the morning? Was there any problem?
"Fine, I'll send someone to look for her." Jean replied when they arrived at the dining room.
As soon as Jean hung up the phone, Lilia immediately asked, "What happened?"
Jean's gaze was fixed on the screen of his cellphone and his finger was busy typing something.. But he still replied, "Leila chased Mike to Surabaya and now she's missing."
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