Chris held the young woman tightly. The warmth of Merry's body in his arms filled his chest with happiness and satisfaction. This little girl hadn't forgotten him!
Merry rubbed her cheek against Chris's chest. There were so many words she wanted to say to the man that she didn't know where to start it. Merry was flooded with relief when she saw Chris again.
"Brother Chris, why are you here?" Merry asked while looking up. Her big brown eyes glowed and her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Chris ruffled Merry's hair before answering, "I happened to be on business here, so I decided to come visit you as well."
"I see ...how long will you stay here?"
Merry let go of her arms and turned around to put her books on the table. The reason she asked that was because she missed seeing the tenderness on Chris's face.
The man almost replied, 'As long as you want!'
But Chris managed to restrain himself before the words escaped his mouth. As Merry turned her head toward him, Chris pretended to be busy thinking about an answer to that question. He didn't want to disappoint Merry, but he also couldn't leave the company for a long time. Chris decided he could only be here for a week at most.
"Around..." Just as Chris opened his mouth, he saw Merry's eyes gleam with hope, "...At least half a month."
That answer surprised Chris himself. Why was he being so flabby when facing this woman?! Was this the same feeling that made Jean spoil Lilia so much?!
"Wow!" Merry exclaimed happily, "Thank God! I thought Brother Chris would only be here for a week!"
Chris coughed awkwardly when he heard Merry's guess that was right on target, "Are you done with your homework?" He said to change the topic of conversation.
"O-Of course! Let's go, Brother Chris!" Merry closed her backpack and immediately pulled Chris away. She did not look at Rico at all.
Merry's classmate who was left alone stared blankly at the unoccupied chair in front of him. What kind of situation was this? Was that man Merry's brother? But why didn't they look alike at all?
So many questions arose in Rico's mind, but no one here could answer them. He also felt a little offended that Merry just walked away without saying goodbye, as if he wasn't here. Rico was determined to find out who that man was and what he had to do with Merry!
Meanwhile, Chris chuckled as he watched Merry pull him away excitedly. His heart felt satisfied that Merry had not even glanced at the young man since he appeared. If his friends were here, they would definitely ridicule him as a childish man. But Chris didn't care about that. Only he could see Merry's adorable behavior!
*****
The Genesis Company branch office was located within one of the tallest skyscrapers in Jakarta. To be more precise, on the 54th floor.
Lilia stood in front of Jean's office window and looked down. The view of the city of Jakarta stretched for kilometers. The cars that dot the highway looked like little colorful spots, let alone pedestrians. They looked like ants to Lilia's eyes.
Satisfied with seeing the sights of the city, Lilia turned her head towards the empty room. Jean's office design was very similar to his office in Surabaya. If Lilia ignored the view outside the window, it would be as if she were back in Surabaya. It felt like Kenny would knock on the door and walk into Jean's room at any moment.
Lilia shook her head and walked over to one of the sofas, then threw herself onto it. The reason why Lilia could relax here was because her shooting schedule in Jakarta was over. She had promised Jean to spend all her time with that man.
The two left the Austin Family home yesterday after having breakfast together. But they didn't return to Hotel Western. The two of them actually stayed at one of the hotels owned by the Widjaya Family. The hotel was centrally located and closer to Jean's office. That way, the man wouldn't have to spend too long on the road.
This morning, Lilia accompanied Jean to his office, but the man had to attend the eleven o'clock meeting in the morning. So Lilia waited for Jean to finish the meeting in his room while playing with her cellphone. She casually browsed through Shirley's social media accounts.
The actress's account had been very quiet with no activity for the past few days. After Shirley spread the news that Lilia and Julius were lovers, a clarification from Lilia revealed that the news was a hoax. As a result, Shirley's haters flocked to her account and made fun of the actress on her social media almost every day.
Shirley had extraordinary acting talent and also held the title of queen of films, but her reputation was very bad in the eyes of the public. That woman was the only actress who could survive in the entertainment world with such a bad reputation. Lilia became curious about how Shirley could win the film queen title in Berlin. Was the woman's acting skills so great that the judges turned a blind eye to her bad reputation? Or…
Lilia's reverie was interrupted by a notification sound on her cellphone. She opened the SMS that had just come to her cellphone.
[Alfred]: "Hello, Lilia. I hope your shooting in Jakarta goes well, huh. When will you return to Surabaya?"
Lilia raised her eyebrows as she read that. Why did Alfred suddenly contact her? The last time she met the man was when she was taking a tea class that Alfred taught.
She thought for a moment before replying, "I still don't know. After my filming in Jakarta is over, I will go to Magetan for further shooting."
Not until a few minutes later, Alfred had sent a reply, "Then, let me know when you can continue your tea making class, okay. I will wait."
Lilia let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding back. So it turned out that Alfred just wanted to remind her about the tea making class. Lilia sent her thanks before hanging up the phone. For a moment, the woman stared blankly at her cellphone while letting her mind wander.
It's been over a month since she last took Alfred's class. Even though Lilia still remembered the basic steps in making tea, she hadn't been able to brew really high quality tea. Lilia was determined to take the class even more seriously, in order to make the best tea for Jean!
The sound of the door swinging open broke Lilia's mind.
Her ears caught the sound of footsteps, accompanied by the voice of a firm and intelligent woman.
"President, I personally do not agree with this plan. In my opinion, the plan is not suitable for implementation. Let me make another version and present it in front of everyone."
Lilia straightened up and turned towards the door. Jean walked in, followed by a woman.
The woman was wearing a black coat, white shirt, and cloth pants that matched the jacket. That simple office outfit made her look very professional. A cherry-colored brooch adorned her chest, adding a touch of elegance to her simple outfit. Lilia had to admit that this woman had good fashion sense.
Coupled with her height that reached 175 centimeters and her ideal body shape, Lilia was sure that this curly-haired woman would definitely succeed as a model.. If that woman wasn't Jean's subordinate, Lilia would call Harold and have him recruit her.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om