Her friend immediately told her which hotel she would stay in Jakarta. Rachel had just gotten off the plane and was currently on her way to the Holiday Hotel with her colleagues.
Lilia didn't waste any time and asked Clifford to drive her to Rachel's hotel. When they got there, Lilia realized that the Holiday Hotel was only a block away from Lilia and Jean's hotel.
Because Lilia arrived too early, Rachel still hadn't reached her hotel. So the model was waiting for her best friend to arrive in the car. Lilia was about to call Jean when her eyes caught a familiar face in the crowd.
Lilia was so shocked that she almost dropped her cellphone. Did she just see Alfred walking into the hotel's lobby?
The window panes of the car were covered with thick film, blocking Lilia's view from the outside. She lowered the window halfway and sharpened her eyes carefully. But the man who looked like Alfred had disappeared into the hotel.
Lilia thought about it for a moment, then she finally closed the window again. The Ricardo family was the richest family in Yogyakarta. Lilia shouldn't be surprised just because that man went to Jakarta. Didn't they have time to meet in Milan back on the day?
After waiting about ten minutes, Rachel's bus finally appeared. The bus stopped in front of the car and dropped about a dozen people. Among them, Lilia recognized the figure of Alan Hartanto, Chris's cousin. The man directly stepped in to handle the collaboration project that Rachel mentioned earlier.
Lilia sent a message to Rachel, telling her best friend that she's waiting outside the hotel. Then she changed to calling her husband.
"Lilia? What's wrong?" Jean spoke on the phone without taking his eyes off the document in his hand.
"Jean, Rachel arrived in Jakarta today. I'll see her tonight, do you want to come with me?" Lilia asked in a happy voice.
The man looked at the pile of documents before him and sighed. If Kenny were here with him, Jean would have thrown this job on his assistant and went to accompany Lilia. But his assistant was busy handling the work he left in Surabaya.
Jean massaged his forehead and replied, "Sorry, but my work isn't finished. Have fun with Rachel, okay. Don't forget to take Clifford with you."
Lilia frowned when she heard the exhaustion in the man's voice, "Are you going to be busy until late at night?" She asked worriedly.
She knew that her husband didn't just sit in the office enjoying his position as president. The man needed to make important decisions and attend so many meetings. The success of the Genesis Company rested entirely on Jean's shoulders. Lilia wanted to help ease the heavy burden that her husband shouldered.
"If you come home early, I won't be home late at night." Jean replied with a faint smile.
Lilia laughed out loud at that sly answer, "Alright, I'll be home as soon as possible, so you shouldn't work overtime too late either!"
*****
Rachel put her suitcase in the room before running lightning fast into the hotel lobby. She didn't want to make her best friend wait too long. When she arrived at the lobby, Rachel saw Lilia's figure through the glass doors. The popular model was waiting beside her car with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses hiding her face.
Lilia raised her face when she heard the lobby door slide open. A smile graced her lips as a figure of a woman rushed toward her. Rachel's hair, now halfway down her back, waved in the wind as she ran.
After they had not seen each other for a long time, Rachel's appearance had changed a lot. She didn't seem like the woman Lilia met in Milan that day. Rachel's face brightened and her body grew fuller. Her best friend now looked more like herself when she was in high school.
"Lilia, sorry to make you wait so long!" Rachel exclaimed as she arrived in front of Lilia gasping for breath.
The woman took turns glancing at Lilia and the car waiting beside her. Even though the model had hidden her face, her strong and elegant posture could not be hidden. Lilia looked like a model showing off the latest type of car.
Lilia smiled broadly and stepped forward to hug her best friend, "Don't worry about that, I just got here too!"
Rachel hugged Lilia back. She could feel how thin the woman's body was, "I didn't see you for a long time and you became this skinny? What happened? Didn't Jean give you enough to eat?" She scolded.
Lilia stifled a laugh at the exact same scolding that Claire had told her, "Of course not! I'm taking a role in a film, that's all." She let go of her best friend and opened the car's door behind her, "Come in! We can chat casually while eating the best hotpot in Jakarta!" She invited her.
Rachel followed Lilia into the car laughing, "Oh, so now you are a culinary expert in Jakarta?" She teased.
"Of course!" Lilia stuck her tongue out at Rachel, 'Of course Sister Claire told me about this restaurant, but she doesn't need to know that, right?'
*****
The hotpot restaurant was located on a large, busy street flooded by pedestrians. According to Claire, this road would never be deserted even at three in the morning. When Lilia's car arrived in front of the hotpot restaurant, it was six in the evening.
The restaurant seemed to be packed with visitors. Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long before getting a private room. The room was relatively small and could only accommodate four people, but it was big enough for the two of them.
Lilia ordered food for the two of them and waited for the waiter to leave before starting to chat, "How long is your business trip in Jakarta this time?" Lilia asked.
Rachel munched on the apples served to the guests and replied, "Between ten and fourteen days. I don't really know the details, but I heard AL-Idea Company is going to collaborate on an advertising project."
The woman swallowed her food before continuing her words.
"Our partner companies attach great importance to this project. That's why almost all of the AL-Ide Company departments were brought here!" Rachel explained.
"Ah, so that's why you travel with so many people." Lilia nodded.
They both ate and chatted until it was eight o'clock in the evening. Rachel still wanted to continue chatting, but Lilia could see that the woman was exhausted after the long journey. Besides, she wanted to keep her promise to Jean. So they agreed to go home and rest, then meet again at another time.
After paying for their meal, the two of them headed for the exit. But an unexpected incident was waiting for them.
Today, Lilia was wearing a light wool coat that reached her knees. As she walked between tables crammed with visitors, her coat accidentally knocked on a plate. But Lilia also couldn't be completely blamed, because the visitor put the plate on the end of the table.
Prang!
The voice shocked everyone. Rachel stopped from walking in front and turned to face her best friend. Lilia looked down and saw the pile of vegetables scattered at her feet.
"I'm sorry!" Lilia hurriedly bent over and picked up the vegetables, "I am really, really sorry! I'll replace this plate, okay."
The table where Lilia touched the plate was filled by three men and a woman. But Lilia didn't have time to pay attention to them because her attention was on the dropped plate.
"Ah...my broccoli..." Muttered one of the men sitting at the table.
"Herri, you are a man, so don't just stay quiet. Go on, help that woman." One of his classmates ordered.
"Oh, okay." Herri also bowed and started helping Lilia.
Rachel also helped and so the three of them immediately cleaned up the remains of the vegetables. The other visitors also distracted themselves from the little incident.
"Thank you! Sorry, I was not being careful." Lilia apologized to Herri as she straightened up.
"It's okay—…" Herri stood up and looked at Lilia, but his eyes suddenly widened, "HOLYSHIT!" He was so shocked that the man dropped some broccoli in his hand.
Rachel frowned, looking at Herri suspiciously. What the hell was this guy doing?! Why did he suddenly scream?
Herri turned to the only woman sitting at his table, "C-Captain! W-What— Is… is she your relative?!"
This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eewebn(o)vel.com