Herri's hand that was reaching for Lilia shook violently, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes.
Lilia looked at Herri while frowning, 'Isn't this guy too rude?' It was their first meeting, but the man had already accused her of being someone else's relative.
"Herri, are you crazy?" One of his colleagues scolded him, "How could she be a relative of the Captain? Didn't the Captain herself tell that she grew up in an orphanage? Nobody knows who her family is! Right, Captain?" The man nudged the woman sitting next to him.
Lilia turned her gaze to the other three people sitting at the table. She had a hard time understanding their conversation. Why was that woman called the captain? Who were they?
Lilia's gaze swept over the two men until it finally stopped at the only woman among them. The woman was wearing a leather jacket and pants made of the same material. She was dressed in all black, the same color as her hair which was cut short like a boy. One of her legs was raised on the chair and she was sipping a glass of beer, giving off the impression of a tough, fearless woman.
However, when Lilia saw that woman's face, her body suddenly turned stiff. The woman in black felt Lilia's gaze and turned her head. Her black eyes that were as dark as night widened too. For a moment, the two of them could only stare at each other in silence.
Their faces were so similar! They bore uncanny resemblance to each other!
Starting from the shape of their eyes, their sharp noses, to the color of their eyes and hair. If the two of them wore the same clothes and hairstyles, nobody would be able to tell them apart!
Lilia gripped the vegetables in her hands tightly. Her eyes were colored with confusion as she tried to process this situation. All the commotion in the restaurant seemed to fade from her ears.
Rachel also took turns looking at Lilia and the woman. She couldn't deny the resemblance between them, especially their eyes! Who was this woman really? What did she have to do with Lilia?
The awkward silence was broken by the sound of a chair creaking loudly. The woman dressed all in black put down her beer and got up from her chair. Her gaze never left Lilia's face.
There was a theory that said there were at least three people in this world who shared the same looks. However Lilia had never believed in that theory… until today.
The woman who was called the captain walked step by step until she stood in front of Lilia. Their nearly equal height and attractive appearance gave off the impression that they were twins. But Lilia had a feminine beauty, while that woman's appearance was more masculine, befitting the quality of being handsome.
Herri took turns staring at the two women in confusion. His hand quietly put the broccoli he was picking up into the boiling hotpot pot.
"Captain, is she your missing twin or something? You guys look very similar!" Herri said in a serious voice to cover up his actions just now.
But his fellow classmates weren't fooled. One of the men hit the table with his fist, "Hey, bastard! Why are you putting broccoli that has fallen to the ground into our pot?! Are you going to poison us, huh?!"
Unfortunately, no one there paid attention to the man's protest. They were all still focused on the unexpected encounter.
The woman sighed and shook her head. Then she opened her mouth for the first time, "Is your face real?" She asked Lilia.
Lilia was stunned. That's the first thing she asked?
"Of course my face is real." Lilia answered slowly.
The woman stared at Lilia with eagle-sharp eyes, as if trying to look for signs of lying. Lilia kept her expression neutral while waiting for the woman's reaction.
Finally, the woman in black nodded and stretched out her hand. Her eyes flashed with an emotion that Lilia couldn't understand, "My name is Mellie Irwan." She said.
Lilia was stunned for a moment, then she hurriedly shook the woman's hand, "I'm Lilia Pangestu." She said while trying to hide her surprise. This woman came from the Irwan Family?!
After that brief introduction, the two of them finally started talking about their meeting tonight. Lilia offered to compensate for a plate of broccoli that she accidentally pushed, but Mellie refused the offer. After all, the boiling hotpot would kill all the bacteria that stuck to the broccoli Herri had picked from the floor.
"...Lilia, how about we talk in a more quiet place?" Mellie suggested. They couldn't possibly talk about personal matters in this crowded place.
Lilia nodded, then she turned to Rachel, "Sorry, can you wait for me here? I won't be long." She promised.
"But ..." Rachel glanced nervously at Mellie.
"I will be fine." Lilia assured her best friend with a soothing smile, "She just wanted to talk. Apart from that, Clifford was also on guard outside. That man won't let anything happen."
"…Okay. Don't be too long, Lilia." Rachel said reluctantly.
The two women left the restaurant, but Rachel repeatedly glanced outside the restaurant anxiously. She ignored Herri's offer to try their hotpot. Rachel wondered if she had done something wrong by letting Lilia go with that strange woman.
"You don't need to worry." Said one of the men at the table. He chewed his food as he continued, "The captain is indeed a cruel person and will not forgive her enemies, but she is not a bad person. The captain seems to like your friend, so she won't hurt her."
"…I hope so." Rachel muttered. Lilia had saved her when she was at the lowest point of her life. Her friend gave her a second chance to rebuild her devastated life. She would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to Lilia.
Meanwhile, Lilia and Mellie were standing under a street lamp, right outside the hotpot restaurant. Clifford parked the car not far away, giving Lilia a feeling of security.
Lilia glanced at the woman next to her. Even though this was the first time they had met, she already felt familiar with Mellie. Maybe because they were so similar that Lilia didn't mind trusting that woman.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. But they couldn't take their eyes off each other.
Mellie took out a box of cigarettes and offered them to Lilia, "Do you smoke?" She asked.
When Lilia shook her head, Mellie shrugged and started smoking. Lilia watched Mellie's slender white fingers light the lighter in a natural motion. She suspected that the woman was a heavy smoker, just like her husband.
"Are you a celebrity?" The question that Mellie asked surprised Lilia.
Mellie glanced at the restaurant's window, where one of the diners was busy taking pictures of them with his cellphone. The woman clicked her tongue and shifted her position to cover Lilia from sight.
As a result of her work, Mellie was very sensitive to her surroundings. Not only did she have sharp eyes and ears, but she had learned to rely on her instincts. If not, she wouldn't be able to survive to this day.
"I'm a model." Lilia answered honestly.
Mellie exhaled her cigarette smoke and nodded. With such beauty, it's no wonder that Lilia became so popular.
For a moment, the two of them fell silent again.
"...Our appearance is really similar." Mellie muttered.
Lilia remembered the day she found Sylvia and Leila sitting next to each other. Could it be that they also felt the same way as she did now?
"Yes, we are very similar." Lilia nodded in agreement.
'But why are we so similar?' She deliberately left the question unsaid.
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