Mellisa shifted restlessly when she saw Lilia's blank gaze and the tears that kept flowing from her eyes. Then she sat beside her, and hugged her carefully.
"Don't cry for them. They don't deserve your tears. They're not worth it." Mellisa said with an awkward tone. She had never been in a situation where she needed to calm someone down like now. But Mellisa felt that she didn't want to let Lilia feel sad alone, "After all, Leila is a cunning woman. She even dared to take my life!"
Those words finally caught Lilia's attention. She rubbed her eyes and pulled away from the woman's embrace, then she looked at Mellisa in surprise, "Are you serious? I can't imagine Leila being able to plot such an accident…"
Five years ago, Leila was just a 19 year old girl. In addition, she came from a family of painters, not a family of businessmen like the Austin Family or the Widjaya Family. Where did she learn how to make premeditated murder look like accidents?
Mellisa sighed and tucked a strand of Lilia's hair behind her ear, "I understand what you mean, but the accident was very strange. Until now, I'm not completely sure if Leila is the culprit. But I can't imagine someone else wanting to kill me like that." Mellisa explained, "Plus, the timing is just too right! How could I get into an accident right after I suspected Leila's identity?"
Mellisa, the eldest daughter of the Irwan Family, was the opposite of Leila. Their striking difference stood out since they were little. Maybe it's also because of their different personalities. Mellisa could not be as gentle and elegant as Leila. Nor could she imitate her submissive attitude.
When Mellisa was a child, her performance in school was just mediocre. Like any child, she prefered to play rather than study. But Leila was not like any other child. She grew up to be obedient, polite and intelligent. That's what made everyone in the Irwan Family, even their relatives, prefered Leila over Mellisa.
The different personalities of Mellisa and Leila, as well as how adults in the family treated them, made the siblings drive even further apart. Mellisa could not stand Leila's nagging attitude she always showed in front of adults, while Leila didn't like the rough games Mellisa played with her friends.
As they grew older, their relationship didn't get better and instead became more and more damaged. The main culprit was Mike. Leila fell in love with Mike, but Andrew's brother was on good terms with Mellisa. With the man's help, Mellisa revealed secret after secret Leila had been hiding.
Lilia looked at Mellisa who was deep in thought. The two of them were similar in this respect, wherein Lilia also tended to ignore her surroundings when she was busy thinking. She touched Mellisa's shoulder and asked, "For the past five years, why didn't you return to the Irwan Family?"
That was the first question that came to Lilia's mind when she heard that Mellisa 'died' five years ago. Why did that woman hide the fact that she was still alive?
Hearing that, Mellisa closed her eyes and was silent for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she replied, "Even if I go home, what can I do? Neither I nor my family know the truth behind the accident. Plus, I don't have enough evidence to accuse Leila. If I come back now, I'll just be killed again!"
Mellisa reached out and patted Lilia's head in an awkward motion.
"I know you only think of what's best for me, but you have to be careful with Leila. Don't you find it strange that she was able to have the support of the Irwan Family and the couple for over 20 years? Her ability cannot be underestimated!" Mellisa warned her.
Hearing that, a new suspicion surfaced in Lilia's mind. Could it be that the Pangestu Family had a hand in Mellisa's accident? If so, it's no wonder Leila was the prime suspect!
The two women met glances and they both smiled bitterly. Their opponents had great resources and abilities, but now they were not fighting alone. They had each other.
"Sister Mellisa, have you been in Jakarta all this time? Aren't you afraid that the Irwan Family will find you?" Asked Lilia.
Mellisa shook her head, "I just came to Jakarta last week. I was hiding in Bekasi all this time!"
The woman did not tell her any further about what had happened during the past five years. Lilia didn't even ask herself. She knew that Mellisa was going through difficult times all this time. If the older sister wanted to talk, she was always ready to listen.
The living room was enveloped in silence for a moment. Mellisa deliberately gave Lilia time to organize her thoughts. The younger sister heard a lot of information in a short time and it took her time to process them all.
After some time, Lilia finished organizing her thoughts. Then she asked Mellisa her final question, "What are you going to do after this?"
Mellisa's eyes flashed cruelly when she heard that. She said in an ice cold tone, "Of course I will reveal Leila's true face in front of everyone!"
Mellisa raised her hand and pulled out a strand of hair, then thrust it out to Lilia.
"Here, you can use my hair to do a DNA test. But, I want you to remember one thing." Mellisa said while putting the strands of hair in Lilia's hand, "Whatever the test results, even if it turns out we are not blood related, I will still consider you as my sister."
"Sister Mel…" Lilia was touched by the woman's words. Her heart was flooded with joy and family warmth that she had never felt in her life.
"As for Leila…" Mellisa's soft voice now turned icy cold, "I never thought of her as the daughter of the Irwan Family. When I suspected her identity, I secretly did a DNA test. But unfortunately, that accident happened before I could see the results!"
Hearing that, Lilia's eyes widened. She asked, "Did you do DNA tests for Leila and Richard Irwan, five years ago?"
Surprise colored Mellisa's face, "How do you know?" She asked in surprise.
Lilia replied by sending the results of the investigation regarding Leila to Mellisa's cell phone. The woman read Leila's DNA test results with a frown.
"It's true that I asked this institute to do a DNA test, but why is my information being hidden?" Mellisa asked.
The two of them looked at each other, but neither of them had the answer to that question. Who bothered hiding Mellisa's traces? Was he the same person who helped Mellisa?
"Apart from that, there is something odd again." Mellisa continued, "In this report, Leila's explanation is very detailed. But assets such as the three houses she owns are not mentioned here at all. I think someone is hiding that information on purpose."
Lilia sighed. The deeper they dig, the more questions and fewer answers they found. Lilia felt that Leila's figure was becoming more and more mysterious.
She straightened up and said in a serious tone, "This isn't a problem. Whatever they do will leave traces. I'll do DNA tests for us according to plan. But like you said, I already think of you as my sister, regardless of the test results."
Mellisa nodded and smiled warmly. She felt grateful that she could have a woman as good as Lilia as her younger sister.
"After my next filming is over, I will return to Surabaya and start an investigation with the Pangestu family." Lilia continued, "I wonder what they have been hiding and how much money they have spent on Leila!"
Lilia wouldn't let Mellisa fight alone in this world. Since they had met, she would help her sister find out the truth behind all this incident. Including the truth regarding Lilia's real family. If she was indeed the daughter of the Irwan Family, why was she raised by the Pangestu Family?
Lilia was determined to find out why Robert and Sylvia hid Leila's whereabouts and instead raised Lilia as their daughter all this time.
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