Lilia continued to stare at Jean's back until the man's figure disappeared behind the door. Only then did she turn her gaze to Irene. The older woman was staring out the window as if longing for something.
When Irene noticed Lilia's gaze, she immediately put down the napkin in her hand. "The weather outside still looks a little cloudy, but will you accompany me for a walk in the park?" she asked.
"Of course, Sister Irene." Lilia agreed with a nod. "I also want to see the Widjaya Family's garden."
The two of them then exited the main house and started walking along a path that led them around the garden. Lilia looked around with great interest. The trees and flowers in the garden seemed like?it had been treated with great care. Even though the weather had gotten colder lately, the plants there still looked healthy.
The temperature outside the room felt a little chilly even though there was no wind blowing. The sky was still cloudy, as if it was a mourner attending the ceremony today. The land Lilia had stepped on felt damp from the rain last night. She stopped staring around and focused her gaze on Irene.
James's wife wore a black dress combined with a gray scarf. A white brooch shaped like a rose was attached to her chest, holding the shawl from falling off. Her appearance fitted today's funeral.
The two of them walked down the garden without saying a word. The silence continued until Irene led her to a pavilion at the end of the garden. The pavilion stood beside the fish pond, giving it a beautiful natural view. The simple building contained only a round stone table and a few solid stone chairs covered with cushions.
Irene entered the pavilion and sat down on one of the chairs. Lilia followed her sister-in-law while waiting for the woman to say something.
"Lilia, about this morning..." Irene started looking at the model. "I hope you don't blame James. He really is that kind of person. His mouth may be sharp, but his heart is soft, you know. James didn't mean anything bad to you." she said with a small smile.
Hearing that, Lilia finally understood why Irene was talking to her alone. It turned out that the woman was worried that Lilia would be hurt by James's cold treatment of her.
Lilia chuckled, then looked at Irene with a pair of clear eyes. "Sis Irene doesn't need to defend us. Jean and I were late down to the dining room. Brother James has a point." Lilia said firmly.
She was not a clueless child. Though Lilia didn't know why James disliked her, she still respected him as Jean's brother.
When Irene heard Lilia's words, her eyes flashed with satisfaction. The smile on the woman's face widened. She looked at Lilia with a gentler and happier expression than before.
"I'm glad you didn't take offense from him. The man was indeed a rigid and conservative person. James always took family rules and principles very seriously. You don't need to think about him too much." Irene said.
Then she sighed and supported her cheek with one hand.
"I feel a little sad because your first visit to the Widjaya family was because of Uncle Hans' passing. I hope this doesn't discourage you from visiting again in the future, Lilia." Irene said with a face full of hope. "We will always welcome you with open arms."
Lilia shook her head. "Sis Irene, didn't you tell me that we are all family here? So please don't be too formal to me either," she said with a warm smile. "I promise that Jean and I will stop by often to keep you company."
Hearing that, Irene's laugh broke out. She rubbed the corner of her eye as she said, "I know you two are both busy, so don't push yourself. But I would be happy if you could stop by. Now this mansion feels so lonely."
Lilia grabbed Irene's hand and gripped it tightly. "We will definitely visit, Sis Irene. I promise." she confirmed.
She had heard from Jean that James and Irene had been married for more than 20 years. However, the couple wasn't blessed with any children. It was caused by the Widjaya Family's internal conflict 14 years ago, when Jean's father and mother were killed in an accident.
Irene was actively helping James to solidify his position as head of the family when she was three months pregnant with their child. That was the first child she had after waiting for so many years. However, this happiness turned into tragedy when she was targeted by relatives of the Widjaya Family who wanted to seize James' position.
Irene had a miscarriage due to the cunning strategy set by the relative and lost her first child. Even worse, the incident made her unable to conceive again for the rest of her life.
When James had cemented his position as head of the family, the first thing he did was send the culprit to prison. He gave the worst kind of punishment he could find and tortured the relative until he killed himself. But all of that could not bring back Irene's lost child.
Fortunately, Irene was able to recover from her grief after losing her child. The woman dedicated the rest of her life to supporting James and the Widjaya Family. Since that incident, James felt so guilty that he could not oppose his wife. Even though Irene could not give him children, James never stopped loving her.
*****
After chatting for a while in the pavilion, the roar of arriving cars interrupted them.
Irene got up from her chair with a shy smile. "Sorry, I was so absorbed in chatting with you that I lost track of time. Let's go back inside. The people from other families have arrived."
The two women returned to the house. The mansion that was usually deserted was now full of people dressed in monochromes. Most of the guests were in the hall, where they took turns paying their last respects to Uncle Hans.
Lilia and Irene headed to the living room, which was decorated to be more luxurious than usual. The ceiling was covered with snow-white silk. There was an additional sofa and table to accommodate more people in the room. The guests who had paid their respects were now sitting in groups on the provided seats. They all chatted in low voices, keeping the atmosphere solemn.
Lilia automatically looked around, looking for Jean's figure. Then she found the man across the room. Jean was smoking while sitting on the sofa. His two best friends, Tom and Alex, sat across from him.
"Irene!"
The voice that came from behind them made Lilia and Irene both turn their heads. They were confronted by a middle aged woman who looked very elegant.
"Ah, Jenny!" Irene greeted warmly. "Welcome! I feel lucky that you were able to come today."
Hearing that name, Lilia recognized her as Jenny Hartanto, the woman who married the Hartanto family's first son. The woman came with Jefferson, her husband. They had just arrived when Jenny saw Irene's figure and immediately greeted her. Jenny and Irene had been friends since they were little. Even after they got married, they didn't stop being friends.
Then Irene turned her gaze to Jefferson, who was standing silently behind his wife.
"Welcome too, Brother Jeff." Irene greeted the man with a warm smile.
Jefferson only nodded briefly. "Is James here?" he asked.
Irene looked around for a moment before pointing to one of the crowd of guests. "Yes, he is there." she answered.
Lilia followed her line of sight and was amazed that Irene could find her husband so easily among the crowd.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l