Jenny lowered her right hand that had been massaging her forehead. The woman's hand then began to play the jade bracelet that was wrapped around her left hand. She put on a friendly smile as she asked, "Lilia, are you from Surabaya?"
Lilia snapped out of her mind when she heard Jenny's question. She looked at the older woman and replied, "Yes, that's right."
Jenny nodded her head. "How about your parents? Do they also live in Surabaya?"
That question made Lilia frown. She could understand that Jenny wanted to know more about her, but why did she ask about her parents too?
Jenny did not miss seeing the frown on Lilia's forehead. She rubbed her bracelet explaining, "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean anything by that question. I've known Jean since he was a child, and I also know that he's had some really hard times."
Lilia pressed her lips together as Jenny brought up the incident.
"I just want to know more about the woman he chose as his wife. But you don't have to feel forced, Lilia." Jenny said with a soft smile. "If you don't want to answer it, I won't insist."
The woman's tone sounded light, but her words didn't give Lilia a way out. If Lilia refused, she would sound like a young woman who didn't know any manners.
Lilia shook her head while smiling politely. "Aunt Jenny, I don't mind at all. My parents are from Surabaya too, just like me."
"I see..." Jenny closed her eyes for a moment to cover her relief. Then she looked back at Lilia and asked, "Do you have a brother or a sister?"
"I only have a younger brother. He's currently studying in university." Lilia answered, feeling as if she was taking a job interview.
Fortunately, before Jenny could further question her, Irene was back. The woman walked hurriedly toward them, afraid that Jenny's headache would worsen.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Jenny! Here, I brought eucalyptus oil for you. I also brought headache medicine, if you need it." Irene said as she arrived in front of them.
Irene started to open the eucalyptus oil bottle, but Jenny immediately stopped her. "Ah, you don't have to bother, Irene. It doesn't feel right if I use eucalyptus oil on today's event." she said with a guilty face.
"But…" Irene protested with a frown.
"I was just chatting with Lilia and now my headache is getting better. How about I just take some headache medicine?" Jenny suggested. "If my head still hurts, I'll just use the oil, okay?"
"…Okay." Irene handed the medicine to Jenny.
"Thank you, Irene." Jenny smiled broadly at her best friend. "Come on, sit here. Oh yeah, how have you been lately?"
Jenny's attitude towards Irene was so different from Lilia. The model felt that Jenny was being more aggressive towards her, but when it came to Irene, she was so gentle and caring.
For some reason, Jenny reminded Lilia of her sister, Mellisa. When she thought of that woman, feelings of longing came over her heart. It had only been a few days since they last met, but it felt like it had been weeks. Lilia didn't know if Mellisa was alright in Jakarta. She had already given her her credit card, but Mellisa had never used it so far.
Lilia guessed that Mellisa's pride made her reluctant to rely on others. Even so, Lilia could only hope that the cash she gave could help her sister.
The model sat with Irene and Jenny for some time. Throughout the conversation, Lilia only opened her mouth when one of them asked her. The woman was mostly silent and listened to the conversations of the two women who were older than her. They talked about quite heavy topics, such as the political climates in Indonesia or which companies were growing rapidly.
Lilia fidgeted with her legs. She felt awkward, as if she was in the wrong place. As a younger generation, Lilia was more interested in talking about the latest fashion or which artists were on the rise. She considered leaving the two women alone, but she didn't want to sound harsh.
When Irene and Jenny were talking about Alan, Jenny's son, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind Lilia. It so happened that Jenny was sitting directly opposite Lilia, so that she could see the figure of the man approaching them.
Jenny laughed and joked, "We were just talking that little Jean is finally married. I didn't expect that the person we are talking about would appear immediately!"
Hearing that, Lilia immediately turned her head over her shoulder. She met Jean's eyes, and saw the man walk over to her. The corner of Lilia's mouth instantly lifted into a happy smile. Even though this living room was full of chattering sounds, all those voices seemed to have vanished as soon as she saw Jean.
Jean stopped beside Lilia and bowed politely to Jenny. "Aunt Jenny, long time no see."
Irene patted Jenny's hand and laughed bitterly. "You know that Jean is always cold and flat, right? But his face was completely different when he looked at Lilia! His expression is so sweet it can make you diabetic."
Lilia lowered her gaze to hide her blushing face. She knew Irene was just teasing her, but she still felt embarrassed when others brought up that fact.
Jean glanced at Lilia while smiling faintly. He grabbed Lilia's hand from her lap before pulling her up. "Sis Irene, Aunt Jenny, do you mind if I take Lilia back? I want to invite her to meet my friends," he said politely.
Jenny's gaze fell on their interlocked hands. The smile on the middle-aged woman's face grew even wider. "Of course we don't mind, Jean. Enjoy your time, okay. Don't let old women like us interfere with your love life." Jenny teased.
The woman felt a little jealous when she saw the young couple. How good it was to be young again, where they could love and hate so freely. How liberating it would feel when they could ignore what people said about their love.
Jean took Lilia's hand and led her away. Even so, Jenny's gaze never left the young woman.
Beside her, Irene also continued to stare at their linked hands. The past memories returned to her mind. When she was young, she too was able to love and hate with freedom. But over time, the feelings in her heart began to settle and could not be aroused as easily as before.
"Lilia is a kind and honest young woman. They look really good together, she's worth standing next to Jean." Jenny said sincerely. "If I met Lilia before she married Jean, maybe I would ask her to marry Alan."
Irene looked at her best friend in surprise. She had known Jenny for years, but this was the first time she had heard Jenny compliment a woman to this point. Irene nodded in agreement.
"I also like Lilia. She is very humble and mature for women of her age. At first, James and I didn't understand why Jean chose an artist from the entertainment world as his wife. But after getting to know Lilia more closely, I know why Jean is so fascinated with her." Irene replied.
Then she smiled mischievously and continued her words.
"Do you know what I was thinking? If Lilia is a woman our age, maybe we should leave the title 'Twin Goddess' to Lilia!"
Jenny turned to Irene when she heard that. Then their laugh broke out.. About thirty years ago, the two of them were nicknamed the 'Goddess of the Twins' because of their beauty that could not be matched by any woman throughout the entire city of Surabaya. But if they were put against Lilia, the two of them would've lost so badly!
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