Lilia was stunned for a moment after hearing Jean's answer. Then she laughed out loud. "Jean, you sure are cunning!"
She sympathized with Tom inside her heart. But she had the same opinion as Jean. Lilia could already imagine Tom being rejected by that arrogant woman. Tom might be heartbroken for a while, but at least it would help him see the situation more objectively.
Jean started smoking while Lilia was deep in thought. The man exhaled his cigarette smoke in another direction while watching his wife closely. Lilia had insisted that she didn't hate the smell of cigarettes, but Jean was still worried that Lilia would just say that to protect his feelings.
After a while, Lilia suddenly realized something. She looked around the living room before asking, "Where is Brother Chris, by the way? Can't he come today?"
Lilia felt a little strange that Tom and Alex were present today. She even had time to see Samuel enter the front door. But Chris was nowhere to be seen.
Jean narrowed his eyes and answered simply, "He's overseas."
*****
At the same time, it was night in America. When Lilia asked where Chris was, the man was relaxing in the living room of Merry's apartment. Chris had been with Merry for the past few days. He even preferred to sleep on the sofa rather than return to his own apartment.
The man was currently sitting on the living room sofa. His feet rested on the table while his hands were holding his cell phone. Chris frowned as he reread the message from Alan, which said that Uncle Hans had just died. The message came to his cell phone yesterday at midnight.
However, Chris could not return to attend the funeral. He felt uneasy when he thought that he couldn't attend. Uncle Hans had watched him grow up with his friends. However, Chris also didn't want to just leave Merry. The man could only sigh with disappointment.
Since he started accompanying Merry, his reluctance to leave the young woman had only grown stronger. Even Chris was disgusted by himself. Since when did he turn into a sticky guy like this?
To make matters worse, the jobs Chris left in Surabaya continued to pile up. Hartanto Entertainment, which the man took with difficulty from Sara, was utterly neglected. If Sara found out about this, she would go on a rampage and complain about him to Jefferson.
Chris felt that the days he spent accompanying Merry were waning. He knew he had to go home and get back to his job.
"Brother Chris!"
Merry's voice snapped the man out of his mind. He turned his head towards the young woman, who repeatedly called out his name. Chris frowned as he looked at Merry. Then he reached out and pinched her soft cheeks.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked in a gentle tone, contrary to his usual attitude.
Merry's skin felt soft and smooth as she had just washed her face. The woman frowned, but she didn't try to get away from Chris's hand. Instead, she asked, "Brother Chris, are you not happy here?"
Chris's eyes widened when he heard the question. He didn't think that Merry was sharp enough to pick up on the feelings he was trying to hide. The man was silent for a few moments, trying to find the right words.
"If I have to go home..." Chris started off cautiously. "... are you able to take care of yourself here?"
Even though Chris knew Merry would be fine, he still asked the question. As Samuel's favorite daughter, how could that woman lack anything?
Merry was guarded 24 hours a day by a group of personal bodyguards of the Hiroshi Family. They lived one floor below Merry's apartment room, protecting the young woman from a distance.
When Chris first came here, he was surprised to see the team of bodyguards manning the hallway of Merry's room. The man called the chief bodyguard and scolded him at length about their work. If they kept their heavy presence around Merry, it was no wonder that the young woman felt depressed. So Chris specifically forbade the bodyguards team from getting too close to Merry.
Merry's mouth opened slightly when she heard Chris's question. Was the man planning to leave her?
She immediately regained consciousness and pressed her lips together. Then she shook her head vigorously. "Brother Chris, I won't be able to take care of myself," she said in a serious tone.
Chris choked when he heard that answer. He glared at Merry, who looked back at him with innocent eyes. Did this woman say that on purpose so Chris wouldn't be able to leave her?
"If I have to go ..." Chris deliberately emphasized the word 'have to'. But before he could finish his sentence, the man stopped when he saw Merry's expression.
The woman's face was suddenly filled with gloom, as if the world was about to end. She looked at Chris with a desperate look that the man felt a little guilty.
Instead of answering, Chris pulled Merry into his arms. The woman became even more agitated when Chris didn't finish his sentence. She looked up and begged, "Brother Chris, don't leave me!"
These words made Chris make up his mind at once. Work? Who cared about work? Merry was clearly more important than all of that!
The girl tugged at Chris's sleeve with a worried expression. "Brother Chris, are you really going?"
Chris sighed and looked around. Then his gaze fell on the large TV screen located in front of the sofa. The figures of the two hugging were reflected on the black screen.
The man continued to stare at their reflection while answering in a serious tone, "… I'm not going anywhere."
It took Merry a few moments to process Chris' words. When she finally understood the man's point, she was so excited that she lifted her face too quickly. The top of her head hit Chris's chin, but Merry barely noticed.
"Is it true?" asked Merry with shining eyes. "Brother Chris is not going anywhere?"
The young woman thought that Chris had to go home to take care of something. She would half-heartedly give up if the man were really forced to leave her. Although Merry was not afraid of becoming lonely at first, her feelings changed after Chris stayed with her. Now she was so used to Chris's presence that Merry was afraid the man would disappear from her side.
Chris stared at the broad smile on Merry's face. He reached out and pinched the tip of the woman's tiny nose. "Why? Are you so afraid of being alone that you don't want me to leave? Just so you know, I've been sleeping on the sofa for over half a month!" he teased.
Merry thought about it for a moment, then she said, "Then Brother Chris can go back to your apartment and sleep there tonight."
Merry might not want to feel lonely, but she didn't need him to accompany her on her bed. All she needed was Chris being there with her when she closed her eyes, so that when she opened her eyes again, Merry would be satisfied.
Chris pressed his lips at Merry's answer. That's not the answer he wanted!
In the end, Chris slept on the sofa that night. Unfortunately, he couldn't fulfill his promise to Merry not to go anywhere. The next morning, Chris received a call from Surabaya. He was told by his butler about his grandfather. The head of the Hartanto Family who had been lying in a coma all this time was finally awake.
The old man called all members of the Hartanto family to gather at their house as soon as possible.
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