On the way into the restaurant, Lilia suddenly stopped in her tracks. Jean halted his steps too and turned to his wife.
"What's wrong?" Jean asked in a deep voice.
"Jean, if you're still busy with your work, you don't need to go to Magetan." Lilia said with a serious look. "I received news from Mr. Louis that after filming in Magetan is over, we will move to Bekasi. But I'll only be there for half a month."
Jean frowned. He started racking his brains to find a way so he could accompany Lilia.
The woman could read Jean's meaning from the man's face. He hastily added, "My filming will finish at the end of November, really. I'll try to cut back on my work after that, so I can accompany you once I get home from filming. What do you think?"
Lilia didn't want Jean to accompany her. She herself didn't want to separate from him either. However, Lilia didn't want Jean to abandon his job just for her sake. The man had an obligation as a member of the Widjaya Family. Jean couldn't possibly open a new branch for Genesis Company wherever Lilia went.
Jean stared at Lilia without speaking for a moment. The figure of a beautiful, tough and independent woman was reflected in his dark blue eyes. Jean preferred Lilia to stay home and be able to greet him whenever he came home from work. He still couldn't get over Lilia's image when she put on an apron and cooked for him.
But Jean chose to keep that feeling deep in his heart. If he said it now, Lilia would probably follow his wish and retire from the entertainment world. But that would be tantamount to breaking Lilia's wings and trapping her in a bird cage. That's not what Jean wanted.
The man finally sighed and gently tugged at Lilia's hand so that they could walk again. "I'll think about it." he answered.
Jean didn't answer Lilia's question directly, but the woman knew that her husband would really think about it.
Lilia hugged Jean's arm and said, "To be honest, if you still insist on accompanying me whenever I have to go out of town, I will consider retiring."
The woman's tone sounded joking, but Lilia was actually serious about what she was saying. Before meeting Jean, Lilia always thought that she would spend the rest of her life in the entertainment world. She loved her job and her career was taking off. Lilia didn't mind dedicating her entire life to pursuing her dreams.
But after Jean appeared in her life, Lilia started to think about quitting the entertainment world. A part of her desired to dedicate the rest of her life to that man.
Working as an artist was not an easy or comfortable job. Lilia knew she couldn't be a model and a housewife at the same time. She would have to sacrifice one of those options. The question was— which one would she sacrifice? Would she give up her dream as a supermodel? Or would Lilia give up on her new dream of starting a family?
The question continued to fill Lilia's mind until she didn't realize that they had arrived at the restaurant. They were standing at the door leading to the restaurant hall, where the guests were.
Jean glanced at his wife with a complex gaze. He knew that this was not an easy decision for Lilia. Before opening the door, Jean suddenly pulled Lilia into his arms.
The man whispered, "As a member of the Widjaya Family, my wife must have the best. You don't have to sacrifice your dreams for anyone. There must be a way for you to keep a career while building a family together. We'll find out that way."
"Jean…" Lilia closed her eyes to prevent her tears from spilling out. She was touched by the support shown by her husband. "Yes, we will think about it together. Jean… thank you."
Lilia felt that she was the luckiest woman in the world because she had a husband like Jean.
*****
The hall in the restaurant was full of guests. The main table in the hall was occupied by the Widjaya Family, while the other tables were occupied by the leaders of the extended family and their wives.
At this time, James was speaking on stage. As the head of the Widjaya Family as well as the eldest son, the man expressed his gratitude to the guests. James looked handsome in a white shirt and ink-black coat. A white flower was attached to his breast pocket.
Lilia was sitting beside Jean at the main table and politely listened to James's speech. She ignored the curious gazes of the other guests, who had been looming over her ever since she came with Jean. But between those curious gazes, Lilia felt that there were some people looking at her with hatred.
If Lilia stayed with Jean all night, she was sure that those people wouldn't dare act. But Lilia wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.
"Jean." Lilia leaned towards her husband and whispered in his ear, "I'm going to the bathroom for a while."
"…Okay." Jean gave her a worried look, but he didn't protest. Surely Lilia wouldn't need to be escorted to the bathroom like a child.
"I will be right back." Lilia patted the man's shoulder before getting up from her chair.
After Lilia left the hall, another woman also got up from her chair. The woman was Jenny Hartanto, who sat next to the main table. Jenny walked out of the hall and quietly followed Lilia.
*****
In the bathroom at the end of the hallway, Lilia was seen washing her hands. The soft light fell on the woman's face, making her reflection in the mirror look even more beautiful than usual.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound of high heels from the hallway. When Lilia raised her face, she was stunned to see the figure of the woman who had just entered the bathroom. But her expression immediately turned flat and she returned to concentrating on washing her hands.
"Long time no see, Lilia." Sara's haughty voice was still the same as usual.
Lilia sighed and stole a glance from the mirror. Tonight, Sara was wearing a black dress with a similar design to Sasha's. The dress was tight against Sara's body, as if to show off her curves. Lilia frowned as she wondered which guy Sara was trying to seduce tonight in that outfit.
Sara seemed to have forgotten the incident caused by Rina. As a result of the incident, Aphrodite's agency filed a lawsuit against Hartanto Entertainment. The lawsuit made Rina end up in prison and Sara had to lose her position as director. Even so, the Hartanto family's third grandchild still looked as arrogant as ever.
Lilia closed the water tap and dried her hands with a tissue, then headed for the door. She didn't feel the need to speak politely to a woman who was clearly trying to find trouble.
Sara was stunned when Lilia walked past her without saying a word. Her heart felt burned when the woman simply ignored her. If Lilia didn't take the bait, she wouldn't be able to carry out her plan!
"Lilia, wait a minute!" Sara called out to the woman loudly.
Lilia then stopped her hand from opening the bathroom's door. She was very, very tempted to just walk away, but she didn't want Sara to spread rumors about her impoliteness. Finally, she held the bathroom door half open before turning her head towards Sara.
"...do you need something from me, Miss Sara?" Lilia asked coldly. The way she spoke showed that she was treating her as a stranger.
The corner of Sara's mouth lifted into a sly smile. She stepped forward saying, "We haven't seen each other in a long time, so how about we chat for a bit?"
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