When Jean appeared, no one there dared to make a sound. The intimidating aura surrounding the man made everyone tremble.
But that didn't stop the gossip from spreading among the guests. They all knew that the woman who caused this incident came with the fourth son of the Widjaya Family. In addition, that woman was an artist from the entertainment world.
On the other hand, the woman who fell to the floor was the third grandchild of the Hartanto family. What she said just now earned her a hard slap from the woman Jean had brought with him. And the cause of their fight was another man!
More and more guests gathered in the hallway. The restaurant staff tried to get them back into the hall, but no one listened. They wouldn't want to lose the chance to watch a sensational event like this! What's more, the person at the center of the gossip was Jean, who had never been caught in any rumors!
Sasha walked behind Irene while glancing around her with a satisfied look. After tonight's incident, Lilia wouldn't be able to show her face in front of everyone! The rumors in the elite circles were a label that would follow someone for the rest of their life. Lilia's reputation had fallen!
Suddenly, Sasha felt a gust of wind as someone walked past her at high speed. In just the blink of an eye, Jean was far ahead, even though he was walking behind her before.
Jean walked hurriedly toward Lilia and James. He gave his brother a murderous look as the man was still gripping Lilia's arm tightly.
"...Brother James, take your hands off Lilia." Jean ordered in a cold voice.
James frowned at the threat in Jean's voice. Instead of letting Lilia go, he started talking, "How dare you talk to your own brother like that..."
"I said, let go of Lilia. Didn't you hear me?" Jean's voice was so low it almost sounded like a growl.
James narrowed his eyes. "Looks like this woman did have a bad influence on you. Where do you respect your own brother..."
"Brother James." Jean cut off his brother in the calmest voice he could possibly ever release. "Get off Lilia right now. You're hurting her."
Only then did James realize that Lilia's expression wrinkled with pain. He hurriedly removed the woman's arm. However, his strong grip had left a dark red mark around Lilia's arm.
Before James could say anything, Jean had walked past him. The fourth son of the Widjaya Family immediately pulled Lilia into his arms without noticing the presence of others. His arms were wrapped around Lilia's thin shoulders, as if trying to protect her from everything.
The warmth of Lilia's body in his arms helped calm Jean's chaotic mind. The man was unable to think straight as soon as he saw his own brother grip Lilia's arm so tightly. The first thing that came to Jean's mind was to beat up James for hurting his wife. But that would only tarnish Lilia's reputation. So Jean desperately held back his emotions from exploding.
"Are you alright?" Jean worried.
Lilia looked up and met the man's eyes. She smiled broadly to comfort Jean. "I'm fine, don't worry," she said to calm him down.
Jean frowned and touched Lilia's bruised arm. "I'm not sure if this is classified as 'fine'," he muttered.
"Ahh…" Lilia bit her lip as Jean's light touch brought pain in her arm. "This will disappear in a few days, really. And my costume during filming will cover it up, so there's no problem."
"You really..." Jean looked at his wife with a look of wonder mixed with admiration. Then he shook his head and muttered, "I'll beat Brother James later."
"Don't do it!" Lilia immediately bursted out. "He only thinks about the reputation of the Widjaya Family! So don't blame him!"
Jean looked at Lilia in dissatisfaction, but he didn't protest. The man then turned his gaze to Sara who was still sitting on the floor. He stared down at her with an arrogant and condescending look.
The man's icy gaze gave Sara goosebumps. Jean just stared at her without saying a word, but she was already scared to death. Sara's heart raced fast as she waited for what Jean would tell her.
Although Jean's current appearance seemed scary to most people, it was not the case for Sasha. In the woman's eyes, Jean looked even more charming. But Sasha couldn't forgive Lilia, who took the opportunity to hug Jean. The woman was so blinded with jealousy that she didn't care that it was Jean who hugged Lilia, not the other way around.
The sight before her eyes pierced her heart deeply. Sasha didn't know what kind of technique Lilia used to make Jean fall in love with her that much. The man immediately ran to Lilia's side as soon as she got into trouble, ignoring everyone else. The way Jean treated Lilia with care and gentleness made Sasha jealous to death.
Jean finally opened his mouth while still holding Lilia in his arms. He asked in a low voice, "What did you say about Lilia just now?"
The threat behind his words was clear—Try telling the lie one more time if you dare.
Sara opened and closed her mouth several times. Her eyes glanced around the room in panic, as if trying to find an answer to that question. Then she met someone's gaze, who gave her a faint nod. In that instant, Sara's attitude changed one hundred and eighty degrees.
She began to speak in a firm voice, "Young Master Jean, let me explain what happened. I only came here to wash my hands and happened to run into Lilia. She still has feelings for William Anggara, but she can't get them back. So Lilia is pouring out her anger on me! I didn't do anything, so why is she treating me like this?!"
Lilia listened to Sara's version of the story with a calm expression. Instead, she was amazed that Sara could speak such nonsense with such confidence.
Jean narrowed his eyes as Sara mentioned the name of the man he least wanted to hear. "So you're saying that Lilia can't forget William?" he coldly asked.
Sara nodded hard. "That's right, Young Master Jean. She attacked me because she was jealous of me as William's lover."
Suddenly, a sound of laughter broke the tense atmosphere. The voice was as clear as bells and light as a feather. Everyone automatically turned to the source.
"Ahh, I'm sorry." Lilia suppressed her laughter and smiled sarcastically. "I can't help myself— this story is truly amazing, Miss Sara. Are you sure if you tell the truth?"
Sara glanced at Jean with a scared expression, but she still fiercely replied, "Of course I am! Everyone here is the witness! Are you saying that the dozens of distinguished guests in this place are lying?"
Hearing that, James's face turned darker. He glared at the woman in Jean's embrace. If Lilia wasn't careful in arguing with Sara's words, she would not only damage her own reputation, but also the reputation of the Widjaya Family!
Then James turned to the restaurant staff who were standing awkwardly nearby. "Help Miss Sara up." he shortly ordered.
"Wait a minute, Brother James!" At that time, Sasha left Irene's side and boldly advanced.
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