A servant carefully led Lilia down a corridor on the wing of the house, then they turned a corner. In front of them was a greenhouse filled with various plants. Even though it was currently entering the end of the dry season, the plants in the greenhouse still looked green and fresh.
Besides that, there was also a flower pond in the greenhouse. There were many lotus shaped lamps filled with beautiful light floating on the surface of the pond.
Within the garden filled with greenery, there were more than a dozen neatly arranged round tables. The tables were lined with festive looking red tablecloths, with guests' cards resting on the table. There was also a curtain wall filled with Simon Irwan's paintings.
After Lilia thanked the maid who escorted her, she walked inside by herself. The greenhouse covered a large area and had a tightly controlled temperature, thereby repelling cold waves. Lilia looked around the glasshouse while waiting for the event to start.
At the moment, there weren't many guests in there. Most of them still hadn't arrived or were socializing with other guests on the front yard of the house.
From a distance, an old man was welcoming the guests with a smile on his face. Lilia faintly heard someone calling him Hardy, the butler of the Irwan Family.
Lilia was standing next to the large, leafy green dill plant as she watched the elderly butler. Then she took her eyes off Hardy and looked around. However, she couldn't find a single member of the Irwan Family.
This was understandable, because the event had not yet started so the family who organized this party had not appeared.
Lilia lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the carefully packed gift in her hand. She didn't know how she should present herself in front of Grandpa Simon when she gave this gift. What if Grandpa Simon realized her true identity and then asked Lilia about it? What should she say to the famous painter?
"Lilia?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
Lilia's complicated mind was interrupted by the call. She turned around and immediately put on a polite smile. "Aunt Jenny," she greeted.
Tonight, Jenny looked amazing. She was wearing a dark purple ball gown which made her look elegant. A black feather adorned her shoulders and gave her a glamorous look. She wore light makeup on her face, and there were a pair of shiny pearl earrings adorning her ears. Overall, the woman looked prettier and more elegant than the last time Lilia saw her at the hospital.
Jenny walked over, then she touched the gift box in Lilia's hand. The woman frowned and asked, "Why are you bothering to prepare gifts? Think of us as family, you don't have to be so formal,"
Jenny's tone sounded relaxed and light, but the words 'family' made Lilia's heart pound. She tried to convince herself that Jenny was just being polite.
She smiled and nodded. Her fingers rubbed the edge of the gift box. "I don't want to be rude because Aunt Jenny took the trouble to invite me. I couldn't have come empty-handed, could I?" Lilia replied diplomatically.
"This kid sure has manners!" The smile on Jenny's face deepened. She looked up and looked around. When she happened to see Hardy's figure, she said to a servant who was passing by, "Go and get Uncle Hardy over here,"
The maid paused and turned to face Jenny. His eyes widened as he recognized the woman. "Yes, miss," he replied with a respectful nod.
Even though Jenny had been married into the Hartanto Family for over 30 years, no one in the Irwan Family dared to ignore her. After all, that woman was Simon's favorite daughter.
Lilia was confused by Jenny's intentions, but she tried not to show it. She just stood beside the woman to accompany her. In just a moment, Hardy hurried over to them.
When the old man saw Jenny beside the big leaves and green anise, he looked pleased. "Miss, when did you come back? Why didn't you say something so I could come out to greet you!" He said excitedly.
He had just greeted an arriving guest and didn't notice when Jenny walked in.
The butler of the Irwan Family wore glasses and a gray tunic. The old man had served Simon in the Irwan family home for nearly forty years. He was much older than Jenny, but Hardy had great respect for her.
Jenny waved her hand gracefully and said in a familiar manner, "Uncle Hardy, don't bother. I'm just coming back home, why are you insisting on welcoming me? Could it be that you don't think of me as a member of the house anymore?"
Hardy coughed lightly and straightened his glasses. Then he smiled and shook his head. "You must be kidding! Of course that's not what I mean. Ah, I heard you called me here? Is there something you need from me?" Hardy asked.
"To be more precise, I called you here because I wanted to introduce you to someone," Jenny said. She turned to Lilia who was next to her, then pushed the woman gently and took a step forward. "This young woman is Lilia Widjaya. Tonight, she is my guest. I'm sure you will treat her with respect," Jenny looked at Hardy closely.
The butler looked at Lilia curiously. This was the first time someone had been considered a guest of honor by Jenny since the woman had never been close to anyone.
Tonight, Lilia only put on light makeup. She just added a thin eyeshadow and eyeliner which was drawn on the corner of her eye. Even though her make-up was simple, it made her eyes look bigger and more striking.
Hardy watched Lilia closely. A few seconds later, the man fixed his glasses again to hide his shocked expression.
Jenny stepped forward to Lilia's side, then she glared at the butler. "Uncle Hardy, what have you noticed after observing Lilia since earlier?" Jenny asked, her eyes glistening with curiosity.
"This..." Hardy gave Jenny a quick glance, then his gaze returned to Lilia. The old man seemed to be having a hard time taking his eyes off Lilia's face. "Miss Lilia has such a stunning beauty that I was blown away. No wonder she can become a successful supermodel," Hardy smoothly praised her.
Lilia felt amazed at the old man. Even though Hardy was quite old, he was still up to date with the latest news and could easily identify Lilia.
"She is very beautiful, right?" Jenny smiled a little, then she deliberately asked, "Then who do you think she looks like?"
At this time, a strange thought suddenly appeared in Lilia's mind. Why did she feel that Jenny had introduced her to the Irwan family on purpose? Since she couldn't find out Jenny's intentions, Lilia could only suppress the suspicion in her heart and observe what happened.
Hardy hesitated for a moment, then he smiled at Jenny. The butler replied calmly, "Miss, a dim-eyed man like me may have misunderstood. I am getting old, and my judgment is unreliable."
Jenny looked at Hardy with a deep gaze. The old man avoided her questions smoothly and without offending. How could Hardy be too old to make judgments?
But Jenny didn't press him any further.. She exchanged a few words with Hardy before taking Lilia out of the greenhouse.
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