Lilia followed Jenny out of the greenhouse. She stared at the woman's back doubtfully. She wanted to ask if Jenny had found anything out of her investigation, but she immediately swallowed her words back. Lilia couldn't make Jenny even more suspicious of her.
"Lilia, there's still time before the party starts, so Aunt Jenny will take you to meet someone," Jenny said as she walked away.
The model frowned, but she didn't argue with Jenny's words. When Lilia followed the older woman out into the garden, she glanced up at the twilight sky. The view of the majestic garden against the backdrop of the sunset absolutely looked stunning. But Lilia wasn't in the mood to enjoy the sight.
She turned to Jenny and asked, "Who do you want me to meet?"
"You'll find out right away, right at the door of the hanging flowers," Jenny answered without looking back.
The middle-aged woman walked along the path outside the conservatory glass doors. Then she looked at Lilia again. "I see you haven't rested in the last two days. Your face looks really tired, Lilia," she commented before walking back.
Lilia bit her lip when she heard that. For sure she was not getting enough rest lately. Since Mellisa disappeared, her world had collapsed and there was no way to fix it.
Even worse, there was no one by Lilia's side to accompany her through this time. Only when Mellisa returned safely would Lilia be able to change her mood.
Suddenly, Lilia's steps stopped. She stared warily at Jenny's back. How did that woman know that Lilia hadn't been resting since these two days?
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Jenny stopped too and turned to look at Lilia.
Lilia immediately neutralized her expression. She raised her hand and touched the corner of her eye, then laughed softly at herself. "It's nothing. It's just that, there are a lot of things I've been thinking about lately so I'm not getting enough rest," Lilia put on an innocent smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Aunt Jenny,"
She couldn't read Jenny's true intentions. Even so, Lilia also couldn't show her suspicions towards that woman. Was Jenny on her side? Or was that woman on the side of her niece, Leila?
Jenny's eyes seemed to dim when she heard Lilia's answer. She sighed lightly, then raised her hand to pat Lilia's shoulder. She said in a low voice, "You have been suffering lately,"
Lilia's suspicions grew stronger. Did Jenny really know anything about her?
Lilia stared intently at Jenny's face, trying to get the slightest hint of her expression. But Jenny had already looked away. The woman then pointed to the building in front of them.
"We have arrived,"
Lilia followed Jenny's gaze. The faint evening sunlight fell on the small building, tinting it the color of the evening. Lilia could see the inner courtyard through the gate decorated with hanging flowers.
Even though the sun had begun to set, there was very little light inside the building. It looked like most of the lights there hadn't been turned on... or were not turned on on purpose.
Jenny gently pushed Lilia's back. When the model turned her head, Jenny had turned to leave.
The middle aged woman glanced at Lilia as she said, "This was my former residence when I was living in this house. No one currently occupies it, so you don't need to worry. I'll be waiting for you in the greenhouse in ten minutes,"
Lilia stood stunned at what Jenny said. She looked towards the residence, then looked back at Jenny who had turned away. The middle-aged woman's words made Lilia even more confused. Ever since she walked into the Irwan Family house and met Jenny, things had become mysterious and unexpected.
She stood in front of the gate for a few seconds, but she couldn't suppress the doubt in her heart. Lilia turned around and walked through the gate. The light inside the residence was completely dim, except for the light from the living room which reflected a golden color.
Lilia stepped on the rocky ground in the front yard in high heels. But the gap between the stone chunks was rather large, and her heel was tucked into the gap.
"Ah!" Lilia's eyes widened as her body started to lose balance.
"Watch out!"
A familiar voice reached her ears. Lilia's swaying figure was immediately embraced by a pair of strong arms. She turned her head with a surprised expression. Why was he here?
The smell of cigarettes mixed with the familiar spring made Lilia feel safe. She blinked in confusion. "Jean?"
The handsome man replied softly, "Yes, I'm here."
Jean helped Lilia straighten up. The model immediately fixed her dress before looking at Jean in disbelief. "Why are you here?" Lilia asked in a choked voice.
Didn't that man say he'd come late because something got delayed? Then how did he appear at Aunt Jenny's old residence?
Lilia had so many things and questions she wanted to tell Jean when they met again. Yet at this moment, while she was in that man's embrace, her voice seemed to get caught in the throat. Her eyes began to tear up and Lilia gripped the hem of Jean's shirt tightly.
"Lilia, sorry I made you wait for a long time," Jean slowly stroked the woman's hair with his warm palms.
Lilia closed her eyes and enjoyed the man's gentle touch. Just having Jean here made her feel that everything was going to be alright.
"Are you alright?" Jean was worried.
Lilia wiped her tears and looked at the man anxiously. "Jean, Mellisa... My sister Mellisa disappeared ...!"
All the feelings and worries that had been eating into Lilia's heart for the past two days spilled out as soon as she met Jean. She began to describe everything that had happened with great emotion.
Jean listened patiently to Lilia, without even interrupting her words. After the woman finished speaking, Jean immediately pulled her into his arms.
"You really are great," Jean whispered warmly. "You've been fighting hard all this time. But you don't have to worry anymore. Everything will be alright."
Lilia looked up and met the man's eyes.
"What do you mean…"
Lilia's words stopped when she saw a flash of light over Jean's shoulder. The light came from Jenny's residence, which should have been empty.
"Mellisa is fine,"
Lilia's body froze when she heard Jean's words. She looked back at the man and repeated in a trembling voice, "Is she... is she okay?"
The man was silent for a few seconds, then he turned and looked at Jenny's residence. "They are inside," he said.
Hearing that, Lilia didn't hesitate anymore. She hurried past Jean and headed for the front door of the residence. However, Lilia had only taken two steps when Jean caught her wrist.
"Jean?" Lilia was forced to stop and turn to the man.
Jean reached out to stroke his wife's cheek. "After you meet Mellisa, you need to stay calm. I'll be waiting for you here,"
Lilia's heart suddenly became heavy because of that sentence. She then nodded. "Okay."
Lilia's high heels knocked against the floor loudly as she rushed towards the front door. When she raised her hand and was about to knock, the wooden door swung open. Lilia's eyes widened as she looked at the person standing at the threshold.
"Inspector Leonard?"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶