This was the first time Lilia had met Janice, the wife of the current head of Irwan family and the mother of Mellisa and Leila. If the results of Jean's DNA test were to be believed, then Janice was Lilia's real mother.
The woman had a slender body that reached 1.7 meters in height. Lilia remembered that Mellisa was almost the same height as her mother. Perhaps their height was influenced by genetics inherited from Janice.
Tonight, Janice wore a ball gown that clung to her body and highlighted her ideal body shape. The dark blue dress which was the color of the sapphire gave her an elegant impression. Part of the woman's black hair was curled upwards, while the rest was left loose over her back. Her movements were full of grace, like the wife of the head of the richest conglomerate family in Jakarta.
Even though Janice was over fifty years old, she still looked twenty years younger. Her skin was no less smooth than Lilia's and she looked flawless. The only thing that showed her age were the faint frown lines on her forehead. Janice got that frown after Mellisa's 'death' five years ago.
By the time Lilia stepped closer, everyone at the main table had completely different thoughts. Their gazes at Lilia were filled with different emotions.
In the midst of the awkward silence, Jenny stood next to Lilia and Jean. The middle-aged woman introduced them to Grandpa Simon and everyone else at the main table.
"Father, this is Jean Widjaya, the fourth son of the Widjaya Family from Surabaya. Next to him is Lilia Widjaya, his wife. They are both young people I want to introduce to you," Jenny explained.
Grandpa Simon's sharp gaze fell on Lilia's figure. The man studied her for a moment, then his eyes flashed as if he had seen something. Grandpa Simon nodded calmly and said, "Welcome and thank you for coming all the way for my birthday party. Have a seat, you two."
At this time, Lilia gave a slight bow before taking a step forward. Then she handed the gift box in her hand to the elderly man. "Grandpa Simon, happy birthday. I wish you a long life, healthy body and happiness," Lilia said respectfully.
Grandpa Simon looked both amazed and touched by Lilia's words. "You really are a nice and polite young woman!" He said with a big smile. The old man then took the gift box and handed it to a servant who was standing behind him.
After the two of them finished talking, Jenny led Lilia and Jean to one of the main table chairs. During this brief period, Richard and Janice continued to steal glances at Lilia. But sadly, the event was about to start. Grandpa Simon, who had a strict and disciplined character, wouldn't be happy if they talked too much during the event.
Therefore, when Lilia and Jean sat in their chairs, no one spoke. The atmosphere at the table remained stagnant for a moment. The eight people's eyes had always been on Lilia, either directly or indirectly. Plus, every pair of eyes that stared at her was looking uneasy.
After a while, the birthday party finally started. Grandpa Anton, Grandpa Simon's best friend, was busy telling stories on a small stage. The elderly man shared interesting facts about Simon that not many other people know. The two of them were old friends, so Anton had various interesting stories about Simon.
Even though Anton's story was much longer than he initially thought, no one dared to interrupt the man. After all, the man was old, and his children wouldn't stop the man from doing what he wanted to do.
*****
The birthday party went smoothly. After Grandpa Anton finished speaking in front of everyone, he was invited to the main table by Simon.
Meanwhile, Jenny was just back in her chair after calling her husband. Right at that moment, Lilia happened to come over to her to toast. The model carried two wine glasses in hand.
"Aunt Jenny, thank you for inviting me to Grandpa Simon's birthday party. I'm honored to meet all the members of the Irwan Family today. Shall we have a toast to the celebration?" Lilia offered.
Jenny kept smiling as she looked at the red wine in the glass Lilia brought. The middle aged woman accepted her glass without hesitation.
"Of course I do. It's just that you shouldn't drink too much wine tonight, Lilia," Jenny reminded politely, "Too much alcohol is not good for you either."
Lilia nodded and agreed to Jenny's words. After they had a toast, they both took a sip of the wine.
The model slowly glanced around and met Leila's eyes for a moment. Leila hurriedly averted her gaze, but Lilia had no intention of letting her off the hook.
"Miss Leila, we didn't have much time to talk at the Pangestu Family's house before," Lilia said warmly.
Leila jumped in shock and glanced from side to side, as if trying to find an opportunity to escape.
"Because of that, I will also toast you. Hopefully you have more opportunities next time, so you can go to the Pangestu Family house again."
Leila's grip immediately tightened around the glass wine in her hand. She glared at Lilia, but she couldn't say anything.
At this point, Janice's face became a little stiff. She looked at Leila with a warm smile. "Lei, have you met Miss Lilia before?" She asked firmly.
Before Leila could answer, Lilia smiled and explained, "Aunt Janice, I met Miss Leila a few months ago,"
When Lilia said that, she saw Leila's eyes flickering nervously. Lilia pretended she didn't see her and continued adding with a smile. "When Miss Leila went to Surabaya alone, she accidentally got lost. My mother found her and took her back to the Pangestu family house."
Janice nodded with a worried expression. She also knew about the incident and was the one who called Claire Austin.
"Oh, yes, my parents are also here tonight," Lilia added innocently. "The last time Miss Leila met my mother, they seemed very compatible. Since then, my mother has been asking me when she can talk about the past with Miss Leila again,"
Upon hearing this remark, Richard frowned slightly and looked at Leila. The man chided in an unhappy tone, "You are an only child! But you are always running around nowhere, and if you get lost, you will cause trouble for other people. Think carefully about what you will do before you act!"
Then Richard turned to look at Lilia. The man smiled with a gentle face and asked, "Miss Lilia, since your parents are here, can you bring them here together? I just wanted to invite them to a toast and thank them,"
Richard held the wine glass in one hand as he eyed Lilia expectantly. The man's tall and sturdy body made Lilia have to lift her face to look at him.
Lilia heard the news that the eldest son of the Irwan family was now responsible for the wealth of the Irwan family. Richard was a good person. The man had a calm demeanor as the head of a respectable family. Obviously he had been accustomed to dealing with people with hidden motives for years. Even so, Richard always treated everyone politely.
Lilia was staring at the man, but Richard was also observing Lilia.. The Head of the Irwan Family had never seen a girl so similar to Mellisa.
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