Alan called the Hartanto family to report that Chris's condition was stable. Then he took a glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to Chris.
"Drink something. I'm sure your throat must be dry," Alan said softly, like a good cousin.
He had good intentions, but as soon as he held out the cup of water with the straw, Chris turned his head and turned his face away. At the same time, Chris swept Merry's eyes, as if to say, 'Let Merry give me a drink!'
At that moment, Alan nearly poured the water in the glass over Chris's face. What an ungrateful cousin!
Of course, since Chris was still the patient here, Alan struggled to contain himself. He turned around and put the cup of water in Merry's hand.
Unfortunately, Merry was still in a daze. She accepted the cup filled with water and failed to understand what Alan meant. Merry actually looked at Chris' cousin gratefully.
"Thank you, Brother Alan!" She said before lowering her head and sipping the water in the glass.
Alan hastily stopped Merry and told her what to do. Meanwhile, Chris could only close his eyes while keeping his expression neutral. Why did he have to fall in love with this ridiculous woman?
On the other hand, Lilia leaned on Jean's shoulder and smiled at their behavior. Merry was such an innocent child!
*****
Chris had awakened from his coma and everyone looked happy. Even so, the conflict within the Hartanto family never stopped.
Twenty minutes later, Lilia and Jean went home first. As soon as they left, Jenny and Jefferson rushed over to the hospital.
Merry refused to go with Lilia. She walked around the hospital bed like a babysitter, asking Chris if he had any pain in his body, or if he was thirsty and wanted something.
Chris suddenly felt that it was worthy to suffer this wound! At least Merry was willing to fly back to Indonesia specifically to visit him. Even though the young woman had an odd way of caring for others, Chris still saw that Merry was working hard to make him feel better.
*****
At seven in the evening, Alan's family finally left the ward. Before leaving, Jenny was standing at the door looking at Merry. She looked friendly and motherly when she said, "Merry, sweetheart, I'm going to trouble you to look after Chris tonight,"
Merry smiled and nodded with a proud expression. "Aunt Jenny, don't worry! It's not a bother! Just leave it to me!"
Jenny patted Merry's shoulder with a grateful smile and left the hospital.
The family walked to the parking lot. As soon as they got into the car, Jenny immediately turned and looked at Alan from the passenger seat.
"Why did the young lady from the Hiroshi Family return to Indonesia? Shouldn't she be studying in the United States?" Jenny asked in a sharp voice.
"She's back for my cousin," Alan replied short.
Now that he was in the car and away from the eyes of others, Alan's expression was even colder than before. He looked out the window, to the line of inpatient rooms to be precise.
Alan added, "Chris and the daughter of the Hiroshi Family have a wonderful relationship."
This sentence caused Jenny and Jefferson to exchange glances at each other. They were all shocked when they saw the two people together.
Jenny narrowed her eyes, then looked down and rubbed her navy-painted nails. Her lips were smiling but her eyes didn't.
"I guess that means Chris will have the support of the Hiroshi Family," Jenny said calmly.
Alan looked at his mother who was sitting in the passenger seat. He couldn't believe how calm Jenny was in the face of this unexpected situation.
Alan lowered his voice and said, "Mom, he's awake now. Should the person doing the work be dealt with earlier? Even though that person has been arrested, I heard Jean Widjaya has already started investigating. If they find out the truth about the attack..."
Alan didn't say the rest, but his handsome face became even more serious.
Jefferson just started driving their car. When he heard this, the man glanced at Alan in the rearview mirror. His eyes were filled with the 'cunning wisdom' of a veteran businessman.
"Alan, you still need to learn a lot. You worry about things that really don't need to be worried!" Jefferson rebuked him.
Then Jefferson turned to look at Jenny who was sitting next to him. A smile full of confidence adorned the face of the middle-aged man.
"Your mother was ready for this. Don't you know that your mother never misses a thing?" Jefferson continued.
Jenny looked up from her nails when she heard that. She and Jefferson looked at each other for a moment. Her lips puffed into a soft smile.
"I have to admit that the relationship between Chris and the Hiroshi Family's daughter was an unexpected variable. But the preparations I made while in Jakarta would not have been in vain. Even if Jean investigated the attack and found out the truth, I'm sure the young man will side with me. That's all. It's enough!"
Jean, Tom and Alex. The three of them were close friends of Chris and they also came from large, respectful families. They were all the same age and seemed to consider each other as equals. Yet everyone around them knew that the Widjaya Family's fourth son was the one who made the final decision.
At least, Jean's words had enough weight to make Chris shut up!
At this moment, Alan looked closely at Jenny. The young man thought about Jenny's words for a moment, then expressed his worries about the plan.
"Mom, even so, we can't take Jean lightly! He reached the position of president of the company when he was only 24 years old, and he's been able to develop it to this extent— Jean's abilities are worth looking out for!"
Alan warned Jenny furiously. As someone who witnessed how Jean handled Chris's assault case? firsthand, Alan couldn't stop worrying.
"Besides ... you are only helping Lilia to regain her identity as a member of the Irwan family. Can something as small as that really win Jean's heart?" Alan continued doubtfully.
Even though Alan continued to doubt her, Jenny's smile never wavered. "If I say that this will work, I can definitely do it!"
In today's society, self-interest was the number one? priority. Jenny did like Lilia, but it was not enough for her to help and frankly defended the Irwan family.
After she survived many storms being in the vortex of family fights, Jenny had changed a lot. All of her feelings of warmth and compassion were long gone. Now everything she did had its own reason and a purpose.
"And Alan, you forgot one thing," Jenny's smile turned cold in an instant. "Jean Widjaya's biggest weakness is his love for his wife. As long as Lilia is involved, he will do anything for that woman,"
At this point, Alan didn't say anything. He knew that his mother's strategy and skills would not lose to any man. Alan only hoped that after the assault incident, Chris wouldn't blame them!
*****
After Alan's family left, Merry sat beside the hospital bed, staring closely at Chris.
She had cried for a long time in the afternoon and returned from overseas without much rest. At this time, her eyes looked very red and swollen. Her face was filled with fatigue that could no longer be hidden.
Chris just woke up and had no energy, so he couldn't eat as directed by the doctor.. Finally, he could only rely on the nutrient solution in his IV sac first.
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