After Kenny left, Lilia put the magazine in her hand on the table. She touched her face that was still burning and let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you nervous?" The man leaned back in the boss chair, legs folded in a relaxed and elegant posture.
Lilia glanced at him and smiled calmly, "No!"
Even though she said that, the look in her eyes couldn't cover her true feelings.
*****
That afternoon, the atmosphere in Jean's office was calm and peaceful. The evening sunlight seeped into the room, adding to the warm impression.
While Jean was busy working, Lilia watched him attentively from the sofa. There was no thrilling story between them, nor was there any deliberate arrangement. The atmosphere between them was like clear water slowly flowing from a river into a calm lake.
Some people might say that such relationships are boring. However, according to Lilia, this stable and peaceful relationship had actually become her goal. Living as a model meant living a changing and uncertain life. That's why Lilia really appreciated the trust and love between them that didn't need to be expressed in words anymore.
When Lilia came back from her reverie, it was half past five in the afternoon.
When the man closed the last document, Lilia was standing behind him. A pair of palms grasped Jean's shoulder gently. Lilia leaned down a little, and whispered softly, "Are you tired? I'll massage your shoulders for you,"
Before Jean could answer, Lilia had massaged the man's shoulder diligently. Even though that woman's technique felt amateurish, Jean admitted that his fatigue seemed to disappear by Lilia's touch. The man raised his hands to his shoulders and caught her palms. He brought her hand closer and kissed the back of her hand.
"Isn't it boring to just stay here and accompany me to work this afternoon?" Jean asked.
Lilia shook her head subconsciously. "This isn't boring. Are you done yet?" After saying that, her eyes glanced in a certain direction.
Unfortunately, Jean didn't catch her eye. He replied nonchalantly, "What would you like to eat in the evening?"
"I'm not that hungry yet, so we don't have to rush to eat! It's just ... I suddenly remembered something," Lilia squeezed her shoulder and muttered with a smile. She had endured all afternoon just to say this.
"What's the matter? Say it!"
Jean took her hand and dragged Lilia from behind the chair to his side. Then he raised his eyebrows and waited for his wife to speak.
Lilia looked at the hand Jean was holding, and the corners of her mouth accidentally curled upwards. Then she pointed to Jean's desk drawer.
"I remember that you put a picture frame on your desk before we met again," Lilia said. "But after that, you immediately put it in a drawer and never took it out again. Why did you do that?"
Until now, Lilia didn't know why Jean hid the frame with her photo in it. When Jean was at home with her today, she suddenly thought about it.
The first time she and Jean met in her office, Lilia didn't have time to take a closer look at the photo in the frame. But when Lilia was alone in his office recently, she had been looking at the photo without Jean knowing. But she still didn't dare to ask Jean about it.
Now, the stronger her love for Jean, the more Lilia's curiosity would be. She could no longer suppress her emotions and curiosity. Lilia chose to ask bluntly and heard the answer from the man herself.
After Lilia finished speaking, she slowly looked at the man. A pair of eyes as black as night met one as blue as the ocean. They were both clear and honest.
Jean's handsome face didn't change even after he heard Lilia's question. He squeezed her hand tightly, and said in a low voice, "So you insisted on accompanying me today, just because you wanted to see that picture frame?"
"Of course not!" Lilia immediately denied the question. She stepped forward and replied confidently, "Being with you is my top priority. Seeing the picture frame is an extra motive!"
The smile in the man's eyes deepened. He sighed before starting to laugh out loud. Jean's laughter sounded crisp and comforting. He pointed to his desk's drawer. "Then, open it yourself."
Lilia hesitated for a moment. There were no secrets hidden in the photo frame, but a woman's mind would always have a strong sense of curiosity at times.
The model linked her fingers and nodded. "Hmm... alright."
After Lilia spoke, Jean once again pulled the woman onto his lap and sat her there steadily. Outside the window was a sunset tinting the sky with the colors of the twilight. The lights in the room reflected their figures on the glass windows.
Lilia reached out and opened the drawer slightly. Even though she had done this before, her heart felt like it was beating fast. Just as Lilia thought, the picture frame was still lying there.
When she touched the frame with her fingertips, she glanced at Jean once again. After the man nodded, then Lilia slowly took out the photo frame. Her eyes were fixed on the contents of the frame. For a moment, neither of them made a sound.
The photo frame was exactly the same as what Lilia saw when she first got there. A newspaper cut containing her photo. She wore a white sand-colored skirt and stood on the stage smiling gracefully. Then, Lilia realized that there was another photo hidden behind it.
"Jean, can I take the photo?" Lilia asked while looking at the man.
Jean sighed, as if Lilia had caught his secret, but he still nodded. "Go ahead."
Lilia opened the photo frame. Suddenly, there were lots of photos of different sizes falling from the frame and scattered on the floor.
"Ahh, sorry!" Lilia hurriedly jumped down from Jean's lap and gathered the photos.
Her eyes widened to find that they were her pictures. Jean had collected every single of her photos when she appeared in fashion shows. Then, one of them caught her eyes.
"This photo…" Lilia muttered while lifting up the photo sheet.
It was her photo during her first fashion show. But instead of smiling gracefully at the camera, Lilia grinned broadly and her right hand made a V sign.
Lilia laughed and turned to face Jean. "How did you get this photo?" She asked in surprise.
This photo was taken after the fashion show ended. Lilia was very happy that she finished her first performance successfully. However, since she exposed too much emotion, Harold scolded her after returning from there.
A model should be dignified and graceful, with a cold face. They should never have gentle expressions on their face. And so on, and so on.
From then on, Lilia acted cold and indifferent whenever she was on the stage. These were professional requirements and performance norms.
Lilia stared at the photo as she rubbed her fingertips gently. Then, a similar photo came to mind.
"Ahh! The photo I took while attending the summer camp in Arum Village was also in this pose, right?" Lilia asked while looking at Jean in surprise.
She began to guess why Jean had kept so many pictures of herself.
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