When Daniel took the cellphone out of his pocket, he frowned at the sight of the caller's name on the screen. He hesitated to pick it up and let it ring for a long time. Finally, Daniel sighed and answered the phone.
"Hello?" His voice sounded very impatient. He waited for his interlocutor to say something before replying, "Why do I suddenly need to go to Jakarta?"
"..."
"I'm not going! What does she have to do with me? She ran away from the hospital by herself, so why should I go to pick her up?! Who does she think she is?!"
"..."
"I told you that I'm not going! Don't waste your time to force me because it's useless! Bye!" After saying that, Daniel hung up the phone in exasperation.
When Lilia heard his words on the phone, the corner of her mouth lifted into a small smile. As expected, Leila had returned to Jakarta.
Daniel looked at Lilia with a frustrated expression. "Just now, mom called me and said that the woman ran back to Jakarta last night. She wanted me to follow her and get that woman back. Isn't this annoying?!" Daniel let out his frustration.
"That's her business, so you don't need to interfere. After all, today isn't the weekend either. Aren't you still in college?" Lilia didn't want Daniel to get involved and deliberately changed their topic. The business with Leila was enough to drain her energy. Daniel didn't need to be hurt because of that woman.
Daniel saw that his sister did not want to talk more about Leila. He put his cell phone back in his pocket angrily.
"You're right. I have class today, so I'll have to come back soon," he muttered bitterly. Then he immediately looked for a new topic of conversation. "My lecturer has just been replaced and I'm not used to the new schedule. Because of that, I accidentally skipped class several times. Plus, this new lecturer is super strict! I miss Mr. Alfred already!"
"Hmm? What happened to Mr. Alfred?" Lilia asked in surprise. Alfred was none other than a lecturer and a teacher at a tea-making class in her mind. She couldn't imagine that educated man doing anything different.
Daniel shook his head. "Mr. Alfred resigned and left last month. I don't know what he's doing now."
Even though Lilia was a little surprised, she felt that it wasn't that surprising. After all, Alfred Ricardo was the son of the richest family in Yogyakarta. There was no way a man like him could become a lecturer all his life.
*****
In less than half an hour, Daniel had left the Lakeside Villas.
Before leaving, he repeatedly emphasized that he still thought of Lilia as his older sister. It seemed that Daniel was very afraid that Lilia would cut their relationship because of what happened to their parents.
Daniel refused to leave Lilia's house until she promised to always treat him like her brother. The young man was determined to send messages to Lilia and keep his sister updated about his whereabouts.
Even though Leila was his real sister, Daniel felt that they were not meant to get close.
*****
After Daniel came home, Lilia ate breakfast that she had warmed up. Daniel's sudden arrival made her change her plans for today. She's going to stop by Mellisa's house before going to the hospital this afternoon.
When Lilia arrived at Mellisa's house and knocked on the door, the woman herself opened the door.
"Oh, Lilia? What's wrong?" Mellisa asked in surprise. "Why did you come this early?"
"Nothing, it's just that I have something to discuss with you. Where's Brother Leo, by the way?" Lilia looked over Mellisa's shoulder, but she didn't see that big man.
Mellisa shrugged her shoulders with an indifferent expression. "I don't know, he's gone since this morning. Don't mind that guy. Come in," she said, inviting her.
Lilia smiled faintly, but she still followed Mellisa into her house. The interior layout of the house was exactly the same as the house she lived in, but the atmosphere was very different. The carpet on the floor was soft pink, while the walls were covered in a sky-colored wallpaper.
The furniture in the living room was dominated by soft and calming pastel colors. Lilia looked around while trying to hold back laughter. She couldn't imagine that sharp-eyed police inspector buying cute furniture like this. Leonard must have done this for Mellisa's sake.
Her sister coughed awkwardly when she saw Lilia's sparkling eyes.
"I told you beforehand, but the one who bought all of this was Leonard. When I came here, the furniture and decorations were already like this. He's not asking my opinion at all, okay?!" Mellisa confirmed.
Even though she said that, Lilia felt that Mellisa didn't mind those soft colors. Quite the opposite— Mellisa actually liked soft, feminine colors like this. Lilia's impression of Leonard became even more positive. That man deserved to be her sister's partner!
"Then? What do you want to talk about?" Mellisa changed the topic while sitting on the sofa. The woman was completely discharged from her crutches, thanks to her strong determination to recover quickly.
"Ah, this morning..." Lilia told about Daniel and Leila's escape from the hospital.
Mellisa snorted in disgust when she heard that. "She never changes. I'm sure she ran off to plan something in Jakarta. That damn woman won't give up until she gets what she wants," she said coldly.
"I thought about telling Jean about this, but it looks like he's busy with something," Lilia said with a hesitant voice.
"Then, let me call Leonard. He's always been with me, so he can't be busy," Mellisa replied casually as she took her new cell phone.
Lilia gave a dry smile. If Leonard found out that Mellisa saw him as having too much time in his hand, that man would retaliate for sure!
After Mellisa called Leonard and told him about the situation, the man promised to find out more information. Lilia decided to wait at Mellisa's house and chat with her until more news came from Leonard.
The two sisters chatted about several other topics before Lilia remembered anything.
"Oh, right. Merry will return to America today," Lilia clapped her hands together.
"Merry? Who?" Mellisa cocked her head.
"Umm... She is..."
Lilia considered telling Merry's background, but the girl's life story was quite complex.
Finally, she just said, "She is my former assistant and is currently studying abroad. She is good friends with Brother Chris, Jean's best friend who is now hospitalized. She's such a lively and funny kid, so I miss her quite a bit."
"Hmm... Looks like she's an interesting kid," Mellisa supported her chin with a curious look.
"What if you come with me to the hospital later? I also want to introduce you to her!" Lilia proposed, her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Mellisa laughed at Lilia's enthusiasm. "Sure, why not? Let me get ready first,"
Lilia nodded. "Then I'll have Clifford come and get us," she said while taking out her cellphone
*****
At the same time, at the Minerva Hospital. Chris laid on his bed while Merry was busy playing a game on the sofa. The man's gaze was fixed on Merry but then Jean's warning flashed through his mind again.
"The man who attacked you was just a messenger," Jean told him on the phone last night. "Until now, we haven't been able to find out who the real culprit is. If you don't want Merry to get involved, I suggest you keep your distance from her,"
Chris sighed and clenched his fists with a frustrated expression.
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