Harold leaned his back and one leg against the wall. He stared at the flames fading on his cigarette butt for a few moments, then finally nodded in agreement.
"Then, listen to me. You don't have to think about the penalty. This is a company-to-company agreement, and after I saw your performance today, I don't think you can match this perfume's color," Harold proposed that Lilia cancel her contract for this reason to avoid a penalty.
"Harold…" Lilia grinned when she heard that. She was grateful that she had a competent manager like Harold on her side.
Her manager shrugged his shoulders and smiled casually. He looked at Lilia as he said, "You can go now, I know that guy is still waiting for you. I'll tell you about the negotiation results later."
"Okay, thank you very much." After Lilia said goodbye to Harold, she hurriedly left the shooting location.
Harold stood still while staring at Lilia's distant back. He took a deep breath, a touch of determination flashing through his eyes. Harold had sworn that he would never force the model to do what she didn't want to do.
Even though this perfume was a collaboration facilitated by Mr. Albert of the Aphrodite Agency, he was determined to cancel this contract completely even if he had to risk offending his boss.
While he was thinking about this, Harold suddenly thought about the invitation to the Ricardo Family birthday party. At that time, it seemed like Albert asked Lilia to be there.
Alfred Ricardo appeared to have had a close relationship with Albert, the owner of the Aphrodite Agency. Once was coincidence, but if it happened twice then it was intentional.
Harold was so lost in thought that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. When he turned his head, he jumped to see Dina and Rini standing silently beside him like two pillars.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Harold asked while clutching his chest. His heart was still beating fast from the shock.
Dina blinked and answered awkwardly, "Mr. Harold… you brought your own car, right? Lilia and her husband came back first, so both of us… can't go back without a car,"
Harold glanced at Dina for a moment, then he let out a sigh and jerked his head toward his car. "Alright, let's go!"
*****
As soon as Lilia got back into the car, she was immediately surrounded by warmth. She glanced at Kenny in the driver seat, then looked at Jean who was beside her.
"Harold will talk about ending the contract with them!" Lilia reported.
What she said was a statement. Leaning on the man, she put her hand over Jean's and said in a spoiled manner, "Help me warm my frozen hands!"
Jean's face was colored by a faint smile. He held Lilia's white fingertips and gently rubbed them. He could clearly read a hint of guilt from her expression. It's rare for Lilia to act like this.
The corner of Jean's mouth lifted into a wicked smile. He pinched Lilia's hand a little and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You act very sweet and spoiled to me, is it because you are afraid I will be angry?" He asked.
When Lilia heard Jean's sudden question, her body suddenly froze. She tried to pull her hand away, but Jean's grip tightened. The man didn't seem to want to let her escape.
Lilia's eyelashes trembled as she glanced at Jean. Now that the man knew what she was trying to do, there was no point in pretending anymore.
"Are you angry?" Lilia asked carefully.
She was really worried that today's scene would upset Jean. After all, she was the one who caused the ambiguous situation with Alfred. Whatever the cause, Lilia would feel uncomfortable in her own heart.
However, contrary to her worries, Jean chuckled. The man held her hand affectionately and kissed her lips.
"In Mrs. Widjaya's eyes, am I such a small-hearted man?" He whispered softly.
The heat that was left on the corner of Lilia's lips now moved on the skin on the back of her hand, then it spread to the rest of her body. Her chest was filled with a slightly itchy and crunchy feeling, like all the feelings the man had given her.
Lilia stared at Jean closely as if hypnotized, his handsome face deeply etched into her clear eyes. She felt that their relationship was extraordinary. It'd been quite a while since they got to know each other. They'd also done many of the things that lovers did. But whenever she was with him, she still felt an unstoppable throb in her heart.
Lilia's gaze turned gentler. She leaned on the man's shoulder and watched his movements. Lilia sighed on his cheek as she said carefully, "You are not a small-hearted man. But I don't want to let an irrelevant person provoke you because of something I did."
She knew that Alfred's words just now were a hidden provocation. In fact, ever since the Ricardo family's birthday party, she felt that Alfred's attitude towards her had started to change, more or less. But the man did so well in controlling his emotions and kept himself within a reasonable distance.
That was why Lilia chose to remain silent and ignored him. For her, all of Alfred's attention to her wouldn't leave any traces on her heart.
"… Playing dumb."
This was the answer she gave Merry when her assistant asked about the relationship between her and Alfred. All this time, Lilia pretended not to be aware of Alfred's following gaze or his excessive attention. But today, the man's attitude really broke the balance between them.
Regardless of whether Alfred had ulterior motives or not, Lilia intended to end this relationship as quickly as possible. Indeed, Alfred was a wise man, and he did not have the arrogant attitude like Jean.
But there was something that made Lilia wary of Alfred, as if the man was hiding his true self behind a mask. After all, Lilia already had Jean by her side. That alone was more than enough for her.
At this time, Jean glanced sideways with a confused look, then he sighed and lightly pinched Lilia's forehead. "Don't worry about it. The provocation is irrelevant. After all, I blame Mrs. Widjaya for being too kind."
Lilia smiled mischievously and teased Jean, "Then, Young Master Jean should treat me better! After all, it's hard to find someone… extraordinary."
After Lilia finished speaking, she realized that she was just praising herself. She hurriedly looked away as the tips of her ears were turning red.
Jean smiled broadly and stretched out his hand to pinch Lilia's earlobe. "Then, what does the extraordinary Mrs. Widjaya want to eat tonight?"
Lilia was still immersed in embarrassment and had yet to regain her senses. Hearing this, she automatically replied, "I'd like to eat whatever you like."
A burst of gentle laughter resounded in Lilia's ears as Jean stared at her with an amused look. Before she could correct her answer, the man covered her lips with a deep kiss.
In the midst of it all, Kenny grimaced in his driving seat, as if he had just swallowed something very sweet. He wondered if he should move into the marketing department of Genesis Company so he could catch the female manager as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep up with this married couple chatting all day long!
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m fr𝒆ewebnove(l).com