The next morning, Lilia came to the shooting location. There, she met about a hundred famous models from various countries for the first time.
The shooting location was the largest amusement water park in the city. All the models there, including Lilia, wore black swimsuits prepared by the organizer. The swimsuit was combined with a long silk cloth having the same color as the swimsuit. The fabric was tied around the waist, looking like a skirt long enough to sweep the floor.
The models were asked to walk on the red carpet that had been prepared. Petals of different flowers were spread along the carpet to add a natural impression. After reaching the end of the carpet, the models would pass through the water spray that formed the curtains to climb onto the small stage.
The arrangement not only captured the elegance of the models as they walked with their skirt tails sweeping the floor, but also added to the mystique as they passed through the water curtain.
When Lilia stood with a hundred other models and listened to the explanation from the choreographer, she stood out among the models. She looked so confident, as if it was not her first time competing with international level models. Her natural beauty and calm demeanor caught the eyes of the staff there.
*****
The shooting session lasted 7 hours and only ended around 4 pm.
Lilia left the shooting location with unsteady steps. She purposely skipped yesterday's dinner in order to keep her body in shape. In addition, she also couldn't eat during the photo shoot. Lilia was so hungry that she could finish a whole plate of the super spicy Sapo tofu from Hirayuki Restaurant.
Lilia got into the car that was waiting for her. Merry who sat in the back seat immediately greeted her by handing her a box of vegetable salad, "Are you okay, Sister Lilia? You look so tired. Here, eat something to fill your stomach." Merry said anxiously.
Harold also glanced at Lilia who was sitting beside him worriedly, but he tried to remain firm as he spoke, "There are still two days left before the fashion week starts. Your schedule for those two days will be worse than today, so prepare yourself carefully."
Lilia slowly chewed the salad, "I know. But at least I don't have to wait five hours like today." Her voice sounded very tired.
Since this was Lilia's first time appearing on the international stage, models from the same country kept their distance from her. The other international models had high self-esteem, making it even more difficult for Lilia to approach them. As a result, Lilia was only told that it was her last turn to advance after waiting for hours.
Even so, Lilia accepted the decision without protesting. She realized that no matter how famous she was in Indonesia, Lilia was still a newcomer here.
Lilia lost her appetite after just a few mouthfuls and returned the salad to Merry. She leaned back into the car seat and closed her eyes.
Harold saw Lilia's lethargic and lackluster expression, "Did the session go well? Or is there someone trying to cause trouble for you?"
Lilia shook her head, "No, everything is going well."
Seeing Lilia's calm demeanor, Harold frowned suspiciously. Managers and assistants were prohibited from stepping into the shooting location, so he did not know what happened during the shoot. However, Harold was not that stupid as to believe that nothing had happened.
The models taking part in today's session were far more experienced than Lilia and some of them would definitely try to make things difficult for a newcomer like her. Luckily, Harold knew Lilia wasn't the arrogant or impulsive type. She had the toughness and maturity sufficient to stand on the international stage.
Lilia suddenly opened her eyes and turned to Merry behind her, "Where's my cell phone?"
Merry reached into her backpack, "Hmm ... I'm sure your cellphone should be on..." She muttered when she couldn't find Lilia's cellphone, "Ah! Sister Lilia, you didn't give it to me before we left. Maybe you left it in the hotel room?"
Lilia tried to remember her activities that morning. After a while, she remembered that she only changed her clothes before hurriedly leaving the hotel room.
*****
After they returned to the hotel, the first thing Lilia did was check her cell phone.
When she saw that there was a new message from Jean, her gloomy face immediately changed 180 degrees. Her lips parted into a broad smile, like a wilted flower that swelled when it met the sunrays.
[Jean]: "Your photos look pretty."
Lilia's heart was pounding as she read the man's praise. She immediately replied, "What are you doing?"
Lilia checked the clock on her phone and estimated that it was 11 pm there. She felt a little anxious. Would Jean reply quickly as usual? Or would the man disappear without more news?
The sound of her cellphone notification answered Lilia's worries.
[Jean]: "Miss you."
That one word alone was enough to wipe away all the worry and fatigue in Lilia's heart. She smiled even wider, making her face look funny. Before Lilia could reply, the man sent her another message.
[Jean]: "Are you tired today?"
After thinking for a while, Lilia replied to Jean's message, "Not too tired, but I'm starving."
It hadn't been a minute after Lilia sent her reply when her cellphone rang.
"Hello?" Lilia immediately picked up the phone.
"Have you eaten yet?" Jean directly asked. Even though they were thousands of kilometers apart, Lilia could still feel the man's care for her.
"Yes, really." Lilia answered with a laugh. Hearing Jean's voice cured her longing a little.
"Why are you hungry? Isn't there food at the shooting location?"
Just as Lilia was about to answer, she realized something, "Wait, how do you know today I'm taking a photo shoot?" Even in Milan, this man could tell all her movements!
"The organizers of the Milan Fashion Week announced the models' schedule. I know from there." Jean replied calmly.
"Hmm…" Lilia decided not to ask him about that anymore.
They returned to chat about another topic. After their conversation ended, Jean sent another message for Lilia.
[Jean]: "Don't forget to eat on time."
For the next two days, Lilia was so busy that she didn't have time to contact Jean at all. She participated in various activities planned by fashion week organizers such as yesterday's photo shoot and rehearsals at the show location.
This fashion week would last for 5 days, with more than 60 participating brands.
Lilia had been chosen to model several brands on the third and fourth days of the fashion week, so her schedule for the start of the fashion week was quite loose. But on the night before the fashion week started, Harold suddenly visited Lilia's room and gave her a new schedule.
"Are you really sure about this?" Lilia lifted her face from the schedule and looked at Harold with full of doubts.
Harold nodded, "I was just as shocked as you. This morning I received news that the Van brand will be the opening brand for this Milan Fashion Week. They specifically want you as the opening model for their show. The show will start at 7 pm, so you should be ready about 3 hours beforehand."
After saying a few other things, Harold left Lilia's room so that the woman could get some rest.
Lilia looked back at the schedule in her hands when Harold had left. She remembered Alex's offer, Jean's best friend and designer for Van, to make Lilia as one of his models. The woman immediately opened her phone to thank Jean for giving her the opportunity to meet Alex.
As she was typing a message for Jean, Lilia also remembered her promise to Alfred. She texted and informed him that she would appear in the Milan Fashion Week opening show at 7pm.
Just a moment after Lilia sent the SMS, Alfred had already replied by promising that he would come with a surprise for her. Lilia smiled as she read the message and looked forward to tomorrow.
*****
The next morning, on the first day of Milan Fashion Week, Lilia was awakened by a knock on her door.
"Lilia, are you awake?" Harold asked from outside, "Can you open the door? There's something I need to talk about."
"Hmm…? Alright…" Lilia got up from her bed half-awake. She dragged her heavy body to the bedroom's door and opened it. As soon as the door opened, Lilia could see Harold's crumpled face.
"We have a problem." Harold said before Lilia could ask, "The make-up artist who was supposed to handle your makeup tonight suddenly couldn't come. I've called several other MUAs, but their schedules are all full." The man tried to speak as calmly as possible, but his legs were moving nervously.
"What?!" All of Lilia's drowsiness immediately disappeared. Without MUA, Lilia would not be able to give her best performance in tonight's show.
"I will go to meet the staff from the Van brand and also the fashion week organizer to find a solution. You stay at the hotel and wait for news from me, okay?" Harold continued.
Lilia immediately controlled herself and nodded, "Okay."
If she panicked now, she wouldn't be able to put up her best tonight. Lilia had confidence that Harold wouldn't disappoint her.
After Harold left with hasty steps, Lilia decided to eat something light for breakfast. She woke Merry up, then the two of them went down to the dining room on the ground floor.
While the two were having breakfast, a hotel maid approached their table and offered to refill their coffee cups.
"Only the two of you?" Asked the young woman in fluent English, "Isn't there another man that came with you?"
"Ah, my friend is on an urgent matter." Lilia looked at the servant lady in surprise. She didn't think that the hotel staff would remember them.
The maid immediately caught the intent of Lilia's gaze, "Sorry if I sound rude, but I always pay attention to you. I've never seen an Asian as beautiful as you, you know? Are you a model?"
Lilia nodded, "Yes, I will make my appearance tonight. How do you know?"
The servant lady became excited after hearing her answer, "I knew it! Milan Fashion Week starts today, so I'm guessing you're here as a model! Wow, this is a big honor for me! I'm a fashion lover! Can I shake your hand?" She put the kettle filled with coffee on the table and reached out with a bright eye.
Lilia couldn't resist and shook the woman's hand, "So you will also come to watch fashion week?"
The woman laughed, "No, I watched it from home! It's really hard to get in and watch it if you don't have a connection, you know? Ah, you remind me of something!" Suddenly she clapped her hands, "Did you know that there is a wish-fulfilling fountain in the Cathedral of Milan?"
"Is it true?" Lilia tilted her head, "I didn't see it when I went there yesterday."
"The fountain is behind the cathedral." The maid told her, "People here used to go there and throw coins in it. This has become a kind of local tradition. I don't know if that fountain really had the magic, but why don't you try to go there? You can make a wish for your performance tonight."
Lilia considered it for a moment. Usually she didn't believe in rumors like that, but given the existence of this MUA problem, there was no harm in trying to do it for the sake of a little luck.
"Thank you, I'll be there after breakfast." Lilia nodded.
The lady waitress smiled and immediately moved to another table.
"Sis Lilia, what are you talking about?" Merry could only understand pieces of their conversation as she was less proficient in English.
Lilia explained about the fountain and Merry also agreed to go there. As soon as they finished breakfast, the two of them walked towards the Cathedral of Milan. Since it was still early morning, only a few pedestrians were on the square in front of the cathedral. The two of them walked around the magnificent cathedral building.
"Sis, are you sure this is the right place?" Asked Merry. She began to worry because there was no one else behind the building.
"She said the fountain was behind the cathedral. Since we've come all the way here, let's look for a little more." Lilia invited her.
After walking for quite a distance behind the cathedral, they found an old cemetery instead. The cool morning air created a light mist and added to the eerie atmosphere there.
"S-Sis ... let's go back to the hotel." Merry asked, clutching Lilia's sleeve tightly.
"Very well…" As Lilia was about to turn around, her eyes saw the silhouette of the majestic fountain inside the cemetery, "Wait, I found it!"
Lilia offered to have Merry wait outside, but the woman refused. Finally she had to drag Merry into the cemetery. When they arrived at the fountain, both of them were both stunned.
The fountain was dry, as if it had been neglected for a long time.
"Huh…? Why is the fountain like this?" Lilia let go of Merry's hand and stepped closer, "Looks like this fountain hasn't been used for years. It's quite in bad shape… "
"L-L-Lilia, let's go…! This place scares me!" Merry begged.
Lilia was about to say yes when they heard the sound of a twig breaking from behind them. In the next second, Merry screamed in fear, causing Lilia to immediately turn around.
"Merry! What the… ow!"
As she turned around, Lilia felt a sting of pain in her arm like she had just been shot. She looked down and saw a man's hand pulling a thin needle from her arm. The man in black standing before her was the last thing Lilia saw before losing consciousness.
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