When Rachel heard those words, her steps stopped. She rubbed her eyes and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw the best friend she left five years ago.
"Lilia ... are you really Lilia?" Rachel asked in a trembling voice.
Lilia smiled broadly, "How many beautiful models like me do you know?"
Seeing Lilia's unchanging smile, Rachel's eyes filled with tears again. Even though it had been five years since they last met, she felt like she had returned to her old high school days. She, Lilia, and Vivi promised to always maintain their friendship. And the two friends kept their promise. Their genuine and sincere friendship would never be eroded by time and distance.
"Lilia!" Rachel lunged at Lilia and hugged her tightly. The happiness of meeting her old friend seemed to erase the pain from the breakup.
"I miss you, Rachel!" Lilia hugged the woman back.
*****
The two friends then moved to a nearby cafe. Rachel put down her coffee cup and smiled at Lilia who was sitting across from her, "I watched fashion week yesterday. You really are amazing, Lilia!"
Instead of feeling happy, Lilia looked confused when she heard that, "If you already found out I was in Milan, why didn't you call me? My phone number remains the same as before." Lilia asked.
Rachel sighed and stared out the window, "… Sorry, but my situation is complicated. I don't know how to explain it to you."
Lilia could see the sadness on Rachel's face. She decided not to ask any further, "Okay. You don't have to tell me." She said while squeezing Rachel's hand gently.
Rachel smiled weakly and changed the subject, "When are you going back to Indonesia?"
"Tomorrow." Lilia answered.
"So fast…" Rachel muttered without trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.
The two of them spent nearly half an hour in the cafe, chatting with each other and exchanging news. When they finally left the cafe, Lilia saw a man in a uniform like a bodyguard standing waiting for her.
Lilia frowned. This was not the first time she had seen the Widjaya Family security team. At the meeting of the two families, they took many bodyguards with them. However Lilia never saw Jean's bodyguard. She thought the man didn't have bodyguards because he didn't like being escorted anywhere.
"Miss Lilia." The man immediately approached Lilia, "Young Master is waiting for you in the car." He said politely.
Lilia followed the bodyguard's gaze towards the black Bentley across the street.
Lilia was not surprised since she and Jean used the car to go to the restaurant, but Rachel stared in awe at the expensive car. Lilia's friend felt inferior again. She felt that her breaking up with Lilia and Vivi five years ago wasn't the right decision. She had lost the right to stand on an equal footing with them.
"Rachel." Lilia's voice pulled the woman out of her mind, "Can I have your contact? I don't want to go home without notifying you." Lilia asked.
"Um…" Rachel tried to find an excuse to refuse. She felt ashamed of the current condition of her family, "I-I ..."
"Come on, Rachel!" Lilia held her best friend's hand and made a pleading look, "Will you give me your contact?"
After being silent for a while, Rachel finally handed Lilia her number. She always lost when faced with such pitiful gaze.
The two friends parted ways. Lilia headed to the Bentley car accompanied by her personal bodyguard. But before she went inside, her gaze was fixed on the figure of Rachel walking away. Her eyes were colored with sadness for her friend.
Even though Rachel didn't say a word about her current condition, Lilia knew that her best friend had been living a hard and difficult life all this time. Rachel's once hefty body now looked very thin and her palms felt rough from the hard work.
Rachel was a young lady from the respectable Gunawan Family. Their wealth was almost equal to that of the Pangestu Family. But one day, the Gunawan Family suddenly moved to another country. No one, including Lilia, knew what happened.
Lilia looked away as Rachel disappeared into the distance. She got into the car and sat next to Jean.
Lilia's grim and unhappy expression caught Jean's attention. The man put down the document he was reading before grabbing Lilia's chin and forcing her to turn around.
"Why do you look so gloomy? Haven't you met your old friend?" Jean asked.
Lilia could smell cigarettes from Jean's hand. She didn't answer Jean's question and took the man's big hand instead. Like a child being spoiled by her parents, Lilia moved Jean's hand to stroke her cheek.
Jean was secretly surprised. This woman had never acted spoiled in front of him even once. The man followed Lilia's wishes while hoping that his fiancée would do cute things like this more often.
"Lilia?" Jean asked in a soft voice, "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah ... I'm just a little emotional." Lilia finally answered, "Rachel didn't want to tell me why she suddenly cut contact with me and Vivi."
The woman sighed and started talking about her best friend.
"When Vivi and I heard the news that Rachel and her family had moved abroad, we cried all night. Rachel is like family to me. She is an honest person, open, and very loyal to her friends."
Lilia smiled faintly as she recalled their past.
"Since she is one year older, she always acts like our older sister. She even dared to fight with people who bother me…" Lilia kept on chattering, pouring out all of her feelings.
When Lilia finished, Jean didn't say anything and just hugged her tightly. The woman drew closer to her fiancé, feeling safe in Jean's arms.
When Lilia calmed down, Jean asked, "Would you like me to help investigate what happened to your best friend?"
Lilia looked up and stared at the man. She could see the seriousness in Jean's blue eyes. She thought about the offer for a moment before finally shaking her head, "No need. I'll wait until Rachel is ready to tell me."
As her best friend, Lilia wanted to respect Rachel's feelings. What Rachel had gone through all this time must be too painful to tell. She didn't want to rush her best friend and opened up old wounds.
*****
But Lilia didn't think that she would see Rachel again soon. The next morning, her friend suddenly called.
Lilia and Jean rush to the cancer hospital where Rachel was waiting for them. As soon as they arrived in front of the hospital building, Lilia immediately jumped out of the car and ran inside. She didn't seem to care about the strange gazes from the other visitors.
Jean got out of the car too, but he called the head of his personal bodyguard first before catching up with Lilia, "Find out what happened to the Gunawan Family." He ordered.
"Yes, young master!"
When Lilia arrived in front of the room Rachel mentioned, she paused for a moment. Her legs trembled and her hands on the doorknob refused to move.
What if something bad happened to Rachel? Her best friend only told her to come here with a broken voice as if she was about to cry, but she didn't say anything else. All kinds of worst-case possibilities filled Lilia's mind, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Suddenly a big warm hand touched her back.
"Everything will be fine." Jean said from behind her, "I'll be waiting for you here."
Those simple words gave Lilia the courage she needed to open the door to the room.
When Lilia entered, she found her best friend by the bed. Rachel sat with her back to her so Lilia couldn't see what kind of expression she had at the moment. Lilia's gaze fell on the figure of a middle-aged woman who was lying on the bed. The woman's face was covered in white cloth and her body did not move at all.
Lilia's throat caught when she saw that woman. She walked over to her best friend and called, "Rachel."
Rachel's body jumped as she noticed Lilia's presence. The woman was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday when they parted and her hair looked matted. Rachel looked like she hadn't slept all night.
Rachel did not take her eyes off her mother's body, "Lilia, I deserve this karma." She said in a flat tone.
"Rachel…" Lilia tried to find words to comfort her, but not a word came out of her mouth.
She didn't know what to say to her best friend who had just lost her mother.
Rachel shook her head, "What did I do with my pride all this time? If only I had received money from that man when my mother and I were kicked out of the house, my mother wouldn't have died right now!"
Lilia could only be silent listening to Rachel's words that were filled with regrets.
"Lilia, do you know why I cut off contact with you on purpose?" Without waiting for Lilia to answer, Rachel continued, "Because I've been abandoned by the Gunawan Family."
Lilia gasped in surprise. She never thought that was what happened to Rachel five years ago.
"I have to move to a foreign country and try to survive there. I dropped out of college and worked desperately to make money. Do you know how I feel when I have to work hard every day just for a bite of rice? Plus, my mother needs medical expenses for her cancer…"
Rachel held back her sobs as she continued speaking.
"I know you and Vivi will definitely help me if I ask. But I don't want to do that! I don't want you to see my bad condition! I don't want you to look at me with pitiful looks! But look what the consequences are now! I am a fool. I caused my mother to die! This is my punishment for being too arrogant!"
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