That night, before Lilia went on a date with Jean, she got a reply from Harold.
[Harold]: "Are you sure you want to attend the Ricardo Family party for free?!"
Lilia replied, "Yes, because I was present at the request of my acquaintance, not as a model named Lilia Pangestu."
[Harold]: "Do you know how much down payment that family has already paid?! Ah never mind! Whatever you say!"
While reading the message, Lilia could easily imagine her manager's frustrated expression.
Twenty minutes later, Lilia finished getting ready for her date. She was wearing a white knit dress with a knee-length skirt that looked simple but made her look more feminine than usual.
When Lilia came down to the living room, she saw Sylvia and Robert sitting opposite each other on the sofa. She couldn't see her mother's face with her back against her, but Robert's face was stiff. The atmosphere between them also felt tense, as if they had just fought.
"Ah, Lilia." Robert noticed his daughter's presence and greeted her immediately, "Are you going out?"
"Yes." Lilia pretended not to see the warning glares Robert gave Sylvia, "I have a dinner appointment. By the way, I've put a souvenir from Milan on Dad's desk." She said.
Robert nodded, his face soft when he heard that, "I've seen your appearance during fashion week. You are really awesome. I'm proud to have a daughter like you!"
In contrast to Sylvia's cold and nonchalant attitude, Robert did not hesitate to show his affection for Lilia since she was little. Lilia felt that her father was trying so hard to give her the love she should have received from her mother as well.
"Thank you." Lilia smiled at Robert's sincere compliment.
"Don't come home too late, okay. Be careful." Robert advised her. He purposely didn't ask who Lilia was going with. The man could already tell from the way his daughter was dressed that she was going to meet Jean.
"Okay, I'll go first!" Lilia said goodbye before going out of the house. She neither glanced at Sylvia nor said a word to her, as if her mother wasn't there.
After Robert confirmed that Lilia was gone, he stared angrily at Sylvia, "Can't you act more like a mother in front of Lilia?!"
Hearing that, Sylvia's grim expression turned to anger. She snapped back, "You think I can do that?! It's not my fault that I can't act like her mother! I didn't do anything wrong, but Lei— "
"Enough!" Robert immediately interrupted her words, "I have repeatedly reminded you that that name cannot be mentioned in this family! Fix your attitude towards Lilia! If you can't do that, I won't let you meet that kid again!"
Robert rose from his chair and left the living room. Sylvia could only hold back her sobs when her husband left her alone.
The servants in the house crowded into the kitchen door, overhearing their arguments. When Robert came out of the living room, they all immediately scattered and looked for their respective activities. One of the servants took out his cellphone and quietly sent out the information he had heard earlier.
*****
After Lilia closed the gate behind her, she walked over to the black car parked on the curb. Lilia stopped beside the passenger seat's half-opened window and peeked inside.
"Jean, why are you driving alone?" Lilia asked while tilting her head in confusion. She felt awkward being alone with Jean. She'd hoped Kenny would come with them too.
"Kenny's presence will only spoil the atmosphere." Jean replied briefly.
Lilia stared blankly at Jean. She didn't think Jean was looking forward to this date so much.
At the same time, Kenny was drowning in a pile of documents?at the Genesis Company office when he suddenly sneezed.
"...Is there someone talking about me?" Kenny muttered, his hands didn't stop from going through the pile of documents in front of him.
Meanwhile, Jean opened the car's door then extended his hand to the woman, "Please come in, Miss Lilia."
Lilia hesitated for a moment before finally accepting Jean's hand, "Thank you, President Jean." She replied with a stiff smile.
As soon as Lilia got into the car, Jean started the car. They turned a corner and stopped at a red light.
"Are you alright?" Jean suddenly asked.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Lilia turned around with a confused look.
"Didn't you just fight with your mother?" Jean returned the woman's gaze calmly.
Hearing that, surprise colored Lilia's expression.
Lilia touched her face as if trying to confirm something, "Am I really that easy to read?" She muttered.
Lilia was sure that she was quite skilled at controlling her facial expressions. When she was feeling sad and didn't want anyone to know, Lilia could always hide her feelings from others. But the only exception was Jean. That man could always read Lilia's heart, no matter how good her acting was. Maybe because Jean was always watching her closely.
"Since when have you been able to trick my eyes?" Jean teased while stroking Lilia's hair.
Lilia usually didn't refuse Jean's touch. But this time was different. She immediately jumped away, as if she would burn if Jean touched her.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the car became very awkward. Luckily the traffic light turned green at that point. Jean pulled his hand away and drove back to driving without commenting on Lilia's overreaction.
"…Sorry." Lilia muttered without daring to look at Jean, "I'm just ... a little sensitive lately."
Jean shook his head, "I was in the wrong for startling you. Don't worry about it."
Then the car was again enveloped in an awkward silence.
"About your mother..." Jean broke the silence, "You don't have to care what your mother says. This is your life, you have the right to determine how you live it. No one, including me, can control your life." Jean firmly said to her.
"...Yes." Lilia answered after being silent for a moment.
She realized again that Jean had changed a lot since they first met. She couldn't imagine the cold and arrogant man she met at the Royal Café would say something like this.
"Thank you, Jean." Lilia said with a soft smile.
Jean glanced at her and smiled too. After that conversation, the atmosphere in the car became a little more harmonious.
But half an hour later, Lilia was staring blankly out the car window. She felt like she was being betrayed by that man sitting beside her. Didn't Jean just say that she wouldn't rule Lilia's life? Then why did the man stop his car in front of a luxury boutique that sold wedding dresses? Did Jean suddenly change his mind and want to have a wedding party?!
As Lilia's mind was filled with those questions, Jean had opened his seat belt.
"What are you doing? We have arrived." The man said while removing his own seat belt.
Lilia opened her mouth to ask why they were here, but she immediately closed it again. There was only one reason someone went to a wedding dress boutique— to buy a wedding dress!
Jean got out of the car first. When he saw that Lilia still didn't move from her seat, the man opened the door for her.
"What's wrong? You don't want to get out of the car?" Jean asked while reaching out to Lilia. He started to worry that something was wrong with his fiancée.
"Huh? I-I'll come out!" Lilia ignored Jean's hand and got out of the car. She pretended not to see the man's hurt expression as they walked towards the boutique.
Lilia's heart was beating even faster as they got closer to the boutique. Were they really going to buy a wedding dress here?!
"Welcome, young master!" The shop's staff immediately greeted Jean as they approached the front door. The woman opened the door for them, "Mrs. Claire is waiting for you inside."
Lilia tilted her head in confusion, 'Claire? Who is that?'
When they entered the shop, all the questions that had filled Lilia's mind immediately vanished. She could only look around with a sigh of admiration. Various types of beautiful wedding dresses were displayed throughout the shop. They provided not only Javanese-style wedding dresses, but also western, Asian, and so on. It could be said that this shop was a paradise for women who were getting married.
Lilia looked at some of the wedding dresses on display with sparkling eyes. As a model, she admired the high quality gown and dresses in this shop. However, she did not recognize the brand.
"Lilia." Jean grabbed Lilia's arm who was still in awe of the shop, "We'll go up to the second floor."
"O-Oh, alright." Lilia immediately controlled herself and followed Jean obediently.
They climbed a series of stairs leading to the second floor. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the walls. Then, the door at the end of the stairs opened to reveal a woman. A slender woman was about 30 years old, with perfect posture and stunning beauty stepped out of the room.
When Lilia looked at the beautiful woman, she frowned. The woman looked similar to someone, but Lilia couldn't remember who it was.
"Oh, you finally came!" The tall woman approached Jean and immediately hugged him.
Lilia automatically took a step back, surprised by the woman's attitude which was even more intimate than Sasha.
"Until when will you continue to hug me? I'm not a kid anymore." Jean grumbled as he pushed the woman away.
"Um ... Jean ... who is this?" Lilia dared to ask.
Hearing Lilia's voice, the woman turned to her. She immediately walked over to Lilia and gave her an equally tight hug.
"Wow, you really are beautiful! No wonder Jean likes you! I heard you just came back from Milan, huh? I've seen your appearance there and— "The woman who was wearing a black and white suit continued to chatter happily.
"Sis, calm down a little. You scared Lilia." Jean interrupted in a dry voice.
"'Sis'?" Lilia took turns looking at Jean and the woman. Now she could see the similarity in their appearance, "Are you Jean's sister?" Asked Lilia.
"That's right, I'm Claire Widjaya! Ah, but now my name is Claire Austin because I'm married. I am the third child and the only daughter in the Widjaya Family." Jean's sister smiled broadly as she introduced herself, "Lilia, you are my sister-in-law, so there's no need to be formal towards me, okay?"
"Yes, Sister Claire." Lilia smiled and nodded. She immediately felt like she fitted with this energetic and friendly woman.
Hearing that, Claire's smile grew wider. She took Lilia's arm and pulled her up to the second floor.
"I just came back from business overseas yesterday, which is why I didn't have time to meet you before. If I don't scold Jean, my little brother won't bring you to see me today!" Claire told a story. So that's why Jean was so aggressive about asking Lilia out on a date tonight.
Claire ignored her youngest brother, as if the man wasn't there. Lilia glanced back and saw Jean trailing behind them with a helpless expression. Lilia wanted to laugh because this was the first time she saw that expression on Jean's face.
"Yesterday I couldn't attend the meeting of the two families, so today I want to invite you to dinner as a substitute!" Claire continued.
Lilia finally understood that Jean brought her to this boutique to introduce her to his sister.
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