Lilia, Jean, and Claire had dinner together at the restaurant recommended by Jean's older sister.
Jean's sister handed Lilia the menu book, "This restaurant uses organic ingredients in their cooking and only provides a healthy menu, so you can order whatever you want. This restaurant suits you, right?" Claire winked as she said that.
"Yes, thank you for choosing this restaurant, Sister Claire." Lilia said sincerely.
Lilia occasionally stole glances at Claire while opening the menu book. Jean's sister was a successful career woman, and still she didn't become arrogant because of it. Claire was so friendly and sociable that Lilia immediately felt familiar with her. Judging by Claire's warm attitude towards her, Lilia was sure that woman liked her too. Their first meeting went much smoother than Lilia's first meeting with Jean.
After meeting Jean's two other siblings, Lilia realized that the Widjaya Family was different from other rich families in general. They were not arrogant because of their wealth or status, and they loved each other like a normal family. She felt that the Widjaya Family treated her much better than her own mother.
The dinner was quite harmonious. Their conversation was dominated by Claire who was basically chatty. Lilia preferred to listen and only speak when Claire asked her opinion.
Even though Lilia felt comfortable with Claire, it was their first time meeting today. Lilia didn't want to make Claire think that she was acting friendly just because that woman was Jean's sister.
When Jean left the table to go to the toilet, Claire immediately leaned towards Lilia.
"Lilia, how do you feel about my little brother?" Asked Claire with shining eyes.
Lilia choked on her soup and coughed violently. After her cough subsided, Lilia gave Claire a confused look, "W-What do you mean?"
"Come on, don't be shy!" Claire patted Lilia's shoulder, "This is the first time I've seen Jean treat a woman this well! He's clearly in love with you!"
Claire thought that Lilia would be shy or happy to hear her words. But to her surprise, Lilia's expression turned stiff.
"Yes, Jean is a really nice guy, but… I don't know if I'm good enough to be his partner." Lilia replied softly while lowering her head, "I've made mistakes in the past, and since then I've been afraid to trust other people." She sounded like she was confessing her sin to Claire.
Claire didn't know what mistake Lilia meant, but she listened without speaking.
"I was so afraid of repeating the same mistakes that I couldn't trust Jean's love and concern for me." Lilia looked up and looked at the older woman with teary eyes, "I'm a really bad partner. I don't know why Jean chose me as his fiancé even though he can choose whoever he wants."
Lilia rubbed her eyes, then forced out a weak smile, "Sorry to disappoint you, Sister Claire, but I'm not the right person to—"
"That is not true." Claire grabbed Lilia's shoulder and cut it off, "To be honest I also don't know why Jean chose you. But I know my brother. He wouldn't act like that if he didn't love you. So try to be more confident."
Claire smiled broadly to encourage Lilia.
"I believe that you are the right person for Jean. As her brother, I can guarantee that." Claire firmly assured her.
One of the reasons why Claire forced Jean to take Lilia to see her today was because she didn't believe the story of her eldest brother, James. Claire wanted to know what kind of woman had won over her brother's ice cold heart and ensure that Jean wasn't fooled by a woman with evil intentions.
During this dinner, she was surprised to see Jean devote all his attention to his fiancée. Still, Lilia responded so coldly that Claire suspected that the woman didn't really love Jean. But after hearing Lilia's words, she was relieved. It seemed that the woman really loved Jean.
Lilia looked surprised to hear that. After being silent for a while, she finally nodded her head, "Thank you very much, Sister Claire." She said with an alluring smile prettier than ever.
"Then, one more thing." Claire suddenly raised her index finger, "If you still feel insecure, talk to Jean. As a fellow independent woman, I know it is difficult for you to share your problems with others. But sometimes you can't solve it all by yourself."
Claire grinned broadly before adding, "Learn to rely more on your future husband!"
As Lilia's face turned tomato red, Jean returned from the toilet. The man looked at Lilia with suspicion as he asked, "Did something happen while I was away?"
"No, we are just chatting from heart to heart. Right, Lilia?" Claire winked at the woman.
Jean sighed and did not question them any further.
When they finished dinner and were about to leave the restaurant, Claire walked over to Lilia. She put a small box in Lilia's hand.
"This is for you. Open it!" Claire said, her tone did not accept rejection.
Lilia looked at the small box made of wood. She slowly opened the lid of the box and peeked inside.
It contained a bracelet made of jade. The jade green color looked pure without a single speck of mixed colors. A dark blue crystal was attached to the bracelet. The color of the crystals reminded her of the color of Jean's eyes. Even Lilia, who didn't really understand jewelry, knew that the price was definitely not cheap.
"Sister Claire, this ...!" Lilia looked at the woman in surprise. The little box in her hand suddenly felt much heavier.
"That's a wedding gift from me!" Claire grinned widely, "I'm glad to see you today, Lilia. I'm going back to Jakarta in two days, and I don't know when we can meet again. If you don't like my present, I'll bring you something different when I come back here!"
Lilia shook her head hard, "No, I really like this! But isn't this too good for me?"
Lilia was touched by Claire's kindness. The Widjaya family really treated her well. Lilia was starting to look forward to the day when she could become a part of this warm family.
"Sister Claire gave that gift to you." Jean suddenly spoke up.
Lilia turned to the man beside her.
"So you can do whatever you want with it." Jean looked back at her with a soft smile.
Claire raised her eyebrows at the sight of the two people's interactions. Even though she had seen it herself during the dinner last night, Claire still couldn't believe that Jean treated Lilia so warmly and with such care.
Jean's older sister hadn't seen her younger brother treat someone so gently in all these years. To be more precise, ever since the accident ten years ago. After the accident, Jean turned into a cold man, even towards his own family.
Meanwhile, Jean noticed Claire's warm gaze fixed on him, "What?" Jean asked his sister, "Did I say something wrong?"
Claire smiled mischievously, "No, I'm just glad to see you so close to your future wife."
Lilia's face immediately turned red at that.
But Jean actually looked proud, as if to say that this was something normal for him. Then he noticed another man from behind Claire. Jean greeted the man with a relaxed nod before inviting Lilia to leave.
Claire watched the young couple walk away and felt like a parent watching her little child grow up. "I'm old, huh..." She whispered sadly.
"No, to me you are always young."
When Claire heard someone whisper in her ear, that person also put a jacket over her shoulder. Claire turned and smiled at her husband, Andrew Austin. Andrew put his arm around Claire's shoulder to embrace her.
Andrew seemed like a man who was calm and patient, in contrast to Claire's passionate and always lively personality. But when the two of them stood side by side, they seemed to complement each other.
"Is that your future sister-in-law?" Andrew asked.
"Yep." Claire nodded with a broad smile, "Lilia is a good child and gets along well with Jean. I feel calmer after meeting her."
"Since you have finished your business here, it is time for you to return to Jakarta with me." Andrew kissed his wife's forehead. The man hoped that they could have children soon so that his traveling wife would be at home more often.
On the way home, Lilia sat in the passenger seat like before. She continued to play with the wooden box that Claire had given her earlier.
Jean glanced at the woman. He had never seen Lilia show so much interest in something like this, "Looks like you really like that gift." He commented.
The man realized that he had never gifted Lilia with jewelry. He had often heard that women liked jewelry, but his fiancée never mentioned it so Jean was completely unaware.
Since Lilia seemed to really like the jade bracelet, Jean started considering buying a jade quarry just so he could give Lilia the jewelry that suited her beauty.
On the other hand, Lilia was completely oblivious to what the man was thinking. She closed the wooden box and said, "I like jewelry in general, just like everyone else. It's just… this gift is too good for me. I don't know how to repay Sister Claire ..."
Lilia felt uncomfortable accepting such an expensive gift. She wouldn't be able to rest easy until she could repay the kindness of the person who gave her the gift.
Jean shook his head, "If you like it, keep the gift. I'm sure Sister Claire will be happy if you wear it." Jean said. Even if that jade bracelet cost more than a million dollars, in that man's eyes, Lilia's smile was still worth more.
"...Alright." Lilia nodded and decided to change the subject, "By the way, doesn't Sis Claire live in this city?"
"She followed her husband to Jakarta." Jean replied, "So Sister Claire only comes back here every now and then."
"I see ..." Lilia muttered.
There were still many things she didn't know about the Widjaya Family. Lilia only knew that the family had four children, consisting of three sons and one daughter.
But 14 years ago, the Widjaya family was involved in a plane crash. Both Jean's parents and one of their children died in the accident. Now only James Widjaya, Claire Austin, and Jean Widjaya were left.
Lilia kept asking Jean about Claire, like her daily life in Jakarta, her favorite food, her hobbies, and so on. Jean answered all her questions with mixed feelings. He was glad that Lilia no longer acted awkward anymore, but he was also annoyed that she kept talking about his sister.
When the car stopped in front of her house, Lilia was relieved. She was worried that if she was with Jean too often, that man would know what Lilia was thinking. She didn't want Jean's feelings to hurt because Lilia avoided his love.
"Thanks for driving me home, Jean." Lilia took off her seat belt while talking. She was so relieved that she missed the annoyance on Jean's face, "Until Friday—"
When Lilia turned towards Jean saying goodbye, she felt a soft, cold sensation on her lips.
PLAQUE!!
When Lilia came to her senses, her hand had slapped Jean's cheek. She looked as surprised as the man. Jean slowly touched his red cheek, as if he couldn't believe that Lilia was slapping him just because he tried to kiss her. Then the man looked at Lilia with a hurt expression.
"…Sorry." Lilia said before running out of the car. She didn't dare to look back.
Jean lowered his hand. His gaze continued to fix on Lilia's figure who was getting further away.
"...Damn." Jean muttered to himself.
*****
The next day, at the photo studio owned by iKoN Magazine.
When Lilia arrived there, the magazine staff had just finished preparing everything needed for the photo shoot.
IKoN Magazine was the best-selling fashion magazine for women in Indonesia. The editor-in-chief of the magazine wanted to review Milan Fashion Week, so they planned to make Lilia the cover of the latest issue of this magazine.
As a model that dominated the opening night of fashion week, everything related to Lilia would definitely sell out. It could be said that she was the most popular model in Indonesia right now.
"Welcome, Lilia!"
The editor in chief, Adele Franz, warmly welcomed Lilia. The woman was over 40 years old, but she still looked like she was in her early 30s. She was a legendary figure in the fashion world.
Lilia smiled and shook Adele's hand, "Nice to meet you, Sis Adele. I'm pleased to cooperate with you on today's photo shoot." Lilia said politely.
Even though Adele had reached her 40s, everyone always called her 'Sis Adele' without exception. This was an unwritten rule that must be followed if anyone met her.
While shaking hands, Adele was quietly observing Lilia. The young woman in front of her had been a model for approximately 3 years. Lilia rarely appeared in public, didn't care about popularity, and almost had no scandals. Even so, she could become one of the most popular models in Indonesia.
Before meeting Lilia today, Adele had doubts about that model. She felt that people were exaggerating Lilia's abilities. However, all her doubts immediately vanished when she saw Lilia's figure.
The young model was tall, with long legs and perfect posture. Her facial expression looked a little cold, but that only added to her appeal. Lilia had a natural talent as a model, so she didn't have to worry about her popularity. To Adele's eyes, Lilia looked like a flower that bloomed with pride and grace in the middle of winter. The editor-in-chief was very satisfied with Lilia's appearance.
After a brief introduction, they immediately started the photo shoot. Apart from the studio, they also used other locations as shooting spots. Lilia and the rest of the staff headed to an abandoned factory near the studio. With a backdrop of weathered buildings that look ancient, this location was often used for fashion shoots with a punk or gangster theme.
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