Chris frowned at Henry's question. He glanced at the back of his car, which was dented up by the crash, "If I'm not okay, I won't be able to stand here and talk to you now." He quipped.
Henry nodded with a guilty expression, "I deeply apologize for this incident on behalf of the Ricardo Family."
Alfred's brother was very polite and careful with Chris. Henry was 40 years old, but his expression was always grim and cold, making him look older than his age.
After Henry finished talking to Chris, he turned his attention to Nora. The man narrowed his sharp eyes and slowly approached Nora.
"Nora Pranasari, how dare you cause trouble for a guest of the Ricardo Family?" Henry said in a deep voice like a beast growl.
Henry was in a very good mood tonight because his business partner, Chris Hartanto, was willing to come to this birthday party. But he never thought that they would be involved in a car crash on their way home from Yogyakarta.
Luckily, Henry overheard Alfred's conversation with Lilia on the phone so he rushed here too. If he didn't show up and apologize in person, his business partnership with the Hartanto family would be over because of Nora!
The closer Henry got to Nora, the paler the woman's face became. Her eyes were filled with fear and she backed away from Henry, "H-H-Henry, I-I'm sorry ... I-I didn't intend ..."
Of all the Ricardo family members, Nora was most afraid of Henry. In her eyes, the man was extremely cold, cruel and merciless. In the past, Nora had seen Henry beat up a family bodyguard who made a mistake. He beat the guard mercilessly until he was black and blue. The incident gave Nora a great trauma.
Nora just wanted to cause trouble for Lilia, but she didn't expect that she was in the same car as Henry's business partner. Alfred's brother definitely would not forgive her!
Nora looked around in panic, then her gaze fell on Alfred's figure. Without thinking, Nora rushed towards the man as if she had just found her savior.
"Alfred, help me…!" Nora exclaimed.
Unfortunately, the dress Nora was wearing was not suitable for running. She had only taken two steps when her foot stepped on the tail of her dress. As a result, Nora fell and hit the ground hard. Her neat hair was now messy and her makeup was mixed with dirt.
However, Nora ignored her chaotic appearance and looked up at Alfred with teary eyes. The woman reached out to the man who she called her fiancé.
"Alfred… please… help me…" Nora begged while putting on a pitiful face.
She imagined that Alfred's heart would melt by her pitiful appearance. That man would definitely help her like a prince saving a princess from danger. However, all of that was just an illusion in her mind.
Alfred looked at Nora with icy eyes and a disgusted face instead.
Nora's eyes widened. Not! Alfred shouldn't be looking at her like this! Where had the man with the kind smile Nora had known all this time gone?!
Alfred turned his head towards Nora's bodyguards who just recovered from Clifford's attack, "Help her." His order was cold.
Nora's two bodyguards immediately helped their madam to her feet. The woman's dress was dirty on the ground and the tail of her dress was torn off. Nora's miserable appearance didn't seem like a young lady from a rich family at all.
"Al…" Nora whispered Alfred's nickname as she continued to stare at him pleadingly.
Alfred stared back at her with a flat expression. There was absolutely no pity or sympathy in his gaze. Instead, the man treated Nora like a stranger.
"Miss Nora. I thought you were smarter than this." Alfred said calmly.
The mention of 'Miss Nora' seemed to crush all hope in her heart. The woman lowered her head, like a child being scolded by her parents. Her body trembled and her tears dripped soundlessly.
"When the Ricardos and the Pranasari Family canceled our engagement half a year ago, weren't you there too?" Alfred continued mercilessly, "Then why do you dare to claim to be my fiancée in front of Miss Lilia?"
Alfred deliberately said that matter loudly and clearly in front of everyone. He intended to destroy Nora's reputation so much that she wouldn't dare to cause trouble again. Alfred also ensured everyone knew that tonight's chaos had nothing to do with the Ricardo Family.
After Alfred said it all, Nora was so embarrassed that she felt like dying. She ran into her car with a red face and teary eyes. The two bodyguards hurriedly fled after her. In just a few minutes, Nora's car was driving away.
Alfred stared coldly at the car until it disappeared from his sight. He was engaged to Nora, but the engagement didn't last long.
Nora still had feelings for Alfred, so she became jealous when she saw Lilia close to the man. However, it seemed that Nora didn't dare confront Lilia at the birthday party earlier and preferred to chase her when Lilia came home.
Alfred made a mental note to demand compensation from the Pranasari Family for this incident later. The man looked away from the motorway and walked over to Lilia. Then Alfred bowed deeply to the woman.
"Lilia, I'm really sorry about this incident. I'll compensate you as an apology from the Ricardo Family later. Are you okay?" Alfred asked.
Lilia asked the man to raise his face before saying, "It's not your fault, so Brother Alfred doesn't need to apologize. I also don't need compensation because I'm fine. But I just want to ask Brother Alfred one thing."
"What do you want?" Alfred straightened up, "Whatever it is, I'll definitely give it to you."
Lilia smiled faintly. Her black eyes were as clear as the night sky and her expression was calm even though she had just experienced that unpleasant incident. Lilia's elegant appearance stole Alfred's heart again.
"I just want Brother Alfred to help me resolve the misunderstanding with Miss Nora. If she finds out that the relationship between Brother Alfred and I is only a friend, I'm sure that this kind of incident will not happen again." Lilia deliberately emphasized the word 'friend'.
Hearing that, Alfred's shoulders slumped. He nodded while trying to keep his expression neutral, "I'll take care of that, so you don't have to worry. But let me apologize personally. I feel guilty for inviting you here and causing you to have an unpleasant incident like this."
Lilia shook her head, "No, Brother Alfred can't possibly know that Miss Nora will find trouble with me, right? Besides, I don't regret coming here. Thanks to Brother Alfred's invitation, I can meet Mrs. Florence." Lilia said sincerely.
She really felt that Alfred couldn't be blamed for this incident. The only one guilty was Nora. That woman couldn't control her feelings and tried to hurt Lilia just because of her jealousy. As long as Nora got the consequences for what she did, Lilia had no intention of prolonging the matter.
After Alfred confirmed that Lilia really didn't mind, he turned his attention to Jean who was standing beside the woman.
"You must be Mr. Jean Widjaya." Alfred smiled kindly and stretched out his hand.
Behind Alfred's smile, Jean could see a defiant look full of ambition. He considered that this bespectacled man was not someone who could be underestimated, "Mr. Alfred. Lilia told me about you." Jean said dryly as he shook the man's hand.
When the two of them shook hands, everyone there saw an illusion as if the two men were war generals from two opposing camps who met before fighting. They could feel electric sparks from the gazes of the two.
Jean's strong figure and charisma made others feel the urge to submit to him. His dark blue eyes looked like a bottomless sea, hiding the sword-like sharpness that had been honed over the years.
On the other hand, Alfred looked calm and elegant. He gave the impression of an erudite and humble, making him approachable to others. But behind those sky-blue eyes, hidden flames full of ambition were ready to seize everything he wanted.
Jean, the man who had everything.
Alfred, the man who wanted everything.
The two of them were destined to always stand on opposite sides.
The two men removed their hands at the same time.
"I didn't expect to meet Mr. Jean here. Did you come all the way to Yogyakarta to pick up Lilia?" Alfred asked in a light voice, but his words indicated that Jean was too overprotective of her.
"Mr. Alfred is exaggerating too much. I just happened to be passing by after finishing my business in Yogyakarta." Jean replied dryly.
Even though his words seemed to be correcting Alfred, everyone who heard him knew that Jean had come here for Lilia's sake. Plus, that man never took his hand off his fiancée's waist. Jean's action seemed to declare his mark over her.
'Lilia Pangestu is my woman! So don't you even think about snatching her!'
Alfred stared coldly at the tall man. He felt frustrated that the Ricardo Family's information network was still far behind the Widjaya Family.
"I have no intention of interrupting, but can we go now?" Chris's voice broke the tense atmosphere. He was leaning back to the side of the car, arms crossed.
Chris secretly stole glances at Alfred. He didn't like him since the first time he saw him. How could the seventh child dare to try to take over the Ricardo Family inheritance? No wonder Henry lost to Alfred. That man was skilled at hiding his ambition and strength behind his appearance as a humble lecturer! Chris believed Alfred had deceived many people with his faux low profile.
Note:
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