Lilia replied to Sister Mei's greeting with a big smile. The young woman was wearing a gray blouse with a V-neck style and a long white skirt. The outfit accentuated Lilia's ideal curves and made her look even sexier than usual.
Lilia realized that ever since she entered the dining room, Jean's gaze never left her figure. The man's lips curved into a satisfied smile while observing Lilia's appearance. Jean on the other hand looked like he just finished bathing, looking from his dripping wet blond hair. The black shirt and short he was wearing gave off a casual and lazy impression.
Seeing Jean's dumbfounded gaze, Lilia wanted to hear that man's opinion firsthand. She walked in front of Jean and turned on the spot, showing off her appearance.
"Do you think this outfit suits me?" Lilia asked with a big smile.
"You look beautiful in it." Jean answered without hesitation, "Do you like it?"
"I really like it!" Lilia's smile grew wider when she heard that man's praise. She lowered her head and took a good look at the skirt, "When did you buy this skirt? Isn't this a new product from the Van brand that was launched earlier this fall?"
Lilia remembered seeing this skirt on the opening night of Milan Fashion Week. One of the Van brand models wore it when she appeared.
"I heard Van brand products sold out immediately after launch! How did you get them? Did Alex help you?" Lilia asked curiously.
"You don't need to know that, it's enough if you like it. Sit down and eat your breakfast." Jean said dryly.
Lilia laughed at the man's attempt to change the subject. Out of the corner of her eye, Lilia saw Sister Mei quietly leaving the kitchen, as if giving them some quality time.
Lilia stepped closer to Jean and held his hand. When she saw Jean raise his eyebrows, Lilia gave a mischievous smile, "Jean, you always give me amazing surprises like this, but I've never returned your kindness. I think it's time I expressed my gratitude to you."
"Oh?" Jean smiled back. He seemed amused by Lilia's words, "How are you going to express it?"
Lilia responded by moving closer to Jean. Lilia was so close that she could smell the fragrant soap scent from the man's body, "Close your eyes." She told him.
Jean closed his eyes obediently. Lilia leaned towards the man and quickly kissed his cheek. The man's eyes opened wide as Lilia's lips touched his cheek.
Then, Lilia immediately moved backwards while releasing Jean's hand. Her cheeks flushed red and she didn't dare look at the man. At first Lilia intended to kiss Jean on the lips, but she lost her courage halfway through.
"How is it? Are you satisfied with my gratitude?" Lilia asked while trying to sound relaxed. She sat in front of Jean and started eating her breakfast as if nothing happened.
Jean watched Lilia's adorable behavior with a warm gaze. The corner of his mouth lifted into a sadistic smile. If Lilia saw that smile, she would immediately be alert, but fortunately that woman was drinking her milk.
Just as Lilia put down her glass, Jean reached out and wiped the remnants of milk on her soft red lips.
"Do you want to know what my answer is?" Jean asked in his deep hypnotic voice.
"Cough… cough…!" Lilia choked on the milk she drank just now. Her whole face turned tomato red, as did the tips of her ears.
Jean moved the glass of milk away before taking a tissue to wipe Lilia's mouth. The man's face looked innocent with no guilt at all. Then he handed the glass of milk back to Lilia.
"Here, drink more carefully. Don't choke on it again." He said.
Lilia gave Jean an accusing look as the culprit which made her choke, but she didn't say anything. Lilia was also guilty of trying to provoke that man.
After Lilia finished her toast, she took a sip of milk while trying to compose the words she wanted to say. It took her quite a while before she finally put down the glass.
"J-Jean, I have free time t-this afternoon." Lilia stuttered as she said that, "So… um… we can… sign… the marriage certificate…" Her voice grew smaller as her courage waned.
Lilia lowered her head, her face flushed again. Though she planned to say that casually, as if this was nothing big. But the words 'I want to be your wife' that she uttered last night kept appearing in her mind. She felt like she had exhausted herself and drained her courage just to say that.
Lilia vaguely remembered that Jean didn't say anything after she answered that way last night. The man just sighed and hugged Lilia. Jean's arms hugged her tightly, as if he didn't want to let her go again. The warmth of Jean's embrace and the sense of security she felt made Lilia fall asleep in the man's arms.
Lilia secretly stole a glance at Jean, hoping that the man understood the meaning implied in her words.
'When are we going to sign our marriage certificate?' Lilia wasn't sure if she had the courage to repeat those words to Jean again.
Jean didn't answer immediately. The man finished his coffee first before looking at Lilia, "Shall we do it this morning? Are you busy?" Jean replied.
Lilia slowly looked up and stared at the man. Even though Jean's expression was flat as usual, Lilia could see the joy and anticipation in his eyes.
She put down her glass of milk and got up from her chair, "Wait a minute, I'll call Harold first." Lilia said before hurrying out of the room.
When Lilia was far enough from the dining room, the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile that grew wider and wider. An overwhelming feeling of happiness filled her chest, making Lilia unable to stop smiling.
Even though their relationship started from a contract marriage, now Lilia knew that she had really fallen in love with Jean. At first, just thinking about that man made Lilia's heart pound. Over time, Lilia would feel lonely and miss him if they didn't see each other for just one day.
Now, Lilia just wanted to spend every second of her time with Jean. In fact she had started having feelings for that man a while ago, but Lilia stubbornly refused to admit it.
Lilia went into her room and called Harold. For the first time since Lilia started modeling, she canceled all of her work this morning. She told her manager that she had to take care of something important and it couldn't be delayed. Fortunately, Harold accepted her reason without asking at length.
Half an hour later, Jean escorted Lilia to her house. She needed to take her family register to get their marriage certificate.
Lilia had prepared some reasons and explanations to talk to her mother. But when she entered the house, there was no one in the living room. Lilia peeked into the living room, but it was also empty. She frowned in confusion. Was her mother out of the house?
Lilia walked around the ground floor of the house, but she only found a few servants working and chatting in the kitchen. Lilia started to feel suspicious about this situation. Her house was very quiet, or so to speak, felt empty.
Lilia went up to the second floor and headed for her father's study. Robert always kept important documents such as the family register in the wooden cupboard in his study. Lilia entered the room and approached the cupboard she was looking for.
Lilia was opening the closet door when she heard a sharp voice, "What are you doing here?"
Lilia jumped and immediately turned her head towards the voice. She saw Sylvia standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. The woman looked at her with a suspicious look, as if she had caught Lilia stealing something.
"I'm just looking for something. This has nothing to do with you." Lilia replied coldly before turning her gaze back to the cupboard. She started rummaging through the cupboard without paying any attention to Sylvia who was still standing there.
"You won't find the family register there."
At that instant, Lilia's movements stopped. She slowly turned her head back towards Sylvia.
"…Why do you know that I'm looking for a family register?" Lilia asked in a flat voice.
"What are you going to do with the family register?" Sylvia replied without answering her question.
"Answer my question!" Lilia shouted, starting to lose her temper.
Sylvia's eyes flashed with anger, but the woman didn't shout back, "It doesn't matter. Whatever you plan to do, you won't find the register there." Sylvia said coldly.
"Then where is it?" Lilia asked while struggling to hold back her anger. Sylvia was clearly trying to provoke her, but Lilia didn't want to spend time arguing with her, "Since you sound so sure, you must know where our family register is."
Sylvia lifted her chin and replied in a satisfied tone, "Your father took it to take care of the real estate land handover."
Lilia clenched her hand on the cupboard's door tightly. Why did her father have to do that when she needed the family register the most?!
"When is he coming home?" Asked Lilia.
"I do not know!" Sylvia replied while turning around.
She started walking away, but suddenly stopped as if she had remembered something. Sylvia turned back to Lilia.
"Ah right, I haven't answered you earlier. I know you are planning to make a marriage certificate secretly with the fourth son of the Widjaya Family." Sylvia said.
Lilia's breath seemed to get stuck in her throat. She cursed her stupidity for telling Sylvia about it when she had just returned from Milan. If she had known that Sylvia would react like this, Lilia would definitely keep her marriage a secret!
"Don't think that you can do what you want. If you don't have a wedding, you don't have to dream of getting that family register!" Sylvia threatened her.
"Mother…!" Lilia opened her mouth to argue, but Sylvia walked away as if there was nothing else to say.
Lilia stood transfixed in Robert's study for a long time. She stared blankly at the direction which Sylvia left. The woman's warning kept ringing in her ears. Sylvia's cruel and merciless attitude seemed to show that she was tired of pretending to be a mother. Even though Lilia knew that, her chest still felt heavy and tight.
Lilia finally woke up and turned towards the cupboard. She rummaged through the cupboard, hoping that Sylvia was lying about the family register. But in the end, Lilia still couldn't find the document.
Lilia was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. But her mind was confused and she felt disoriented.
"She said Daddy brought the register ..." Lilia muttered to herself, trying to reorganize her thoughts, "So I just have to ask Daddy for it."
Lilia immediately took out her cellphone. She punched Robert's number with trembling fingers.
"Dad, where are you? I need our family register."
Note:
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"Hidden Marriage With My Imperfect CEO" : https://www.webnovel.com/book/hidden-marriage-with-my-imperfect-ceo_17881455306500805
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