After receiving Lilia's call, Robert rushed home.
When he arrived in front of his house, Robert panicked even more when he saw Jean's car. The fourth son of the Widjaya Family was leaning against the car, looking straight at his house. His attitude clearly showed that he was waiting for someone. Robert immediately invited Jean into the house with him.
Now Robert sat next to Sylvia, while Jean and Lilia sat across them. The atmosphere in the living room was heavy and gloomy. The servant who came in with the tea didn't dare to look up at all. She just put down the tray she was carrying before running away at lightning speed.
Sylvia stole a glance at Jean with an embarrassed expression. If she found out that Jean was waiting outside her house, she would have been more careful with Lilia. Sylvia shot Lilia a cold gaze for a moment before trying to correct this grim situation.
"Jean, this is the newest type of tea that is in vogue right now." Said Sylvia in a sweet voice as she handed one cup of tea to the fourth son of the Widjaya Family, "Go ahead and try it, don't be shy."
But Jean just stared at the teacup without moving to take it. His icy gaze made Sylvia's heart shrink even further.
Robert immediately took the cup, then put it in front of Jean. Lilia's father had seen his daughter's grim face and teary eyes. Considering how much Jean loved Lilia, that man would not remain silent watching his fiancée getting treated unfairly. If Sylvia wasn't Lilia's mother, Robert was sure Jean would have made her regret hurting Lilia.
"Jean, how about we talk in my study?" Robert offered. He wanted to get Jean away from Sylvia before she made Jean even more angry.
Jean glanced at Lilia, who kept her head lowered. His fiancée had refused to look at him ever since Jean walked into the house, as if trying to hide her crying face. Jean didn't want to leave Lilia alone with Sylvia, but he also didn't want her to listen to his conversation with Robert. In the end, Jean's desire to solve this problem quickly prevailed.
Jean grabbed Lilia's hand, causing the woman to finally turn to him, "I'll be right back. Call me if there's anything, okay?" Jean said softly.
Jean's chest ached when he saw Lilia's red eyes. Before Robert came, he knew something was wrong when Lilia didn't come out of the house. Sylvia's shocked expression was mixed with embarrassment when she saw Jean and it added to his suspicion. Jean deliberately showed his support for Lilia in front of her mother so that she wouldn't dare to wrong her any further.
Lilia slowly nodded. The warmth of Jean's hands and his caring gaze helped her to calm down.
After Jean and Robert disappeared upstairs, Sylvia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then she shot Lilia a sharp gaze, "Did you bring Jean here on purpose to embarrass me?" She asked fiercely.
Hearing that, Lilia looked at the woman. She didn't understand why Sylvia felt that Lilia was always trying to cause trouble for her.
"Mother, if you still think of me as your daughter, you don't need to treat me like this." Lilia said in a tired voice.
"How am I supposed to treat you, Lilia? You don't seem to realize that the older you get, the more insolent you behave toward me." Sylvia said coldly.
Lilia frowned. Since when was she being so rude to Sylvia? Instead, she tried to always obey her words, because she wanted Sylvia to pay attention and praise her. However, Sylvia was never satisfied and always demanded more from Lilia. She opened her mouth in self-defense, but Sylvia continued her words.
"Now that you have Jean to support you, you no longer respect me as your mother. Tell me, why should I shut up and excuse your rebellious attitude?" Sylvia glared at Lilia.
Her hostile attitude made Lilia's chest feel even tighter. Her whole body felt frozen, as if she was in the middle of winter.
Lilia clenched her fists tightly and spoke in a bitter voice, "Mother, since when have I been so rude to you? You told me to marry for the sake of this family and I obeyed your words. You sold me for a high price, isn't that enough for you?"
"If you still think of me as your mother, you won't insist on refusing to have a wedding!" Sylvia snarled.
"Unlike you, I don't want to be the gossip for the whole town!" Lilia replied, "Even though I'm not having a wedding, I'm still going to marry Jean and you'll still get the dowry you want! So why did you lie about our family register?!"
"I-I…" Sylvia's cold expression turned into panic as she was shaken by Lilia's words. She avoided her daughter's gaze while wringing her hands frantically. Sylvia didn't think that her lie would be exposed so easily.
"Father told me he didn't have the family register with him." Lilia continued while suppressing her anger, "Are you that desperate for a wedding party that you have the heart to hide the family register? Why are you more concerned with your wishes than my happiness? Aren't you still my mother?!" Lilia's voice cracked as she shouted that last sentence.
For the umpteenth time, Lilia wondered why Sylvia was treating her so coldly. When she was a child, that woman mostly ignored her. But lately, Sylvia openly treated her like an enemy.
Sylvia was silent for a moment. She finally opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps from the direction of the stairs interrupted her. She immediately closed her mouth again while Lilia tried to erase the irritation on her face. Robert emerged from the direction of the stairs and approached the two women.
He stopped beside Lilia and stroked her head, "Lilia, I'm sorry. You've been treated unfairly by your mother." He said softly.
The warmth of Robert's hands and his regretful voice made Lilia almost shed tears. She bit her lip while shaking her head, "You don't have to apologize. I'm fine."
Robert sighed when he heard that. He knew that Lilia didn't expect an apology from him. But the person who should apologize to Lilia was acting as if she didn't hear anything.
When Robert settled beside Sylvia, Lilia automatically glanced at the stairs. She felt a little relieved that Jean didn't come down with her father. Lilia didn't want him to see her family fight.
Robert poured himself some tea and took a sip while stealing glances at Sylvia. For a moment, the living room was filled with an awkward silence.
"So?" Robert finally broke the silence, "Don't you have anything you need to say to your daughter?" Robert asked as he glared at Sylvia.
"I don't know what you mean. I have nothing to say to this insolent child." Sylvia replied while crossing her arms. The look on her face showed absolutely no remorse.
"You need to introspect yourself. You don't look like a mother right now." Robert shook his head, "Lilia has the right to decide what she wants to do with her marriage! You can't force her to do what she doesn't want. It seems like you got too caught up in your arrogance that you forgot yourself!"
Robert's piercing words made Sylvia even more upset.
"What do you mean?!" Sylvia asked irritably.
"Lilia is now Jean Widjaya's fiancée. That man will not remain silent if you dare to mess with Lilia. The Widjaya family can easily destroy our family whenever they want!" Robert snorted, "Do you think you can do what you want just because you are Lilia's mother?"
"T-That's not what I meant!" Sylvia rushed in, "I'm only doing this because of this insolent child's stubbornness! If she doesn't insist on rejecting my suggestion to have a wedding, this fight will never happen! Robert, you know that the Widjaya Family will also be humiliated if we let this child marry without a wedding party. Come back to your senses!"
The woman held her husband's arm and put on a pitiful face while glancing at Lilia occasionally, as if to say that this was all because of Lilia's selfishness.
"No need to pretend in front of me!" Robert waved the woman's hand with a cold expression, "I know you only want to show off Lilia's marriage, but you are going too far! This marriage is the young couple's business with the Widjaya Family! The Pangestu family has no right to interfere in this!"
Sylvia opened her mouth to protest, but Robert resumed his words.
"Do you understand? Give me back the family register that you hid! If you try to prolong this matter, this marriage will actually be canceled as well!" Robert threatened.
Sylvia's face suddenly turned white, "I-Impossible, y-you are just bluffing…" She stuttered, "Jean won't do that…"
"If you don't believe it, you can try." Robert crossed his arms as he delivered his final threat.
Hearing the seriousness in Robert's voice, Sylvia didn't dare to protest anymore. The woman got up and hurriedly went upstairs to retrieve the family register she'd hidden.
Lilia stared at Sylvia's back without saying anything. The expression on her face was filled with bitterness and sadness.
She didn't know what Robert and Jean were talking about in the study. But Lilia could tell that Jean wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary to force Sylvia to give up. She felt a little sorry for her father's position that was pitted between Jean and Sylvia.
"You don't have to listen to what your mother says." Robert said as he moved beside Lilia.
Lilia nodded without saying anything.
"Lilia." Robert grasped his daughter's hand, causing the young woman to turn her head towards him, "You can make your marriage certificate, but there is one condition from me that you must obey. I hope you promise to fulfill that condition!"
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