Hearing that, Lilia automatically frowned. Bad thoughts instantly flooded her mind. She asked anxiously, "What conditions?"
"Father agreed with you not to have a wedding party and just get a marriage certificate. But you are still young and also a public figure." Robert said while rubbing the back of Lilia's hand, "I want you to promise that you won't announce your marriage for a while. When the right time comes, you can announce it. Can you promise it to me?"
Lilia looked at her father in shock. She had also thought about not announcing her marriage first, but she didn't know how to explain her decision to her parents. Lilia didn't think that her father would say that first.
"… Why did you suddenly say that?" Lilia asked hesitantly, "Did Jean suggest that to you?"
Robert could read the suspicions on his daughter's face. He smiled warmly to calm Lilia down, "No, this is my own idea. That's the only condition before you can marry Jean."
Hearing that, the doubts on Lilia's face disappeared.
"Lilia, no matter what your mother says or does to you, you are still my dear daughter. As your father, I have my own worries to let you marry." Robert said, his smile turned sour as he said that.
He continued, "Jean is a good man, but the Widjaya Family has a much stronger position than ours. I'm afraid that they might treat you unfairly after you get married. Therefore, I want you to have a way out if that happens."
Lilia saw Robert's gaze filled with affection and realized that her father had not changed since she was little. Robert had always put her daughter's happiness first and would not allow Lilia to marry a man she couldn't trust. It was Lilia who misunderstood her father when she was suddenly told to get married.
With teary eyes, Lilia agreed to her father's condition. She felt safe knowing that there was still someone in the family who sincerely loved her.
*****
Ten minutes later, Lilia left her house with Jean. She had brought all the documents she needed to arrange her marriage certificate.
Even though this incident brought bitterness and heartache to Lilia, it also made Lilia realize how much Robert loved her.
After Lilia closed the car's door, she turned around and immediately threw herself into Jean's arms. She wrapped her arms around Jean's waist and buried her face in the man's chest. The distinctive scent of spring tickled her nose.
Jean sighed and stroked Lilia's hair softly, "Don't cry." He said, "Your mother won't be able to rule your life anymore. You are free to do what you want to do."
Lilia nodded without saying anything. Her eyes were tightly closed, but her tears continued to soak Jean's shirt. The car was shrouded in silence for a long time while Jean waited patiently for Lilia to calm down again.
After Lilia calmed down, she began to speak in a hoarse voice, "After we sign the marriage certificate, I'll be out of this house."
Jean lowered his head and looked at the woman in his arms, "Then where will you live?" He whispered in Lilia's ear. The man saw the tips of her ears turn red and a feeling of childish satisfaction filled his heart.
Lilia paused to think about it before answering, "I can live in Vivi's apartment or buy my own. Anyway I don't want to see my mother for a while. I don't want to have another argument with her."
Even though she said that, the main reason Lilia avoided Sylvia was so that Jean wouldn't get caught up in their fight. She didn't want to burden the protective man with her family problems.
Suddenly Jean cupped Lilia's cheeks with both hands, causing the woman to look up at him. Jean clicked his tongue when he saw Lilia's red eyes. The man's face drew closer to Lilia, who automatically closed her eyes. Jean landed light kisses on her closed eyelids.
Then Jean said, "I'll take care of you. How can I let my wife live in someone else's house?"
Lilia's mind immediately went blank when she heard that mention. Her lashes trembled and her cheeks became even redder.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the registry office. Kenny was waiting for them there.
"Mr. Jean, I have everything in order. You can just go in and follow the procedure." Kenny explained.
"Good work." Jean nodded at his reliable assistant. He stepped into the building while holding Lilia's hand.
Once the two entered, one of the staff there immediately directed them into a private room to protect their privacy.
Before coming here, Lilia didn't really think about this. For her, she just needed to follow the procedure and get their marriage certificate. But now that she was undergoing the procedure, Lilia felt very tense and nervous.
She was so tense that the photographer who took the picture had to remind Lilia to relax twice. She only got calmer when Jean gently squeezed her hand.
"Congratulations on your wedding!" The civil registry officer handed over their marriage certificate with a big smile, "May your household be full of happiness!"
The female officer was quietly observing Lilia and Jean. She knew that Lilia Pangestu was a famous model who recently gained popularity, while Jean Widjaya was the fourth son of a conglomerate family in this city.
Their marriage was supposed to be hot news that could rock an entire city— this whole country, even. But why did the two of them choose to have it so simply? Unfortunately, the officer was strictly prohibited from distributing personal information such as their marital status, so she could not discuss this matter with anyone.
"Thank you." Jean replied briefly while receiving the document. He handed Lilia their marriage certificate so that she could see it too.
Lilia touched the marriage certificate carefully as if it was made of fragile glass. The photo of Lilia standing side by side with Jean caught her eye. The expression on her face in the photo looked a little tense, but also full of happiness. Beside her, Jean was staring at Lilia with a rare gentle expression. The man's eyes showed his deep love for Lilia.
"So we really are married…" Lilia muttered. That fact had not yet fully entered her mind.
Jean chuckled and took the woman's hand. He kissed the back of her hand as he said, "Congratulations on your wedding, Mrs. Lilia Pangestu."
Lilia looked up and faced Jean. She felt that the man's blue eyes looked brighter than usual, like the sea sparkling in the sun.
Lilia smiled broadly and replied, "Congratulations on your wedding too, Mr. Jean Widjaya!"
On September 15th, Lilia Pangestu officially became Mrs. Lilia Widjaya.
*****
When Lilia and Jean got their marriage certificate, it was 11 o'clock in the afternoon. Lilia handed Kenny her family register and asked Jean's assistant to return the document to her house. Just like she said to Jean earlier, Lilia didn't intend to see her mother for a while.
Lilia planned to celebrate this wedding by having lunch with Jean, but she realized that Harold had tried calling her three times.
"Jean, I'm sorry!" Lilia apologized as soon as they got back into the car, "I can't have lunch with you. Harold told me I had to hurry to the office because he had important news for me."
"No problem." Jean replied while tucking a strand of Lilia's hair behind her ear, "We can eat together next time. Don't forget to have lunch, okay?"
The man's gaze was filled with an overwhelming feeling of love, pouring out all the feelings he had been hiding all this time. Lilia smiled broadly as soon as she saw him.
Lilia had the impression that nothing had changed in their relationship, but at the same time, everything had completely changed.
*****
Lilia arrived at the agency office about an hour later. As soon as she entered Harold's room, the man immediately jumped up from his chair and gave Lilia an irritated look. It seemed Harold had been waiting for her for a long time.
"S-Sorry." Lilia smiled guiltily, "It turns out that it took me a little longer to complete my business."
Harold stared at the model for a few moments before letting out a deep breath. All of his frustration vanished when he saw Lilia's appearance, who was dressed in a white and gray overalls. The design of the shirt accentuated Lilia's long legs and made her look slimmer.
Harold started walking toward the meeting room saying, "I don't know what important business you have to finish early in the morning, but the important thing is that you're here now. Luckily, the ad company likes you quite a bit. They said you could come for a session and shoot whenever you can."
"Oh…" Lilia trailed behind Harold, "So you called me here to talk about the offer from that ad company I had refused?"
"Not." Harold replied in a tone that was more cautious than usual, "The photoshoot has been postponed to 4 in the afternoon. There's something else I need to discuss with you before that, Lilia."
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