Bam!
"How dare you be so insolent! You've been raised on good hands all this time!" Sylvia hit the table with rage, "Right now this family is facing difficulties and you don't want to help? Can't you sacrifice a little for your family? Your father and I only want the best for you!"
Sylvia's words were true to some extent and made Lilia sound like a selfish bastard. Still, Lilia couldn't believe the words that came out Sylvia's mouth. If she and Robert really cared about her, the two wouldn't have agreed to this contract marriage without her consent.
"The best for me? Or for this family?" Lilia asked coldly.
For a moment, Sylvia was silent, "… What's good for our family is good for you too. You are part of this family." She answered.
"Really?" Lilia's voice was sarcastic, "I thought I was only here to make sacrifices for this family."
Before Sylvia could answer, the head of the family appeared from her study on the second floor.
Maybe the mother and daughter's argument downstairs was too loud that it bothered him.
"Why are you fighting again?" Robert asked with a tired face.
Seeing her husband appear, Sylvia's anger vanished and she sat back down with an elegant posture, "Your beloved daughter refused to marry." She calmly answered him.
Robert frowned with a helpless expression, "... Lilia, let's talk upstairs."
"But…" Lilia wanted to complain that she didn't do anything wrong.
"Lilia." Her father's tone was stern and indisputable.
Lilia lifted her chin with a stubborn gaze, but she didn't protest anymore. While walking towards the stairs, she glanced at Sylvia. Her mother's face had returned to expressionless as if the fight had never happened. Lilia was baffled for a moment by the satisfaction creeping up Sylvia's lips.
The female model's eyes felt hot and she hurriedly looked away. Lilia blinked her eyes to ward off the tears that were starting to pool, realizing that crying won't solve anything this time.
In Robert's office, Lilia sat in front of her father. She lowered her head to hide her emotional face while playing with her nails.
After a long silence, Robert sighed, "Lilia, were you with Jean last night?"
Hearing that unexpected question, Lilia raised her face in surprise, "How did you..." She remembered Jean's strange look this morning and immediately stopped her words, "Did he tell you?"
Robert shook his head, "You couldn't be reached last night. I've called your best friend, but she also didn't know where you were going. This morning Jean's assistant called and told me that the man had picked you up from the bar."
Lilia remembered Jean's description of her drunken behavior last night. She was a little grateful that Jean didn't say anything to Robert.
"Dad, nothing happened last night. He just happened to be passing by and offered me to stay at his house, which was closer to the bar. That is all!" Lilia decided to use the lie that Jean used earlier.
Robert leaned toward Lilia, his eyes begging, "Dad trusts you. But please don't blame your mom. This family is facing a major crisis. If we weren't in such turmoil, I wouldn't have forced you to get married like this."
Lilia frowned. Now Robert said the exact same thing as Sylvia earlier. Didn't her father know that she couldn't believe their words?
"Lilia, I'm not telling you to like Jean. But at least try to get closer to him. He is a good man." Robert continued.
Hearing Robert's words, Lilia finally understood something. The purpose of this conversation was not to discuss a solution so that Lilia didn't need to get married. If anything, Robert only wanted her to stop fighting. This marriage wouldn't be canceled, no matter how Lilia felt about it.
"... Alright, father." Lilia couldn't argue with her father.
In this family, only her father could make Lilia obediently listen to his words.
Robert nodded, pleased with Lilia's answer, "The Widjaya family is much richer than ours. After marriage, I guarantee you will live comfortably."
'But that's not what I wanted.' Lilia swallowed back the words she almost said.
*****
Lilia slammed her bedroom door shut and opened her bedroom window. She spent several minutes staring blankly at the sky. The sun was shining brightly and a fresh breeze was blowing in, yet none of that could cheer her up.
The sound of the phone broke Lilia's daydream. She looked at Vivi's name on the phone screen and picked up immediately.
As soon as the phone was connected, Vivi scolded her without stopping. Her best friend poured out all the worry and anger she felt when Lilia disappeared overnight. Even though Lilia's ears felt hot from Vivi's scolding, her heart was warmed by her friend's concern.
Vivi demanded an explanation, so Lilia told her that she was staying over at Jean's house.
"Huh?! You and Jean slept together?!" Vivi screamed.
"We didn��t!" Lilia immediately denied, "I only slept in the guest room! If he didn't kidnap me into his house last night, I wouldn't want to go near him! You think too much, Vivi!"
Lilia shuddered at the thought of her and Jean sleeping together. How could two people who didn't love each other do that?
"What's too much?! Jean Widjaya is the best man ever! Do you know how many women out there want to be in his bed?!" Vivi continued to argue.
Lilia once again emphasized to Vivi that she didn't look at Jean like that before hanging up the phone. She threw herself on the bed and let her mind wander. She had a flashback to last night's incident and the news of William's return. However, the thing that bugged her mind the most was the man who kidnapped her from the karaoke last night.
In Lilia's mind, Jean was a bitch too proud of himself just because he managed to become the president of a company at such a young age. As a proof, that man dared to bring Lilia back to that man's house without asking her permission. How else could she call his action except literal abduction?
Lilia turned around while closing her eyes. Even though she still couldn't accept Jean's selfless treatment, she couldn't completely hate this man. Lilia wondered why Jean didn't do anything to her when she was at the man's house. Lilia was drunk and unconscious. Jean could have easily done whatever he wanted with Lilia at that time. Instead, that man just let her sleep in peace. She wondered to her sleep if the guy was not interested in her.