"You have to go back to the office?" Lilia asked while leaning against the street light pole.
"No, don't worry," Vivi nodded irritably as she pulled Lilia toward the parking lot, "I'll definitely take you home first."
"Vivi, go to the office. I can go home alone." Lilia let go of Vivi's hand and pushed her away.
As soon as she heard what her best friend said, all the annoyance in Vivi's heart disappeared. She worriedly asked, "Lilia ... are you sure ...?"
Lilia smiled and nodded, "I can order a taxi. You know my house is not far from here, right?"
Vivi frowned in silence. She didn't want to leave her best friend alone, but the trouble at her office couldn't be ignored. Vivi finally gave up to Lilia's persuasion and called a taxi for her. She made sure the taxi driver knew Lilia's home address before she hurried off to the office.
However, Vivi did not think that the taxi would just turn the corner and drop Lilia in front of the karaoke building.
Lilia ordered a VIP room as well as two bottles of wine to accompany her. She tipped the waiter for dropping her off before kicking her shoes off her feet. Walking barefoot, Lilia threw herself on the sofa.
The woman started to open her first bottle of wine while tuning the song loud, as if trying to drown Rina's words earlier.
'William is back…'
Lilia shook her head and downed the wine bottle. The sweet memories of her time with William resurfaced one after another, like a ghost refusing to be expelled.
When William confessed his love for Lilia, she felt as if she was above the clouds. For the first time, Lilia's life felt perfect. It turned upside down on the day William left her. Her illusion of a perfect love life shattered to pieces.
After days of depression and locking herself in a room, Lilia vowed not to repeat her mistakes again. She stopped trusting other men and threw herself into her work. Thanks to that, Lilia's career took off and everyone recognized her abilities as a model.
Alas, she had to marry a man she didn't know, and William had returned to marry someone else now.
Lilia opened the second bottle and took another sip of wine. Normally, she wouldn't have dared to drink this much wine, but the news about William had shaken her up. Lilia drank to calm herself down.
Lilia hiccupped and hugged the wine bottle, "What's so good about being married? All men are bastards! They only approach you when they need to and throw you away when you are useless! I don't need a man!" Lilia kept on nagging and cursing until she finally fell asleep.
*****
When Kenny opened the door, he immediately turned on the light and was stunned to see the conditions in the VIP karaoke room.
The woman they were looking for was lying on the sofa. Her one arm was wrapped around the empty wine bottle, while the other was covering her face. The music was deafening and drowned out everything else.
Kenny was secretly amazed that Lilia could sleep so soundly in the midst of all this commotion. He immediately turned off the television, leaving the room in silence.
The loss of music disturbed Lilia's sleep. The woman slowly opened her eyes and struggled to sit on the sofa.
The drunk Lilia exuded a different kind of charm than usual. Her rosy cheeks made her beautiful face look even more enchanting. Her black eyes were as clear as water and as innocent as a baby. Her red lips glittered like rubies with wine.
Kenny's face turned red when he saw Lilia's appearance, but luckily, he still remembered that his boss was standing right behind him. Kenny quickly turned around and walked out. Jean's cold gaze piercing his back made the man quicken his steps.
After closing the door, Jean walked over to Lilia with a sigh. He could hear Lilia babbling incoherently, but the name 'William' repeatedly came out of her mouth. This made Jean even more annoyed.
As soon as Jean approached, Lilia immediately turned towards him. Jean was stunned when their gazes met. The woman used to give him a hard, stubborn gaze, but now she was gently looking at him with a pair of wistful eyes. This wasn't the figure of Lilia he knew.
As expected, Lilia tilted her head in confusion. Her raven black hair flowed over her right shoulder. "Does this place provide… special services…? Heh… heheh…" Lilia muttered with a drunken smile.
Jean was at a loss for words for a moment. He really wanted to know how Lilia had come to this state. Jean knelt in front of the sofa and flicked her forehead once.
"Don't bother me like this again." He said in a low voice.
If Lilia heard that in a conscious state, she would have protested that she never asked Jean to come get her.
Now that she was in a semi-conscious state and drunk with bitter memories, Lilia didn't hear a word Jean said. She just frowned.
"Ouch ..." She protested in a spoiled voice
This time, even Jean couldn't help smiling. His fiancée looked absolutely adorable. He flicked Lilia's forehead again, this time on a whim, but she caught his hand.
"What the heck?" Lilia protested.
Jean tried to pull her hand back, but Lilia stubbornly maintained her 'new toy', like a cat playing with a spool of yarn. Lilia's hot hands warmed Jean's cold skin.
"Yes, let's go." Jean said firmly as he got up, "This is not a place worthy of you."
"…Do not." Lilia muttered, "Don't go ..."
Hearing that, Jean stopped pulling his hand. He looked at the woman in surprise.
"If you go..." Said Lilia in a low voice, "... I'll be alone again."
A single tear fell onto Jean's hand. The man froze, not daring to move at all. Without saying a word, Jean returned to his knees in front of the woman he was going to marry. Slowly, his left hand rubbed Lilia's soft and warm cheek.
It didn't take long for Lilia to cry. She began to sob as teardrops flowed more and more profusely. Heavily drunk and messy with a broken heart, Lilia cried in front of the man she hated.
However, her sobs didn't last long. Jean's hands felt cool, his firm but soft grip made Lilia feel safe, as if someone was protecting her.
"Shh ... Don't cry." Jean whispered softly, "I'm here for you. Everything will be alright."
Jean kept repeating his words like a magic spell until he heard the sound of Lilia's regular breathing. The woman fell asleep while clinging to his hand.
Jean watched Lilia who fell asleep without saying anything, completely bewitched by the scene. To him, women were annoying and incomprehensible creatures. They were always swarming around him chattering endlessly, like a mosquito buzzing in his ear. Even though Lilia was different from other women, Jean only saw her as the woman he wanted to get.
Jean always got what he wanted, so his interest in Lilia was limited to that. He was satisfied with making sure that the woman couldn't escape from him.
However, when he heard Lilia's whisper that was filled with despair, something changed inside him. The warmth of her hands melted the ice in his heart. Jean then made a decision; he wanted this woman's heart too, and he would get it.
At that time, Jean didn't know that the coldness in his face had melted away and was replaced by a very gentle expression.
*****
It was almost midnight when Jean arrived at his house with Lilia who was fast asleep. The woman slept so soundly that she lost consciousness when Jean carried her into the guest room. Even so, Jean still tried to move her as carefully so as not to wake Lilia.
The man deeply sighed after laying Lilia on the bed. The woman continued to hold his hand tightly all the way home that Jean didn't have the heart to pull his hand away. Lilia's grip finally loosened as her head touched the pillow and Jean was able to break free. Instead of leaving the room, the man sat on the bed. His gaze was fixed on Lilia's restless sleeping face.
Jean reached out and rubbed Lilia's cheek with his thumb, "Why are you crying…?"
No one in the room could hear Jean's whisper, but the man continued talking.
"After years of searching for you, I finally found you. I won't let you slip away from my grip again. I promise I will get rid of everything that makes you sad. That's why…" Jean leaned over and landed a light kiss on Lilia's forehead, "…Do not cry anymore."
Without Jean realizing it, Lilia's expression turned peaceful as if she could hear those words.
*****
That night, Lilia felt someone carried her lightly. In the dream, a pair of hands lifted her body and embraced her tightly. The hand felt strong and gave her a sense of security. It was also very gentle and treated Lilia as if she was a fragile and very precious treasure.
That night, Lilia really had the most beautiful dream.