Chapter 31 - Events At Night
After Lilia read Jean's message, she ran to the window overlooking the highway. Her eyes found a familiar black car. A male figure leaned casually against the body of the car smoking a cigarette. Jean's tall body was clad in a formal black suit, as if he had headed straight here from his office. The evening sunshine fell on Jean's blonde hair and made him look bright and gleaming.
Jean suddenly turned his head towards her, as if he could feel Lilia's gaze. Even from a distance, Lilia could see the faint smile on the man's face. Jean made a gesture by moving his index finger back and forth.
'?Come here quickly!' Lilia caught the hint.
Lilia changed clothes at lightning speed and ran towards the elevator, but it was still on the 30th floor.
Lilia clicked her tongue impatiently and chose to go down the stairs. Luckily, Vivi's apartment was on the seventh floor— if she had to go down the stairs from the 30th floor, Lilia would make Jean wait much longer.
Ten minutes later, Lilia arrived in front of Jean, breathing heavily and panting. It took her a few more minutes to regulate her breath back to normal.
Jean raised an eyebrow at her messy appearance, "Why are you in a hurry?"
Lilia gave Jean an exasperated look, "You didn't say anything to me and just appeared, then told me to come right away! Of course, I came here quickly!" Lilia protested.
Jean's eyes flashed with ignorance, "So you rushed over here because you missed me?" He teased Lilia.
At that time, Lilia was considering whether she should turn around and return to Vivi's apartment instead.
"Besides, I never told you to hurry over here." Jean continued in his defense, "Technically, I was only hinting for you to come here. You yourself assumed that you had to come quickly."
Lilia glared at Jean, but she couldn't argue with his words. Seeing that man's face again reminded Lilia of the dinner three days ago. There, she saw a caring side that Jean had never shown before. Since then, Lilia felt a little closer to her fiancé.
"Fine, fine, I made the wrong assumption." Lilia crossed her arms and admitted her defeat, "Have you been waiting long?"
The mischievous look in Jean's eyes disappeared and he answered in a serious tone, "Not really." He threw his cigarette butts into the ashtray in the car and watched Lilia closely. His eyes were subtly filled with worry, "Haven't you gotten thinner since I last saw you?"
Lilia's eyes sparkled when she heard that. She started measuring her waist circumference while asking excitedly, "Really?"
Lilia's behavior looked cute and adorable in Jean's eyes. The urge to flirt with her returned and Jean stepped forward, easily closing the gap between them. Before his fiancée could react, Jean wrapped his arms around Lilia's waist and pulled her into his arms.
"J-Jean, w-what …… wait a minute …… you're too close ……" Lilia's face turned red and she tried to get away from the man.
"Hmm, you are indeed thinner than the last time I hugged you." Jean whispered in Lilia's ear, his breath tickling her ear.
Now the female model's face turned red as a tomato. In a panic, she slammed her elbow against Jean's side, "Ow!" Jean frowned in pain and loosened his hug.
Lilia immediately stepped away and looked at Jean warily. She looked like a wild cat ready to scratch anyone who got too close to her, "Don't do that again without my permission!" She hissed furiously.
"Okay." Jean sighed and raised both of his hands, "We have to leave immediately if we don't want to be late, so get in the car. I won't do it again."
Lilia slowly approached the car, but still worried, "Where are we going? And how do you know I'm here?"
Lilia was curious about Jean's ability to always appear around her. It was as if Jean was monitoring all of her movements. She felt that it was a little too much, but she also felt like she was being protected.
"Do you want to know?" Jean asked as he opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat, "Get in the car first."
Lilia followed Jean's orders and took the passenger seat. Her clear black eyes were fixed on the man who was fastening his seat belt. When he noticed Lilia's gaze, Jean glanced at her. The woman continued to wait for Jean to answer her question, but the man just sighed.
Suddenly the tall man leaned towards her. Jean's face approached hers, as if he was about to kiss her. Lilia closed her eyes reflexively and waited with a pounding heart. At this close, she could smell the faint smell of cigarettes from Jean's body.
Click?.
Lilia immediately opened her eyes and found her seat belt fastened. She looked away to hide her blushing face, feeling embarrassed for thinking such nonsense.
Jean laughed at Lilia's reaction. Her cheeks that were flushed with embarrassment made her look even cuter than usual. Her various reactions were adorable, making Jean want to tease her more. The fact that only he could see Lilia's hidden side made him feel special.
A few moments after Jean started driving, Lilia realized that she didn't know where they were going.
"…… Where are you taking me?" Lilia asked.
"Tonight, there is a party celebrating the establishment of the Widjaya Family company that I manage. You will accompany me there." Jean answered while turning the wheel casually.
Hearing that, Lilia straightened up and looked at the clothes she was wearing, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" She protested.
If she had known she was going to the party, she would definitely put on a nice dress and not run down the stairs like a freak.
"Don't worry about clothes and the like. I'll take care of it." Jean glanced at her, "Or you don't want to go to parties with me?" He was trying to sound neutral, but Lilia could hear the doubt in his low voice.
The female model felt surprised and somewhat touched too. The man who always looked like he didn't care about other people's opinions was now worried that Lilia wouldn't want to accompany him to the party. She smiled reassuringly for Jean, "Don't get me wrong…… I'm just worried because I didn't prepare anything. I'm afraid I will embarrass you!"