Chapter 182 - The Reason Behind The Accident
Andrew and Claire's home was located in an elite residential area known for its impressive building style. Their house was designed in a typical Tuscany architectural style and had a touch of Mediterranean style.
When Lilia arrived in front of the two-story house, she saw a man with blonde hair. The man was smoking while leaning against the front door. His blank gaze was fixed on the sky, as if he could see something in the distance.
Lilia checked her watch, which showed twelve in the afternoon. The trip here took about two hours. Then Lilia walked over to her husband.
Jean noticed Lilia's presence as the woman approached him. His gaze was immediately fixed on the fruit basket in his wife's hand. He stubbed out his cigarette before approaching Lilia and taking over the basket.
"Sorry to make you wait so long." Lilia said in a regretful tone.
Jean shook his head, "You don't need to rush. I know the film studio is quite far from here." He said while walking beside his wife
Lilia turned to the house with a worried expression, "How is Brother Andrew's condition? What did the doctor at the hospital say?" She asked.
They arrived at the door and Jean opened the door for Lilia, "The wound is not serious. The doctor also said that this wound was classified as superficial. So you don't have to worry too much." He said, calming her down.
Lilia stepped into the house and looked around. The interior of the house was decorated in Mediterranean style as well. The furniture was in shades of blue and white which reminded her of the color of the sea.
When they entered the living room, they found Claire sitting on the sofa brewing tea. Across from her was a man who was involved in the accident. A small part of Andrew's forehead was covered by bandages, but his expression was relaxed as if nothing had happened.
"Hello Sis Claire, Brother Andrew." Lilia greeted the husband and wife.
Claire looked up from the tea she brewed and a wide smile immediately spread across her face.
"Hi, Lilia. Come on, sit next to me. Jean, you can sit next to your brother-in-law." Claire instructed.
Lilia heard Jean grumbling, "Commander," but he still moved to the sofa that Andrew was sitting on. Lilia stifled a laugh and sat down beside Claire.
Jean put the fruit basket Lilia brought on to the table. Andrew looked at the basket and said, "Thanks for this gift, Lilia. I've really bothered you."
Lilia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she heard that. She actually bought the fruit basket by the side of the road because she was in such a hurry to go to her brother-in-law's house. It so happened that Lilia saw a booth selling fruit while they were on their way, so she told Clifford to stop and buy a basket.
Even though the owner of the booth was selling on the side of the road, she bragged that the fruit was picked straight from the mountains. Lilia didn't know whether what the booth owner said was true, but the fruit did look fresh and delicious.
"Brother Andrew, how are your injuries?" Lilia asked while observing the man closely.
Apart from the bandages on his forehead, Andrew looked completely fine. Lilia began to believe Jean's words that Andrew's injuries weren't serious.
Claire finished with her tea and poured a cup for Lilia. As she thrusted it at the model, Claire chuckled and said, "Andrew will be fine. This is just a minor accident. His head hit the windshield. Andrew had a hard head, so he didn't suffer serious injuries."
"Hard head huh……" Andrew muttered with slumped shoulders.
Lilia gave a small cough and hurriedly drank her tea to hide her laughter. The interactions between Claire and Andrew never failed to entertain her.
"Oh yeah, aren't you shooting today, Lilia?" Asked Claire while putting the teacup in front of Jean and Andrew, "I think filming schedules are usually so busy that it's like being tightly pressed."
Lilia shook her head with a slightly grim expression, "No, today the shooting happened to be postponed. I have free time now, that is why I stopped by here."
Andrew sipped his tea with a satisfied expression. The tea made by his wife always felt right on his tongue. Then he remembered something and nudged Jean, who was sitting next to him.
"Shall we go eat together? I feel bad when you guys came all the way here and returned empty-handed."
Jean glanced at Lilia to check her reaction. After confirming that the woman nodded, Jean glanced back at Andrew. "Okay. I'll leave the arrangements to you."
*****
The four of them get into Andrew's car. The man also drove, though Jean had offered to replace him. But Andrew insisted that the two of them were today's guests, so Jean relented and sat in the back seat with Lilia.
"Hey, Jean." Lilia whispered while Andrew was chatting with Claire, "There is something I want to ask."
"Hm? What's wrong?" Jean tilted his head to catch Lilia's every word.
"How did Brother Andrew get into an accident? As far as I know he always drives carefully." Lilia asked curiously.
Jean nodded, "Brother Andrew is always careful, but sometimes he can make mistakes. I heard that he happened to be out of focus while driving on the highway, so he braked too late and hit the car in front of him." He explained.
Lilia nodded without further questioning the story.
Of course, neither of them knew that Andrew was covering up what really happened at the accident. Their brother-in-law would never admit that the collision had happened because of his own stupidity.
As Andrew was driving home with Claire, he suddenly felt a strong urge to kiss his wife. The man indulged and kissed Claire, just as the car in front of them slowed down. When Andrew realized that the collision was inevitable, he pulled Claire into his arms with one hand. His other hand was still on the steering wheel, so he didn't have a chance to protect himself.
After the accident, Andrew made Claire swear not to tell anyone. His pride as a man would suffer if others found out what caused the accident!
*****
After driving for a long time, they arrived at one of the oldest elite restaurants in Jakarta, namely Jade Restaurant. According to Claire, the quality of the cuisine here was not inferior to the Imperial Restaurant.
The front door of Jade Restaurant was made of thick wood filled with carvings. The interior of the restaurant also gave off the impression of an elite restaurant, with marble floors and various valuable art displays.
They walked in while listening to Claire telling the story that the Austin Family had funded this restaurant during a crisis. Since then, their family had held nearly twenty percent of Jade Restaurant.
The waitress ushered them into a private room large enough to accommodate eight people. After taking all their orders, the waiter bowed and left the room.
Andrew took a blue-and-white ceramic teapot and poured tea for all of them. Then he turned to Jean.
"Jean, did you know that real estate conditions in Jakarta have gotten worse over the past two years? The government has made various new policies to deal with it, but there have been no significant results. Are you sure you want to develop the market here?" Andrew asked seriously.
Lilia almost dropped her teacup when she heard that…… She turned to the man sitting beside her with a surprised look. Since when did this man plan to develop a real estate business in Jakarta?!