20 Always Assume the Worst

When Lilia walked out of the interrogation room, she saw Harold and Merry in the waiting room. The two of them also saw Lilia and immediately ran over to her.

Harold looked at Lilia closely and asked, "Are you okay?"

Lilia nodded and gave a strained smile, "I am alright. They only ask me a few things." She kept the trouble with Detective Kevin a secret so they would not worry.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lilia saw Inspector Marcus move nervously. The man continued to steal glances at the front gate. He wanted to ask if the inspector was waiting for someone, but Merry distracted her.

"Sister Lilia, you must be thirsty. Here, drink up first!" Merry handed the woman a bottle of water.

Lilia took a sip then explained, "Thank you, Merry. The inspector has allowed me to go home, so let's go back to the agency."

Harold nodded with a relieved expression. "Well, I'm glad you are okay. How about we have lunch first before going back to the office? I'll treat."

"I agree!" Merry raised her hand excitedly, "Harold, I'm glad you understand the plight of people with a thin wallet at the end of the month."

Harold sighed, "I'm not doing this for you, you know..." He muttered softly.

Inspector Marcus watched the three of them chat as they walked out of the police station. He let out a sigh as they disappeared from his sight. When he turned to go back to work, Commissioner Dean was already standing in front of him.

"Inspector Marcus. To my room, now. We need to discuss your sanctions for today's incident."

Inspector Marcus' shoulders slumped as he trailed behind Commissioner Dean.

*****

As Lilia stepped outside, she saw that the outside of the police station was clear of reporters. Then, her gaze fell on a familiar black Volkswagen. The car's window slowly slid down and revealed Jean's face. His blue eyes stared hard at Lilia.

Harold also saw the man while walking behind Lilia. He knew that their lunch plans had been canceled in an instant. His mind was filled with disappointment when he felt someone pulled his sleeve.

"Ha-Harold… isn't that Jean Widjaya? Why is he here?" Merry whispered with a mixture of nervousness and fear in her voice.

"What do you think?" Harold replied dryly. It wasn't hard to guess the reason, looking at the sight of Jean that never left Lilia.

"Ugh… my stomach hurts. I-I'm going to the restroom first, so you don't have to wait for me." Merry said, clutching her stomach.

"Alright. See you at the office." Harold nodded. His mind was too busy thinking about the man's relationship with Lilia to care about Merry's reasons.

Merry glanced at Jean with a terrified gaze before slipping away at lightning speed.

Harold sighed and walked over to Lilia, "I will return to the agency first. Just leave this matter to me, I'll let you know the results later. Don't even think about this, okay? Everything will be fine." Harold patted Lilia's head to reassure her.

"I know, you don't have to treat me like a child." Lilia moved away from Harold's hand while frowning.

Harold laughed, then walked away with his chin held high. No one saw the pain and disappointment in his eyes.

*****

It was two o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. A faint smell of grass wafted through the half-open car window. Just like yesterday, Lilia sat in the back seat with Jean.

"…Thank you for helping me earlier. But why are you here?" Lilia asked bluntly.

Jean crossed his legs and leaned lazily into the car seat, "Am I not allowed to come here?" The tone in his reply was relaxing.

Lilia fell silent and glanced at Kenny who hurriedly looked away. She felt that Jean seemed to be looking angry. Her mind was puzzled with the question why Jean, who had nothing to do with this case, was angry.

Then, she recalled that Jean's car was suspected of running over Sara, "Will this matter damage the reputation of the Widjaya Family? Is that why you came here? To clarify that matter?" Lilia asked while looking at Jean with innocent and clear eyes.

After Lilia said that, the atmosphere inside the car got heavier. Kenny covered his face with his hands and pretended he wasn't there.

Jean frowned and met Lilia's gaze, "Do you really think so?"

Lilia tilted her head in confusion, "What else did you do in the police station? This car was suspected by the police, right?"

Jean's gaze grew sharper and the frown on his forehead deepened. Then, he stared out the window without answering Lilia's question.

Kenny couldn't take it anymore and gave a small cough. "Miss Lilia, actually the President is complaining..."

"Run the car!" Jean cut Kenny in a cold voice.

Lilia felt that the two men were acting strange, but she didn't bring up the matter anymore.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a large, luxurious house. Lilia, who had been busy with the iPed that Jean had lent her, finally looked up and recognized the house.

She turned to Jean, "Why did you take me to your house?"

Lilia assumed that Jean would drive her home and didn't pay attention to the path they were on.

Jean crossed his arms, "There are a lot of reporters hanging around your house right now. Your father agreed to let you stay here for two days until things die down." Jean paused for a moment before adding with a sadistic smile, "Or would you prefer to go home?"

Lilia hurriedly shook her head. She felt that there was something strange about this situation, but she couldn't remember what it was.

Lilia only realized what was wrong after she told this incident to Merry, her assistant. Since starting her career in the entertainment world, Lilia had never revealed any personal information about her family background. Then how could the reporters find her house?

However, the day Lilia learned about Jean's lie was still far in the future.

avataravatar
Next chapter