Chapter 912 - Lilia's Reluctance

At this moment, Jean's pitch-black pupils looked at Leonard calmly. "If he really saved Mellisa, what would you do?"

"I don't know!" Leonard took a deep breath. "Right now, I still don't know his true purpose, so even if he helped her back then, it might not be a good thing."

"Mellisa had lived alone for years, her life was really pathetic. It could be said that she was bound by that person like a doll, tightly restrained in her hands. I also know Mellisa's story, including when she became a debt collector. Everything she did was forced by the other party."

Hearing this, Jean clutched his cigarette. While looking ahead, he sighed softly. "Did she try to resist before?"

Leonard licked his teeth with an indistinct expression. "If she resists, she feels like she will suffer the same fate as her friend. Herri, have you ever heard of that name? When Mellisa returned to the Irwan family's house, she had no intention of being controlled by the other party anymore. After that, her friend Herri was hit by a car and died. According to Mellisa, this was a warning to her."

After that, the man's eyes became cold and sharp. "This fellow is a ruthless master indeed."

Leonard clamped the cigarette butt in his hand and said quietly, "So, before Melissa and I leave, I have to settle this matter. If the other party isn't Frans, then I'll have to check who's behind the scenes. My men in Jakarta are now rechecking the accident that year. If there's any progress, I'll let you know again."

Jean nodded slightly. "No problem."

"Then I'll be back first. Remember to send me your information."

After Leonard said goodbye to the man, he turned around and climbed back into the car.

...

At that time, Jean was still standing in front of the door with his arms folded. He looked in the direction the car had gone with a deep cold light in his eyes.

Frans Ruihan...

The man's silence didn't last long, he heard footsteps behind him.

This morning, the sound of birds chirping is endless.

The quiet footsteps stopped beside him, and then Lilia's soft voice came to greet his ears. "Frans... Why did he deliberately approach sister Mellisa?" 

The man looked to the side and saw that Lilia's cheeks were still rosy. "You heard it?"

Lilia nodded lazily. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I've been standing behind you from the start…"

Jean saw Lilia's innocent expression on her face, his hands immediately brushing his wife's messy hair. "Better get it over with."

Lilia wanted to nod subconsciously, but after some more thought, she caught an important message. "I heard him say before leaving. Where will they go?"

Why had she never heard her sister talk about it?!

Jean turned and paced back and forth, he took the momentum to catch Lilia to his side. "Leonard's father will send the two of them overseas next month. He gave them three years to grow up to become the next head of the Adler family."

Hearing this, Lilia opened her mouth and said, "They're leaving so soon?" 

The man flashed a melancholy smile at Lilia, then calmly said, "Since that was the Patriarch's intention, he must have discussed it with Leonard. Worried about them?"

Lilia moved her lips. "A little."

"Don't worry, there will be someone overseas to help."

Lilia looked at the man strangely. She narrowed her eyes, grabbed his arm, and stopped. "How did you know?" 

The man saw her expression and raised his eyebrows, whispering, "Lockhart is not the only brother of the Patriarch, there is still one younger brother living abroad." 

"Another uncle?" Lilia slightly held her chin, staring at the man's calm expression for a moment. "What will happen from now on?"

After Lockhart got defeated in the struggle for the position of head of the family, would that little brother be able to maintain the status quo? 

The smile on the man's thin lips gradually deepened. He lowered his head and reached out to Lilia's cheek, and said in a low voice, "No need to worry. They will most likely give up fighting for the Patriarch's position."

Lilia was very intelligent, she could read what's going on around her with just a glance.

There might be something yet to be revealed, but she didn't have any thoughts of asking anymore. She just blinked, and said angrily. 

"I hope so."

At this time, the man's handsome face was full of tenderness. He sighed softly, and squeezed her cheeks as if helpless. "Don't worry, your brother-in-law can still handle a trivial matter like this."

Lilia pursed her lips and sighed. "Actually, I felt that Mellisa and Leonard really hit it off at first. But now, it seems that there are too many problems in the Adler family. I don't know what Leonard's father was thinking. Leonard is his son, why bother telling him to leave just to test him?"

At this time, the man slowly led her into the living room. When the two of them sat down, Jean handed the glass of water on the table to Lilia, and answered in a deep tone, "This approach is very useful and harmless. The Adler family is different from the family in Surabaya. The interest here is much deeper than we see. If Leonard can't solve all the problems on his own, his future will not be calm as the head of the family."

Lilia held her water glass silently.

After a while, she sighed heavily and said, "In any case, I understand it. But when I saw them working so hard, I suddenly felt that… the interests and status of this family were actually not worth it."

She wanted to see her sister and future brother-in-law love and support each other until they were old instead of living in conspiracies and deceit all along.

At this moment, the man saw Lilia's somewhat depressed expression. He raised his hand to wrap her shoulder and patted lightly. "You're not wrong. But you have to let your brother-in-law prove himself. After that, the choice will be in his hands— to become the head of the family or live peacefully with Mellisa."

"Three years is neither long nor short, if they really can do it, the Adler family will no longer have this kind of problem anymore. If they don't want to do it, then it's not a bad choice to return to Surabaya and live in peace."

Lilia glanced at the man faintly, then leaned on his arm. "After all the problems here are over, let's go home! I miss our home." 

She said while rubbing her stomach with a smiling face.

Maybe this is the way of life. Everyone has different choices, and the situation they face is also very different.

"Well, at most, we'll stay here for one week. Then, we will go home after that." 

The man looked tired between his eyebrows and his wife's eyes. This time, this work in Bandung was also exhausting him physically and mentally.

He patted her on the shoulder once and then, with a gentle and soothing force, he persuaded, "Before leaving Bandung, do you want to go to the sea?"