Chapter 116 - Severe Injury

The discussion of the topic concerning Lilia's injury continued. People on the internet heated up even more when there was no latest news from the police or Aphrodite Agency.

[User3568]: "Is Lilia Pangestu really badly injured?"

[User9921]: "Is the entertainment world getting more and more brutal to the point of claiming casualties now?"

[User8233]: "Why is there no news at all? Hey @Agency Aphrodite, say something! How is Lilia Pangestu doing now?"

[User3090]: "How bad is it? God, I really love Lilia, don't take her from me!"

[User1001]: "I just got the latest news from the vice chairman. Currently Lilia is hospitalized and her condition is stable. It is certain that the culprit who attacked her is Rina Cayla."

[User7392]: "Who has the address where Rina Cayla lives?"

[User3090]: "Who has the address where Rina Cayla lives? (2). Time for our revenge!"

[User9921]: "Who has Rina Cayla's residential address? (3)"

[User8233]: "Who has Rina Cayla's residential address? (4)"

Five minutes later, someone posted an address.

That night, the police station near Rina's apartment received more than 20 calls. All calls came from residents of the same apartment as Rina. They reported that someone placed various kinds of offerings at the door of apartment number 1220, as if the occupants of the apartment had died.

*****

When Lilia was told that netizens thought she was badly injured, the woman was leaning back on the hospital bed in a relaxed style. Lilia was placed in the VIP room of Surabaya Hospital which was equipped with various medical equipment. She felt that this room was too much for her, who only had a scratch wound on her left hand. Lilia listened to Harold's story while taking a bite of the apple slice fed by Merry.

"Then, sorry for interrupting your rest, but I need your cooperation at this time." Harold said while taking out a lot of things from his bag.

Lilia raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she let Harold do whatever he wanted. The man put a breathing apparatus on Lilia's face before handing Merry a piece of gypsum.

"Help Lilia put it on her left arm. I want to take some photos to post on the internet!" Harold's ordered.

"Is this really necessary?" Lilia asked when Merry put the gypsum on her arm.

Though netizens were easily influenced, they were not stupid. She felt that those people would not believe this charade that easily. In addition, a cutter would not cause bone fracture or respiratory problems.

"If we don't do this, that selfish woman will get away again!" Harold replied with a wicked smile, "This time we have to make sure Rina really has no way of escaping!"

"Ah… alright." Lilia decided not to discuss this further.

Merry finished putting on the gypsum and nodded confidently, "I agree! We don't know what she will do next if she is let loose! We need to punish her as hard as possible!" She said excitedly.

Harold then turned to Dylan, the exclusive MUA for Lilia, "Dylan, fix Lilia's makeup. Make her look pale and unhealthy. Oh, and give her some fake bruises." Harold instructed.

Dylan nodded with an enthusiastic expression, "Of course! Leave it to me! I'm good at things like this! I actually wanted to learn to be a corpse makeup, but my mother forbade me so I ended up learning to be an MUA as a compromise!" He said excitedly.

Lilia, Harold, and Merry then looked at Dylan. Neither of them could respond to that shocking confession.

Lilia frowned. Suddenly, she didn't want to let Dylan do her makeup.

Half an hour later, Aphrodite Agency finally issued an official statement on their website. The statement described the incidents of assault by Rina Cayla, their former artist, against Lilia Pangestu. Currently, the model was undergoing treatment in a hospital.

They purposely didn't explain Lilia's injuries or when she could be discharged from the hospital. The ambiguous news made netizens even more worried. Lilia's fans even created the hashtag #PrayForLilia, which immediately went viral on the internet.

Lilia was at a loss for words when she saw the news. Everyone treated her as if she was seriously injured and in a very critical condition, even though the wound was only two lines on the palm of her left hand.

*****

After Harold finished taking pictures of Lilia's 'badly injured' figure, he immediately left the room together with Merry and Dylan. The cause was a male figure who was sitting beside Lilia's bed.

Lilia cast her gaze outside the window while trying to fill her mind with soothing things. However, the afternoon sky was covered by thick overcast clouds and the wind was blowing hard, as if there was a storm. The bad weather made Lilia even more depressed.

She occasionally stole glances at Jean, who continued to stare at her in silence. That man just appeared in this room and immediately sat down without saying a word. Lilia was about to say hello, but the intimidating aura Jean emitted made the woman cancel her intention.

"… Lilia." Jean called.

"Y-Yes?" Lilia immediately turned to him. Even though she didn't do anything wrong, Lilia felt guilty towards that man.

"Show me your wound." His order was strict.

Lilia stretched out her left hand reluctantly, "It's only a small wound and it will heal soon, really. You don't need to worry too much." She hurriedly explained.

Even though the wound on her left hand was quite severe because Lilia was gripping the cutter tightly, she continued to insist that it was just a minor wound.

Jean grabbed Lilia's wrist gently and studied her bandaged palm. Then, he turned his attention to Lilia's face, which looked pale due to Dylan's makeup. After a moment, Jean let out a deep breath.

After Jean sighed, the room was enveloped in silence again. The man didn't let go of Lilia's wrist and his gaze was fixed on the bandage on her hand. Jean acted as if the wound would heal faster with constant observation.

The quiet atmosphere made Lilia feel very awkward.

She cleared his throat and said carefully, "Jean, say something."

But that man didn't respond to Lilia's words. She tried to get Jean's attention in another way. Lilia leaned over and grasped the man's hand with her uninjured hand.

"Honey, do you hear me?" Lilia whispered. Her cheeks turned red after saying that.

Fortunately, the tactic worked. Jean finally responded by looking at Lilia. The man's expression was flat, but he couldn't hide the worry in his eyes. Lilia knew that Jean had become worried because the news circulating on the internet exaggerated her injury. This was all Harold's fault!

"What do you want me to say?" Jean replied curtly.

Lilia studied the look on Jean's face with a feeling of concern, "Are you mad at me?" She asked carefully.

That was the impression Lilia had since that man first appeared. That also made Lilia feel guilty for no apparent reason.

Jean looked stunned when he heard that question. It seemed that he just realized that he let his feelings escape from him. Jean rubbed the back of Lilia's right hand with a sigh.

"No, I'm not mad at you. I know it's not your fault." Jean replied softly to calm the woman.

Although Jean answered honestly, he did not fully explain his feelings. He was angry, but those emotions were overpowered by the panic and anxiety for his wife. Besides, that man wasn't angry with Lilia. Jean was angry at Rina for injuring her and at Harold for letting this incident happen. He was also angry with himself for not learning from his mistakes in Milan.

Jean used to be able to control his emotions well, but that didn't work with Lilia. Anything related to Lilia, even the smallest thing, could make his mood rise or fall in an instant.

Lilia decided to trust Jean and nodded. Then she explained, "This wound is really a minor wound. Harold wanted to create a scene on the internet, so he purposely exaggerated this incident. You really don't have to worry, Jean."

Even if Lilia said that, she knew she wouldn't be able to act as calm as Jean if their positions were reversed. The man replied back by wrapping his arm around Lilia's waist. Jean held Lilia tightly while being careful not to touch her injured hand.

"Don't make me worry this much again." Jean whispered in Lilia's ear, "Don't harm yourself next time."

Lilia looked up before nodding, "I know. I'll be more careful next time." She promised.

Jean put her head on Lilia's shoulder as he teased, "If you ever catch the cutter barehanded again, I'll have Clifford escort you wherever you go."

Lilia nodded hard. Just like Jean, she also didn't like being escorted openly.

*****

Meanwhile, in the Surabaya Hospital car park.

Merry continued pacing back and forth with a panicked expression. She occasionally stopped to check her cell phone, then returned to repeat the action.

Harold frowned upon seeing Merry's restlessness, "What are you doing? Can't you calm down a little?" He asked sharply.

Merry immediately stopped pacing, but her face still looked pale.

Dylan, who was observing her reflection in the mirror, glanced at Merry, and jokingly said, "Did your heart flutter when you saw the man who entered Lilia's room earlier? Could it be, you fell in love with him at first sight?"

Merry's face looked even paler when she heard the joke. Her heart was racing, but for a completely different reason! But before Merry could correct Dylan's words, the man continued.

"You better just give up, Mer. Such a man will never glance at another woman in his life. Didn't you see his eyes earlier? There was only Lilia in his sight! I don't think he even noticed you!" Dylan said bluntly.

Instead of feeling sad, Merry became happy when she heard that. She laughed as she said, "I would be happy if that was the case!" Then she noticed her ambiguous words and hastily added, "I mean, I'm so happy for Big Sis Lilia!"

Merry hoped with all her heart that Jean wouldn't notice her presence earlier. She was scared to death when that man suddenly appeared in Lilia's room. Merry continued to hide behind Harold while shrinking her body as she left Lilia's room.

While Merry was thinking if she'd got away from Jean or not, a European car that looked familiar entered the parking lot.