When Daniel suddenly came to the Lakeside Villa, Lilia was shocked.
After Lilia thought about it carefully, it had been around two months that they hadn't seen each other. The last time they met was when Lilia was hospitalized due to Rina's attack.
Daniel was standing in the middle door wearing a black jacket with trendy dark pants. His red hair that had started to grow long fell over his forehead from the strong wind. His eyes that were hidden beneath the hair looked very red and tinged with panic.
Lilia turned around and invited her little brother inside. The two siblings then entered the living room.
This was Daniel's first visit to the Lakeside Villas. If he was in normal condition, he would have looked around and insisted on seeing the whole house. His eyes would surely shine whenever he hit a new place. But at this moment, he was breaking Lilia's perception of him.
Since entering the door, Daniel hadn't said a word. He just sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his elbows resting on his knees. The young man lowered his head silently.
Lilia poured him a glass of water, then sat on the sofa opposite him. She studied her brother for a moment before asking softly, "What's wrong with you? What troubles you so early in the morning?"
Regardless of the hatred she had towards the Pangestu Family couple, this would not affect her relationship with Daniel. After all, Daniel was her younger brother for years. That little brother couldn't be blamed just because he was raised by people Lilia hated.
After asking that, Lilia waited patiently for Daniel to answer. But the young man did not say a word. Her patience was running low and she leaned forward. Her hand tapped on the coffee table in front of her.
"Hey Daniel, what's wrong with you?" Lilia repeated in a slightly raised tone.
Right after Lilia spoke, she saw Daniel take a deep breath and raise his head. The young man's eyes were red and his mouth was tightly closed, as if he was trying to suppress his emotions.
The smile on Lilia's face faded slightly when she saw her little brother's pitiful appearance. Her eyebrows rose and her eyes gleamed sharply. Who dared to make Daniel, who was usually full of energy, become like this?
"Sister!" When Daniel opened his mouth, his voice was hoarse.
His shoulders jumped as his voice echoed loudly in the empty house. He hurriedly lowered his head again, as if he had lost his courage. A few moments later, Daniel gathered all his resolve and looked up once more.
He spoke in a stern tone, "You are my sister! Until forever, you will still be my sister!"
Lilia automatically tilted her head. What the heck was this kid talking about?
Seeing Lilia's confused expression, Daniel hurriedly explained, "No matter what, I will still think of you as my older sister! I don't want to accept the stranger who suddenly appears in my life as my sister!"
At this point, Lilia finally understood that Daniel was talking about Leila. She suddenly didn't know how to comfort her little brother.
Lilia licked her dry lips and sighed. "So you already know everything?" She asked.
Daniel nodded reluctantly and spoke in a shaky voice, "Mother called and asked me to find that woman. She said she left the hospital alone last night."
Lilia's eyes turned sharp when she heard that part.
"Sister, I just knew everything about half an hour ago." Daniel continued. "Mother told me to call that woman 'sister' to keep me away from you, but ... no way! I don't want to accept her!"
Hearing that, Lilia chuckled and raised her eyebrows. Sylvia really was shameless! Daniel didn't even know Leila yet, but his mother had forced him to call her sister!
Then her thoughts went to Leila who left the hospital last night. Perhaps, because of Lilia's simple understanding of Leila, she almost subconsciously thought of the Irwan family in Jakarta. She didn't doubt that Leila cared about her previous family. Could it be that she wanted to go back and beg for an apology?
Lilia studied Daniel's face, which was filled with sad and angry expressions. She smiled and pointed to the glass. "Drink water first so you can stay calm."
"Sister, I'm serious! I don't want to call that woman my sister, that won't be possible!" Daniel insisted as he took a sip of the water.
While drinking the water, Daniel stole a glance at Lilia. He felt fortunate that his sister's attitude towards him was still the same as before. For him, he only had one older sister in his life, and it was Lilia the supermodel!
As for the woman who returned from the Irwan family house, Daniel had never met the real person. He just looked at the photo that Sylvia had sent. His mother explained that Leila was still being treated in the hospital, and that she would bring them together as siblings after Leila recovered.
But unexpectedly, Leila disappeared from the hospital last night. Even worse, Sylvia didn't help and only asked Daniel to look for her. His mother didn't even ask if he had the time to do that.
When Daniel received the photo, he immediately hated her from the bottom of his heart only at the first glance! For some reason, he felt that Leila looked just like Lacy, a girl who had tried to frame him once!
The woman had an innocent and weak appearance but her heart was so rotten and stored many evil within. Daniel was sure that Leila was that kind of person!
Lilia looked at Daniel closely. This younger brother, who was only 20 years old, probably did not expect such a big upheaval in the Pangestu family. The woman then smiled while sighing slightly.
"Daniel, I know you're not stupid. When viewed from blood relations, you two are siblings. There's nothing wrong with you calling her sister," Lilia said softly. "But this won't affect your relationship with me, okay? I have left the Pangestu family but as long as you are willing to call me big sister, nothing will change between us."
Lilia tried her best to cheer up the young man in front of her. Her younger brother always distinguished the right from wrong. He was the only innocent person in this life's painful joke.
"Sister..." Daniel's voice choked as he whispered.
His innocent eyes started to tear up and he couldn't help but cry. Daniel had never had any contact with Leila before, but he had subconsciously rejected her. His heart couldn't acknowledge anyone other than Lilia as his older sister.
Lilia got up from the sofa and walked towards Daniel. She made a fist and patted the young man on the forehead with her knuckles. "Don't think too much. Even if everything changes and isn't the same as before, I'm still your sister, you know?"
Daniel looked at Lilia and nodded uncontrollably. His chaotic heart slowly calmed down. His sister always helped him solve the problems he faced.
Daniel folded his arms and frowned. "Then, are you going back home later?" He asked with a hopeful look.
"This is my home now. When your brother-in-law and I made the marriage certificate, my name was already removed from the Pangestu family card. If you get into trouble in the future, you can come here to find me or call me at any time."
Daniel slowly lowered his head. "I see..." he muttered bitterly.
As soon as he spoke, his cell phone suddenly rang.