By the time Lilia and Jean arrived back at the Lakeside Villa, it was nearly seven in the evening.
Lilia had been following the commercial shooting for an hour in the cold weather. She was worried that she might actually catch a cold, so she rushed to the bathroom as soon as she entered the house.
After taking a bath in hot water for 20 minutes, the steam dyed Lilia's face red. When she returned to her bedroom, the heater was on. Jean must have prepared it so that the bedroom would warm up by the time she finished showering.
Lilia casually dried her hair before ponying it up. Then she wore a sky blue nightgown with a skirt that reached her knees.
When she came down to find Jean, she unexpectedly saw Mellisa in the living room. Her sister was sitting on the sofa with her legs tilted, a cigarette rested between the tips of her slender fingers. Mellisa looked relaxed, as if she was in her own house.
The woman exhaled her cigarette smoke and noticed Lilia's presence. "Oh, Lilia! Have you finished showering?" She greeted her with a warm smile.
"Sister Mel?! When did you come here?!" Lilia walked quickly and sat next to her.
Mellisa cleared her throat awkwardly and scratched her cheek. Then she replied, "I came here for dinner!"
Lilia shook her head and laughed, "Did Jean ask you to come?"
Mellisa glanced at her and shook her head. "The police inspector from the Adler Family didn't buy enough food for the two of us. So I'm planning to come over to your house to see what you have, then make a meal together." She explained.
Lilia raised her eyebrows when she heard Mellisa's way of calling Leonard. She didn't comment on this, but from her sister's attitude, she could feel that Mellisa was no longer cold towards Leonard. At the very least, her sister's mood would obviously fluctuate because of that man. This was a good sign, right?
It so happened that Lilia heard movement in the kitchen at this time. She got up and planned to head to the kitchen, but Mellisa grabbed her arm. Her sister pointed to the porcelain bowl on the table with a cigarette.
"Before you go, have some of that ginger soup. It's an order from the young master," Mellisa said, smiling broadly.
Oh, Jean must have prepared it for Lilia because of what she said earlier. Lilia scooped up the ginger soup and sipped it. This was the ginger soup she knew very well, with a sweet taste that filled her tongue and slid down her throat.
After Lilia finished drinking the ginger soup, she got up and walked to the kitchen's door. She didn't bother going in, but was standing in the doorway looking inside. Lilia was stunned at the unexpected sight.
Two tall, well-built men wore simple shirts covered in aprons and trousers. One of them was cutting vegetables and the other cooking. The bright light shone on them, accentuating their striking appearance in the kitchen. Even though the two of them were busy cooking, it didn't even spoil their good looks in the slightest.
Lilia was blown away by the sight and her eyes were fixed on Jean's figure for a long time.
Jean was chopping some vegetables with his head down. His slightly hanging hair cast a faint shadow on his forehead.
Mellisa then walked over and stood beside Lilia, looking into the kitchen with her.
She saw Leonard removing the green onion from the pot, triggering a slight ripple in her eyes. Mellisa felt a little touched because the man knew she didn't like green onions.
The two sisters looked at Jean and Leonard as if nothing in this world was more attractive than the two of them. In their miserable life, Lilia and Mellisa seemed to have used all their luck to be able to meet their lover. Such feelings, even in the years to come, could still warm their hearts.
When the two siblings were busy staring in awe, Jean caught Leonard's movement. He glanced at the police inspector.
"You don't like eating green onions?" Jean asked in surprise.
Leonard said, "She won't eat them, not me!"
As soon as Leonard finished speaking, he saw Jean put the garlic in the vegetable basket. Leonard raised his eyebrows slightly and protested, "You have to put the garlic in the soup, at least one clove!"
Even though Jean heard him, his movements remained unchanged. He replied in a low tone, "She doesn't eat garlic."
"Oh," Leonard replied. Without commenting any further, he turned around and fried something in the pan.
The two of them returned to busy with their respective duties and stopped exchanging words. The two sisters who were still standing not far from the kitchen's door then slowly exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.
Mellisa said teasingly, "Lilia, your husband is very nice to you!"
Lilia calmly accepted her compliment. "Sister, don't let him go!" She replied.
Mellisa moved her lips, but she didn't argue with Lilia. Even so, she couldn't hide the confusion crossing her face.
*****
After dinner, the four people sat in the kitchen. Lilia and Mellisa stared at Mellisa's cell phone, while Leonard and Jean both smoked in silence.
The screen showed a recent report about Leila's movement in Jakarta. It was sent by Leonard's acquaintance in the police force.
Lilia finished reading the content displayed on the phone screen and sneered. "Didn't they say that real estate in Jakarta has been in recession for the last two years? Then why did she sell her house so easily?" She asked.
All properties in Leila's name, including the house located in the city center, were sold for 9 billion in just one afternoon. Sales speed was too fast, there must be something wrong.
Leonard exhaled his cigarette smoke and replied, "She deliberately cut the price of her property. If you count it, she cut it up to 2 billion. In addition, all the property was in strategic locations. At such a price, it would be strange if they could not be sold!"
Mellisa sneered while holding her cellphone. "What the hell is she planning to do by cashing in nearly 10 billion directly?"
No one could answer this question. It's not easy to guess what Leila would do at this stage. They didn't have enough leads, at least until Leila took the next step.
Lilia remembered something and lifted her face to look at Leonard who was sitting on the sofa opposite her. "Brother Leo, didn't Robert and Sylvia go to Jakarta today? Did they find Leila?" She asked.
Leonard narrowed his eyes slightly while smoking his cigarette. The two names carried a bad impression on him. He could not understand why they would waste such a dedicated daughter like Lilia for a child with a snake heart like Leila.
"They went to the Irwan Family's house and were kicked out," Leonard replied briefly.
The implication of his words was that, even though Robert and Sylvia knew Leila had returned to Jakarta, it was not easy for them to find her.
Leila was very smart and wouldn't go to the Irwan Family's house. She was most likely hiding from her parents.
"She still hasn't given up until now huh? Did she think the Irwan family would forgive her? Or does she have bargaining value?" Lilia couldn't understand Leila's way of thinking and movement.