Janice took a deep breath, held back the joy in her heart, and nodded silently.
This was the first time she had heard Lilia publicly admit her identity.
She even admitted that she was her mother.
Lilia didn't ignore Janice's movements. Even though it was only for a moment, the mother and daughter's eyes met together. Even though it was still strange, there were signs that the ice had melted.
Mellisa, who was sitting beside her grandfather at this time, followed Lilia's gaze and looked to the right. She saw Janice's face, she couldn't help but wonder.
"Mellisa, what's wrong?" Caleb noticed her sharp gaze and asked in a low voice.
Mellisa looked away, shook her head and smiled. "It's okay grandfather, don't worry."
"I can't rest easy about you!" The old man snorted, and while the reporter was still busy asking questions, he gave Mellisa his input. "Little girl, I tell you that no one dares to question the Mayer family's decision. Your home is in the capital city of Jakarta and your sister Lilia is in Surabaya. But why do you always run outside? Can't you stay? Not seeing you for a day, this grandpa's heart feels devastated. If you really have trouble, tell me, tell your uncle, everyone will help you!"
Mellisa touched the bridge of her nose, not daring to speak back. She just answered wisely, "Okay, grandpa."
"Hmph, you... You have always been like this since childhood. Since childhood you were the only one who couldn't be spoken to! Don't think that Grandpa doesn't know. Do you think that simple answer can convince me? Even if you want to leave, you have to leave a message. At least tell us that you are safe, got it ?!"
In the end, the old man looked helpless.
The person he loves the most is Mellisa, and he's the one who can't help her go away.
This child has a stubborn nature since she was a child, she disappeared and went into the dark for several years because of her family. Of course this grandfather had an overprotective nature.
Seeing her grandfather's attention, Mellisa took his arm and started resting her head on his grandfather's arm.
...
At this interview session, the reporters' questions were still running smoothly.
Even though there were people from the Mayer family, after a few questions, everyone discovered that the Mayer family did not intend to intervene.
This also made the journalists excited to try, and one by one took out small notes and asked all the questions they had prepared in advance.
The rare question and answer session lasted nearly two hours with Lilia's calm and intelligent answers.
Most of the questions that received the most attention had been answered by Lilia.
People who watched the live broadcast expressed their conviction by applauding her!
If Lilia answered dishonestly, how could she dare to answer in public?
When the meeting was about to end, Lilia was discussing something with Chris and Harold next to her, then suddenly, she heard a weak call from behind the conference hall.
"Lilia, I have something to say!"
The sound is not loud. If it weren't for the reporters behind who heard the voice, everyone might have missed it.
However, the current atmosphere was very relaxed, and the media crew were resting while discussing. In the gap between Lilia's answers, people whisper to each other.
The people in the last row heard the voice, followed the voice, and saw a face they were relatively familiar with.
This guy, Robert.
He came from the crowd with a calm expression.
In fact, he listened quietly behind the reporters throughout the question and answer session. Robert never expected to see Lilia again this way.
He heard all the answers. No complaints, no sarcasm, and she twists some questions back at those who try to contradict the answer.
Robert thought Lilia would be annoyed with him, and thought she would mock Sylvia for what she did.
The man thought a lot, but in the end nothing happened.
No matter how cruel the Pangestu family was to Lilia, she never mocked them from the beginning.
Robert walked to the front of the stage one step at a time. The reporters were still busy taking notes and photos. Therefore, Robert must pass through the sea of humans. As he passed, these reporters faintly smelled disinfectant on his body.
Someone recognized him and called Robert.
The median began frantically pressing the camera shutter and focused all the shots on Robert.
Lilia saw the sight of the man walking towards the stage, and felt a little dazed.
She didn't expect that Robert would come to this press conference.
The father and daughter met again, but seeing each other on an occasion like this seemed embarrassing.
Lilia stood up politely, met Robert's hot gaze, and nodded. "Why are you here?"
Hearing this, Robert shook his head and sighed. "Lilia, long time no see!"
Lilia looked at him intently, with mixed feelings in her heart.
Robert seemed to be in a very bad state, his temples had been stained with old age.
His cheeks that were once plump were also sunken, and the high cheekbones made him look very sluggish.
Robert pursed his lips and walked onto the stage without hesitation.
He picked up the microphone from the table, nodded at the people present, and said, "Hello everyone, I am Robert, Lilia's adoptive father!"
He was greeted by countless flashes of camera light!
He blinked slightly, endured the pain, and laughed to himself. "Sorry for letting everyone know me this way. I came today because I have a few things to explain to the public."
"Mr. Robert, were you invited to attend today's conference?"
Someone screamed below, and Robert shook his head. "You can treat it as a form of my conscience."
Lilia didn't invite him of course, she knew Robert was sick and that it would be awkward to talk to him on such an occasion!
"I've been reading a lot of news on the Internet recently. I have a few points to clarify about the relationship between me and Lilia. Don't worry, just listen to me until the end! I will answer all the questions one by one later. "
After those words, Robert looked at Lilia beside him. "Lilia, I want to apologize to you first!"
Lilia stared at him, her lips writhing, but there was no sound.
She vaguely knew the meaning of Robert's words, but she felt her voice choke and her heart clench.
The little girl he loved did not move at all for a while, and after a while, he forcefully looked away and said loudly, "The press conference that was held by my wife the other day was actually staged."
In the moment, the audience discussed with each other, trying to interpret the words. The noise they made was like a bustling city.
Nobody would've guessed that Robert would admit it personally.
"Actually, the Pangestu family went bankrupt not so long ago, but we filed for bankruptcy protection and our life is not that sad. The reason my wife held a press conference the other day was because of some money."