Chapter 242 - We Meet Again, Julian

Without thinking, Lisa immediately ordered a taxi to Rangga's house after leaving work. She couldn't wait to meet Julian that very night. Lisa wasn't worried about making Oscar angry for looking after Rangga's adopted son while he was away. Hopefully, Oscar and Rangga came home on a different day. If necessary, Oscar needed to come home last so that Lisa still had a day left to play with Julian.

Arriving at Rangga's door, Lisa was immediately greeted by the figure of a middle-aged woman whom she had not seen for a long time— Mrs. Sumiyati. The middle-aged woman rushed to open the gate and greeted, "Good evening, Miss Lisa, please come in. Julian has been waiting for a long time!"

Lisa took off her sandals and tilted her head, seeing a little boy playing with toys in the living room. It wasn't long before the boy exchanged glances with her. A sweet smile painted on his adorable face. Julian waved his hand at Lisa then got up from where he was playing.

Lisa returned the wave of the little boy's hand with a happy smile. "Hello Julian! Wow, have you just grown up?" 

Last time she met Julian, the boy still looked small and a little puzzled. Now Julian looked taller. His chubby cheeks were slightly thinner but still adorable. How fast had Julian grown in the past year...

Lisa immediately went to Julian and hugged him. She felt incredible joy in her heart and was deeply touched when the boy laughed cheerfully in her arms. She carried Julian and then occasionally rocked his body up and down as if trying to mimic a horse riding at the fair.

"Yipppieeeee!" Julian exclaimed cheerfully. The boy laughed happily. "Aunt Lisa, let's play again!"

Hearing Julian's orderly way of speaking made Lisa surprised. The boy thought very fast. It felt like it was just yesterday when he still couldn't speak fluently, but now his pronunciation was steady and clear.

Deep down, Julian was like a child to Lisa. Flashes of past events returned to the surface of her mind. She was still wishing that her biological child would still be alive, and that she would definitely take him to Rangga's house and invite him to play with Julian. But fate was really cruel, Lisa's biological child had gone forever.

While carrying Julian on her back, Lisa's eyes were filled with tears. It felt like she wanted to shed tears but she didn't want to show her sadness in front of Julian. She did not want to spoil this precious and happy moment with Julian. Lisa shook her head several times to take away her bad thoughts.

Mrs. Sumiyati approached Lisa who was still carrying Julian and said, "Miss Lisa, let's eat. I have prepared dinner for you and Julian. Earlier, Mr. Rangga entrusted you and Julian to me,"

"Hey Julian, shall we eat? Let's eat so you won't feel weak when you play later, okay?" Lisa said in her cheerful voice. She took Julian's hand and led him to the dining room. 

"Yeee eat! Julian is hungry!" Julian exclaimed, jumping with joy. 

Ah, if only Lisa's life was as simple as that boy. No love problems, no financial problems. Just playing around having fun. The only problem any boy Julian's age faced was broken toys or eating bad vegetables.

Lisa sat in front of Julian while getting the boy's rice and side dishes. The boy then took the plate that Lisa was holding. He shook his head and said, "Auntie, Julian can do it alone," his voice sounded so cute that it made Lisa melt even more.

"Ah Julian is smart, I see you've grown up now, so you can take your own food," Lisa said softly. Her face was radiant, her maternal instincts began to emerge after she had been out of touch with small children like Julian for a long time.

The little boy carried his plastic plate with enthusiasm, then put it on the table before taking a plastic spoon and fork. Even though it was still messy, Julian still tried not to depend on Lisa or Mrs. Sumiyati. Lisa was very happy to see Julian grow so much and become more independent. Ah, if only her biological child was still alive….

The more she watched Julian eat, the more Lisa felt her heart soften. The boy was so adorable. Luckily, she was assigned by Rangga to look after the 4 year old boy. Lisa also didn't need to be afraid of making Oscar angry or jealous just because she stopped by Rangga's house. How would Oscar know that she went to Rangga's house when the man was not in the same town, she thought.

***

After dinner, Lisa accompanied Julian to sleep in the boy's room. She put her arm around Julian's head while singing him a lullaby until the boy fell asleep. While lulling, Lisa stole a glance at Julian's face who was fast asleep. Really adorable, Lisa really wanted to pinch her chubby cheeks but she did not want to disturb his sleep. Meanwhile her hand gently stroked Julian's head. She combed Julian's black hair, which was soft as silk.

For the next few days, every time she came home from work, Lisa would always visit Rangga's house and play with Julian. Once the boy fell asleep, Lisa returned to her boarding house to rest and return to work in the morning.

Every night, after lulling Julian, Lisa always sent some news about the boy to Rangga. Yes, at least to convince Rangga that Julian was fine while the man was out on duty.

***

It had been 4 days since Lisa accompanied Julian every time she came home from work. Incidentally on the 4th day, Lisa decided to stay at Rangga's house because it was too late and there was a sudden downpour. Mrs. Sumiyati could not bear to see her come home alone that late with very bad weather conditions, so she told Lisa to sleep in Julian's room, accompanying the boy to sleep until he woke up the next morning.

Actually, Mrs. Sumiyati's suggestion was very risky. She could have been caught by Oscar not coming home and that the man suspected her of doing something inappropriate. But rather than getting caught in the rain and falling ill, especially if she went home alone this late through a crime-prone area without a guard, she'd better stay overnight at Rangga's residence.

Early in the morning, Lisa woke up with heavy eyes. She walked to the dining room and as expected, breakfast was ready. Lisa still hadn't woken Julian up because this morning, she planned to go home early to avoid Oscar's suspicion. She hurriedly took the food on the table until Mrs. Sumiyati looked at her in surprise.

"Well, Ms. Lisa, why are you in such a hurry?" Mrs. Sumiyati asked politely in her soft voice.

Lisa turned her face and looked at Mrs. Sumiyati's face with swollen eyes. "Oh yeah, I have to go to the office this morning and I can't be late," Lisa lied so that the middle-aged woman didn't ask any strange questions.

"By the way, isn't Rangga home yet?" Lisa asked spontaneously.

"I don't really understand, but this morning I was informed by Mr. Rangga. He said he would go straight to the office after he returned from his business trip," Mrs. Sumiyati said bluntly.

Lisa nodded, she hoped Oscar hadn't returned from his business trip. Otherwise, misunderstandings could happen and it would likely lead to disaster!

***

Lisa went straight to the office after having her breakfast at Rangga's house. In the afternoon, she returned to the boarding house with a sluggish body. She turned on the porch light which she forgot to turn on a few days ago. How surprised Lisa was when she found a pair of black loafers at the entrance.

'I'm so dead....!'