"I'm actually not someone who opens up to just anyone, let alone a stranger I've never met before. But I don't know why I don't feel the need to be wary of you. I don't understand either," Liliana said honestly.
"I'm also not someone who gets along with people easily." Arthur said.
Liliana smiled. Even though the young man currently in front of her had a different face and build than her son, he felt so familiar and familiar. That was why she didn't send Arthur away.
"By the way, what's your name, son? My name is Liliana." Liliana then changed the subject.
"Ar...Artha-." Arthur replied with a slight stammer. He almost said Arthur's name which was the same as his real name. If that happened, he was afraid Liliana would become very sad as she remembered her lost son. Arthur was forced to use the nickname Eve had given him.
"Artha?" repeated Liliana.
"Yes, Artha Wang." Arthur replied.
Liliana smiled slightly as she nodded her head. Actually, she was feeling a bit uncertain right now because the young stranger in front of her now had almost the same name as her son. But of course it couldn't be that they were the same person, right?
"Ah, I seem to have missed my son so much that I thought you were him. How ridiculous," Liliana said with a chuckle, laughing at herself.
Arthur gasped and turned to his mother briefly without knowing what to say. Apparently Liliana had such a keen intuition that she could instantly realize that Arthur was her son, whether he acknowledged it as the truth or not.
"May I say that I feel that way too, ma'am? I also feel that you are my mother." Arthur responded.
Liliana laughed even more crisply. Whether it was because she was amusing herself or what, I don't know. Arthur now couldn't guess what was going through his mother's mind.
"Are you busy, Mr. Wang? Would you like to have tea with me for a while?" Liliana asked later.
"I'd be honored to have that offer. It just so happens that I'm not too busy at the moment," Arthur replied. He deliberately didn't protest when Liliana called him Mr. Wang because it was much better than Liliana calling him Artha. Because Artha immediately reminded him of Eve.
Liliana then invited Arthur into her house. Once again, feelings of sadness, grief and emotion mixed together filled Arthur's heart. After all this time, he finally set foot in his mother's house again, but as someone else.
Arthur followed Liliana from behind. She seemed to be leading him to the side porch, where Liliana had planted a variety of roses.
"Please have a seat. I'll make the tea first." Liliana invited Arthur to sit down.
"Thank you," Arthur replied as he sat down and observed the surroundings. Nothing had changed. The place was still as beautiful and well-maintained as before. The fragrant scent of roses still filled his senses when he was there.
"Wait a moment, yes. I won't be long," Liliana said before leaving Arthur.
Arthur nodded, then looked back at the beautiful roses Liliana had planted. He remembered that his mother liked white roses the most. That's because according to Liliana, white roses symbolize sincere love. Something she didn't get from her late husband.
Not long after, Liliana returned with a tray containing two cups of tea and an apple pie on the side.
"Please enjoy. This is my son's favorite tea. It's a tea with a blend of camomile flowers that relaxes the mind," Liliana said.
"Thank you." Arthur tasted the tea served by Liliana. It tasted the same as Arthur had been enjoying.
"Very good," Arthur murmured.
"I'm glad it suits your taste. Usually young men prefer coffee, rarely does one like tea." Liliana responded.
"I don't really like coffee. It's only on certain occasions that I'm forced to consume it." Arthur replied.
Liliana seemed to pause for a moment, then smiled somewhat forcedly.
"My son too, he prefers tea to coffee. It's strange to think that you have so much in common. I'm overthinking it." Liliana chuckled. Perhaps she was again amusing herself with what she had in mind. Fantasizing that the young man in front of her right now was her son.
Of course, Liliana would never have guessed that the one she was calling Mr. Wang was indeed Arthur Greens, her lost son.
"Let's just say that Madam is currently having tea with your son. Perhaps it will help to ease her nostalgia," Arthur said later.
Liliana only responded with a smile. She didn't even know who this stranger in front of her was. Where he lived, what he did for a living and what his background was. Liliana had no idea, but somehow she felt familiar.
"Taste the apple pie too." Liliana handed Arthur a sliced apple pie.
Arthur grabbed the fork and tasted the pie. Again, he felt so emotional when Liliana's apple pie entered his mouth. To Arthur, there was no apple pie better than his mother's.
"Why, it's not good, is it?" asked Liliana when she saw the expression on Arthur's face.
Arthur quickly shook his head.
"It's so good. I'm so touched that it's like eating my mother's apple pie," Arthur said.
Liliana smiled again.
"You really remind me of my son," Liliana murmured later with a faint smile. "I hope he's doing well and comes back to see me soon."
Arthur wanted to answer Liliana again, but he couldn't because he heard a commotion outside.
Suddenly Liliana got up from her seat, as did Arthur.
"You wait here for a moment. I'll check outside first," Liliana said.
"Let me come, ma'am." Arthur was about to join her in checking.
"No, you won't. Just stay here," Liliana said in a firmer tone, as if she didn't want Arthur to see the commotion outside.
"Alright. Call me directly if you need help." Arthur chose to listen to Liliana.
Liliana nodded and walked away, while Arthur finally sat down again and went back to sipping his mother's tea.
A few moments later, the sound of commotion became more audible. Arthur quickly got up and went to the living room. But before he got there, Arthur hurriedly hid behind the wall when he saw who was currently making noise in Liliana's house. Dave, his half-brother, came with two men who looked like bouncers.
"What's that asshole doing here?" muttered Arthur as he watched. He wanted to interrupt their tough conversation right away, but Dave recognized him as Arthur Wang. If he saw him with Liliana, there would definitely be suspicion and Dave would be wary of him. That would not be good for Arthur's future revenge.
"Quickly tell me where the safe is? Don't pretend you don't know. My father told you where it was kept, didn't he?" Dave asked Liliana in a high tone. Very impolite.
Arthur frowned slightly. What exactly was this safe that Dave and his mother were talking about?
"I don't know. But even if I did, of course I wouldn't tell you." Liliana replied calmly. She didn't sound afraid at all.
"Hey, old woman. You should know that there's no one to protect you in this world. Your son is dead, so you can't mess with him anymore. If you don't want to die too, tell me where the safe is!" Dave snapped angrily.
"You think I'm afraid of your threats? You want to kill me? Do it, I'm not afraid. But don't expect to get what you want," Liliana snapped.
Dave kicked the display urn in the corner of the room in a fit of rage. Of course he couldn't just kill Liliana for some reason. And she seemed to know that, so she wasn't intimidated by Dave's threats.
"Don't do any damage in my house, boy! I can report you to the police for vandalism. Just so you know, that urn is worth a lot more than your empty head of bullshit." Liliana pushed Dave's head with her forefinger until he took a few steps back.
Arthur, who had been watching from behind the partition wall of the living room, was a little flabbergasted. As far as he knew, Liliana was gentle and yielding. It was unexpected that the mother would dare to act as she did now.
"Just because I can't get rid of you at random, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want to me, old woman!" Dave swatted away Liliana's hand with his face flushed with anger.