Enemies by Fate, Lovers by Choice

It had been a while since Lilith had time for herself. She was so busy that she couldn't even visit her new restaurant. Her mother had fallen ill, requiring Lilith to go to her parents' house. On top of that, Lilith had to temporarily take over the family company because her aunt, who was managing it, got into trouble. Her aunt said she couldn't focus on the business right now as she had to resolve the problem personally. Since it was Lilith's parents' company to begin with, she couldn't turn a blind eye to it.

It took her a few months before she could even breathe again. She missed her daughter and now had a lot of free time again. So, she left a message for Luna, saying she would wait for her at the restaurant and they could have dinner together outside.

She was in the parking lot when she left the message for Luna. The restaurant was made of glass, so the inside could be seen from the outside. As she was about to enter, she paused. She saw a familiar face that she hadn't seen in a long, long time. It took her a few seconds before she retracted her hand and went back to her car. Her heart was beating loudly and wouldn't calm down, even after taking a few deep breaths. A wave of panic washed over her. She took her phone, her hands trembling, and dialed the manager she had assigned to the restaurant. When he answered, she couldn't speak immediately. She forced herself to talk calmly.

"Gerald," Lilith said, her voice tight.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Send to my email the list of our new employees, as soon as possible. I may visit soon."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Lilith ended the call and took a deep breath again, waiting for the email. It didn't take long for the email to arrive, and as expected, Maria's name was there. This was something she hadn't expected after coming back. Although she had agreed with Luna before that she should talk to Maria to know the truth, the pain of remembering Maria with another man in bed still lingered. It was a fact, something that really happened, and the pain hadn't subsided even a little until now. A knot of anger tightened in her chest. She sent a message to Luna again, canceling their dinner. After that, she didn't move or drive away. Instead, she stayed in the car until the night came and the restaurant was closing. She saw Maria immediately among the crowd, her eyes never leaving Maria.

When she saw Maria get into a taxi, she followed the car slowly. The hatred was there, burning like a hot coal in her heart, but she couldn't help but want to know more about how Maria was doing now. She knew about the news of Maria's husband getting married and expected this result of Maria working, but she didn't expect it to be at her own restaurant.  The thought of Maria working in her restaurant, a place that was supposed to be hers, filled her with a bitter resentment.

Lilith followed until she came to a familiar subdivision. She laughed, a hollow, bitter sound, at how their fate was playing them. She watched Maria get inside the house. She didn't leave immediately and stayed there a little longer. She didn't know what to think or what to do, but she couldn't deny that she cared. Unknowingly, her tears slowly fell down. ' Maria, what should I do? '

...

Maria noticed the car that followed her, but she stayed calm. When she got home, she thought it would leave or someone would come out, but nothing happened. She took a peek out the window of Mira's room, which didn't have lights on, to observe. The car was still there. She became nervous as this was the first time something like this had happened. As far as she remembered, she hadn't had any conflicts with anyone. She waited for five minutes, but the car was still there, so she called Luna. Thankfully, Luna answered quickly.

"Aunt? What's wrong?" Luna asked nervously. She had received her mother's message but hadn't seen it quickly. She was afraid that if her mother and Maria met, something might happen.

"Luna, sorry to trouble you, but can I ask for help? Someone was following me earlier, and now they're parked outside not too far away."

Luna quickly ran to her car while talking. "Aunt stay there, don't go out. I'll call the security of our subdivision. While waiting, observe the car and the plate number. Don't go out no matter what. I'm on my way now," Luna instructed without delay. She hung up the phone and called the security management of their subdivision while driving. She was worried and scared that something might happen to Maria if she delayed.

Then Luna received a message. She took a quick look and saw a familiar plate number. She slowed down her drive and looked again. Her eyes widened at the message. It was really the familiar plate number. "It's Mom?!"

Luna frowned and decided to make a phone call to her mother. Thankfully, Lilith answered her call immediately.

"Mom, where are you?" Luna asked.

"Subdivision," Lilith answered, not taking her eyes off Maria's house.

"Are you at home? I'm on my way home now."

This time, Lilith straightened her sitting posture and after a few seconds, she started the car to drive to her house. "Alright, be careful on your way."

"Okay, Mom."

Lilith came home and quickly cooked dinner, but her thoughts were still on Maria. She didn't know if it was time to talk or just ignore, however, she knew it was impossible to do the latter as she was now the boss. ' What would Maria do if she found out I'm the owner of the restaurant she's working at? ' A wave of anxiety washed over her. She had to figure out how to handle this situation, as she knew that it's her chance now to talk what happened back then