Cheryl spent her whole life being the spoiled daughter of her father, and Cheryl had spent a dozen years getting to know Carlos before deciding to have a romantic relationship with him.
Cheryl will never be able to choose between her father and her fiancé. She couldn't live without Carlos, but she couldn't have made it this far without her father either.
In a difficult choice, just as she has often done before, Cheryl prefers to run away and isolate herself for a while. For a moment, she slipped away from the hustle and bustle of her life to enjoy a relaxing time at a suburban restaurant that was not very popular with visitors.
A glass of cold wine is available on the table to accompany the dinner. One by one, a piece of steak she had managed to swallow. Every drop of steak sauce that touched her tongue managed to bring Cheryl to a memory of an incident months ago, maybe almost a year ago. The incident was when Veronica ran from Mateo's office to a luxurious apartment owned by a man Cheryl knew was that woman's ex-lover.
Raphael.
For some reason, the steak sauce that was still on her plate made Cheryl think of Rafael's meat.
Rafael is not a reliable chef, but the taste of his food is no less delicious than a housewife with decades of experience. And Cheryl's memory that immediately went to Rafael when she tasted her current steak sauce proves that Rafael's dish is not as terrible as the results of men's cooking.
"I thought I was wrong, but I'm not! A woman who has been sitting alone like a single woman is you."
Cheryl swears that right now, her eyes are glaring perfectly at a familiar man who suddenly appears in front of her and then sitting quietly without guilt after making Cheryl almost have a heart attack
"What are you doing here?" Rafael asked while crossing his arms in front of his chest. That man watched Cheryl closely as if Cheryl was a rare object like an alien who landed on earth.
What the hell?! Shouldn't Cheryl be the one asking that?
"What are you doing here?" Cheryl repeated Rafael's question with emphasis on every sentence she said.
Rafael shrugged, "This is a restaurant, isn't it? Anyone can come here."
"Then you also have the answer to your question."
"That is true!" Rafael called a waiter with a gesture of his hand to ask that the table in front of him be cleaned immediately. "I want some wine." He said to the waiter.
Rafael's hand reached forward to pick up the glass of liquid wine on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, Cheryl could see a black ring around his left ring finger, as well as an anchor-shaped tattoo that adorned the inside of his wrist.
Cheryl quietly continued to observe that man's wrist. Her eyes moved up, tracing the sleeves were clad in a black shirt with some of the muscles imprinted under the fabric of his clothes. Cheryl's hands were clenched under the table. Her blood flow was numb as her eyes traced the shape of the man who sat in front of her.
Go to hell! Cheryl had to stop paying attention to Rafael, or she would be embarrassed for the rest of her life when he found her gaping like a stupid donkey.
"By the way, you came here alone?" Rafael raised an eyebrow, looking left and right as if he was looking for something… or maybe someone.
"Yes, I came alone. How about you?"
"Do I look like a family man who comes to a restaurant with my wife and child?"
Cheryl rolled her eyes, "Just answer that you came alone. Why give a long answer if you can give a shorter answer?"
"Is it not allowed?"
Again, Cheryl rolled her eyes for the second time, "You ask too many questions like Dora!"
"You watched Dora as a child too? I prefer Disney fairy tales."
"I love Disney stories too."
"Let me guess!" Rafael exclaimed while snapping his fingers. "You must like fairy tales about princesses and princes on white horses."
Cheryl shook her head, "I know that there is no prince on a white horse in this world. I prefer a prince in a white car."
"Maybe once in a while, you should choose the prince in the red car," he suggested.
Cheryl's forehead frowned for a moment, "what color car do you like the most?"
"Red."
"Too bad, I don't like red," Cheryl answered while taking out a credit card from her purse.
"What are you doing?"
Cheryl glanced at Rafael briefly, "pay?"
"No need to bother. You can go straight home without paying for the steak you eat."
"Wow, who will pay my bills?"
"In my own restaurant?" That man laughed softly, "no, thank you."
***
The fact that Rafael is just the owner of a simple restaurant on the edge of town surprises Cheryl, considering that man's background as one of Veronica's ex-boyfriends.
Veronica is not a random woman who has an ordinary life. Veronica's family is the holder of political power in the United States. Some say that Veronica still has a kinship with the Russian prime minister. But, Mateo insists that Veronica's family origins are not worthy of public consumption, so Veronica decides to keep her family background a secret.
While being friends with Veronica, Cheryl doesn't know much about the woman's family. Cheryl is not the type of friend who always wants to know about her friend's private life. For her, some things can be shared with friends, but some things must be kept secret and kept to themselves.
"No wonder the taste of your cooking is not terrible. It turns out you're the owner of the restaurant." Cheryl turned her head to the side, staring at Rafael who was lying on the sofa that placed on the restaurant's rooftop because of his command bag
"You still remember the taste of my dish?" Rafael raised an eyebrow as he turned his head, looking back at Cheryl.
For a moment, Cheryl tried to avert her eyes. She couldn't stand up against Rafael's bright brown eyes, which looked so brilliant that they seemed to offer a see-through effect.
"Y-yes. Of course, I still remember. I am not a senile old woman!" Cheryl is still trying to save her pride.
"Oh really? I think you remember the taste because you still think about my dish a lot."
Cheryl's eyes rolled in dramatic motion, "why do I keep remembering your steak when the chef at my Daddy's mansion can spoil my tongue all the time?"
"So you still live with your Daddy?" Rafael scoffed back, "You are a spoiled little princess!"
"Who said I was spoiled?" Cheryl ignored her brain's warning and stared back at Rafael even though Rafael's eyes again distracted her concentration, "I'm a very independent adult woman. I lead my own company and have succeeded in establishing Diamonique as the number one jewelry company in the United States. Next year, Daddy promised to let me spread my wings to Europe!" She explained groggily.
Unlike what she expected, Rafael only glanced at her while raising an eyebrow.
"See? You are a spoiled little princess!" He said, laughing.
Cheryl squinted disapprovingly.
She was clearly not a spoiled little princess because she had worked hard to widen Diamonique's network all this time. She also dares to take big risks to make decisions under her control. She is not a spoiled child even though, until now, she often comes to her mother's room to ask for her hair to be combed when her Nanny is not working. She is also not a spoiled child even though, until now, she still can't cut her nails, can't cut her apples, and can't wash her hair.
No, Cheryl is not a spoiled child.
"I'm engaged. How can you call me a spoiled princess?!" Cheryl protested against Rafael, full of emotion.
"Is a person's standard of maturity measured by the time of their engagement?" Raphael put on an innocent face.
Cheryl felt that there was a spark of fire that spread to her brain tract. Rafael had managed to awaken her emotions that had been hibernating for quite a while.
"Rafael, are you—" Cheryl's reply was cut short because they heard a noise getting closer and closer.
The light of the helicopter's headlights shone brightly and then swept a gust of wind which immediately made Cheryl scream in fear.
Rafael stood up swiftly. He cursed softly before pulling Cheryl to stand up and running towards the corner of the rooftop.
"Stupid! There's no sign of a helicopter pad here." He grabbed Cheryl's shoulder to look down in his arms.
There is no choice for Cheryl to rebel even though, at this moment, she feels that the distance between her body and Rafael is almost limitless. They looked like two people embracing when viewed from a distance.
Cheryl swears Carlos will break off their engagement if he sees her closeness to Rafael.
Carlos is very jealous when he sees Cheryl close to other people. He will not hesitate to beat Rafael as Mateo did one year ago at the door of Rafael's apartment.
In the midst of her confused thoughts, the sound of a helicopter was getting closer and closer. Cheryl also felt a brief vibration above the building she was standing on, so she was sure the helicopter had landed on top of Rafael's restaurant building.
"Did you want to kill your little sister, Mateo?" Raphael exclaimed.
Wait a minute…
Mateo?
Cheryl rebelled from Rafael's arms to see who 'Mateo' Rafale was referring to.
And right…
The stupid man who almost killed them by being run over by a helicopter was her brother.
"Damn you, Mateo! Are you planning to kill me so that you become the only heir of Alejandro's company?!" Cheryl exclaimed disapprovingly. She ran towards Mateo and immediately gave a punch with all her might into her brother's stomach.
Unfortunately, instead of injuring Mateo, she broke her bones.
Cheryl immediately screamed when her wrist felt very, very painful after hitting her brother's stomach muscle.
Damn, her weak hands wouldn't have been able to hurt Mateo, who worked out every day!
"I will kill you!" Cheryl shouted with emotion as her brother carried her casually to the helicopter while crying in pain, clutching her wrist.