Quickly, Starley pulled her hand back from Raul's grip. Raul blinked momentarily, chuckled softly, and then looked at Starley.
"Did I surprise you?" Raul asked as if he could read Starley's mind.
"Surprised? Why would I be surprised? By the way, Mr. Blackwell, aren't there still many things we must do?" Starley asked, trying to change the subject. But it seemed Raul let it go, as he replied.
"Yes, we need to return to the office," Raul answered.
Starley nodded in agreement. They finally got up from their seats. When it was time to pay, Starley had already taken out her wallet, but Raul had already handed over his black credit card to pay.
"I want to pay for my share," Starley exclaimed.
"No need," Raul replied. Starley raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I'm not broke, Raul. I still have savings," Starley responded, even though it wasn't much. It was enough for her to eat for a month. Plus, she would be getting a salary from the B.I.A. After the payment was successful, the waiter returned Raul's card, and Raul put his credit card back into his wallet.
"I'll cover all your living expenses for these three months, so you don't have to worry," Raul said. Then Raul walked out of the restaurant.
Starley was left speechless. Was Raul serious about what was written in the contract? For some reason, Starley felt strange. Raul didn't need to cover her living expenses; she was just Raul's employee now. Starley sighed and finally left the restaurant, following Raul to the car.
.
.
.
A few minutes later, they arrived back at the B.I.A., an office. They were in the elevator and reached the twentieth floor. Only Tessa Walker was at the reception desk when the elevator doors opened.
"Mr. Blackwell, you have a guest," Tessa called out. Raul's eyebrows furrowed.
"Who? I told Carlos this morning to clear my schedule from noon until evening," Raul replied sharply. Raul's words made Starley glance at him curiously. Why did Raul want to clear his schedule until the evening?
"I already held him back, but he forced his way in. He also gave me your business card, so I brought him to the waiting room first," Tessa replied. Tessa and Jade knew Raul didn't just casually hand out business cards. So, the person must have met Raul before.
"What's his name?" Raul asked.
"He said Gabriel," Lia answered.
Raul's eyebrows raised upon hearing that name. "Bring him into my office," Raul commanded. Tessa nodded firmly, giving Starley a sharp look for a moment before heading to the waiting room to bring Gabriel in.
Raul then walked to his office, with Starley following closely behind. Once they entered the office, Starley asked, "Why did you want to clear your schedule?"
Raul turned to Starley and said, "Because my time is for you."
Raul's answer made Starley blink in confusion, and Raul smirked.
"I mean, to investigate the perpetrator who has trapped your father," Raul added.
Starley cleared her throat. "Of course. But you have a guest. Should I wait outside this time?"
"No need, just stay here," Raul replied.
Raul's office door opened, and Tessa was seen escorting Gabriel inside.
The first thing Starley noticed was that Gabriel was a man wearing worn jeans and a brown shirt that looked unpressed. He was wearing sunglasses, a black mask, and a blue hat, and his hair was unkempt. Despite his messy appearance, it didn't hide the fact that Gabriel looked quite handsome.
After that, Tessa left the room while Gabriel approached them. But Gabriel's steps suddenly quickened, and it seemed like he would take something from his pocket.
Starley's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. Then, she saw a black object resembling a gun in his pocket. Raul seemed to notice it too, as he quickly pulled Starley behind him, and with his other hand, Raul had already drawn his gun and aimed it at Gabriel.
At that moment, Gabriel also pointed his gun at Raul. So now they were both aiming guns at each other. Starley held her breath, not understanding what was happening here. Neither of them had spoken yet.
"Long time no see," Gabriel exclaimed.
Raul smirked upon hearing that. Then he said, "You look healthy enough to be pointing a gun at me, so I guess I don't need to ask how you are."
Raul appeared quite calm, maintaining his aura of authority in that room. Gabriel glanced at Starley, who was standing behind Raul.
"Is that your date?" Gabriel asked, still aiming his gun.
"Not at all. My secretary," Raul replied. Gabriel looked intrigued to hear that.
"You've never had a female secretary; is this one special?" Gabriel asked. Raul did not respond to Gabriel's question. Instead, Raul answered,
"You disappeared for six months without a word. And now you come to my office with a gun drawn; why so dramatic, Damien?" Raul asked.
After Raul said that, Starley blinked for a moment. Did she hear that wrong? Did Raul call Gabriel by the name Damien? But wait, Gabriel's voice did sound familiar.
Then Starley heard Gabriel laugh heartily, making her stare at him in confusion. Gabriel lowered his gun and then removed his sunglasses and mask.
"Is that all you have to say to your brother, who has been missing for six months?" Damien asked. Starley was stunned to see Damien disguised as a man named Gabriel. Raul lowered his gun and sighed as if tired of his brother's antics.
"Isn't that what you've been doing for the past five years? Disappearing to various countries, often suddenly becoming untraceable, and then reappearing," Raul replied.
Damien Blackwell is the youngest of the three Blackwell siblings. Damien differs from his two older brothers, who chose to stay in Chicago and run the family business. Lucian continued the family business, and Raul focused on strengthening his intelligence agency.
As for Damien? Five years ago, he decided to travel the world after his fiancée ran off with the money that was supposed to be used for their wedding.
Initially, Damien only said he would travel around Europe for two months. But it turned into a world tour for years. And every month, Damien was in a different city or country. Damien often hid and disappeared without a trace, leaving no clue where he was.
A year ago, Damien had stayed in Las Vegas for a long time. But after returning from Chicago last year to help Lucian, Damien returned to traveling the world. Damien only returned to Chicago when necessary. And now, Damien had come out of hiding and was in Raul's office. This was a rare sight.
"Are you causing trouble again?" Raul asked directly.
Damien raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, do I only come home when there's trouble?"
But Raul only responded with a face that seemed to say, "Yeah, right?" Damien's gaze shifted to Starley, who was still gaping.
"Hello, nice to meet Raul's new secretary. What's your name?" Damien asked friendly. Starley last met Damien when she and Damien accompanied Selene to the hospital. After that, Damien disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.
Does Damien not recognize her in this appearance? Starley was confused about whether she should give her real name or a fake one. She glanced at Raul as if asking for help.
"You already know her, Damien; this is Starley Bellamy," Raul exclaimed.
Damien looked surprised, then turned back to Starley. "Starley? You've changed your style; I hardly recognize you."
"Just temporarily, just for a fake identity while I work at the B.I.A," Starley replied.
"Fake identity? It seems I've missed a lot of news," Damien exclaimed.
Raul was already looking impatient. "Damien, tell me the truth. Why did you suddenly show up in my office?" Raul asked.
Damien looked for a chair and sat on the expensive sofa in Raul's office. "I came back because I wanted to find some information about Ibrahim in Dubai," Damien exclaimed, lighting Raul's eyes up.
Then Damien remembered that Starley was in the room. "Oh shit, I forgot Starley was still here."
"It's okay; I hired Starley for this mission. I've already told her about Ibrahim," Raul exclaimed. Then Raul and Starley also sat on the sofa across from Damien. Damien's face looked very shocked upon hearing Raul's response.
"You told Starley everything?" Damien asked, looking incredulous.
"Yes. So, what did you find?" Raul asked, looking impatient. Damien took something from his pocket and placed it on the table before them. It turned out to be a flash drive. Raul picked up the flash drive from the table.
"I stole this flash drive from someone I met at a bar in Dubai. I accidentally overheard their conversation mentioning Ibrahim Dawoud, so I eavesdropped. Still, unfortunately, I only understood a little Arabic. But from what I gathered, they just had a meeting with Ibrahim, and the meeting results were copied to the flash drive to be given to their boss," Damien explained. Both Starley and Raul were shocked.
"So they didn't realize you stole it?" Starley asked.
"They will realize it; they are probably looking for me all over Dubai. That's why I immediately ran back to Chicago after stealing the flash drive," Damien explained casually. He took a candy from the table and ate it.
"Have you opened this flash drive?" Raul asked.
"Not yet, you do it. I'm lazy," Damien replied.
Just then, Raul's phone rang. Raul looked at his phone and said, "Hold on, this is a call from a client; I'll be right back."
Then Raul left his office to find a place without people to take the call. So, in the office, there were only Damien and Starley. There was a silence for a few minutes before Damien broke the silence.
"I still can't believe Raul would tell you about Ibrahim. You must be very special to Raul," Damien exclaimed. His words made Starley cough.
"Oh no, I'm just his employee now," Starley exclaimed. It seemed Damien misunderstood.
"No, he never tells any employees that he was kidnapped by Ibrahim Dawoud when he was a child and was enslaved for a year. But he told you, right? So you must be special," Damien explained.
Damien's words instantly made Starley's whole body go weak. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Was Damien serious? Was Raul once enslaved? Is this the reason Raul didn't want to share the reason for his revenge? Raul, Chicago's strongest and most feared man, had such a past?
Starley couldn't speak now; feelings of sympathy began to fill her. She imagined the terrible things Damien had just recounted. Damien was confused when Starley suddenly fell silent. He furrowed his brow while observing Starley's reaction. Then he realized something.
"Oh shit, don't tell me Raul hasn't told you about that?" Damien asked, starting to panic. Starley looked at Damien with a speechless expression, and her whole body still felt weak.
"Is that true?" Starley asked, still hoping that Damien was joking.
…