Raul clicked his tongue in annoyance upon hearing Starley's response. Damn, he shouldn't have made that ridiculous agreement. Raul observed Starley's face, which looked so calm, and she hadn't broken eye contact with him.
Even now, Raul didn't understand. Their relationship three years ago had been perfect. They both benefited from it. Raul knew very well that Starley enjoyed every night they spent together. But why, three years ago, did Starley suddenly ask to end their relationship?
Raul vividly remembered the look Starley gave him three years ago when she said she wanted to end things. It was a very cold and indifferent look. Raul thought Starley was experiencing Premenstrual Syndrome, so he refused. He knew Starley didn't genuinely want that. But after a week, Starley said she saw another man behind Raul's back.
At first, Raul didn't believe it, but then Starley showed him a photo of that man with her. It made Raul extremely angry, and in a rash decision, he agreed to Starley's request to break up without verifying the truth. After their breakup, Raul was furious with Starley for months. He became more of a workaholic and increasingly harsh with his employees, always scolding them for minor mistakes. If they were unlucky, they could get fired.
Raul also didn't understand why he was angry, considering they had initially agreed to be friends with benefits. Perhaps it was because he trusted Starley too much, believing she would never betray him. At that moment, Starley completely shattered Raul's trust in women. Raul had never looked at another woman while he was with Starley, and Starley's actions made him feel betrayed.
After that, Raul didn't want to hear anything about Starley; he just wanted to forget her. Unbeknownst to him, two years passed just like that. He encountered Starley again at a party he was forced to attend. Out of curiosity about Starley's life, he immediately had someone investigate her.
Starley's activities were college and partying almost every night. But the investigation revealed that Starley didn't seem to be close to any specific man. This made Raul wonder where the man from two years ago had gone and why Starley was doing all that now. They were both very compatible in bed and satisfied; their relationship was mutually beneficial.
"No, I almost forgot about that agreement," Raul replied.
Starley narrowed her eyes, looking disbelieving and skeptical. "Then we don't need to discuss the past," Starley exclaimed. Raul observed Starley. It didn't seem easy to open that conversation now. It may still take time.
"Alright," Raul answered. But he wouldn't give up so easily; he would look for another trick. There was a silence for a few seconds before Starley broke it.
"Then why are we going to Dubai?" Starley asked.
"I've opened the contents of the flash drive that Damien gave earlier, and it contains information about the arson of your family's building." Raul's answer was completely unexpected; Starley thought there would be clues about Ibrahim.
"Is it not about Ibrahim?" Starley asked.
"There is some information about Ibrahim, but not much," Raul replied, appearing nonchalant. He didn't seem disappointed.
So Raul was willing to fly to Dubai during his busy schedule for Starley's family case? Starley felt an indescribable warmth fill her. But quickly, Starley tried to remind herself that Raul was doing this because he had signed a contract, not because he cared about her. Starley took a deep breath, not wanting those old feelings to resurface.
"I want to see the contents of that flash drive," Starley exclaimed.
Raul looked at Starley for a moment, but he shook his head. "No, we need to have dinner first. We both haven't eaten," Raul said. Right after that, Raul called the flight attendant to prepare food for them.
"I'll eat later," Starley replied.
"But I want to eat now," Raul responded.
"Then just eat; I want to see that flash drive," Starley insisted.
"Join me," Raul replied, making Starley blink in disbelief at what she heard.
"Join you for what?" Starley asked. The question sounded silly, but Raul's request surprised her.
"Of course, to eat, cupcake. What do you think I meant? Join me in bed?" Raul asked playfully, his eyes sparkling mischievously now. Starley glared at Raul, then quickly glanced at Carlos, Raul's assistant, who was sitting far in front of them. Did Carlos hear that?
"There's Carlos here, oh my," Starley whispered immediately.
"Carlos already knows about us," Raul replied casually.
"Nothing happened between us," Starley exclaimed.
Raul raised an eyebrow. "Then what was last night?" Raul asked.
"You promised not to bring that up this morning!"
After that, Starley could see Raul's smirk.
"Today is a different day, cupcake; that means the promise no longer applies," Raul exclaimed.
Starley was taken aback, then she looked at the watch on her wrist, and indeed, it was already 00:05; Raul had been playing with her! Not long after, the flight attendant came back with the food. Starley glared at Raul sharply, but after that, Raul and Starley ate in silence. Meanwhile, Carlos chose to sleep in his seat.
After finishing the meal, Starley felt her eyes getting heavy, so she closed them momentarily. And without realizing it, she had fallen asleep.
.
.
.
Raul watched as Starley slowly began to doze off and eventually fell asleep in her seat. He stood up and approached Starley. He pressed a button on her seat and reclined it so that it was less upright and more laid-back.
Raul requested a blanket from the flight attendant and covered the sleeping Starley with it. Starley's sleeping face looked so sweet and calm. Raul took a few strands of Starley's hair in his hand and kissed the hair resting in his palm.
"Sleep well, cupcake."
Since Raul wasn't sleepy, he wanted to finish some work for a while. After that, he moved to a seat far from Starley and opened his laptop.
.
.
.
After an unknown amount of time, Starley woke up, slowly opening her eyes, and realized a soft blanket was covering her. Who had covered her? Was it Raul? Starley thought Raul was still in the seat before her, but it was empty. There was no Raul. Starley turned to her left and found Raul sitting in the opposite seat, focused on his laptop screen.
Starley furrowed her brow; did this man never sleep?
Finally, Starley spoke up. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Starley was a bit startled by the sound of her voice. Her voice sounded hoarse. Starley sounded like someone who had been asleep for a long time. When Raul heard Starley's voice, he turned to her.
"You're awake," Raul said.
"And you haven't slept," Starley exclaimed.
"I did earlier," Raul replied.
Starley's eyebrows knitted together. "You fell asleep quickly," Starley remarked.
Raul's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You were the one who slept too long, cupcake; I only slept for seven hours."
Quickly, Starley sat up straight and felt dizzy. "How long was I asleep?" Starley asked.
"About eleven hours, we're almost in Dubai," Raul answered. Oh my, no wonder she felt dizzy. Starley straightened her seat while rubbing her temples to ease the dizziness.
"Are you okay?" Raul asked immediately.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy," Starley replied. Upon hearing that, Raul got up and sat beside Starley.
"Do you need medicine?" Raul asked. Starley lifted her head and turned to Raul with a puzzled look. Why did Raul sound worried?
"No need," Starley replied.
"Are you sure?" Raul asked.
"Yes, Raul, why are you suddenly acting like this?" Starley asked, confused.
Raul raised an eyebrow, equally confused. "What do you mean?"
Starley sighed and said, "There's no need to pretend to care now; I will still do my job according to the contract."
"Why do you say I'm pretending?" Raul asked. Starley turned to Raul and looked into his eyes as she said, "Haven't you never cared about me since the beginning?"
Raul's eyes darkened. "I don't understand."
"Same, I don't understand either, forget it," Starley exclaimed. What was she talking about? She was almost about to unleash all the emotions she had bottled up for three years. She needed to control herself.
"Didn't I always give you the things you wanted? But you always returned them. So why do you say I never cared about you?" Raul asked.
Starley smirked cynically. "What do you expect? I accept your lavish gifts and feel like a whore. No, I won't do that."
"What? It's not like that; I just wanted to give you what you wanted," Raul exclaimed.
"But you could never give me what I wanted, Raul!" Starley replied directly.
"And what is it that you want?" Raul asked. Starley glared at Raul. Even a smart man like Raul couldn't read her.
"Love," Starley answered unconsciously.
Starley blinked her eyes, shocked that she had said that. Did Raul hear her?
Raul's face now looked shocked; the man seemed speechless. Yep, he heard her. Starley felt like digging a hole and hiding. She was so embarrassed; her heart was racing so fast. She couldn't take back her words now. Finally, Starley quickly added to her statement.
"But that was three years ago, and now I don't want anything from you."
Starley's heart was still pounding, but she tried to appear calm. Oh my, she just hoped she didn't look like a fool.
…