Raul’s reason  

Raul's words make Starley curious. "And what is that?" asked Starley.

Raul just stood still momentarily as if telling him it was something heavy. But just then, the sound of Starley's hungry stomach disrupted the silence in the room. Raul immediately turned to Starley like he was shocked. Starley's face was immediately red with shame. Her stomach can't be cooperated at a time like this. Her stomach wouldn't cooperate at a time like this. Starley felt like digging a hole and escaping right then and there.

"Are you hungry, cupcake?" Raul asked playfully, unable to resist calling Starley cupcake.

"No," Starley replied, lying out of embarrassment. Raul's eyes sparkled with amusement at Starley's answer. "Let's continue at the restaurant," Raul suggested. Starley wanted to refuse, but her stomach felt hungry. Starley cleared her throat.

"Alright, if you insist," Starley replied. She got up from the sofa, but her body still felt weak from waking up. Raul seemed to notice that.

"Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?" Raul asked casually.

Starley's eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head vigorously. "I can walk. Why do you think I can't walk?"

Starley could see the mischievous glint in Raul's eyes. But Raul said, "Alright."

Starley glared at Raul, then grabbed her bag and walked out of Raul's office first. Raul raised an eyebrow and chuckled, following Starley from behind.

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A few minutes later, they arrived at a five-star restaurant. Raul and Starley entered the restaurant. A waiter immediately recognized Raul and led them to a private room.

Raul and Starley sat down in their seats. The waiter then handed them the menu, and they both looked at it momentarily before ordering their food. After they finished ordering, the waiter left Raul and Starley alone. The last time they had eaten together at a restaurant was when they ended their relationship three years ago.

Quickly, Starley shook her head; she didn't want to remember that anymore. Starley stared at Raul, but it turned out Raul was already looking at her first. However, Raul still hadn't said a word. Suddenly, Starley remembered the wound on Raul's shoulder—the mysterious injury he got after not coming home all night.

"Are your shoulders feeling better?" asked Starley. Raul seemed surprised when Starley asked him that. Raul's eyes suddenly softened, making Starley a little misbehaving.

"It's better," replied Raul. Starley just nodded, wondering what to answer.

"What about you? Are you okay? It's been a tough few days for you," Raul asked, looking attentive. I don't know why Starley felt her heart warm.

"I don't know. It feels like too much has happened this week," Starley answered. Then she looked at her hands resting on the table. Starley sighed. Was she too reckless and arrogant? Was all of this her fault? Raul could see the change in Starley's expression, which looked more somber.

"Everything that has happened is not your fault," Raul suddenly exclaimed. His words made Starley look back at Raul's face. Was Raul trying to comfort her?

Starley cleared her throat and said, "You don't have to say that to comfort me."

"No, I'm just stating the facts. The perpetrators must have planned this. There's no way they attacked the Bellamy family out of the blue. It must have been carefully planned; you could say they executed it quite neatly, except for the part where their henchmen got caught," Raul explained.

Starley remembered the coward, Kade, and the pilot from yesterday. "I almost forgot about them. What were the results of their interrogation?"

"There is no result. They still haven't opened their mouth, and it seems like they have to find their weaknesses first," Raul replied.

"So don't beat yourself up. Because it's not your fault, the timing is just a coincidence," added Raul confidently.

Starley couldn't help but chuckle softly with amusement, then looked at Raul with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I'm fine, Raul. You don't need to worry," Starley exclaimed.

Raul blinked. It had been long since he had seen Starley laugh like that. There was a strange feeling inside him—a feeling of satisfaction and a desire to always see that smile on Starley's face. Starley looked even more beautiful with that smile.

Of course, the woman in front of him was tough. Starley was a strong woman who was not easily swayed, and that was one of the things Raul admired silently. Raul did not respond to Starley's words because he secretly enjoyed Starley's beautiful smile.

For some reason, Starley became flustered when Raul stared at her. Quickly, Starley asked again, "So, what was the secret mission you wanted to tell me about earlier?"

Just then, their food arrived. The waiter came in and brought the meals for Starley and Raul. After placing everything in front of them, the waiter left them again. Starley's stomach growled at the sight of the delicious food before her, making her feel embarrassed. Raul's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Let's eat first," Raul replied. Starley agreed because she was indeed very hungry. They both had lunch in silence, and their meals were finished after a few minutes. Starley felt good that her stomach was now full.

"So? What's the secret mission?" Starley asked without wasting any time, as she was very curious. Raul looked at Starley, pausing for a moment.

"A mission of revenge," Raul answered. Starley did not expect Raul's response.

"Revenge? Against whom?" Starley asked, not hiding her shocked expression.

"Someone named Ibrahim Dawoud," Raul replied.

Who is that? Starley had never heard that name before.

"Who is that?" Starley asked.

"Let's just say he's a criminal," Raul answered.

"So your reason for establishing B.I.A is to take revenge on Ibrahim?" Starley asked.

"Yes. He is the only person I have not been able to find until now," Raul replied.

"What did Ibrahim do that made you want revenge?" Starley finally asked. Raul's jaw tightened, and his face looked stiff and cold now.

"I can't tell you," Raul answered. After hearing Raul's response, Starley felt a tightness in her chest. It meant Raul did not fully trust her yet.

"If you don't tell me, how can I do my job?" Starley asked, starting to get annoyed.

"You just need to help the hacking team break into the security system on the computer left at Ibrahim's former residence. That place has been abandoned for a long time. But there might be traces to find out what Ibrahim is doing now, as it is the first time the B.I.A team has successfully located his former residence," Raul explained.

"That's pretty simple. Can't the hackers at B.I.A break into something that simple?" Starley asked, surprised.

"Ibrahim uses a security system from Hatstone; our hackers can't break through it," Raul replied. So that's why. Because Raul saw Starley successfully take on Hatstone a few days ago, he invited Starley to collaborate. But Starley still had many questions in her mind.

"So once you find Ibrahim, how do you plan to get revenge?" Starley asked, very curious. Raul stared out the window. Then Starley saw Raul's face change to something frightening: a killing gaze and bloodthirsty stare.

"I want to destroy him," Raul answered coldly. Raul's hand, which he had placed on the table, was clenched so tightly that the veins in his hand were bulging. It was as if Raul held back all his anger in that clenched fist.

What happened between Ibrahim and Raul that made Raul want revenge like this? Because as far as Starley knew, Raul was just the second son of the Blackwell conglomerate family, who liked to date many women and was a workaholic.

And Starley had once loved the man in front of her. But it turned out that Starley didn't know Raul. She didn't know anything. She was just like the other women who were thirsty for Raul. Even though Starley had said she had moved on, she was very curious about the reason and felt the urge to help Raul.

Finally, Starley mustered the courage to touch Raul's clenched hand gently. The touch made Raul immediately look at Starley, surprised and confused.

"What's wrong?" Raul asked. Starley continued to touch Raul's hand.

"Your hand is tense; you don't have to force yourself to continue this conversation. I know it's hard to talk about it with someone you don't trust yet," Starley exclaimed.

Although to be honest, Starley was very curious. After Starley said that, she could feel Raul's hand relax, and he unclenched his fist.

Then Starley noticed Raul's gaze soften. Suddenly, Raul took Starley's hand, which was touching his, and held it gently. The touch made Starley flinch. Then Raul's thumb began to caress the back of Starley's fingers.

"Until now, I still wonder why your touch always makes me feel calmer," Raul asked. Starley's foolish heart immediately raced at those words, leaving her unable to respond to Raul's statement.

After that, Raul did something even more surprising. He took Starley's hand and kissed it back, closing his eyes like a prince. After that, Raul opened his eyes and looked at Starley, his lips still near the back of her hand.

"Thank you for saying that," Raul exclaimed. Starley's heart warmed when Raul said that. This version of Raul truly weakened Starley's defenses. She was afraid her old feelings would return.

Because loving him could hurt my heart.

…