Being a secretary is so difficult  

Damien's face looked panicked. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as if frustrated with himself for letting that slip. Damien looked at Starley, who was completely stunned. He sighed and said, "Forget what I just said; I was just joking," Damien whispered, glancing at the door where Raul was. He hoped Raul would take a while to finish that phone call.

Starley rolled her eyes. "I know you're not joking, Damien."

Damien looked regretful for having shared that. Of course, Raul hadn't told Starley about it. Even their parents didn't know about this story. Moving around too much made his brain a little short-circuited.

"I shouldn't have said that," Damien exclaimed. So it was true. Raul had an unhappy childhood. Starley took a sharp breath, imagining young Raul as a slave. Her heart ached just thinking about it.

Damien sighed. "Please don't tell Raul I told you about this," Damien pleaded.

But before Starley could respond, the door opened again, and Raul walked into the office. Raul sat back down on the sofa.

"I'll check that flash drive later," Raul told Damien. Damien looked shocked now.

"I thought you would check it right away," Damien replied. After all, this was what Raul had been waiting for his whole life—information about Ibrahim.

"I'll check it after investigating Starley's family issue," Raul replied. Raul had promised Starley he would look into this matter. Damien glanced at Starley, then back at Raul. Then Damien just smiled mysteriously as if he knew something.

"Alright, then I'll take my leave," Damien said, standing up from the sofa.

"Where are you going? Going to disappear again?" Raul asked.

"Depends on my mood, but I'm tired; maybe I'll stay in Chicago for a while," Damien replied lazily.

"Where will you sleep?" Raul asked.

"I want to meet my new niece, maybe at Lucian and Selene's house. Why? Are you going to give me a room?" Damien asked.

"No, just so I can find you easily," Raul replied.

"I thought you were going to give me a room. If you want me to sleep at your house, give me a niece first," Damien replied mischievously, then glanced at Starley while winking at her. Starley blinked in surprise, wondering why Damien was winking at her while saying that. Did Damien know that his brother had slept with Starley?

"Stop talking nonsense, Damien," Raul shouted.

"Oh, come on, that girl is adorable, right?" Damien asked casually, wanting to tease both of them. Neither Raul nor Starley responded to that. For some reason, it felt too awkward to answer, especially after Raul had given her emergency contraceptive pills that morning. Damien suppressed a laugh at the tense expressions on his brother's and Starley's faces. They were not just ordinary friends. Damien took another candy and ate it.

"Well then, I'm off," Damien said playfully. He then left the office, leaving Starley and Raul alone.

There was a silence for a few seconds before Raul broke it. "Let's go to the meeting room now; the team that will help with your issue is already there."

Starley nodded and followed Raul from behind to the meeting room. Upon arriving, Carlos, a man, and a woman were already there. They all stood up from their chairs when they saw their boss enter. Raul sat in the chair where the boss usually sits, in the middle and at the end. Everyone sat back down. Starley initially wanted to sit beside Carlos, but suddenly, Raul spoke up.

"Where do you want to sit? Come sit next to me," Raul called to Starley. Starley immediately noticed the curious looks of Raul's employees, except for Carlos. Starley decides not to sit beside Carlos and ends up sitting beside Raul. Raul signaled to Carlos to start the meeting.

"First, let me introduce you to Agent Elena and Agent Noah; they are the agents investigating the arson case at Bellamy's building. Although the police are trying to investigate it, as we know, the perpetrator is doing everything to make it look like the Bellamy family is responsible," Carlos said.

Starley didn't need to pretend to be Sophia Barnes in front of them. Finally, Starley removed her glasses and placed them on the table, staring seriously at Elena and Noah.

"Nice to meet you; it seems you already know I'm Starley Bellamy, so I hope for your cooperation, Elena and Noah," Starley said. Elena looked like a tomboy, which was different from her name, which could be considered feminine. Meanwhile, Noah appeared quite intelligent, as seen from his eyes.

"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Bellamy," Elena exclaimed professionally.

"Please cooperate as well, Miss," Noah replied, appearing more easygoing than Elena.

"Elena and Noah are among the best agents at the B.I.A; they are also seniors here, so there's no need to worry, Ms. Bellamy," Carlos explained.

Starley's eyebrows raised. She then glanced at Raul. Was Raul doing this on purpose? But Raul hadn't said a word yet. Suddenly, Starley remembered Damien's words, and her heart ached for Raul again. What was this feeling? Sympathy? But it felt deeper than that. And should Starley pretend not to know? How long would she have to pretend not to know?

"So, what have you gathered from your brief investigation into the Bellamy building?" Raul asked seriously to the two agents. Elena was the first to explain what she had found. But Starley couldn't focus at all after recalling Damien's words. Her mind felt scattered. Quickly, Starley shook her head and tried to focus on what Elena was explaining.

I have to focus on saving my family, Starley thought.

.

.

.

The meeting finally concluded after three hours. There were no results yet; the only clues were from Kade and the pilot.

Noah and Elena would try to interrogate them, as Raul still had work to do and needed to stay at the office. Initially, Starley wanted to go with Noah and Elena. But Raul wouldn't allow it, so Starley remained at the office until Raul finished his work.

Starley pouted as she walked ahead of Raul to the office. Jade and Lia, who saw this, could only stare in disbelief like dumb fish, watching the secretary walk ahead of her boss. But Starley didn't care; she felt annoyed that Raul was starting to resemble her father and brother. Starley headed to the office, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. When they arrived at the office, Starley refused to look at Raul.

"Are you mad at me, Miss Barnes?" Raul asked.

Starley turned to Raul and glared at him, but she said, "No, Mr. Blackwell," with emphasis. Raul held back a chuckle, though his eyes still sparkled with amusement.

"In the agreement, you have to stay with me while I work, Miss Barnes," Raul exclaimed.

Damn agreement. Starley forgot she hadn't read the entire contract; only Raul and God knew what she would face over the next three months.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwell; I assure you I will read the entire agreement when I get home later," Starley replied. Raul nodded, walked to his desk, and sat in his office chair. Raul turned on the computer while Starley stood awkwardly in the office.

"By the way, what should I do while waiting for you?" Starley asked, confused.

"Your room isn't finished yet. For now, stay here. There should be a laptop for you at the meeting table," Raul explained.

Starley immediately looked for the table Raul meant. And it turned out that inside Raul's office, in the corner, there was a meeting room with a table accommodating eight people. The walls of the meeting room were made of frosted glass.

On the table, there was already a laptop. Well, this space does provide some privacy for Raul. At least Starley didn't have to hold back from glancing at Raul constantly. Starley sat in one of the chairs and placed her bag on the chair next to her. She opened the laptop in front of her. It turned out—oh, it turned out—that Raul really didn't plan for Starley to just relax.

Starley had to complete tasks inside the laptop. Not long after, a chat notification—a message from Carlos — popped up on her laptop.

Dear Miss Barnes,

Mr. Blackwell asked me to give you some secretary tasks, so I'm giving you simple work: replying to emails. If you have any questions, ask me.

Thank you,

Carlos.

Hmm? How hard could it be to reply to emails? Starley began to open her email, but she nearly dropped her jaw when she saw the notification for over a hundred emails.

Starley took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Was doing secretary work included in the agreement? She didn't know, but if she read the deal later and it wasn't there, Starley swore she would ask Raul for compensation for messing with her.

Her life as Miss Barnes had begun. Starley sighed as she read the first email she would reply to.

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.

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Hours passed, and Raul was focused on his piling work. Raul could concentrate because Starley was in the meeting room; even though he could see Starley's shadow, it wasn't clear, allowing Raul to focus very well.

Raul felt his body starting to tire; he looked at the clock and realized it was already nine in the evening. Then he remembered the flash drive that Damien had given him. He took the flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into his computer. The flash drive opened easily without any security. Raul saw that there was only one file on the flash drive. He opened the file and began to read its contents.

After a few minutes, Raul finished reading the file. His jaw tightened, and his hands clenched tightly. If the contents of this file were indeed the results of the meeting with Ibrahim Dawoud, then the search mission would make significant progress. Raul unplugged the flash drive from his computer and placed it in his wallet in the safest spot.

He turned off his computer, then stood up from his chair and walked toward Starley's meeting room. But when he arrived, Starley had already fallen asleep at the table with her laptop still open. Starley had let her hair down and had also taken off her glasses.

Raul seemed unable to stop admiring Starley's beauty wherever she was. He initially wanted to wake her, but Starley was so deeply asleep that he couldn't bring himself. Raul's gaze softened as he looked at Starley.

Finally, he turned off the laptop in front of Starley, and then Raul tried gently carrying her in a bridal style. Raul thought Starley would wake up immediately, but surprisingly, she did not stir. Starley's head rested on Raul's chest. She felt so light in his arms. Raul found no objection to carrying Starley continuously. For some reason, he enjoyed doing this.

After that, Raul exited the office while carrying Starley. Jade and Tessa were still there, as Raul had not yet left. They widened their eyes when they saw Raul holding the sleeping Starley. They both looked very confused.

"Is Miss Barnes okay, Mr. Blackwell?" Jade asked worriedly, thinking that Starley was sick, which was why Raul was carrying her.

But Raul quickly shushed them, saying, "Sssttt." He signaled for Jade and Tessa to keep quiet.

Raul gestured for them to press the elevator button. Tessa quickly did so. She still looked shocked to see Raul carrying Sophia Barnes, the new secretary.

When the elevator doors opened, Raul stepped inside while carrying Starley. Raul signaled to Tessa to press the lobby floor button, and Tessa pressed it again.

Then, the elevator doors closed, leaving Raul behind. The two receptionists still looked confused and wondered. Upon reaching the lobby, employees stared at him with curiosity. Raul no longer cared if there would be gossip about him and Starley tomorrow.

He walked towards his car, where Colby had been waiting. Colby opened the door for Raul. Raul gently placed Starley in the car seat first, and then he got in and sat next to her.

Raul looked at Starley again; she was still sound asleep. Finally, Raul softly kissed Starley's cheek and said quietly, "You've worked hard today, cupcake."

"Going home, Mr. Blackwell?" Colby asked.

"No. We're going to the airport," Raul replied.

…