For a family

Does Raul hear things? Did Starley say love? Starley, known to be very wild and loves to party, wants love.

Raul never knew that. Starley seemed like a woman who only enjoyed having fun and didn't like serious things. He thought Starley was just like him. But it turns out Starley wanted something romantic. Raul truly didn't know how to respond. Then suddenly, Starley added to her statement.

"But that was three years ago, and now I don't want anything from you."

That sentence felt like a hard blow; Raul didn't know how to feel after hearing that. He also wondered: Did Starley want love from Raul three years ago? Did that mean Starley had once loved him?

Thinking about it made Raul's jaw tense. His eyes never left Starley's, and then Raul immediately replied.

"So you mean you once loved me?" Raul didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. Starley's eyes widened slightly upon hearing the question.

"I never said anything like that," Starley exclaimed in disagreement. Raul observed Starley's face. At that moment, Starley looked calm, with an incredible poker face. This woman had always been very good at hiding her feelings.

"Alright," Raul replied.

"So, since when did you fall in love with me?" Raul asked again.

The question took aback Starley. "I told you, I never said that!" she insisted.

"Tell me, what do you mean, cupcake?" Raul asked in a low tone, his eyes intensely staring at Starley.

"You've gotten information you shouldn't have heard; I won't discuss this further," Starley replied. It seemed Starley was not going to change her mind. Raul's expression darkened. It was pointless to force Starley to explain now, so Raul responded with,

"But Starley, you forgot one thing. About the agreement not to talk about the past, and anyone who does must face consequences. Didn't you talk about the past?"

"You talked about it too!" Starley exclaimed.

"You started it," Raul affirmed. Starley couldn't deny that, as she remembered it was indeed her who had initiated the conversation.

"So, shouldn't I impose a penalty on you?" Raul asked.

Starley looked at Raul in disbelief; this man was taking advantage of their agreement at a time like this. "What penalty?" Starley asked sharply.

Raul paused momentarily, responding, "I haven't thought of one yet. Give me time to think about it."

"You're sneaky," Starley replied.

"You forget you're dealing with a businessman, cupcake," Raul said.

Starley scoffed and then stood up from her chair. "Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom," Starley said flatly. Raul also stood up and moved aside so Starley could get out of her seat.

After that, Starley headed to the bathroom. She passed by Carlos, who was sitting comfortably with his earphones on. Or maybe Carlos was pretending to wear earphones to avoid being accused of eavesdropping. Once Starley was inside the bathroom, she locked the door and then took a deep breath. Her heart was still racing. After that, she covered her face, feeling like she wanted to scream out of embarrassment. But she couldn't do that here, so she could only scream in her mind.

Starley Bellamy, a woman with high self-esteem, had just humiliated herself in front of the man who once broke her heart. Oh my God, how could she have spoken so unconsciously like that? Did Raul give her some drug that made her blurt out her feelings?

This was madness; she had sounded like she was confessing her feelings to Raul. At this time, Starley hoped Raul would be foolish enough not to understand what she had just said. Starley looked at herself in the mirror. Then she took a deep breath again.

Come on, control yourself, Starley. This is not a big deal. You've moved on. And if Raul knows about it, it won't change anything, Starley thought to herself.

Starley nodded at her reflection in the mirror. After feeling a bit calmer, she exited the bathroom. There, she saw Raul sitting with Carlos. They both discussed work, as Carlos had already pulled out his work iPad and focused on it.

Starley felt relieved that Raul was busy with that. She returned to her seat and took out her earphones to listen to music. Starley and Raul did not speak again for the rest of the flight. Raul was busy with his laptop and Carlos. Starley was busy listening to songs.

Finally, they arrived in Dubai at nine o'clock in the evening local time. After landing, they headed straight to the hotel and checked in. Of course, Raul booked a penthouse hotel with an entire floor just for them. The penthouse had many rooms. Starley chose a random room, but just before she entered, Raul suddenly called her.

"Starley," Raul called.

Starley turned and replied, "Yes?"

"Get some rest tonight; we will leave at six tomorrow," Raul said.

"Okay," Starley answered. Then, there was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"I'll shower first, then," Starley said, breaking the silence. Raul didn't say anything; he just stared at Starley.

"Are you going to shower?" Raul asked. This time, Starley could see a hint of mischief in Raul's eyes.

That question gave Starley déjà vu, and she spontaneously replied, "Why? If you want to invite me to shower together, I don't want to, Raul." It was as if she already knew what Raul was going to say.

But simultaneously, Raul had extended a flash drive to Starley. "I just wanted to give you this; you said you wanted to see its contents."

Instantly, Starley's face felt hot and flushed. She was very embarrassed. Oh my God, she had almost forgotten about this flash drive and their original purpose for coming to Dubai. Quickly, Starley accepted the flash drive and said, "Yes, thank you."

Then Starley hurried into the bedroom without looking back at Raul. Once the door was closed, Starley felt like she wanted to bury herself again. Why was she acting so foolishly now?

.

 .

 .

The next morning. All night, Starley read the file's contents on the flash drive. Raul was right; there were plans to burn down the Bellamy building, and they also had Plans A and B. There were also names of the subordinates assigned to this mission. Two of them were still hostages in Raul's mansion. It seemed they were getting closer to finding the perpetrator behind the arson of her family's building.

And now, Raul and Starley were in the car. Starley didn't know where they were going. For some reason, the atmosphere between them had become increasingly intense and tense, as if there was an indescribable tension. At that moment, it was just the two of them sitting in the back passenger seat. Carlos was sitting in the front passenger seat with the driver.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Starley asked.

"The plan for today is for you to be my wife," Raul replied without looking at Starley.

Raul's words made Starley almost bite her tongue. "W-what?" Starley asked in shock, unsure if she had misheard.

Raul finally turned to Starley and said, "You're good at acting, right? What do you think about acting as the wife of a wealthy criminal?"

Starley furrowed her brow. "Wealthy criminal?" she asked.

"Yes, I will be a wealthy criminal, and you will be the very glamorous wife of a criminal. We will go directly to their headquarters, pretending to be clients," Raul answered.

"Who are they?" Starley asked.

"The mafia," Raul replied casually. Starley's eyebrows raised.

"Hmm, sounds interesting," Starley exclaimed, not lying. It sounded quite fun.

"But, are you sure you can act as my wife?" Raul asked. Starley knew Raul was referring to this mission. But still, there was another effect she felt when Raul said that.

Starley covered it up with a smirk and said, "What's so hard about acting as your wife?"

"There will be a lot of physical touch. Of course, we don't want them to suspect that a husband and wife are acting at odds, right, Miss Bellamy?" Raul must have meant the awkward atmosphere between them now.

"I don't mind; basically, it's all just acting, and it's for my family," Starley said. Then, she could see Raul's eyes sparkling with interest.

"You're right; this seems like it will be fun," Raul said. Starley took a deep breath.

I have to do this for my family. Besides, what's so hard about acting like that? Starley thought.

…