Not again  

After the car started moving, Raul immediately took his phone out of his pocket. He sent a message to Noah, inquiring about the interrogation results. Once his message was sent, he called Carlos to prepare for his and Starley's departure to Dubai.

Just after that, Raul felt Starley's head resting on his shoulder. He turned to look at her. The woman was still sound asleep. Raul couldn't help himself; he gently kissed Starley's forehead and let her stay in that position.

"Colby, don't drive too fast," Raul suddenly called out. Colby was surprised to hear his boss's request; usually, Raul wanted him to hurry. Time was important to Raul, and he didn't want to waste a second.

"Alright, sir."

After that, Colby slowed down the car and, out of curiosity, glanced at the rearview mirror. Coincidentally, the divider between the driver and the back of the car was open, allowing Colby to see a sight he had never seen before: his boss enabling a woman to rest her head on his shoulder.

Quickly, Colby averted his gaze, afraid his boss would catch him looking. He returned his focus to the road ahead. Why was his heart racing at that sight? Goodness, he was like a mosquito. After that, Colby didn't glance again, respecting his boss's privacy.

Meanwhile, Raul enjoyed the feeling of Starley's body leaning against him. It felt comfortable. The feminine scent of Starley that filled his nose made everything feel even more perfect, like an aroma therapy that calmed him.

Raul's right hand slowly wrapped around Starley's waist, pulling her closer to him. For some reason, Raul wished this moment would last forever. He also closed his eyes to prevent them from staring at the computer screen for hours.

Starley was awakened by a deep voice calling her.

"Starley." The voice sounded so sexy to her ears. It was like... Raul's voice? Was she dreaming about Raul?

"Cupcake." The voice came again, this time sounding so gentle. But Starley kept her eyes closed, hoping to return to her dream of Raul calling her so softly like that.

"Wake up, cupcake, or do you want me to carry you again?" Raul asked casually. Starley's brows furrowed when she heard Raul's words; what did he mean by again?

Finally, Starley slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Raul's face so close to hers. Starley instinctively pushed Raul away, but she leaned against him. Then she realized she was already in the car. Not in Raul's office anymore. Quickly, Starley turned to Raul.

"How did I suddenly end up here?" Starley asked. Raul looked at her for a moment before smirking.

"You were sleepwalking," Raul replied casually.

Starley gasped at that answer; she couldn't believe what Raul was saying. "I've never sleepwalked in my life."

"Did you forget? You walked by yourself, cupcake. With your eyes closed," Raul replied. But Starley could see Raul's eyes sparkling with amusement.

Starley glared at Raul sharply. "I'm serious, Raul."

Suddenly, Raul leaned closer to Starley's face. "If I start being serious, you will be shocked, Starley." Raul's gaze was serious, his eyes darker.

Even though Starley didn't quite understand what Raul meant, she unconsciously held her breath. Raul pulled back again and said, "Let's get out; we've arrived at the airport."

Starley quickly looked out the car window; they were indeed at the airport. Oh my, why were they suddenly at the airport?

"Why are we at the airport?" Starley asked. Raul had already exited the car.

"We're going to Dubai," Raul replied. Starley's eyes widened at that. "What do you mean, Dubai? I can't leave here, Raul. My family needs me!"

Raul looked at Starley, extended his hand to her, and said, "Trust me, Miss Barnes."

Raul called her Miss Barnes. This meant that all of this was still related to the contract. Starley stared at Raul's outstretched hand, then sighed. She got out of the car on her own without accepting Raul's hand. Starley glared at Raul. "But you can't stop me if I want to go home later. I still have money and can buy a plane ticket from Dubai to here."

Then Starley walked ahead of Raul, even though she didn't know where to go. She just walked ahead of him. Raul chuckled softly at Starley. He followed her from behind.

As they walked, Starley was busy thinking, did Raul carry her from the office to the car? What if people saw? Oh my. Starley just hoped Raul had gone through the back door.

Not long after, Starley saw Carlos approaching them. Carlos handed over Raul's and Starley's passports. Even Carlos was able to get her passport from Nathan. Starley was quite impressed.

"How did you get my passport?" Starley asked. Carlos answered by glancing at Raul as if the answer lay with him.

"Your brother trusts me," Raul replied casually. Starley sighed. If only Nathan knew what had happened between Raul and her. Nathan would probably be having a heart attack right now. Starley accepted her passport from Carlos.

Raul, Starley, and Carlos were inside Raul's private jet. Although there were only three people on the jet —two flight attendants, the pilot, and the co-pilot—Raul's private jet was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate five more people.

Carlos sat in the front seat, while Raul and Starley sat in the back. Initially, Starley sat in the back seat right next to the window. But Raul chose to sit directly across from Starley, so now they were facing each other.

Starley squinted her eyes. "You know there are many other seats in this jet."

"This is my favorite seat," Raul replied as if he didn't want to be contradicted. This man owned the jet, so Starley couldn't openly kick him out.

"Then I'll just move," Starley exclaimed, conceding. When Starley tried to get up from her seat, Raul immediately said, "Why do you want to run away, Miss Bellamy? Are you nervous sitting next to me?" Raul asked as if challenging Starley. His eyes sparkled with amusement. Starley hated looking like a coward or losing when the challenge hadn't started. Finally, Starley decided against moving seats and kept her face calm.

"Who said I was running away? I'm afraid of distracting you if I sit here," Starley replied casually. In reality, Starley was joking, but it seemed Raul took her words quite seriously.

"Well, you can't blame me. Any man would be distracted when you're sitting in front of him," Raul answered, sounding quite sincere. Why did Raul's words sound like a compliment?

Just then, the pilot's voice began to be heard, announcing that the plane was ready for takeoff. The seatbelt sign had also been illuminated. Everyone on the jet fastened their seatbelts.

A few minutes later, the plane took off smoothly, and the seatbelt sign was turned off. Starley unbuckled her seatbelt and felt Raul's gaze, which seemed to be staring at her intensely. Starley glanced at Raul, but the man still hadn't shifted his gaze from her.

"What's wrong?" Starley asked directly. Raul paused for a moment while staring at Starley before finally speaking.

"Why did we end our relationship three years ago?" Raul asked. He must have meant their friends-with-benefits relationship. Starley's breath caught in her throat.

"You already know why," Starley replied. Raul's eyes instantly turned cold.

"Yes, because you told me you were seeing another man. But why did you do that? And where is that damn man now?" Raul asked very coldly. To this day, he couldn't believe Starley could betray him. But that was exactly what the woman in front of him had done. Raul could still feel the anger when he remembered it.

Starley held her breath upon hearing Raul's words. Three years ago, she had to tell that lie. Because Raul never wanted to let her go whenever Starley wished to end their relationship. So she had to say she was cheating with another man, hoping Raul would let her go, and it worked.

"Why are you asking that now? It's all in the past," Starley replied. Raul's jaw tightened. "I'm just curious," Raul answered. Starley scoffed; of course, this man was just curious. From the beginning, none of this had been important to Raul.

"Since it's all over, isn't it okay to discuss it now?" Raul asked. Starley felt pain hearing that. She had tried to move on for years, and this man could casually say such a thing. Starley had even been depressed after their breakup. A big mistake Starley made was agreeing to be Raul's friend with benefits.

Starley wanted to tell Raul her reasons directly. But that would be like confessing her feelings to him. In the end, Starley could only say it in her mind while staring sharply at Raul.

The reason was simple: because you don't love me. And you said you didn't want a serious relationship with me. Meanwhile, I fell more in love with you every day and hoped for more. Hoping you would want a serious relationship. You also gave me the cold shoulder when we were outside the bedroom as if I were just a worthless sex toy.

Raul was indeed perfect in every way. But this man could never give her the affection Starley wanted. The attention she needed. He could never give his heart to Starley. Starley didn't want to beg for affection from this man, so she decided to leave three years ago, even if it meant lying. Starley chuckled dismissively while giving a cold, crooked smile.

"What is this? Didn't we agree not to talk about the past? And whoever brings up the past will face consequences. Are you trying to trap me, Mr. Blackwell?"

Starley ensured that an incident like yesterday would never happen again and that she would never fall into the same hole this time.

…