Cheryl spent her whole life being the spoiled daughter of her father, and Cheryl had spent a dozen years getting to know Carlos before deciding to have a romantic relationship with him.
Cheryl will never be able to choose between her father and her fiancé. She couldn't live without Carlos, but she couldn't have made it this far without her father either.
In a difficult choice, just as she has often done before, Cheryl prefers to run away and isolate herself for a while. For a moment, she slipped away from the hustle and bustle of her life to enjoy a relaxing time at a suburban restaurant that was not very popular with visitors.
A glass of cold wine is available on the table to accompany the dinner. One by one, a piece of steak she had managed to swallow. Every drop of steak sauce that touched her tongue managed to bring Cheryl to a memory of an incident two years ago, when she got a mysterious accident.
Rafael.
For some reason, the steak sauce that was still on her plate made Cheryl think of Rafael's meat.
Rafael is not a reliable chef, but the taste of his food is no less delicious than a housewife with decades of experience. And Cheryl's memory that immediately went to Rafael when she tasted her current steak sauce proves that Rafael's dish is not as terrible as the results of men's cooking.
"I thought I was wrong, but I’m not! A woman who has been sitting alone like a single woman is you."
Cheryl swears that right now, her eyes are glaring perfectly at a familiar man who suddenly appears in front of her and then sitting quietly without guilt after making Cheryl almost have a heart attack
"What are you doing here?" Rafael asked while crossing his arms in front of his chest. He watched Cheryl closely as if Cheryl was a rare object like an alien who landed on earth.
What the hell?! Shouldn't Cheryl be the one asking that?
"What are you doing here?" Cheryl repeated Rafael's question with emphasis on every sentence she said.
Rafael shrugged, “This is a restaurant, isn't it? Anyone can come here."
"Then you also have the answer to your question."
"That is true!" Rafael called a waiter with a gesture of his hand to ask that the table in front of him be cleaned immediately. "I want some wine." He said to the waiter.
Rafael's hand reached forward to pick up the glass of liquid wine on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, Cheryl could see a black ring around his left ring finger, as well as an anchor-shaped tattoo that adorned the inside of his wrist.
Cheryl quietly continued to observe his wrist. Her eyes moved up, tracing the sleeves were clad in a black shirt with some of the muscles imprinted under the fabric of his clothes. Cheryl's hands were clenched under the table. Her blood flow was numb as her eyes traced the shape of the man who sat in front of her.
Go to hell! Cheryl had to stop paying attention to Rafael, or she would be embarrassed for the rest of her life when he found her gaping like a stupid donkey.
“By the way, you came here alone?” Rafael raised an eyebrow, looking left and right as if he was looking for something… or maybe someone.
“Yes, I came alone. How about you?"
“Do I look like a family man who comes to a restaurant with my wife and child?”
Cheryl rolled her eyes, "Just answer that you came alone. Why give a long answer if you can give a shorter answer?"
"Is it not allowed?"
Again, Cheryl rolled her eyes for the second time, "You ask too many questions like Dora!"
“You watched Dora when you were a kid? I prefer Disney fairy tales.”
“I love Disney stories too.”
"Let me guess!" Rafael exclaimed while snapping his fingers. "You must like fairy tales about princesses and princes on white horses."
Cheryl shook her head, "I know that there is no prince on a white horse in this world. I prefer a prince in a white car."
"Maybe once in a while, you should choose the prince in the red car," he suggested.
Cheryl's forehead frowned for a moment, "what color car do you like the most?"
"Red."
"Too bad, I don't like red," Cheryl answered while taking out a credit card from her purse.
"What are you doing?"
Cheryl glanced at Rafael briefly, "pay?"
"You don’t have to pay. It’s on me. You can go straight home without paying for the steak you eat."
“Wow, you will pay my bills?”
“In my own restaurant?” That man laughed softly, "no, thank you."
***
The fact that Rafael is just the owner of a simple restaurant on the edge of town surprises Cheryl, considering hiss background as one of Veronica's ex-boyfriends.
Veronica is not a random woman who has an ordinary life. Veronica's family is the holder of political power in the United States. Some say that Veronica still has a kinship with the Russian prime minister. But, Mateo insists that Veronica's family origins are not worthy of public consumption, so Veronica decides to keep her family background a secret.
While being friends with Veronica, Cheryl doesn't know much about the woman's family. Cheryl is not the type of friend who always wants to know about her friend's private life. For her, some things can be shared with friends, but some things must be kept secret and kept to themselves.
"No wonder the taste of your cooking is not terrible. It turns out you're the owner of the restaurant." Cheryl turned her head to the side, staring at Rafael who was lying on the sofa that placed on the restaurant's rooftop because of his command bag
"You still remember the taste of my dish?" Rafael raised an eyebrow as he turned his head, looking back at Cheryl.
For a moment, Cheryl tried to avert her eyes. She couldn't stand up against Rafael's bright brown eyes, which looked so brilliant that they seemed to offer a see-through effect.
"Y-yes. Of course, I still remember. I am not a senile old woman!” Cheryl is still trying to save her pride.
"Oh really? I think you remember the taste because you still think about my dish a lot.”
Cheryl's eyes rolled in dramatic motion, "why do I keep remembering your steak when the chef at my Daddy's mansion can spoil my tongue all the time?"
"So you still live with your Daddy?" Rafael scoffed back, "You are a spoiled little princess!"
"Who said I was spoiled?" Cheryl ignored her brain's warning and stared back at Rafael even though Rafael’s eyes again distracted her concentration, “I'm a very independent adult woman. I lead my own company and have succeeded in establishing Diamonique as the number one jewelry company in the United States. Next year, Daddy promised to let me expand the company to Europe.” She explained groggily.
Unlike what she expected, Rafael only glanced at her while raising an eyebrow.
"See? You are a spoiled little princess!” He said, laughing.
Cheryl squinted disapprovingly.
She was clearly not a spoiled little princess because she had worked hard to widen Diamonique's network all this time. She also dares to take big risks to make decisions under her control. She is not a spoiled child even though, until now, she often comes to her mother's room to ask for her hair to be combed when her Nanny is not working. She is also not a spoiled child even though, until now, she still can't cut her nails, can't cut her apples, and can't wash her hair.
No, Cheryl is not a spoiled child.
"I'm engaged. How can you call me a spoiled princess?!" Cheryl protested against Rafael, full of emotion.
"Is a person's standard of maturity measured by the time of their engagement?" Rafael put on an innocent face.
Cheryl felt that there was a spark of fire that spread to her brain tract. Rafael had managed to awaken her emotions that had been hibernating for quite a while.
“Rafael, are you—” Cheryl's reply was cut short because they heard a noise getting closer and closer.
The light of the helicopter's headlights shone brightly and then swept a gust of wind which immediately made Cheryl scream in fear.
Rafael stood up swiftly. He cursed softly before pulling Cheryl to stand up and running towards the corner of the rooftop.
"Stupid! There's no sign of a helicopter pad here." He grabbed Cheryl's shoulder to look down in his arms.
There is no choice for Cheryl to rebel even though, at this moment, she feels that the distance between her body and Rafael is almost limitless. They looked like two people embracing when viewed from a distance.
Cheryl swears Carlos will break off their engagement if he sees her closeness to Rafael.
Carlos is very jealous when he sees Cheryl close to other people. He will not hesitate to beat Rafael as Mateo did one year ago at the door of Rafael's apartment.
In the midst of her confused thoughts, the sound of a helicopter was getting closer and closer. Cheryl also felt a brief vibration above the building she was standing on, so she was sure the helicopter had landed on top of Rafael's restaurant building.
“Did you want to kill your little sister, Mateo?” Raphael exclaimed.
Wait a minute…
Mateo?
Cheryl rebelled from Rafael's arms to see who 'Mateo' Rafale was referring to.
And right…
The stupid man who almost killed them by being run over by a helicopter was her brother.
“Damn you, Mateo! Are you planning to kill me so that you become the only heir of Alejandro’s company?!” Cheryl exclaimed disapprovingly. She ran towards Mateo and immediately gave a punch with all her might into her brother’s stomach.
Unfortunately, instead of injuring Mateo, she broke her bones.
Cheryl immediately screamed when her wrist felt very, very painful after hitting her brother's stomach muscle.
Damn, her weak hands wouldn't have been able to hurt Mateo, who worked out every day!
"I will kill you!" Cheryl shouted with emotion as her brother carried her casually to the helicopter while crying in pain, clutching her wrist.
“Get out of my room, or I will kick your face!” Cheryl exclaimed as she saw Mateo walking from a distance.“Cheryl,” Carissa turned her head, noticing Cheryl, who looked antipathetic to Mateo's arrival.“Mom, he cracked my hand!” Cheryl was crying again, whining at her mother, so she immediately expelled her eldest son.Everyone panicked when they heard that Cheryl was hospitalized because of her wrist injury. "What? Why am I the one to blame?” Mateo shrugged guiltily. He glanced at Veronica, who was walking beside him—trying to explain to that woman about last night's incident.“You deserve to be blamed, Mateo.” Veronica sarcastically walked towards Cheryl who was lying on a hospital bed with her right hand wrapped in a bandage while her left hand was playing with her cellphone."Cheryl ran and hit me in my stomach. Why are you blaming me instead?" Mateo looked at Veronica, Carissa, and Jackson who were standing around Cheryl.“It all happened because you suddenly landed a helicopter
THE GUARDIAN: FREDERICH CORP'S BANKRUPTCY; The World Economy is Shaken!“Frederich Corp is reported to have experienced problems after hundreds of thousands of mining employees in the Southeast Asian region experienced unilateral layoffs. Reporting from Routers, the company engaged in technology, mining, and crude oil has continued to experience a decline in stock value since the last month. Earnings that have continued to decline in the previous two weeks indicate that Frederich Corp has experienced a decrease in revenue from 800 USD per second to less than 550 USD per second. Based on the data obtained, the bankruptcy of this company resulted in global economic instability, which was also affected by—"Cheryl snorted in annoyance. She threw her cellphone on the bed without caring if the object didn't land properly and instead hit the marble floor, causing the screen to crack.Mateo is such an asshole. How could her brother bring down Rafael's company just because of his personal pro
Cheryl's fingernail tapping filled the silence in the center of Diamonique's office. It's been an hour since she returned to the office, but there is not a single job that Cheryl can finish. She just sat quietly without doing anything, occasionally chuckling, annoyed, and snorting softly.A few moments ago, Cheryl was desperate to send a short message to Rafael after she got his personal contact number from Veronica. Still, until now, Rafael has not given any answer.Shit, shouldn't Cheryl not be this nervous? Because it's not her fiance's company that went bankrupt, nor is it a company that still has cooperative relations with her family company.Rafael is a stranger whom she accidentally knew from Veronica. Still, somehow Cheryl couldn't rule out the bad possibilities that might happen after he went bankrupt and fell into poverty.What if it was Mateo who deliberately destroyed Rafael's company?"What happened with you, Cheryl? I noticed you seemed unfocused at work. Is there any pr
Cheryl looked around. She looked at the hundreds of people who were gathered at the casino tables to play some gambling games while enjoying alcoholic drinks. Cheryl likes to drink wine. She is not a weak woman who gets drunk easily with just two or three glasses of wine. Let alone three, ten glasses were not able to overthrow Cheryl. However, the purpose of her arrival at the center of the largest casino in Las Vegas is not to drink and enjoy the time to relax but to find Rafael. And as if fate deliberately made it easier for her, Cheryl was currently standing with bulging eyes when she faced Rafael. “Now I believe that you actually followed me, Cheryl.” Rafael waved, and gave a relaxed smile. He looked like a person with no problems at all, and now they were like two people who accidentally bumped into each other in a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, that's just a supposition. Because many facts do not match this assumption. First the fact that Rafael was having problems. Second
Rafael lied. They weren't walking down the sewers. They were in an underground passage that seemed to be part of the casino building. Cheryl realized her stupidity when she managed to climb up and was in Rafael's arms. Rafael didn't mind at all. He even joked and offered to carry her along the steps they were about to walk. Now, not only scared, but Cheryl also had to hold back the anger in her heart because of Rafael's annoying actions. Cheryl repeatedly had to give up the intention of banging Rafael's head against the right and left sides wall. "I want to go home," She didn't know how many times she had said the same request, but since then, there was no certainty where the hallway would take them. As if tracing an endless road, Cheryl felt her steps were getting tired when she had to follow Rafael's footsteps, who were walking fast. "Rafael, I want to go home." Cheryl tried to attract Rafael's attention by shaking her hand, which was in Rafael's grip. "You will soon have your
Cheryl knew that her decision to ask Rafael to sleep with her in that small room was the stupidest decision in her life.The bed was too small, so very small that their bodies were completely in contact with each other as they lay together.Cheryl's hands trembled. Not because of the influence of her closeness with Rafael, but because she was really cold. Especially when the rain fell harder and filled the window above her head with water droplets that didn't stop flowing."Are you still cold?" Rafael asked while tilting his body towards Cheryl.Cheryl shifted her body, but the wall on her left stopped her movement. There was no room left to stay away from Rafael, who was now facing right at him."Can a glass of hot chocolate not warm you up?" Rafael reached out, brought Cheryl's head onto his shoulder, and hugged Cheryl's body with his big body.Rafael's embrace immediately sent a warm sensation all over her skin. Cheryl closed her eyes slowly and couldn't help but accept Rafael's em
"Cheryl," called Rafael, sitting behind Cheryl while drying her long hair with a towel.Cheryl still refuses to open her eyes because every time her eyes are exposed to light and air, she will feel pain"What?" She muttered under her breath in an irritated voice."Do you know how to rinse hair?" Raphael asked in a doubtful voice."Of course, I know!" Cheryl exclaimed with confidence. Cheryl still remembers her struggles when she forced herself to wash her hair alone because she couldn't stand the condition of her hair. After struggling to endure with stinging eyes, Rafael is now trying to mock her. It doesn't make sense!"Are you sure you rinsed it properly?""Don't ask too many questions, Raphael. Just dry my hair as soon as you can. I'm cold!" Cheryl looked at Rafael with glaring eyes, a little annoyed because Rafael didn't finish his work immediately when she was trying to stay afloat, even though her eyes hurt so much." I just found out that you can't wash your hair,” Rafael laug
Cheryl walked into her grandmother's mansion in slow steps. Her legs ached after she had run all night with Rafael, who had just left her a few hours ago.She didn't know what Rafael was doing, but Rafael left her alone with the driver and bodyguard.Not long after Rafael went, Alejandro's escort car arrived, and Cheryl decided to go along with her bodyguard after explaining to Rafael's bodyguard that the person who came to pick her up was one of the personal bodyguards at her Grandma's mansion."Where have you been, Cheryl? Why your phone can't be reached?"Cheryl knew that she would receive a long line of questions from her Grandma as soon as she entered the mansion. However, at this time, Cheryl was too tired to explain about what had happened and where she had been going all night.“Grandma, I'll tell you everything later. But right now, I'm very sleepy. I need sleep and my comfortable bed." Cheryl whimpered softly, hoping her spoiled voice would delay the woman's prepared interro