Since five in the morning, Rakia had been feeling extremely nervous. It started when she was getting made up until now. As her body was dressed in the wedding gown, she became even more nervous. Today, in a few hours, she would officially become Dashtan Al Ghani's mistress until the deadline they had agreed upon. Rakia sighed nervously; she had finished her makeup a few hours ago and was waiting for the marriage vow to be completed. She would join Dashtan in the reception hall with the guests to show off this marriage contract. She sat dumbfounded in a small backless chair in front of the dressing table; since the wedding was in a star hotel, she was in a luxurious suite that Dashtan had specially booked as a bridal suite. Rakia looked at the decorations of this room, which were pretty beautiful and elegant. Still, when she looked at the bed, she immediately discarded all thoughts of doing something in bed with Dashtan, who would officially become her husband in a few hours."Oh, God!
It was an exhausting reception for Rakia and Dashtan. They were now in the suite that was their bridal suite. Rakia was taking off the heels she had been wearing for hours and lightly massaging her throbbing calves. Dashtan took off his tie and outerwear in the suite's living room. He also undid the cufflinks and one shirt button at the top. Remembering the buttons at his wrists, he rolled his sleeves to his elbows. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. Dashtan and Rakia had agreed to limit their reception hours to avoid getting too tired, but they were already tired enough. Most of the guests they had invited had come, especially Dashtan's business colleagues and Dashtan's father, As well as guests from Rakia's side, her friends at Daily Singapore, her father's colleagues, her mother, and Pedro's doctor. Rakia didn't expect many guests even though she had limited them, but it turned out that her wedding to Dashtan was not just a wedding. Local and foreign media covered the event—espe
Rakia and Lizzy were seen sitting at the hotel restaurant where Rakia and Dashtan had their wedding. After Lizzy helped Rakia remove her wedding dress, they promised to meet at the hotel restaurant. Rakia said goodbye to Dashtan after they took turns showering and dressing. Dashtan, who seemed to be getting ready for bed first, heard Rakia say she was going to the hotel restaurant with Lizzy. Now, the two women were silent after Rakia explained what had happened to her.“Why didn’t you tell me? I can help you, Kia...,” Lizzy said, looking at Rakia sympathetically. Rakia just let out a long sigh.“I didn’t think of you at the time, all I could think of was how this problem would only be known and inconvenience me.” That was the only reason she could give to Lizzy, and it was an honest confession.“Oh, Kia... You guys will definitely suffer because of this ridiculous marriage. Oh, my God. Rakia....” Lizzy couldn’t understand why there were creatures like Dashtan and Rakia who could easi
At five in the morning, Rakia woke up and started making noise in the kitchen by cooking something. It was a routine she had been doing since she went to college and lived alone in a boarding house. The delicious aroma of her cooking made its way into Dashtan's room and tickled the man's nose. The smell of baking bread stirred Dashtan out of his sleep. It was the first time he woke up at this hour to the smell of food. Usually, it happened at seven in the morning when the housemaid arrived. Dashtan looked at the black rectangular digital alarm clock. At five in the morning, he chuckled but was also curious about where the delicious aroma came from. Without realizing it, Dashtan left his room wearing only his safety triangle and headed toward the kitchen. With a sleepy face, he strolled while occasionally yawning; he had slept quite late last night due to his workload. Standing by his tall granite countertop, he leaned against it like a male underwear model."Rakia... What are you doin
“Where are you going?”Dashtan looked at Rakia, who was passing through the living room wearing black jeans with torn accents on her thighs and a long-sleeved shirt in blue jeans that looked oversized. Rakia rolled up the sleeves of her elbow-length shirt in a rather large roll. She had her hair in a ponytail, but a few strands fell to the side of her face. In Dashtan’s eyes, Rakia looked like fresh meat that provoked the beast inside him to feast on it.“I’m going to meet Lizzy, I’ll be home before dinner,” Rakia said, then continued her steps after turning away from Dashtan.“Want me to take you?” Dashtan immediately asked before the woman had passed entirely.“No. I can-““I’ll take you, come on.” Dashtan decided, and Rakia looked up with a slight chuckle. This morning, she was a little angry with the man because of the kissing incident. Dashtan walked out of the house first, followed by Rakia later. He waited on the porch until she was out because she would lock the door. Dashtan
The aroma of grilled meat covered in spice sauce appetizes anyone who smells it to eat it immediately. Rakia and Dashtan solemnly ate the dishes served at their table for a few minutes.“Ash...,” Rakia called out, which made Dashtan turn to her.“How did you get through all your pain when Dalilah left you?” asked Rakia; she looked at the man curiously. Dashtan sighed loudly.“I don’t know, all I know is... My other self told me that I had to move on with my life. I went to a psychiatrist because for a few months I had trouble sleeping and tended to shut myself away, no desire to work and meet people. I was ashamed of myself.”Rakia looked at Dashtan attentively. She wanted to know a little about the man.“Back then, when I was in middle school, I didn’t have any friends because they didn’t want to be friends with me who was said to be weird and too smart who only liked to study. Dalilah was the only person who wanted to be friends with me back then, and I was happy to have a friend ev
As the clock struck midnight, Rakia woke up from thirst. She winced as she moved her sprained foot and forgot about it, so she slowly lowered her foot to the side of the bed. She thought of a way to get out of bed and walk to the kitchen. She ventured to use her fine foot to rest on, but her sore foot would only tread lightly on the floor. But when she tried, it hurt like hell. Rakia sighed in despair, but when she saw her cell phone on the nightstand, she thought she would call Dashtan. She sent a message through the green app, and luckily, he wasn’t asleep yet. A few minutes later, Dashtan came and walked over to Rakia.“Hi, sorry to make you come here in the middle of the night. Can I get you a drink?” Rakia looked at Dashtan with a pleading face. Dashtan smiled and went to the kitchen to get some water for his wife. Not long after, Dashtan returned to Rakia’s room with a glass of drinking water. He took a seat by Rakia’s side while she was drinking. He gazed at her so intently tha
"You're kidding, right?" Rakia gave Dashtan a probing look of disbelief."That's up to you, whether you believe me or not. I've told you the truth." Dashtan finished his coffee and then looked at Rakia, who seemed to be debating whether to believe."So what do you say? Want to come with me to the dig? I can tell Liam to make you a journalist who will cover the process."Rakia looked at Dashtan in surprise; what a tempting offer. When else could she be part of a team covering and witnessing a historical event? Rakia could see no other answer than to accept the offer. Dashtan looked at the woman waiting; he had already set the bait, just waiting for the fish to grab it."That will be one of the things I will never forget in my entire career. I'm willing," Rakia broke in."But there are conditions." And those words made Rakia again."Well, then I won't be going.""You've already agreed to it; there's no turning back, Rakia...." Dashtan smiled slyly in her mind. Rakia resented the man's d