Chapter 5 Invite

The cold, gripping night surrounded me as I stood on the balcony of my room. Danu arrived, bringing me a glass of warm milk.

"Tonight, I don't feel like drinking anything before bed. I don't know why, but I always have trouble waking up in the morning when I'm too full," I said.

Danu paused for a moment and replied, "It's not the food or drinks that make it hard for you to wake up. We've been active all day, and this room's cozy atmosphere makes it perfect for lazing around. Here, drink this. It's fertility milk. I hope it helps you conceive."

I took a deep breath and accepted the milk. "Thank you, darling. I know how much you want a child. I hope your wish comes true soon," I said.

Danu nodded as I finished the milk and went to the bedroom to lie down. For some reason, I immediately felt sleepy and wanted to drift off as quickly as possible.

POV DANU

"My wife invited me to dinner," said the man, his words igniting my irritation. I clenched my fists and turned to face him.

"Can't you just stay out of sight around her? Look at this mess! Are you doing this on purpose, trying to get close to her?" I snapped. He met my gaze sharply and replied,

"I didn't know you two were here yesterday. Besides, you didn't give me any clear instructions-just said you had office matters to attend to. I assumed she wasn't around, so I thought it was fine to walk along the beach," he explained.

I was fuming and retorted, "And meeting her at this room's door-was that also a coincidence?"

"Yes, and what else could I do? Now that I've been seen, she only knows me as some stranger, not the culprit," he replied calmly. His relaxed demeanor irritated me even more.

"So what now? Should I accept the dinner invitation and act friendly with her?" he asked. I gritted my teeth and replied reluctantly, "I guess you should, to avoid suspicion. Now go and do your job. I'm sick of this and can't wait to end it all." I buried my face in my hands as I spoke.

"Alright, anyway, I need the money urgently," he replied, shrugging.

That night, to keep Rania from suspecting anything, I arranged a dinner with Vero. He played his role perfectly, even bringing along a 5-year-old child.

"I didn't think you'd accept my invitation for a simple dinner. By the way, what's your child's name, Vero?" Rania asked politely.

"Her name is Cindy," Vero replied nervously. Rania gently stroked the child's head and said, "You're such a beautiful girl."

"Thank you, Miss Rania. This meal is delicious," Cindy replied sweetly. I let out a quiet sigh and continued eating.

"No problem. I hope nothing unpleasant happens again. Oh, and don't call me Miss-just call me Ma'am," Rania said with a kind smile.

Vero nodded and then asked, "If I may ask, what was the issue? Why was I detained back then? Was there some kind of problem?" feigning ignorance.

I shook my head slightly and smiled bitterly. Rania hesitated for a moment before replying, "Sorry, it's a private matter. I can't share."

"My apologies, Ma'am-uh, I mean, Ma'am," Vero corrected himself awkwardly.

As the night deepened, it marked the fifth day of our trip, with only two days left. After this, I'd have to put an end to everything involving Vero. I couldn't take it anymore-the decisions, the lies-it was all too much. At this point, I didn't care whether Rania got pregnant or not.

Beep!

I called my lawyer and assistant at the new office.

"Yes, sir?"

"Can I withdraw about 200 million?" I whispered.

"Not at the moment, sir. The company's account is frozen, and I'm being monitored by the matriarch," he explained. Furious, I ended the call abruptly.

Ping!

[A pregnancy would solve everything. The family lawyer has already set this as the condition,] read the text he sent. I sighed heavily, deleting the message before lying down. I glanced at Rania standing at the bathroom door.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked.

"My boss at the office," I replied, setting my phone aside. She nodded and climbed into bed, moving closer to me.

"When are we going home? Honestly, I prefer being at home when you're working. There's no kitchen here, so I can't prepare your meals in the morning. Besides, I can't wake up early," she said.

I hugged her tightly. She couldn't wake up early because of the sleeping pills I had been giving her. Tonight, I still hadn't heard from Vero about whether he'd returned after dropping off the child-whoever's child he'd borrowed to play his part in front of Rania.

"Alright, just sleep now, and tomorrow wake up early to help me get to the office," I said, holding her close. She returned the embrace and quickly fell asleep in my arms. I exhaled deeply, my thoughts heavy.

Morning arrived as usual, but this time, without sleeping pills, Rania woke up earlier than me and prepared my office clothes. I woke up to the aroma of warm coffee and breakfast.

"Danu, wake up," she commanded gently. I sat up and saw my wife's fresh face in the morning. For the first time, I woke up in bed with her at this hotel since I'd been secretly switching places with Vero every night.

"Have breakfast, take a shower, and put on your clothes," she instructed. I nodded and got out of bed.

"Everything's such a hassle. I have to wait for hotel staff or go out to find food. If this is what it's like when you're working, we shouldn't have gone on vacation," she grumbled.

Half an hour later, I was ready, fully dressed, and had finished breakfast. Rania accompanied me to the hotel entrance.

"Be careful, okay? I'm heading off now," I said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. She smiled and gently patted my shoulder.

"You look so handsome in that outfit, as if you're the director of that company," she said with a warm smile. I gave a small smile and playfully ruffled her hair. She kissed the back of my hand, and then I left.

As I got into the car waiting for me, I glanced back to see her waving. Her bright smile warmed my heart, filling me with a bittersweet sense of contentment.

POV RANIA

After seeing Danu off, I returned to the hotel room. I felt so proud of my husband. He was picked up and dropped off by a driver, and he even left two bodyguards to watch over me. I couldn't believe how skilled he was at securing such a good business deal. Even though I didn't fully understand it, I knew his work was respectable.

"Ma'am, do you need any assistance?" one of the guards asked. I sighed. Honestly, I didn't enjoy being escorted everywhere like this every day.

"I'm not planning to go anywhere. Today, I just want to stay in the room. You two can take a break or enjoy the beach; I don't need to be watched," I replied. They nodded and left. I went back to the room, lay down on the bed, and started browsing my phone for a good movie to watch.

An hour later, just as I was getting absorbed in a drama, I heard someone open the door to my room. I quickly turned around on the bed, startled to see Vero standing at the door.

"What's the matter?" I asked. He seemed hesitant,

"Okay, can I help you?" he said, I stood up and the man tried to support me, when we reached the bed, he lay down and stroked my face, I could feel him staring at me closely and deeply, I could faintly feel him hugging me, but I tried to push the man's broad shoulders, instead of releasing his grip he crushed my lips mercilessly, I struggled. But as if under the influence of something I accepted all those kisses, I even surrendered to the man abusing my body, I wanted to end it but I couldn't, the man's grip and embrace were so strong, and I also didn't know what was happening to me, as if I was thirsty for the man's touch, whether it was because of the long effect of not getting a warm touch from Mas Danu I also didn't understand, what was clear was that my brain and heart were very conflicted now, I hated myself who suddenly felt like a bitch, but this also felt like being under the influence of drugs, every joint of mine felt weak and I had difficulty getting up, it felt like I was just flying, and I couldn't deny it, this man gave me something that I had missed from Mas Danu all this time.

"Go away..., I beg you," I whispered, the man didn't care and continued to treat me as he pleased, I couldn't even be aware of this pleasure.

Three hours passed, and I woke up with full consciousness. I noticed my clothes had been changed, and the bed was neatly made. Startled, I sat up and tried to recall what had happened three hours earlier.

"What happened? Did I... do something with Vero? What did he do to me? Did he give me some kind of stimulant?" I whispered in frustration, clenching my hands. My chest felt tight, and my eyes welled with tears.

Click.

The sound of the door opening startled me. My heart raced even more as I saw Danu walk in. I froze, trembling and unsure of what to say. Danu surely hadn't forgotten the incident that had broken his heart three months ago. I couldn't bring myself to talk about it again, but if I didn't, Vero might think I wanted this. Still, how could I have felt calm and even enjoyed what I remembered earlier?

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, bowing my head.

"What's wrong?" Danu asked, noticing my distressed state.

"Let's hope it was just a dream," I whispered tearfully. Danu came closer and asked again, "What's wrong, love?"

"Mas, Vero... He came here, and he-" I choked on my words and started sobbing. Danu gently placed his hand on my shoulder and asked, "What about Vero?"

"He..." My voice faltered as the tightness in my chest grew.

"What happened?" he pressed.

"He came here, gave me something, and... and he assaulted me while I was powerless," I cried out. Danu was silent for a moment before lifting me up slightly and looking deeply into my eyes. A faint smile crossed his face as he spoke.

"That's impossible, love. Vero was with me at the office all day. Ever since that night, he's been asking about job openings, and this morning I called him in for a position that became available. He did mention briefly that he stopped by to see you in the room, and you asked him to leave, which he did. You've been asleep all day since then. Two hours ago, I came here and found you dozing off with your phone. You felt a little warm, so I changed your clothes to something lighter," he explained calmly.

I paused, trying to process his words. Was it all just a dream?

"Then why did it feel so real?" I wondered to myself. It was only now that I realized women could have vivid dreams too, but why did I dream of Vero?

"Alright, you rest now. It's probably just because you're unwell and hallucinated," Danu said, helping me lie back down. I couldn't stop replaying the dream in my mind-it felt so real, but apparently, it wasn't.

What was going on with me? How could I dream about being with another man? Was I so lonely that I had to imagine someone else?

"Maybe I'm starting to lose my mind," I whispered, berating myself for dreaming about someone else and how vivid it felt.

"Love, we're heading home tomorrow. I've got work to get back to, and it's time to refocus," Danu said. I nodded, still dazed. Danu busied himself packing while I sat there, lost in thought.

"Rania, are you okay? Hurry up and take a shower; we're heading home," he said. I nodded again and sluggishly got to my feet.