Chapter 7

• Rakia wasn't exactly comfortable with Dashtan accompanying her at the moment, but she couldn't refuse an invitation when it wouldn't cost her any money. So they walked hand in hand, keeping a reasonable distance between them. The mall was quite crowded, and passersby never failed to stare at Dashtan.
• "Actually, where are you going?" asked Rakia, who was finally starting to get annoyed that Dashtan was attracting too much attention from people.
• "To my mother's boutique, do you want to come?" he offered, to which Rakia replied with a moment of surprise.
• "Of course not, what would happen if your mother's employee saw you coming with me?! That would cause gossip, Rakia said. They stopped in front of a shop that sold diamond jewelry.
• "I love gossip, usually I can't escape gossip, but lately there's nothing those people can take away from me to gossip about."
• Rakia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
• "How about you become the subject of gossip for me today?" Dashtan smiled crookedly at Rakia.
• "No, no, no. Are you crazy? You just find another woman to make a tool for you," Rakia snapped, which made people who passed her pay attention to her. But she didn't care and immediately left Dashtan, who was surprised by the woman's anger.
• "She's fierce too," he muttered, heard only by himself, the angels on either side of him, and the demons who tried to incite him to conquer Rakia immediately. Dahstan took a deep breath and went after Rakia, who was beginning to disappear from his sight. He was a little overwhelmed as he searched for the woman and couldn't find her. In the end, Dahstan decided to stop looking for Rakia and went to his mother's boutique according to his original plan. When he arrived at the boutique, the figure of Rakia trying on a red satin evening gown astonished his consciousness. The woman looked elegant and different, radiating an even more inviting aura that was intense and mesmerizing. An attendant accompanied her.
• Rakia, unaware of Dashtan's intense gaze, enjoyed the sight of her in that beautiful gown. She wanted to buy it, but it was too expensive for her purse. As a result, she only tried it on and then took it off in the dressing room of the boutique and returned it to the clerk who accompanied her and helped her try on the dress. This boutique product has always been her dream, but she hasn't been able to buy one because it's stuck in her wallet. Rakia was surprised to see Dahstan near the entrance.
• "How did you know I was here?" Rakia asked with her stubborn expression.
• "I didn't know you were here, I came because..."
• "Oh, welcome, young master, madame is waiting for you in her room," interrupted a female employee who had just been standing next to Rakia and then left with a respectful bow. Rakia just gaped in surprise.
• "Do you want to wait for me? If so, I will give you the dress you want from this place, you are free to choose." Dashtan knew that Rakia would want a dress from her mother's boutique. In return, he would have to get something from that woman.
• "Why am I waiting for you?" Rakia was confused by Dashtan's request. She was tempted, but she did not want to do something without knowing the purpose.
• "How about lunch?" Dashtan had no better reason for his request. Rakia sighed and rolled her eyes. Both hands on her waist.
• "Okay, for lunch," Rakia pressed, to which Dashtan replied with a wide, charming smile.
• "You can wait for me while I choose the dress you want, it won't take long." Dashtan went into the boutique, leaving Rakia who followed him with a questioning look. But Rakia immediately took the opportunity to carry out Dahstan's suggestion while waiting for the man.
• Her mind was on Dahstan and this boutique, she didn't expect that the boutique she visited quite often belonged to the mother of this man. Rakia was busy choosing a dress, but her mind was very busy thinking about Dashtan. She stared at the half-empty knee-length dress in pink and white with a simple, newfangled cut and short sleeves. The fabric is soft and flowing, the bottom of the dress is slightly puffy like an inverted lotus flower. The dress is simple but attractive. The V-shaped collar is bejeweled with small diamonds around the hem. Rakia smiled as she imagined herself wearing this dress. Her hand touched the fabric of the dress at the bottom.
• "Do you like this?" The question surprised Rakia and distracted her busy mind at the same time. She jumped and turned to Dashtan who was standing next to her. Rakia looked at the dress again. Not bad, she thought.
• "You'll look good in this dress when you're on a yacht, sailing and watching the sun rise." Dashtan revealed his shadow. He meant it, Rakia would look really beautiful in that dress. To be honest, all the dresses his mother designed in that boutique would fit Rakia, Dashtan said. The muse that his mother used to design all the dresses was nothing more than Rakia's figure. Slim and tall with perfect curves. According to Dashtan, if Rakia becomes a model, she will be one of the female models who will attract the attention of the public. And maybe she will be on the list of women he will date first after Dalilah.
• Dashtan's mind crumbled as he remembered this woman. It had been a long time since he had distracted his mind from remembering her.
• "You think I'm going on a yacht?" Rakia quivered her lips as she blew on them. Dashtan almost laughed at the woman's expression. Cute and straightforward, as far as he could see.
• "Besides, such a good dress doesn't suit a woman like me. I have no place and no relationship to wear that dress," she added. Dashtan asks a female employee to get the dress for him and packs it.
• "This dress is for women who need self-confidence to feel significant," Dashtan said, handing him the paper bag containing the dress they were discussing.
• "Really?!" Rakia said as she looked at the paper bag held out to her.
• "Yes, I know exactly what my mother is like when it comes to designing a dress. There will definitely come a time when she will do her job well for you."
• Rakia sighed as she accepted the paper bag, then smiled sincerely at Dashtan.
• "Thank you for this," Rakia said sincerely. Dashtan smiled with the maximum amount of handsomeness that made Rakia's heart flutter sensationally.
• "Now it is time to fulfill my wish."
• They left the boutique together. Before going to lunch, Rakia stopped at a women's knick-knack store to buy eye shades. Dashtan, who was just looking around, was also interested in buying an eye cover. Rakia looked at Dashtan, who was holding a panda eye patch in his hand.
• "I'll take this one," Dashtan said, which made Rakia smile a little. She thinks it will be very cute when men wear it. While she chose the eye patch, she chose the little fringe. At the checkout counter, Dashtan asked the cashier to take a white titanium bracelet that was displayed on a shelf behind the counter in a rectangular plastic glass box, the bracelet was decorated with ornaments of various national symbols. There was the Eiffel Tower, the Singapore lion statue, pyramids, the Tower of Pisa, the London clock, cherry blossoms, and maple leaves. Dashtan smiled briefly with the bracelet in his hand, then turned to Rakia's wrist and grabbed it. He snapped the bracelet on and was satisfied that it looked so good in there.
• "I took the bracelet too, ma'am," he said, then paid for what he had bought. Rakia could only stare, confused.
• "Why did you give me a bracelet?" asked Rakia as they sat in a Korean restaurant. On their table was a grill.
• "Think of it as a token of friendship," Dashtan replied casually.
• "But I don't want to be friends." Rakia scowled.
• "Then what do you want? To be my wife, is that it?" Dashtan replied, causing Rakia's eyes to widen in surprise.