The next morning, Petra decided to go to the shopping mall attached to her condominium to buy a new phone. Her old one had been taken by Rafah, and she was not brave enough to ask for it back.
But the moment she stepped out of the elevator and into the condominium lobby, a voice called out to her.
"Khun Petra."
She turned around and found herself facing an unfamiliar woman. The woman was tall and slender, with very fair skin, dressed in an impeccably elegant outfit.
She gave Petra a polite smile and said, "I'm Anya. I'm Khun Rafah's assistant."
Just hearing that name made Petra's heart beat harder at once. And before she could stop herself, images from last night flashed through her mind. Rafah's sharp, beautiful face. Those calm eyes that seemed capable of holding everyone under her command. Those long, slender fingers Petra had imagined again and again as she made herself come.
Petra swallowed, no longer sure whether the heat rising to her face came from shame or guilt.
"Then... what can I do for you?"
Anya did not answer. Instead, she held out a matte black envelope.
Petra's eyes widened slightly when she saw her own name carefully written in English on the front. It looked like the kind of invitation that should never have found its way to someone like her.
"Khun Rafah asked me to give you this invitation."
"An invitation? To where?"
"Black Eden No.4."
The name sounded so strange that Petra froze for a moment. She had no idea what it was. A party? A place? Or something far more mysterious than that?
"What if I can't go... would that be all right?"
Anya only gave her a faint smile before answering in an even voice.
"I'd advise you to go. Not everyone gets invited to that place... but Khun Rafah chose you."
Black Eden No.4 was the name of Rafah's private penthouse at the very top of Élan Vie Residences, a super-luxury condominium on the curve of the Chao Phraya River, known for having one of the most beautiful views in Bangkok. The building had its own private pier, as well as a special elevator that went directly to the highest floor.
In Petra's hand now was a pitch-black invitation envelope, along with a key card enclosed inside. All she had to do was call to confirm, and a luxury car would come to pick her up at her condominium immediately.
Although Petra had not made a decision yet, she knew very well that this was not something she should think about or decide on alone.
So after buying a new phone, she immediately arranged to meet her best friend, Tharin.
"Wait. So that night, when you said you were going to sit down for a bit and then disappeared the whole night, you were actually asleep in Khun Rafah's study? God, Petra! I thought you'd gone home. I called, and you didn't even pick up."
"Sorry. I was really exhausted that day," Petra replied, telling her friend only half the truth.
She told Tharin only that she had accidentally fallen asleep in Rafah's study at the Witchakorn Mansion that night.
She did not tell her what she had seen.
"Anyway, Khun Rafah... I mean, yeah, she's beautiful, but she's way more extra than I thought. Who names their penthouse like some kind of sex harem? Seriously, Black Eden No.4? Gorgeous face, but damn, she's dramatic as hell."
Petra gave a dry laugh, not knowing how to argue, because deep down... she had secretly thought the same thing.
"So what are you gonna do? Are you gonna meet her or not?"
"I haven't decided yet," Petra answered honestly.
Tharin glanced at her before speaking as if something had just occurred to her.
"Wait. Maybe she likes our work. Maybe that's why she wants to see you, to talk about a project for her foundation."
"I don't think that's it..."
Petra's answer drifted out faintly. Deep down, she knew very well it was not about work.
It was probably about that night, about what she should never have seen.
Tharin, on the other hand, knew nothing and still thought it was only about work.
"Then just go talk to her. Who knows? Maybe we'll get a long-term gig out of it. A year or two, maybe. Freelancers like us could use that kind of stability, you know."
.
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"The invitation has been delivered to Khun Petra."
Anya, Rafah's trusted assistant, gave her report.
Rafah stood with her arms folded, gazing down at the street below through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall of her office at the Suphakiat Wildlife Foundation.
Rafah gave a small nod in acknowledgment. Anya then excused herself, but before the door could fully close, Naphatsorn appeared in a flame-red dress, her favorite color. The fabric clung tightly to her body, clearly revealing every curve, while almost her entire back was left bare.
Naphatsorn Sivakan.
She was the only daughter of a former Minister of the Interior, a young woman raised amid privilege and expectation, yet one who had made the wrong choice in love. Three months ago, she and Rafah had met at a fundraising gala for the Suphakiat Wildlife Foundation. Their first night had ended in bed, and since then, Naphatsorn had become nothing more than a temporary bed partner. Her heart, however, had already sunk too deep to pull itself free.
"If you're coming to my office, why didn't you call first? I've told you about this before, haven't I?"
Rafah's voice was cold and even the moment she saw her.
Naphatsorn forced herself to ask the question that had been eating at her.
"Last night, you said you were going to talk to that girl alone. Then you disappeared all night. What did you do?"
Rafah turned sharply toward her and asked in return, her eyes calm and utterly devoid of emotion.
"Do I have to answer that? You should know your place."
Those words made Naphatsorn freeze. Her eyes trembled for a fraction of a second before she lifted her chin with wounded pride.
"Yes. I know I'm just your friend with benefits. You don't have to keep reminding me."
She forced a smile even as it hurt.
"But can't you care about me at least a little? Last night wasn't just you getting seen. I was seen too. Don't you think you should at least tell me if you settled things with that girl? Whether she secretly recorded us or took any photos?"
"I checked. She didn't." Rafah's answer was curt.
"Then why was she in that room?"
"Petra was hired by my foundation to create content for last night's gala. She was exhausted from work and accidentally fell asleep in that room."
"Petra?" Naphatsorn repeated, her eyes hardening at once. "So you know that bitch's name now?"
"That's none of your business."
"Rafah! Don't tell me you're thinking about making that bitch one of your bed partners too."
Naphatsorn's voice began to tremble.
"And what does that have to do with you?"
Rafah shot back at once, then turned as if to walk away. But Naphatsorn grabbed her arm.
"Rafah... we're talking about this right now!"
In the next instant, Rafah yanked her hand away hard.
"Don't raise your voice at me, Phat."
"Why? What if I do? How many times have we had sex already? Why are you still this harsh with me? Rafah!"
"Because you have no right, Phat!" Rafah snapped back. "Stop acting like you own me. It's irritating."
The words cut deeper than any knife. Then Rafah walked out of the room, leaving Naphatsorn standing there, trembling with both pain and resentment.
Her final shout followed Rafah out.
"That bitch will never accept who you really are, Rafah! No one can accept that dark side of you except me. Remember that."
...
That same evening, driven by curiosity, Petra finally decided to accept Rafah's invitation.
She stood in front of the mirror in a beautiful cream chiffon dress. It revealed more skin than she was used to, and her fingertips brushed hesitantly over the hem.
Petra was second-guessing herself.
Not about whether she should go, but about what she should wear to meet Rafah.
Not because she had many choices, but because she did not know what kind of woman she wanted to be when she stood before Rafah.
Petra did not even know why she was so anxious about her outfit. Maybe this was simply what happened when a woman wanted to look good, to look beautiful, before someone she admired. Even if that admiration had dropped more than a little, almost too much to ignore, after what she had seen between Rafah and Naphatsorn that night.
Before long, the luxury car sent by Anya, Rafah's assistant, brought Petra to Élan Vie Residences by the Chao Phraya River.
"This way, Khun Petra."
Anya spoke as she led Petra into the building's private entrance hall, then stopped in front of an elevator with security staff stationed nearby.
Anya turned to Petra and said, "This is a private elevator. Just tap the key card, and it'll take you straight up to the thirtieth floor, where Khun Rafah's penthouse is."
Anya gestured for Petra to step into the elevator, but she did not follow her inside.
"Welcome to Black Eden No.4."
When the elevator doors closed, every sound around her seemed to fade away for a moment.
Petra gripped the key card tightly, her heart racing.
When she reached her destination, the elevator doors opened again, revealing the reception room of a luxurious penthouse, beautiful enough to feel like something out of a film.
And there...
Petra was standing inside the world of Rafah Witchakornin.
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Hojicha Writer
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