Marrying the Billionaire Lawyer

One Year Earlier.

"I'm sure Daniz won't expect the surprise I'm about to give him," Riana murmured softly, looking satisfied with herself after decorating her boyfriend Daniz's television room. Today, the man she had been dating for two years was celebrating his birthday. Riana had prepared a surprise by secretly visiting Daniz's apartment while he was at work this afternoon. Earlier, she had lied about being sick and apologized for not being able to join him for a special dinner on his birthday.

Since Riana had a spare key to Daniz's apartment, she could freely visit without his knowledge. She had prepared various decorations and a birthday cake to support the surprise.

With full concentration, Riana set everything up – decorating and transforming the TV room into a romantic place for an intimate dinner.

After everything was neatly arranged according to her plan, it was time for Riana to get ready. While waiting for Daniz to return, she dimmed the lights and hid in a corner of the room.

Thirty minutes passed, and according to the schedule, Daniz finally came home. Riana felt anxious and excited from her hiding place, impatiently waiting to see his reaction to the surprise she had carefully prepared.

However, it seemed her hopes were dashed. Instead of surprising Daniz, Riana surprised herself. She witnessed her boyfriend entering the apartment while embracing a seductive woman. They kissed, and Daniz even carried the woman and gently laid her on the sofa.

"No need to rush, why don't you take a shower first, and then we can have dinner together?" the woman said in between their kisses. She even helped Daniz unbutton his work shirt, revealing his muscular upper body.

"Not in the mood," the man replied. "I miss you so much, Tasya Adelina. I just want to feast on you," Daniz teased, planting short kisses on the woman's lips and neck. "Or maybe we should shower together?"

Tasya laughed and playfully glared at him. "No way! What if your girlfriend finds out?"

Daniz shook his head. "No chance she'll find out. Riana said she's sick. I invited her for dinner, but she couldn't make it. She's always making excuses and causing trouble."

"Yeah, why are you still with her then? I heard you two are even planning to get engaged, right?"

Daniz nodded. "You know how it is with Arab families. They like to arrange marriages for their children. My parents intentionally arranged this with her to preserve our lineage. Besides, I'm willing to accept the arrangement because she's wealthy. She has been supporting me financially for a while. It would be a waste to let her go just like that."

"And funny enough, you use the money she gives you to treat me." They both laughed. "You're so wicked, Za," the woman teased.

"What can I do? I've loved you all along."

In her hiding spot, Riana tried to hold back her tears. It hurt so much to hear all the conversations between her boyfriend and his lover, but she tried to keep her emotions in check and continued listening in silence.

"Then, if you really marry her, what will happen to us, Za? We can't be together anymore, can we?" Tasya's face suddenly looked sad, and she seemed skilled at pulling at Daniz's heartstrings.

"Don't worry; you'll always be the one I love the most," Daniz confidently replied. "I'll still visit your apartment regularly."

Tasya smiled happily and pulled Daniz closer. Without hesitation, she hugged and kissed him, and Daniz let it happen, seemingly enjoying the intimacy.

"I just don't want to break up with you," the woman said again.

Daniz shook his head, using his hand to move a strand of hair covering Tasya's cheek. "I could never leave you, my dear. Besides, Riana is so complicated and overly religious. She won't even sleep with me like you do. She considers it a sin, saying it's not the right time. Such a hypocritical woman. She refuses to enjoy life. Besides, she's still stuck in those old-fashioned beliefs."

As they both laughed again, Riana decided to reveal herself. She switched on the light, which was close to her hiding position, and the room suddenly became bright.

Daniz and Tasya, realizing Riana's presence, were shocked. Moreover, they were now half-naked.

"Riana, I-I can explain this-"

"Enough!" Riana interrupted Daniz. "I don't want to hear anything from you!" She pointed directly at his face. Oh, sorry, correction. Perhaps Riana no longer considered Daniz her boyfriend.

"Riana, but this is not how you think it is. All of this-"

"Enough, Za!" Riana emphasized. "You don't need to explain. I've heard everything."

Daniz stood up, not caring that his upper body was exposed without any cover. His main concern was to explain everything so that Riana would listen to him.

"I apologize; what you heard isn't true."

Riana stepped back cautiously and deliberately avoided getting closer to where he stood.

"Here, I should be the one apologizing because it turns out I'm not up to your taste. But don't worry, I'll ask Dad to cancel our engagement plans immediately. And as for our relationship, we better end it today."

"No, Riana!" Daniz shook his head. "I don't want to break up with you."

"Whatever," Riana replied quickly. "If you don't want to break up, that's not my concern. The important thing is, from now on, I consider us to have no relationship at all."

****

Riana let out a long sigh and brought her hand to gently massage her aching chest. Once again, tonight she had a terrible dream, a dream she had been trying to bury deep inside her for a long time.

Remembering the event from a year ago when she caught her boyfriend being affectionate with another woman, Riana felt her own trauma. Because of that incident, she had tightly closed her heart to any other man, including Rayyen, the guy who was currently close to her. She was afraid that the old wounds she had tried so hard to bury would resurface and shatter her life once again.

"Why?"

Alana, her twin sister, who realized she was awake in the middle of the night, spoke to her.

"Another bad dream?"

Riana nodded, closing her eyes, trying to neutralize the painful feelings attacking her heart.

Alana, who understood her twin sister's condition very well, immediately sat up and approached her, then hugged her tightly.

"Don't think about it. It happened a long time ago, right? Besides, no one will hurt you like Daniz did back then."

In Alana's embrace, Riana nodded.

"I'm just scared, Sis. I've tried so many times to forget it, but that incident keeps appearing in my dreams."

"That means you're still holding a grudge against Daniz. Remember, no matter how bad he was, you must sincerely forgive him so that there's no burden left in your heart and mind."

Riana let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't easy for her to forgive, let alone forget. Her heart was still in so much pain because of the betrayal he had committed.

"It's not easy, Sis, to just forget like that."

"Well then, you have to move on quickly. Find someone else to replace Daniz so you can forget about that scoundrel as soon as possible," Alana said with a playful tone.

Riana chuckled softly.

"A person with trauma, and you're asking me to find a replacement quickly. Seriously! Besides, it's not like you've moved on from Elfathan."

"Arghh..." Alana pouted. "Why bring up Elfathan? You and I are different!" She pursed her lips, feeling annoyed because her twin suddenly brought up the guy she used to like.

"I'm just making a comparison, Sis. It's not easy for both of us to forget someone who once entered our hearts."

Alana sighed softly.

"Well, if it continues like this, you'll remember Daniz until the end of time. Do you want that? To be stuck thinking about Daniz your whole life? I don't!" She emphasized.

"I'm scared, Sis," Riana murmured softly. "I'm afraid of being hurt again, like before." She fell silent again, repeatedly sighing before speaking again. "You know Rayyen, right?"

Alana nodded.

"Who doesn't know a handsome guy like him?"

"Yesterday, he proposed to me. He even asked when I'll be ready for engagement."

Alana was surprised. The information she just heard caught her attention.

"So, what did you do? Did you accept? Don't tell me you refused."

Riana shook her head.

"I didn't answer him. Like I said, I'm traumatized. I'm afraid Rayyen is just playing around."

"But Rayyen comes from a wealthy family. Moreover, it's impossible for him to hurt you."

Riana smiled faintly. There was some truth in Alana's words. Rayyen came from a religious family. His way of treating his mother and sisters showed that he was caring, responsible, and highly respectful towards women.

"Nothing is impossible."

"But Rayyen doesn't seem like the kind of person who would hurt you." Alana argued confidently. "Let's bet."

Riana shook her head. She still doubted Rayyen's sincerity.

"I still can't take the risk."

Alana slid down from the bed and walked to the closet. She grabbed a prayer mat and returned to Riana.

"Here, you should pray. Ask for guidance from God. If I were you, I wouldn't waste this opportunity. When else would a handsome, rich guy like Rayyen propose to you?"

Riana laughed lightly. Her twin sister was quite daring to provoke her like this.

"Okay, then you should marry Rayyen. He won't be able to tell the difference between the two of us anyway."

"Unfortunately, I don't love Rayyen. So, I'll gladly give him up to you."

Riana rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why was her twin sister so confident? But because some of what she said was true, Riana decided to follow her advice and find the best position to go back to sleep.