Early the next morning.
Rahul pulled back the soft silk sheets and got out of the massive penthouse bed. Looking at the designer clothes scattered all over the floor, he shook his head with a slight smile. Describing Divya as someone who had "tasted the sweetness and wanted more" was an understatement. The Ice Queen had melted into a wildfire.
Looking at Divya, who was sleeping soundly like a perfectly sculpted Roman goddess, Rahul stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet and picked up their clothes one by one.
At this moment, Divya slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Rahul tidying up the room, a deeply sweet smile appeared on the corners of her mouth.
My Indian grandmother was right, she thought. Indian men are family-oriented and don't mind doing housework. He is the best man in the world.
It's just a pity that I was born into the family I was. I don't have the right to freely choose my own husband like an ordinary girl. Rahul, I've wronged you... we can only exist in this beautiful little bubble.
"Rahul... come give me a hug."
Rahul turned around and saw Divya's tender, watery eyes looking at him from the pillows. He immediately tossed the clothes into a laundry chair and walked back over to the bed...
It wasn't until Divya's corporate phone rang for the third consecutive time that she reluctantly answered it.
"Rahul, I'm so sorry, but there's a crisis at the company. I have to go to the office right now."
"Over the next few days, I'll have the legal team finalize the joint-venture contract to give to you before you return to Mumbai. I also need to fly to our textile factories in the outer provinces to expand production for the Indian launch. So... I won't be able to accompany you during this time. You should explore Thailand on your own for a bit."
Hearing Divya's rushed words, Rahul suddenly felt a bit strange.
Why does this script sound exactly like what a wealthy CEO says to their hidden lover?
However, this odd thought vanished from Rahul's mind in an instant. As the saying goes: a woman who is wealthy, beautiful, and absolutely not clingy is a unicorn you can't just find anywhere. This arrangement gave him the perfect amount of freedom to focus on his own affairs.
"It's fine, go handle your business," Rahul said, kissing her forehead. "I need to continue filming vlogs anyway. Just let me know when the contract is ready to sign."
The two of them walked out of the VIP elevator hand in hand. Divya drove her black Porsche Panamera to drop Rahul back at his hotel before speeding off toward Santiya headquarters.
Upon returning to his room, Rahul picked up his DJI camera, intending to go out and film. He couldn't let himself get bogged down in a 'tender trap' indefinitely; his vlogging career and System progression were too important. He needed to hurry up and film more content to earn more Charm Points.
Rahul had recently unlocked the System's Advanced Gear Shop. He had seen a piece of high-tech gear that he desperately wanted: an Unlimited Endurance Livestream Phone.
It was a dedicated broadcasting device that never needed charging and had a global, unblockable satellite signal. However, the price was steep, requiring 5 Charm Points to purchase.
Considering he would definitely be live-streaming from remote or chaotic locations around the globe, owning such high-tech gear would be a massive advantage. No matter how long he streamed, he wouldn't have to worry about battery death or unstable local SIM signals ruining the broadcast quality. There were many other skills in the shop too; in short, if he wanted them, he had to get out there and hustle.
Just as Rahul grabbed his bag to head out into Bangkok, he suddenly stopped.
Wait. Maybe I shouldn't stay in Bangkok right now.
He didn't want to repeat the iconic "twin sister" scene from Bangladesh. If the System triggered another target and he was seen by Divya or her staff, the resulting 'Shura Field' (love triangle drama) would be disastrous for his massive new business deal. He should try to avoid that completely.
Changing his filming environment would also be something his fans would love to see. There was a place just outside Bangkok known globally as a man's paradise and a chaotic vacation sanctuary. His audience would definitely eat that content up.
Moreover, it was close—only about a two-hour drive down the highway, and a chartered Grab ride would only cost around 1,000 Thai Baht (₹2,300).
Divya's contract wasn't ready yet anyway. Given the famous 'Jai Yen Yen' (chill, take it easy) efficiency of Thai corporate lawyers, it would probably take another week or two.
Thinking of this, the decisive Rahul immediately began packing his things.
After securing his laptop and ensuring nothing was left behind, Rahul went downstairs to check out. Using the Grab app, he called a premier ride directly to Pattaya. While sitting in the hotel lobby, he booked a premium ocean-view suite at the famous Hilton Hotel right on Pattaya Beach Road.
Now that he was a multi-millionaire with a Crore in the bank, he naturally had to let himself enjoy life a little.
Under the visibly regretful gazes of the two receptionists, Rahul stepped out and slid into the passenger seat of his Grab.
Looking at the dashboard, he noticed it was a brand-new electric vehicle from an Indian-owned subsidiary company. From his observations over the past two days, besides the dominant Japanese brands, Indian and Chinese EVs were rapidly capturing the Thai market. Rahul couldn't help but feel a sense of pride that domestic enterprises were successfully penetrating overseas markets.
The driver was very talkative. As soon as Rahul got in, he tried to chat in his clumsy, heavily accented English.
"Hello boss! You Indian? Look, this car from your country! Very good, I like very much."
It was painful for Rahul to listen to the broken English, so he replied smoothly in native-sounding Thai: "I can speak Thai, brother."
When the driver heard Rahul speak his language flawlessly, he was instantly overjoyed. "Wow! Your Thai is excellent!"
The driver's reaction made it seem as if a foreigner speaking the local language was a matter of extreme national pride. It was very similar to the reaction of people back in India when a foreigner managed to string together a sentence in Hindi.
Throughout the two-hour journey, the driver prattled on to Rahul about how great his EV was, the local politics, and where to find the best street food. After listening to the driver's non-stop chatter, Rahul somewhat regretted revealing he knew the language.
Fortunately, the vehicle soon exited the highway and entered the vibrant, chaotic urban sprawl of Pattaya.
As soon as they hit the city streets, Rahul felt a thick, humid atmosphere of a wild vacation resort.
On the damp roads, there were shirtless Western backpackers riding rented scooters everywhere. The scorching sun of Pattaya had turned their pale skin bright red, making them look like boiled lobsters. Under the dense web of power lines on the utility poles, foreign women in tiny bikinis walked openly down the road without a care in the world. Large groups of Indian bachelor-party tourists walked swaggeringly down the sidewalks, ignoring the honking baht-buses (songthaews) passing by.
When Rahul's Grab finally turned onto the famous Beach Road, a stunning stretch of clear blue ocean suddenly appeared before his eyes. Speedboats were racing across the water, pulling screaming tourists under colorful parasails.
Groups of older, overweight Western men, sporting sunburned bellies and bucket hats, lay on the sand soaking up the sun. And they all had one specific thing in common: almost every older Western man was accompanied by a much younger, local Thai woman.
The talkative driver noticed Rahul looking and explained with a laugh, "Those are the legendary 'rent-a-wives', boss. Very popular here."
Rahul nodded, thinking it made sense. What young, beautiful, independent girl would follow these old expats living on tiny retirement pensions? It was a purely transactional economy.
Rahul grabbed his camera and vlog-walked into the luxurious Hilton Hotel lobby to check in.
Guided by the incredibly polite staff, Rahul opened the door to his premium suite. A vast, boundless view of the blue sea and the crescent-shaped Pattaya bay floated just outside his balcony.
Rahul set down his heavy backpack and slid open the massive floor-to-ceiling glass doors. The salty, humid tropical sea breeze blew against his face, instantly relaxing his muscles.
Looking at the stunning, vibrant sea view before him, Rahul raised his camera and couldn't help but smile into the lens.
"Life really should be this wonderful," he said to his future viewers. "Brothers... wake up and look at the ocean!"