Chapter 8

• HAPPY READING
• ***
• "Alright then. How are you in Germany? Not bored there?"
• "It's alright." King laughed.
• Dimas looked at a woman standing next to King. He was sure she was King's newest girlfriend. He glanced at Risa, who was sitting on a chair near Raka. The woman was King's ex-girlfriend. Ah. Even though he knew that Risa was hoping for King to choose her.
• But look, King seemed unaffected. He even held another woman's hand with confidence. As a man, he admitted that the woman King was with was just as beautiful as Risa. She had a perfect body and her face reminded him of one of the Indonesian artists. Her brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders, making her the epitome of a modern woman. She looked mature and her outfit was more seductive. Her skin was radiant. She looked like a model.
• "Is this your girlfriend?" Dimas asked curiously.
• "Yes." King smiled.
• "Not a doctor, then?"
• "Not a doctor, but an entrepreneur."
• "That's cool."
• King smiled and pulled Mili's slim waist closer to him. He glanced at the woman in the white spaghetti-strap dress sitting next to Raka. He still vividly remembered that she was Risa, his ex-girlfriend. She hadn't changed. Still beautiful. King could only smile.
• "Mili, this is my friend, his name is Dimas," King said calmly.
• Dimas raised his eyebrows, realizing that the woman was not a doctor. Because as far as he knew, King always dated women with the same profession as him.
• "That's unusual. Not a doctor."
• King laughed. "Step out of your comfort zone." King looked into those clear eyes and then wrapped his arm around Mili's shoulder.
• Mili tried to smile and reached out her hand to Dimas. "Mili."
• "Dimas." Dimas shook her extended hand. Then he glanced at Raka, who was approaching him.
• "Hi, I'm Raka." Raka reached out his hand to Mili.
• "Mili." Mili swallowed nervously. She looked at Raka.
• Omg! The man named Raka was incredibly handsome. She was sure many women were crazy about him. She had suspected that there were many handsome and classy men around here.
• "King's girlfriend?"
• "Hmm."
• "Yes," King confirmed.
• Mili heard that and turned to look at King. She didn't expect King to admit that they were in a relationship. Mili scanned the room, looking at several women who were now staring at her. Especially the woman not far from her, who looked at her with cynicism as if she wanted to kill her.
• "How many is she?" Raka suddenly laughed.
• "I lost count," Dimas replied.
• Because Raka and Dimas were not the type of men who liked to change partners like King. Back in college, almost all the beautiful women had been dated by King.
• "Wasn't it with Dr. Kirana? Dr. Dewi? Dr. Risa?" Kesatria chimed in.
• "Dr. Fey."
• King just laughed.
• "Oh, who else? In the past, which intern nurse was it? Elis. Dona," Dimas said.
• "Don't expose my secrets."
• "But it's true, right?"
• "Well, don't reveal my embarrassing moments. Mili might get scared of me."
• Kesatria, Dimas, and Raka burst into laughter. King also joined in. Mili furrowed her brows after hearing their conversation. King still had his arm around her shoulder. He motioned for Mili to sit on a chair. King also sat next to her, stroking the back of her hand.
• "Don't listen to their words, my love. That's just how they are. Their jokes can be a bit too much."
• Mili shivered in fear. It was no wonder that King was like that. Seeing King's behavior almost drove her crazy. Mili glanced at King, who was engrossed in conversation with his friend. To alleviate her fear, Mili took some cake from the table. She ate in silence, watching King lean closer to her ear. It seemed like he was enjoying their conversation.
• "I'll go to the front for a moment. There's a professor."
• Mili nodded. "Yes." Mili watched as King walked away from her.
• "King's new girlfriend?"
• Mili then turned towards the source of the voice. She looked at a woman wearing a nude-colored dress with black, sleek hair. Mili observed the woman's facial structure. She admitted that the woman was very beautiful. Her fair skin was favored by Indonesian women, unlike Mili who always embraced her dark, glowing complexion. Beauty, she believed, did not have to be fair.
• For Indonesians, having a dark complexion was a big issue. The concept of beauty had become deeply rooted in their culture. In their country, having fair skin, a sharp nose, a slim figure, and straight hair was considered beautiful. Many even desired to be fair-skinned. They would go to great lengths to achieve it.
• Mili was certain that she had taken photos with foreigners in Bali. They felt insecure whenever they took photos together, even going as far as saying that they were as white as pigs and wanted to have brown skin like hers. Because to them, having brown skin was valuable. They would spend money just to darken their skin like hers.
• "Why?" Those words slipped out effortlessly. Instead of answering, she asked why. How foolish of her to respond with a question.
• "Just curious, that's all."
• Mili shrugged. "Oh." She picked up her glass and took a slow sip. She glanced briefly, feeling a dislike towards the woman.
• "How long have you been dating King?" she asked again.
• "Yes. Why?" Mili replied sarcastically. She didn't like it when someone disturbed her life.
• "Do you like him?"
• "Of course. I really like him. It's fun!" Mili was certain that King heard this. She laughed happily.
• "Who are you?" Mili tried to investigate. There was an intense gaze on the woman's face.
• "King's ex."
• Mili laughed. Hearing the word "ex," she was sure that King's exes were looking for trouble with her.
• "Well, then you must know. How enjoyable it is to date King. It must be exciting! Especially since King is romantic and you are very lucky." Mili smiled cynically. She noticed another woman in a bone-white dress standing next to the woman. The women here were very classy, just look at the branded bags they held.
• "Can you handle King?"
• Mili raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
• "Because he's a cheater. A total playboy."
• Mili burst into laughter. With confidence, she then said, "Well, maybe for you. But not for me!"
• "So, you can handle him?"
• "I can."
• "No wonder. You can put up with him. If it were me, I would break up with him. Because I cried too. He played around quite a bit." The two women exchanged glances.
• "He can be rough. And he likes to cheat too," the woman next to her added.
• "We just feel sorry for you. Because you're dating the crocodile."
• "Yes, King is a crocodile!"
• "Do you know? King's ex, Lili, had a child with him. The child's name is also King now. I suspect that's his child. He's not responsible."
• "Yes, that's right. I thought the same."
• "King's ex. Laras was depressed because of King."
• "The crocodile!"
• Mili's eyebrow raised. And now, she shivered with horror knowing that King had a high criminal record. According to his exes.
• ***