Raja, ever the chaotic mastermind, stood in his kitchen, flipping chicken in a pan while humming the Pokémon theme song. Dressed in
bright yellow Pikachu pajamas
, complete with little ears on the hoodie, he was the very image of a man who had absolutely
zero doubts
that Beth Dutton would show up.
After all,
who could resist his charm?
The scent of
perfectly seasoned chicken and rice
filled the air as the doorbell rang.
Raja smirked.
"Right on time."
He strolled to the door, adjusting his Pikachu hood for maximum ridiculousness, and pulled it open.
And then... both parties
froze.
Beth Dutton, standing in the doorway, was the exact opposite of Raja's childish attire.
She wore a
sinfully tight one-piece
, revealing just enough to be scandalous but covering just enough to be frustrating. The deep slits on either side showcased her
long, smooth legs
, her toned stomach was on full display, and the hint of
lace innerwear
peeking from the edges of the dress was
dangerous.
They stood in
stunned silence
for a solid ten seconds.
Raja finally broke the silence.
"Damn! Beth, did you have a date while coming here?"
His pants immediately betrayed him.
Beth, ever the predator,
smirked
as she glanced downward. Then, without hesitation, she extended a single
delicate finger
,
poked
his predicament like one would a suspicious object, and watched it bounce like a
branch in the wind.
Raja's
soul momentarily left his body.
Beth, already strutting inside, gave him a teasing glance.
"Nothing like that, just wanted to know the Handsome Brown Devil more closely."
Raja, still recovering from the
unprovoked assault on his dignity
, shut the door, his
evil smile
forming.
Tonight,
he would teach her a lesson.
With surprising professionalism, Raja
set the table
, placing the dishes in
perfect alignment
. The lighting was dim, creating an intimate atmosphere.
Beth, now seated comfortably,
stared at the spread.
"I've never had Indian food before,"
she admitted.
Raja grinned.
"This is whitewashed Indian food. We can't go full spice, or you'll die a glorious, fire-breathing death."
Beth rolled her eyes but took her first bite.
And then...
silence.
Raja waited.
Beth
chewed slowly
, then took another bite, then another.
Finally, she nodded.
"Okay, Handsome Brown Devil. You can cook."
They ate, sipped their wine, and
enjoyed the view of the wild outdoors
. After some time, Beth leaned back, twirling her wine glass.
"So, ask away anything,"
Raja offered.
"I will not judge, and I will reply honestly."
Beth squinted.
"Tell me who you really are."
Raja, casually sipping his wine, shrugged.
"I am Raja, an orphan, 21 years old. That's all you get."
Beth
wasn't buying it.
"How did the queens of business hire you?"
Raja's grin widened.
"OH! That was a hilarious story."
Raja set down his glass.
"On my 18th birthday, I went to Las Vegas. First, I won half a million dollars on a slot machine."
Beth's
jaw slightly dropped.
"Next day, I walked into a casino with $10,000, played blackjack, won another million, and got banned from every casino in Vegas."
Beth stared at him like he was a
mythical creature
.
"You got banned from Vegas for winning too much?"
Raja nodded.
"Being lucky, is it my fault?"
Beth
needed ten seconds
to process that information.
"Then what?"
Raja leaned back.
"So I traveled to New York. My mission? Find a beautiful Onee-san to take my V-card."
Beth nearly
choked on her wine.
"Excuse me!?"
Raja, unbothered, continued.
"I entered a bar with a fake ID. Met Jessica and Jane. They were drinking and looking miserable. I tried to impress them. Jessica laughed at me but gave me a business card. Jane did the same."
Beth listened intently.
"The next day, I invited them to breakfast. They told me their struggles, so I gave them each a million dollars as an investment. I told them if they made it, pay me back. If they didn't, no problem."
Beth, standing now,
slammed her hands on the table.
"You're the one who unleashed the queens on the business world! You're the "Shadow Monarch" of the Shadow Corporation!"
Raja blinked.
"Wait, what now? If Sung Jinwoo hears this, he'll mop the floor with me."
Beth
massaged her temples.
Beth, still processing everything, muttered,
"Do you even know who you are? Big companies want to meet you. Some family heads want to marry their daughters to you. Others want to kill you."
Raja,
blushing shyly
, asked,
"Really? They want to give me their daughters? But I like sexy Oniisans."
Beth
looked at him with pure disbelief.
"You're insane."
After
five full minutes
of drinking in
pure silence
, Beth finally asked,
"What happened to the McCallan family?"
Raja blinked.
"Them? Oh, I killed them and burned their estate to the ground."
Beth
stiffened.
Raja continued casually,
"That perverted young master tried to rape Jane. So I killed all the men, left the unconscious women and children outside, then burned the estate with jet fuel."
His expression darkened.
"Nobody touches my women. If they do... then Death."
Beth, watching
Raja's deadly serious expression
, felt a chill,
and something happened at her Nether region.
She took another
long sip of wine.
Beth, shaking slightly, asked,
"What about the Mexican cartel? La Diablos?"
Raja grinned.
"That was fun. Gathered them in one place, killed them all, put them in a shipping container, and threw it into a shark-infested ocean. The ship captain was a friendly guy. We had a blast."
Beth
visibly trembled.
"Are you the Devil?"
Raja,
beaming
, replied,
"No, I'm just a friendly neighborhood Indian man."
Beth slumped in her chair.
"What do you want from us?"
Raja shrugged.
"Nothing. The Onee-san want the ranch for something. They'll pay whatever price you set. I give you my word."
Beth studied him.
"That's it?"
Raja stood up, stretched, and then grinned.
"Beth, can you take care of this pole, please?"
Beth blinked.
"What—"
Then she looked down.
And
realized.
That night, Beth
experienced
eating
,
drinking
,
shock, laughter, existential crisis, fear, and finally—
A
very, very long lesson
from
the Handsome Brown Devil.