When Rahul heard that Samina wanted to take him to meet her parents, he immediately hit the brakes and refused over the phone.
They had barely just met; how had it already progressed to the point of meeting the parents?
Isn't this moving at warp speed?
Even arranged marriages back in India had a process. You didn't just meet the parents the morning after you met the girl, especially when they weren't even dating! Are people in the elite circles of Bangladesh all this impatient?
"Rahul, I showed my parents the photo we took together, and they really want to meet you."
"If the conversation goes well, maybe we can even talk about marriage," Samina added, dropping an absolute bombshell of an explanation.
But Rahul stood his ground, saying:
"Samina, I'm sorry, but don't you think this is moving incredibly fast?"
"We barely know each other, and we aren't even a couple. It's way too early to be talking about things like marriage and meeting parents."
After Rahul finished speaking, Samina fell completely silent on the other end of the line.
At that moment, Rahul felt that unlocking the Bengali language pack really made communication deeply convenient; he was able to convey the exact polite but firm nuances with his choice of words.
But hearing the heavy silence from Samina...
Rahul suddenly realized something and asked her directly:
"Samina... have you never been in a relationship before?"
Hearing this, Samina finally spoke up, her voice slow. Her usual bossy, confident tone was completely gone.
"Yes... I've never had a boyfriend."
"My parents are extremely strict with me."
"Besides, the guys in my social circle in Dhaka are all so arrogant and boring; none of them ever caught my eye."
Samina's voice grew even quieter as she tried to explain:
"Rahul, please don't be angry. My parents are just overly protective of my safety."
"They just want to meet you so they can feel at ease about who I'm hanging out with. But it's fine if we do it later. I'll explain it to them."
Hearing this, everything finally clicked in Rahul's head.
It turned out Samina really had zero experience with dating or relationships, which was why she had no idea how to naturally interact with a guy.
It made perfect sense; she was an incredibly wealthy, sheltered heiress who had been kept under strict supervision her entire life. So, after spending just one fun afternoon with him yesterday, she had basically exhausted her entire playbook on how to show affection and care.
A strange, inexplicable fondness welled up in Rahul's chest.
"Samina, let's put a pin in meeting your parents for now."
"Just tell them I have to go out and film some content for my vlog today," Rahul said, trying his best to soothe her in a gentle, calm tone.
But Samina immediately countered, "Then I'll come find you first and give you some cash. You don't have any money for food!"
Hearing this, Rahul's middle-class pride flared up, and he refused again:
"I don't want your money, Samina. If I take cash from you, what kind of guy does that make me?"
"Let's not talk about it. I'll figure out a way to manage on my own."
Hearing Rahul's firm attitude, Samina had no choice but to back down.
"Fine. Then hurry up and finish setting up your Instagram and Facebook! Send me your handles right now; I want to be your first follower!"
"Once I've finished talking to my parents, I'll come find you again."
With that, Samina hung up.
Staring at his phone, Rahul finally realized how incredibly thick-skinned guys who lived off wealthy women had to be.
His ego just couldn't handle it; he absolutely refused to be a kept man!
Once you take a girl's money, you lose your independence and have to keep playing along to their tune. Besides, he had just awakened the Karma Succubus Attribute; he couldn't just tie himself to the very first tree he saw in the forest.
Forget it, no use overthinking, he told himself. He would head out, find a cheap way to get some food, and film some solid vlog material while he was at it.
He had to focus on building his travel YouTube channel. Earning his own money was the only way to feel truly secure. As for his stolen wallet, he would just have to wait for the police SHO to do his job.
Thinking this, Rahul picked up his fully charged DJI camera and prepared to head out.
Suddenly, he remembered he hadn't finished setting up his public social media profiles yet.
He sat back down on the edge of the bed and used his Indian phone number to finalize his creator accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
While verifying the accounts, he quickly toggled over to WhatsApp to check his messages from back home.
There was absolutely nothing. No personal messages, just a few daily news forwards in dead college groups and spam from his mobile carrier.
As expected, he chuckled to himself. Once you hit twenty-seven, your phone basically goes into single-player mode.
After finishing the setups, Rahul texted all his new handles to Samina.
He immediately received a flurry of friend requests and follows from her. After accepting them, he grabbed his room key card and left the room.
It was just past eight in the morning.
The budget hotel he had booked included a complimentary breakfast buffet in the lobby restaurant.
Rahul stepped out of the elevator and walked quickly through the lobby. Fortunately, the two overly enthusiastic female receptionists from yesterday were off duty today, replaced by two male clerks.
Otherwise, he would have definitely been ambushed again, and he wouldn't have gotten a moment of peace to eat his breakfast.
Sigh, looking like a movie star is such a hassle, he joked to himself.
The moment Rahul walked into the dining area, conversation dropped. The guests—both men and women—immediately locked their eyes on him.
The young waitress standing near the entrance widened her eyes, staring blankly at Rahul's perfectly chiseled face. Rahul was already getting used to this kind of reaction.
He calmly walked up and handed her his room key card.
Only then did the waitress snap out of her trance. Her voice dropped an octave, becoming incredibly soft and sweet as she personally escorted him to the best table by the window.
The hotel breakfast was a standard, slightly depressing budget buffet.
It was basically dry toast, some watery yellow dal, and a tray of stiff, cold fried rice.
Rahul loaded a plate with toast and rice, poured himself a cup of instant coffee, and returned to his seat.
He didn't care about the taste; as long as it gave him calories and filled his stomach, it was fine. He couldn't afford to be picky right now!
He had only taken a few bites when the waitress from earlier suddenly reappeared. She placed a complimentary plate of fresh fruit and a slice of premium cake right in the center of Rahul's table.
Then, she smoothly slid a small folded slip of paper under the edge of the plate.
Before walking away, she gave Rahul a bold wink and tapped her fingers to her ear, gesturing for him to call her.
Rahul visibly shuddered.
Looking at the fruit and cake, he hesitated for a second before shrugging, picking up a piece of melon, and eating it.
You want me to sell my soul for a tiny slice of cake? he thought, amused.
After finishing his breakfast quickly, Rahul decided to pick up the slip of paper with the phone number and shove it into his pocket. He was going to be staying at this hotel for a month and eating breakfast here every single day. If he completely ignored her and bruised her ego, who knew if she'd start spitting in his coffee?
He just wouldn't call her. If she asked, he'd just play dumb and say he didn't have an active local calling plan.
Leaving the restaurant, Rahul stepped out onto the bustling, sunlit street.
He powered on his camera and immediately started talking to the lens, recapping the absolute madness of his first twenty-four hours in Dhaka.
Instead of heading back toward the upscale Gulshan or Banani areas, he turned his feet in the opposite direction.
While doing his research back in Mumbai, Rahul had noticed that raw, gritty vlogs exploring the chaotic slums of Dhaka pulled massive views on YouTube. Audiences loved seeing the unpolished, real side of cities.
Rahul planned to walk down to the Old City today to capture that exact chaotic energy for his first video.
At the same time, a spark of anticipation flared up in his chest.
After all, his Succubus Proficiency had just leveled up to 2. Would he end up bumping into someone even more interesting than Samina today?
Since he was completely broke, he had no choice but to walk the entire way.
As he navigated the crowded streets, the amount of heads he turned was staggering.
However, because of his fair skin and sharp features, the greetings the locals threw at him as he passed were entirely misguided. People kept yelling, "Annyeonghaseyo!" or "BTS!" at him.
Annoyed at constantly being mistaken for a K-Pop idol, Rahul just shook his head, quickened his pace, and plunged deep into the labyrinth of Dhaka's Old City.