-13-
Yasmi n
The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, uncertainty swirling in my mind like a relentless storm. Should I tell him? Would he even believe me? Would it change everything between us? These questions echoed in my head as I paced back and forth in the penthouse, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. Finally, after what felt like hours of internal debate, I dialed Amirah's number.
"Hey, Sis! What's up?" Amirah's cheerful voice greeted me on the other end of the line.
"Hey, Amirah... I need to talk to you about something," I replied, my voice betraying the anxiety bubbling within me.
"Of course, what's going on?" Her tone shifted, sensing the seriousness in my voice.
I took a deep breath before blurting out. "I'm thinking of telling Rafael about who our father really is."
There was a moment of silence before Amirah spoke, her voice soft and reassuring, "Yasmin, you know I've always believed in being honest with the people we care about. With that being said you should tell him."
"Even though I'm only with him to get revenge on Ethan?"
She sighed. "Does he know he's participating in your epic revenge plan?"
"Yes," I spoke quickly. "In fact, it was mostly his idea. He needs my help too."
"Your fake relationship helps him too?"
"Yeah."
"Then I think you should tell him. At least this way you'll know if he can be trusted. If he starts treating you differently because of this then you know he isn't genuine enough to be of real help."
Her words resonated with me, calming the storm of doubts in my mind. "You're right, Amirah. Thank you. I'll tell him tonight."
"Good and if he turns out to be a jerk just let me know and I'll be there."
I chuckled at her sinister tone. "I'll talk to you soon."
With a newfound resolve, I hung up the phone and set about preparing dinner for Rafael and me. Cooking had always been a therapeutic activity for me, and tonight it served as a distraction from the nerves gnawing at my insides.
When Rafael finally arrived, I greeted him with a warm smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. We sat down to eat, the tension palpable between us as we exchanged polite small talk. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I revealed the secret that's been weighing me down for the past few days and he did not take it well.
First off, he choked on his food, prompting me to rush to his side to help him. He held a finger up, urging me to stay put while he drank his wine. That only made things worse as he began to choke on that too. I rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and gave it to him. He took slow sips between each cough while I slowly rubbed his back, hopefully easing the pressure inside him.
His cough slowly diminished, and he looked up at me. The silence that followed was deafening. Rafael's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, his eyes widening in shock. "You're joking, right?" he finally exclaimed, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"I wish I was since you nearly choked to death," I replied solemnly, meeting his gaze with honesty. "I'm telling you the truth, Rafael. My name is Yasmin Rashid, and I am the eldest daughter of Ivan Rashid."
Rafael shook his head, his mind clearly struggling to process this revelation. "But how? Why?"
"How? My parents had sex. I can't really know what motivated them to keep me, but I imagine it's because they loved me and always wanted children."
He shot me a glare. "You know that wasn't what I meant."
I shrugged, returning to my seat. "I'm not sure I understand what you meant, explain it to me."
"Why didn't you tell me?" if I wasn't staring at him, I would have missed the confusion in his eyes and the pain in his voice. For some reason, he was hurt by my confession, hurt and confused.
"I didn't want things to be complicated," I explained, my voice tinged with regret. "And I wasn't sure how you would react if you knew who I really was."
He took a moment to absorb everything, his expression unreadable. "I don't know what to say," he admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "This is a lot to take in."
"I understand if you need time to process this," I said softly, reaching out to touch his hand. "But please believe me when I say that I've wanted to tell you for a long time but after years of keeping this a secret I physically couldn't. Even so, the person you've come to know is still me, regardless of my last name."
"I know that I'd never treat you differently because your dad is obscenely rich," he confessed, his words shooting straight into my heart.
"I know, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," I apologized, my voice tinged with regret.
"No, don't apologize. I appreciate you being honest with me now," he assured me, caressing my fingers with his.
We sat in comfortable silence for a while, the weight of my confession lingering in the air. Rafael broke the silence, his tone gentle yet filled with mirth. "I'm just a little embarrassed that I've been bragging about meeting him when you've known him your whole life."
I laughed. "You have no idea how hard it was to not say anything when you brought him up."
"Wait," his eyes widened. "At the restaurant, you said you knew he was attending the gala..." His words died off as realization sank in.
"That's because he told me."
He bursts out laughing. "I knew there was something weird going on, but I wasn't sure what."
I nodded, staring at my hand in his. "This would have been a lot weirder if I didn't tell you and he started talking to me at the gala."
"Wait a second," his eyes snapped over to me. "Why are you doing this now?"
I stared at him. Did he already forget what I said? "Because I wanted you to know."
"No, not that," he continued. "I meant the gala. If you go with me to the gala then everyone will know who you are, especially with your father being there. You know that, right?"
I sighed. "I've always known, Rafael. I'm prepared to show myself to the world."
"Doesn't it scare you?" he asked, his brown eyes staring into mine. "Everyone will know who you really are."
"It's never scared me," I told him honestly. "My father was the one who kept us out of the public eye. My brother has always been in the media since he would take over the oil business and needed to make alliances but even then, he was only shown after he turned eighteen."
"That's impressive."
"Money talks in our world," I mumbled quietly, but he still heard me. It was silent then as we were both lost in our thoughts. I couldn't believe I was brave enough to reveal the truth or how easy it was for him to accept it. I expected him to ask for proof, but he believed me right away. My heart fluttered at the thought.
"I still can't believe this," he grinned.
Maybe he was a genuine person after all.