-26-
Rafael
The revolving doors of the hotel swung open, ushering me into the cool, marble-floored lobby. As I scanned the area, I saw a familiar figure leaning against one of the ornate columns. Ethan. He looked nervous, his fingers tapping an erratic rhythm on the column's surface. I contemplated walking past him, pretending not to notice, but he saw me before I could decide.
"Rafael!" he called, pushing himself off the column and striding toward me. There was a forced cheerfulness in his voice and an awkward brightness that made me uneasy.
I sighed and stopped, crossing my arms over my chest. "Ethan. What do you want?"
Ethan shifted from foot to foot, glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear us. "I... I owe you an apology," he said finally, his voice dropping to a quieter tone. "I shouldn't have accused you of being a thief. I should have checked things for myself instead of blindly believing my sister."
I raised an eyebrow, barely containing my irritation. "Is that so?" I said, my tone as flat as I could manage. I wasn't in the mood for his half-hearted attempts at reconciliation.
"Yes," he continued, his voice wavering. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."
I shrugged, looking past him at the elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "We'll see about that."
Ethan seemed taken aback by my dismissive response. I wasn't sure what he was expecting when he was the one that damaged our friendship beyond repair. I was no longer interested in being friends with him, not after he accused me of being a thief and certainly not after being engaged to his ex. I was also certain he was only asking for forgiveness because of losing the deal with Ivan. He fumbled for words, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides.
"There's something else I need to talk to you about," he said, almost pleading.
I sighed again, this time with a bit more irritation. "What is it?"
"It's about the deal with Ivan," he blurted. I already suspected as much but hearing him say it made it even worse. "I need you to back out of it."
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, the sound echoing slightly in the spacious lobby. "You can't be serious," I said, shaking my head. "Why would I do that?"
Ethan's face turned red, and his eyes flashed with anger. "Because if you don't, I won't go through with the divorce from Yasmin."
The laughter died in my throat when I heard what he said. I stared at him, my mind racing with each word. "What are you talking about? You and Yasmin are already divorced."
Ethan shook his head, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. "No, we're not. I sent in the papers, but the divorce isn't final yet. If you don't back out of the deal with Ivan, I'll make sure it never is."
I stood there, stunned. If what Ethan was saying was true, things were a lot more complicated than I realized. Yasmin seemed so sure that she was divorced, it would crush her to find out that she was still married to him. I couldn't believe I was considering his ultimatum, but the thought of Yasmin being tied to Ethan indefinitely was unbearable. Then again if Ivan knew about it, surely, he would help clear up this mess.
"Fine," I said, at last, my voice tight. "I'll think about it."
Ethan nodded, relief washing over his face. "Thank you," he said, turning to leave. "I hope you make the right decision."
I watched him go, a sinking feeling in my gut. Once he was out of sight, I hurried to the elevator and punched the button for the penthouse. I needed to talk to Yasmin. Now.
When I reached the penthouse, I found Yasmin in the dining room, dressed in a stunning floor-length dress that flowed around her like a waterfall. Her face was bright and free of makeup, her natural beauty shining through. She smiled when she saw me, and for a moment, all my worries melted away.
"Hey," I said, a little breathless.
"Hey," she replied, with a warm smile, ushering me into the room. "Come on in. I made us dinner."
"You did?" I couldn't hide my surprise. I usually did the cooking, and I loved every minute of it. It filled the caveman need I had to provide for her.
"Yes, I did," she said proudly, guiding me to the dining table. "I thought it was about time I cooked for you again since you're always cooking for me."
She helped me sit down and then took the seat opposite me. I looked at the spread before us—pasta, a fresh salad, and what appeared to be homemade garlic bread. It looked and smelled amazing.
"Yasmin, this is incredible," I said, genuinely impressed.
"Thank you," she beamed. "I wanted to do something special for you."
As we ate, we talked about our day, sharing stories and laughing about little things. The tension I'd felt earlier with Ethan slowly melted away. Yasmin had that effect on me—she could make the world disappear with just her smile.
"I can't believe you did all this," I said between bites of pasta. "It's delicious."
"Well, I had a great teacher," she said, with a wink.
"I'm glad to see you're putting those lessons to good use," I teased, making her laugh.
"So, tell me," Yasmin said, leaning back in her chair. "When did you first realize, you were attracted to me?"
I laughed to hide the blush that had surely graced my cheek because of her bold question. "Oh, I don't know if I should tell you that. Your ego might explode."
She grinned, enjoying my playful teasing. "Come on, I need to hear this."
I rolled her eyes but relented, setting down my fork and resting my chin on my hand. "Alright, fine. It was after you told me who your father was."
She paused; her fingers clenched tightly into fists as she stared at me. "You're making that up."
"I'm not!" I protested, laughing. "That's when I realized I had feelings for you."
She raised an eyebrow, her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared me down. I felt like I did something wrong, but I wasn't sure what. "Really? You realized you were attracted to me after finding out my father was Ivan Rashid," each word was spoken through gritted teeth, and the look she gave me, told me I was missing something.
I repeated what she said trying to figure out where I went wrong and then it clicked. "That's not what I meant," I rushed out, trying my best to explain myself. "I don't care that Ivan's your father. I already knew I had feelings for you when you told me everything but when I found out that you could probably understand business jargon better than most women, I found it really hot."
She blinked at me slowly, her eyes widening in surprise. " Is that why you kept staring at me when we met with my father?"
I grinned widely. "Absolutely. It's the sexiest thing."
She smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
We continued eating, enjoying each other's company. I decided not to bring up Ethan and the ultimatum he'd given me. I didn't want to ruin the perfect evening Yasmin had prepared for us with more drama. There would be time for that tomorrow.
After dinner, Yasmin stood up and walked over to the stereo. She put on some music—something soft and slow. She turned to me with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Dance with me?" she asked.
I didn't need to be asked twice. I stood up and walked over to her, taking her in my arms. The music flowed around us as we swayed together, our bodies moving in perfect harmony.
"I've been wanting to tell you something," Yasmin said softly as we danced. "I meant to say this since we went to the gala, but I guess I was scared."
"What is it?" I asked, looking down into her eyes.
She took a deep breath as if summoning the courage to speak. "Rafe, I... I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. I don't know when it started, how, or if it’s even right for me to feel this way in such a short time but I can't help how I feel. I also want to apologize for not admitting my feelings earlier, I wanted to be sure of my feelings before I did and now, I’m sure. This is what I want. I want you, that is if you'll still have me."
Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Then, pure happiness washed over me. "Yasmin," I said, pulling her closer. "That's the most amazing thing I've heard all day."
A smile spread across her face, and before I knew it, I was leaning in, capturing her lips with mine. The kiss was everything I'd imagined—sweet, tender, and full of promise. When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against hers, both breathing heavily.
"This feels right," she whispered.
"It does," I agreed, pulling her closer. "It really does."