-30-
Rafae l
Returning home, I felt a strange mixture of anticipation and trepidation. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows through the floor-length windows of the penthouse. Roman walked beside me, his footsteps echoing mine in a syncopated rhythm that matched the pounding of my heart. I opened the door, stepping inside with Roman following close behind.
The first thing I noticed was the eerie silence. After weeks of Yasmin living here, I'd gotten used to the constant buzz that seemed to surround her. Now it was silent and I found it unsettling. The living room was dimly lit, and the faint hum of the refrigerator was the only sound that greeted us. As we moved deeper into the apartment, we saw Yasmin sprawled over the dining table, her head resting on a pile of papers .
The poor thing must have passed out from exhaustion. I wondered how long she was going over the contract before sleep called her. I glanced at my watch checking the time to make sure I wasn't too late, but it was only seven. She must have had an eventful day for her to be this tired. I looked at the papers and then at her. Between the two of them, she was more important to me, so I wasn't about to wake her. Who needs 200 million dollars anyway?
"Yasmin?" Roman called out before I could stop him. He moved towards her, but I placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Let her sleep, Roman," I said softly. "She needs rest more than anything else right now."
"But she's sleeping on the contract."
"I know."
"You know?" he narrowed his eyes on me. "I'm sure you also know we need to go through this contract and then have our lawyers go through it."
I could only shrug, not knowing what else to say to that. I knew I was being selfish and what I was saying probably wasn't making sense to him, but I couldn't find it in me to care. "It can wait."
Roman turned to me, eyes widening in disbelief. "We have a 200-million-dollar contract on the line, Rafael. We can't afford to wait."
"Eh- who even needs 200 million dollars?"
He stared at me, stunned. "We do. We need 200 million dollars."
"Again, it can wait."
Roman huffed, clearly frustrated. "You're being irrational," he muttered, shrugging off my hand and moving to wake her.
"Roman, don't—" I started, but it was too late. He gently shook her shoulder.
Yasmin stirred, her eyes fluttering open. "Rafael? Roman? What time is it? She rubbed her eyes and straightened up, trying to gather her composure. But it was clear she was too exhausted to function properly. After a moment, she gave up and stood, running a hand through her tousled hair. "I'm going to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning."
Without another word or a backward glance, she shuffled out of the room. I watched her go, my concern deepening with every step she took away from us. As soon as she was out of sight, I glared at Roman.
"Why did you have to wake her? She needed that sleep," I said, my voice low but filled with irritation.
Roman shrugged, unbothered by my anger. "She'll sleep better in bed."
I sighed, knowing he was right. I expected her to try and go through the contract with us now that she was awake, but she went straight to bed which somehow eased my mind. "Fine, let's look it over."
We sat down at the table, spreading out the contract papers. My mind, however, kept drifting back to Yasmin and her obvious exhaustion. I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. The numbers and clauses blurred together, but Roman's voice pulled me back to the present .
"So, what exactly happened with Ethan?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"When I got home from work, he was waiting for me or Yasmin, I'm not sure but he threatened to not go through with the divorce if I went through with the deal with Ivan."
"I thought they were already divorced?" Roman voiced the very question I had.
"I thought the same, Yasmin told me she'd take care of it, so I just let it go."
"You let it go? Aren't you curious?"
I shrugged. "Of course, I am. I want to hold him hostage until he confesses all his dirty little secrets, but I decided to trust Yasmin."
He remained quiet letting my words sink in. "It doesn't make sense," Roman muttered, breaking the silence. "Ethan showing up here, threatening you. He's always been hot-tempered, but he's never been this stupid."
I leaned back in my chair, letting out a sigh. The memory of Ethan's visit replayed in my mind. His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, had been wild with desperation. He had been waiting for one of us. I wasn't sure if he wanted to confront me or Yasmin, but he got stuck with me. He wasn't as put together as he usually was and now that I thought about it, he seemed anxious while he was there.
"I know," I replied, my voice heavy. "It's not like him. But then again, we never really know someone, do we?"
Roman nodded slowly, leaning forward as if to tell me a secret. "I’ve been hearing rumors, Rafael. People are saying Ethan is on the verge of bankruptcy."
My eyes widened in shock. "Bankruptcy? Ethan?"
Roman’s expression was grave as he continued. "Yeah. It explains a lot, doesn't it? His erratic behavior, the desperation. He’s backed into a corner, and he’s lashing out at anyone he thinks is responsible for his downfall."
"And I'm responsible for his downfall?"
It was his turn to shrug his shoulders. "When you stopped being his friend, everyone in the business community noticed. He was never the best choice to take over his father's company but with Ava as the only other option.... let's just say they did a lot more harm than good when they sabotaged your friendship."
"I see," I muttered. I hadn't even thought of Ethan after he blatantly accused me of being a thief. As far as I was concerned, he was no longer relevant. It's shocking to know just how much he benefitted from our friendship. Even so, that was all in the past and I had to focus on what was happening now.
It seemed almost unbelievable, yet the pieces started to fit together. His threats, his unhinged demeanor—it all made sense now. The thought of Ethan, desperate and cornered, made me uneasy. If he was willing to show up at my hotel and threaten me, who knew what else he was capable of?
"We need to take precautions," I said firmly. "I can't stay here. It's too vulnerable."
Roman raised an eyebrow. "You’ re leaving the penthouse?"
"Yes. It’s time to return to my house. I need to be somewhere secure, somewhere I can control completely."
Roman nodded in agreement. "It’s a good idea. The sooner, the better. We don't know what Ethan might do next."