-27-
Yasmi n
I woke up with a start, the morning light filtering through the curtains and casting a golden hue across the room. I groggily got out of bed and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, there was nothing more I hated than morning breath. When I finally made my way to the living room, I caught a glimpse of Rafael who was already up, buttoning his shirt in front of the mirror. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, yawning as I watched him. He looked so handsome, his dark hair slightly tousled, and I felt a pang of warmth in my chest.
"Morning," I murmured.
"Morning, sleepyhead," he replied with a smile, leaning in to kiss me on the forehead before heading towards the dresser to pick out his cufflinks .
I watched him for a moment, the warmth of his presence soothing the remnants of sleep from my mind. I was about to wrap my arms around him, to steal a moment of closeness before the day swept us away when my phone started ringing.
With a quick apologetic look to Rafael, I rushed to my room to grab my phone. I glanced at the screen, seeing my father's name displayed.
"Morning, Dad," I answered as I walked to the living room.
"Good morning, Yasmin," my father's deep voice rumbled through the phone. "I have the contract ready for you and Rafael to review. Can you meet me and your sister later today?"
I glanced at Rafael, who was now shrugging on his jacket. "Sure, Dad. I'll be there. What time?"
"Let's say around three. I'll send you the address."
"Got it. I'll see you then." I hung up and turned to Rafael, who was adjusting his tie.
"Dad's got the contract ready. He wants us to review it this afternoon," I said.
Rafael finished with his tie and turned to face me, a small, distracted smile on his lips. "I'll make sure to get home earlier, that way we can go over it together."
"Thanks," I said, reaching up to smooth a wrinkle on his shoulder. "Could we have pizza later?"
"Sure." Rafael's expression shifted, growing more serious. "I have something to tell you."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, curious .
"Ethan came by yesterday," he began, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a hint of tension. When he mentioned having something to tell me, I didn't think Ethan's name would pop up. "He threatened not to go through with the divorce unless I back out of the deal with your father."
"He did what?"
A cold wave of anger washed over me. Ethan had always been manipulative, but this was a new low, even for him. I took a deep breath, my mind racing with responses. Part of me wanted to reassure Rafael immediately, tell him that Ethan didn't stand a chance, but I stopped myself. That was a secret that only I knew. There was no reason for me to be worked up over this, Ethan was trying to fight dirty, but he had no idea I was always ten steps ahead. Instead of getting angry, I reached for Rafael's hand, squeezing it gently.
"Thank you for telling me," I said softly. "I'll take care of it."
"Yasmin, I don't want you to feel pressured to do this alone," Rafael started, but I shook my head, silencing him with a smile.
"This is my fight," I said firmly. "Ethan is no match for me. We'll get through this together, but I need to handle Ethan on my terms."
Rafael nodded slowly, respect and concern mingling in his eyes. "Just... be careful, alright? And let me know if you need help."
"I will," I promised, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him lightly. "I think it's time I held up my end of the deal."
"That's not necessary," he immediately protested, not giving me a chance to retort.
"Why not?" I asked, surprised at how passionate he was about this. "We agreed on this, Rafe."
He paused, biting his lip. "First off, you're not allowed to call me anything else. I won't stand for it. Secondly, I think we can both agree this is much more than just some deal between us."
I ignored his comment about the nickname I gave him, instead focusing on the issue at hand. "I agree, Rafe," I emphasized the name, watching as his breathing deepened. "But I still want to fulfill my end of the deal. It's only fair."
"Fine," he took a deep breath, shaking his head as if to rid himself of his lustful thoughts. "I'll contact my parents and set up a meeting for us."
"That's all I ask."
"It is odd that they haven't reached out, even after the pictures I uploaded of you wearing the ring."
I nodded, unable to disagree. "That does sound odd."
"Whatever," he smiled, kissing me again. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."