Page 17 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

I could only smile at her, every day I learned something new about her, and I was once again left in awe at how multifaceted she was. I wondered if Ethan knew what a gem he let slip through his fingers.

"Anyway," she cleared her throat. "My father's invitation to the gala isn't just a random thing. He's actually a well-known figure in certain circles," she explained casually, taking a sip of her wine.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And who might this mysterious figure be?"

Yasmin grinned mischievously. "Ivan Rashid."

-13-

Yasmin

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."

---