Page 4 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

I arched a brow in his direction. "Are you afraid you can't resist the urge to poison me?"

He laughed as he started the machine. "Not at all, I just know all the messed-up things your ex-husband is capable of. I would hate for you not to trust me because of whatever he did."

Okay, I was not expecting him to say that and honestly there was nothing I could say in response. As the coffee brewed, the tension in the room eased a bit. Rafael poured the coffee into the cups and handed one to me. I reached for two milk packets, pouring it into my steaming cup. With a cup stir of the spoon, I took a sip, savoring the rich flavor.

"You make a good cup of coffee," I admitted, beyond pleased by the taste.

"Thank you. So, Yasmin, is it okay for me to ask what happened between you and Ethan?"

I sighed, knowing this was a conversation I couldn't avoid, not after following him to his suite. "Ethan accused me of cheating, and that's why we got divorced."

Rafael's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you cheat?"

I drew back, his question reminded me of how insulted I felt when Ethan accused me without giving me the chance to defend myself. Rafael at least was brave enough to ask me, but I still felt insulted by the whole thing. "No, it was just a lie orchestrated by Ethan's mom and sister."

His expression turned serious. "I always knew those snakes would continue making him miserable."

When he saw the confused expression I was sporting, he continued. "His sister told him that I was planning on stealing a deal from him, a deal that I wasn't even aware of. He wouldn't even listen to my side of the story, as soon as she finished talking, he was against me."

Ethan mentioned that Rafael and he were no longer friends, but he never went into details and now I knew why. How embarrassing was it that he ended a long-term friendship because of false accusations? "I had no idea." I wondered if he ever tried to confirm what his sister said.

"Yeah, it's for the best," he set his cup aside and stared at me. "I have a proposal for you."

I could only look at him. "What kind of proposal?"

"Let's get married."

"Married!" the word alone left a bitter taste on my tongue. "Is this some kind of joke to you? If it is, it's not funny."

I leaned further back into my seat as he pushed forward, making him closer to me. His eyes were wide with what I could only describe as glee as he outlined what should be a brilliant plan. "Think about it, you're probably mad at him and want him to pay for what he did, what better way to get revenge on him than dating the very guy he hates."

I opened my mouth to retort but found that I couldn't. He had a point, I wanted to get revenge on him anyway and this would be a great way to do it. He clearly thinks so little of me that he could discard our love without a second thought. It wouldn't surprise him if I hooked up with someone to make him jealous but this, this was next level. There's no way he'd expect me to not only get with his ex-bestie but marry him as well.

"What would you get out of this? There has to be a reason for you even suggesting it."

"My parents are threatening to make my life miserable if I don't marry soon. I don't want to call their bluff with this."

I snorted at how cliche that sounded, of course, his parents wanted to squash his bachelor image. It must not be good for business, especially if he has an aging board. This was the craziest deal I've ever been offered... maybe I like the craziness because it sounded way too appealing. "Fine, I'll do it. Let's get married."

Rafael's eyes sparkled with excitement and relief as he gazed at me. "You won't regret this, Yasmin."

"But what about the actual marriage? Won't it be weird? How will we make it believable?"

Rafael smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "We'll have to make it convincing, won't we? We can fake a whirlwind romance, a spontaneous proposal, and a small, intimate wedding. Let the rumors spread like wildfire."

I sighed, already feeling a headache forming. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

He chuckled. "Trust me, Yasmin, it's the perfect revenge. Ethan will see what he lost, and my board will see that I'm a stable, committed man. We'll both come out on top."

-4-

Rafael

The sun peeked through the curtains, casting a warm glow into the kitchen as I stood at the stove, the smell of sizzling bacon filling the air. The aroma mingled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee, creating an inviting atmosphere that promised a great start to the day. I directed my attention to the other pan, flipping the eggs before they could burn. My mind wandered back to last night for the second time today.

Yasmin. Her name danced through my thoughts like a melody, evoking excitement and uncertainty. Excitement due to my sudden need for a wife and uncertainty about how easy it was for me to offer her my help to get revenge. I've avoided Ethan for the longest time and now I was tossing myself into the fire by helping his ex-wife.

Should I back out and find someone else to help me fool the board? Was it a good idea to involve myself in the feud that was sure to begin between Ethan and Yasmin? It was a sound yes for the first question and a resounding no for the latter, still that wasn't going to deter me. We already agreed on this, there was no way I could back out now.

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