Page 42 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

Amirah nodded in agreement. "We're a family, and we'll always support each other."

After the tour, we settled into the dining room we saw earlier for a late lunch. The table was set with an array of delicious dishes, and we dug in with enthusiasm. As we ate, our conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and lighthearted banter. It was one of those rare moments where everything felt just right.

Midway through our meal, Dad cleared his throat, drawing our attention. "Yasmin, I have something for you," he said, pulling a folder from his bag. "This is the contract. I wanted to give it to you in person."

I took the folder, my hands trembling slightly with anticipation. Skimming through the pages, I felt a sense of satisfaction and pride. This project was a big step for me, and having my father's trust meant the world. "Thank you, Dad," I said earnestly. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

"You deserve this, Yasmin," Amirah chimed in, her eyes shining with pride. "It was all your idea to begin with."

"I agree," Dad spoke, his voice firm. "You've earned this opportunity. I'm confident you'll do great things with it."

-30-

Rafael

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.

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