Page 11 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

"You're right," he mumbled, offering her a soft smile. "I'll drop the questions."

"Good," I sighed dramatically, earning a glare from him.

"This all looks so good," Yasmin grinned, as she continued to eye the menu. "I'm not sure what to order."

"You could get one of everything and decide which you like best."

She gasped softly, glancing over at the couple to make sure they weren't paying attention to us. "I couldn't do that."

I turned to her, her sweet smell drawing me closer. "Why not?"

"Because that's too much work for the staff and unnecessarily expensive."

"I highly doubt this would dent my finances."

She rolled her eyes, pulling away from me. "I think I'll have the chef's special. What about you Emily?"

"The chef's special does look good," she continued eyeing the menu. "But I'm a sucker for a good steak."

Yasmin's eyes lit up in delight at the mention of steak. I couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked in the dim lighting of the restaurant. Her dress hugged her body, leaving her curves on display for me to ogle. I couldn't even deny that that's what I was doing. It would have been obvious to anyone with eyes. As far as I was concerned it wasn't my fault, such beauty needed to be admired.

"Will you be attending the gala with Rafael?" Roman asked, his question forcing me back to the present.

Yasmin looked at me, and for a second I was lost in a world that only I could see. "Yes, of course," I answered. "I hope you don't mind me bringing a plus one."

Roman laughed. "Of course, I don't mind." His gaze shifted between Emily and Yasmin, and he gestured for them to lean in. I mentally rolled my eyes, already aware of what he would say. "You ladies might not know this but Ivan Rashid will be there."

"I already knew," Yasmin blurted before he could continue. I could only stare at her in surprise. I was surprised she knew who Ivan Rashid was much less that he would be attending the gala. I exchanged a glance with Roman who continued to stare at her in shock.

"It's all over the news," she rushed out when nobody said anything. "He said he was attending an event here, I assumed it was the gala."

"Where did he say that?" Her eyes snapped over to me and for a brief second, I wondered if she was sweating.

"I heard it on Sensational Scoops," she spoke quietly. "It's all they could take about besides the actor they caught streaking."

"I saw that video, it was so funny," Emily laughed loudly, breaking the ice that had settled over us. "Especially when he tripped and fell on his dick."

Roman joined her. "That's nothing. They say his wife cheated on him and it triggered some sort of psychotic break."

"I thought it was because his side piece left him," Yasmin, piped up, her earlier nerves seeming to have disappeared.

"That might actually be true," Emily laughed again. "Did you see the story about the guy who dated twins and the twins found out?"

"Oh my God! Yes!" Yasmin grinned widely.

I looked at Roman hoping to have someone to talk to, but he was just as engaged in the conversation. I sighed, hoping to find a server to take our orders and put me out of my misery.

-9-

Yasmin

The evening drew to a close as Rafael and I exited the elegant restaurant where we had just shared a meal with Emily and Roman. With each step we took toward his car, I couldn't help but mentally scold myself for almost letting slip the secret I had guarded so fiercely for years. The glint of curiosity in Rafael's eyes during dinner had been enough to make my heart race, a dangerous reminder of how close I had come to revealing too much.

I wanted to tell him but after years of keeping such a secret, it was becoming harder to let anyone in. That's why I didn't tell Ethan, I wanted to at the time but there was a part of me that was scared he would treat me differently if he found out. In the end, I was right not to tell him. He turned out to be the very thing I was afraid of.

The drive to the hotel was tense, mostly because I was too busy berating myself to say anything else and Rafael was on a business call most of the time. Once we finally made it up to the penthouse, Rafael's demeanor shifted, his expression taking on a serious tone that matched the gravity of his words. "Yasmin," he began, his voice calm yet tinged with urgency. "We need to talk."

My nerves fluttered like trapped butterflies in my stomach as I nodded, gesturing for him to continue. I waited for him to ask me why I was panicking so much at dinner or remained silent all the way home but what he said next left me speechless.

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