Finally, Jules glances down at Elisabeth, the skin between her eyebrows crinkling to understand. Yusuf hesitantly stands in front of Elisabeth, and I join them, not wanting him close to Jules. They gaze at one another. I’m dumbfounded how a sweet woman like Elisabeth could have fallen for a ruthless guy like Yusuf. Love is definitely blind. And dumb. And deaf.
In a soft whisper, Yusuf says, “Elisabeth.”
She smiles. “Hallo, Yusuf.”
Jules clears her throat, glances at me, and says, “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Elisabeth breaks contact with Yusuf and gives me a pleading look for me to tell Jules in her language. My eyes drift to Yusuf, who’s taken aback I’m right next to him. He must not have noticed me moving to his side. Too caught up in seeing Elisabeth.
My eyes lock on Jules’. “Vater means father.”
“Okay, so?”
I flick my gaze to Yusuf and back to Jules, which prompts them to exchange a glance. The wheels churn in her beautiful mind, until it clicks. She gasps, drops her arm, and takes a step back. Elisabeth tries to grab Jules’ hand, but she’s backing up, shaking her head. When Jules is upset, she needs space or my cock. In this situation, my cock will have to remain in my pants.
It takes Yusuf longer to connect the dots. All he does is shake his head. He doesn’t believe it since he’s never known he had a child. Elisabeth explains to him in German about her pregnancy. His eyes widen after every word.
“I had a daughter and you never told me? And she’s lived closed to me?”
Elisabeth chokes on her tears, so I cut in, “Your daughter’s name is Jules, and she grew up in the U.S. Elisabeth had the baby there, and the hospital accidentally switched her at birth.”
He jabs his finger toward Jules, but asks me, “You’ve known about it?”
“I’ve recently met Elisabeth. As for you being Jules’ father…well, I found out just now.” Yusuf runs his hands through his wavy hair, eyes flicking to Jules. “Let’s not forget, she’s the one you kidnapped.”
Jules steps forward and shouts, “What?”
Yusuf’s eyes narrow on me. “So, you’re telling me your lamb, your girlfriend, is my daughter?” I nod and he dismisses it. “This can’t be. I would have heard about it.”
“How? Obviously, you haven’t run into Elisabeth all this time.”
He swallows hard. The anguish he feels is evident by the way he slumps his shoulders.
Good. Maybe he’ll learn from this hard lesson.
Jules says to him, “Why did you kidnap me?” Her voice rises. “I did nothing to you.” Louder. “They almost raped me!”
He cringes from her comment, and then becomes angry. “Because he’s my rival.” His body squares off in Jules’ direction. “Your boyfriend is my enemy.”
By now, thepolizeihave shown up, assessing the situation. They know exactly who we are. Since there’s no physical acts, they remain quiet.
Jules hands open and close into fists when Yusuf adds, “Your father’s enemy.”
“The hell you’re my father. My father wouldn’t do such a thing. I have a wonderful, loving, caring dad who has supported me through everything in life.” Her body is trembling from anger. I let her speak her mind. “You’re a thug. A criminal.”
He exaggerates his laughter, stops, and says, “And what do you think your boyfriend is? An angel in disguise?”
Tears break through and she quickly wipes them away, considering me. “No, I know what Miles is.” She pauses, shifting her gaze back to him, and when she has Yusuf’s full attention, continues, “He’s darkness. Lightness. A criminal and a lifesaver. Miles saved me from the harsh realities of life, along with saving me from myself.” Jules approaches Yusuf, causing me to step closer. “My boyfriend, your enemy, is a better man than you’ll ever be.”
The muscles in Yusuf’s jaw tightens. “Is that so? Do you know about all the things he’s done?”
I press between them, my face an inch from Yusuf’s and whisper, “Hey, asshole. We have an audience. Would you like to air out your dirty laundry in front of the cops?”
He eyes me up and down, lip curling in disgust, and walks over to his men. “We’re done.”
From behind me, I hear Elisabeth sob and apologize to Yusuf, who points at her. “There was a reason we didn’t work out. I didn’t want marriage or kids.” His gaze shifts to Jules. “Especially a girl.” His clan walks away.
I’m about to pound his face in, except Jules catches my arm. “Forget it, Miles. His comment doesn’t upset me. I can’t miss someone I don’t know.” She wraps her arms around my torso. “Besides, I already have a wonderful father. Yusuf would never be the father my dad is.”