Chapter 24
Lierden’s rain always came suddenly. Zachary stood at the door of Yasmine’s apartment with his suit utterly soaked through. Water was dripping from his hair, and he looked utterly disheveled.
He raised his hand but froze just before touching the door. What should he even say? What right did he have to disturb her again?
In that moment of hesitation, the door suddenly opened from inside. Xavier emerged, carrying a bag of trash, and unexpectedly met Zachary’s furious gaze.
The air hung still for a moment before Zachary’s fist flew forward.
Xavier seemed startled. He tilted his head slightly, but the punch still grazed his lip as he staggered backward several steps. The trash bag fell from his hands, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
“Xavier!” Yasmine’s voice came from inside the apartment.
Within seconds, she had rushed to the doorway, pulling Xavier protectively behind her as she stared at Zachary with an icy gaze. “What the hell are you doing?”
Zachary’s chest heaved violently as he pointed at Xavier. “Yasmine, he’s acting! Can’t you see it? He’s obviously…”
“Enough.” Yasmine cut him off, her voice carrying a coldness Zachary had never heard before. “You’re not welcome here.”
Xavier gently tugged at Yasmine’s wrist, his eyes downcast, looking somewhat hurt and resigned. “I’m fine. Would you two like to talk alone? I can step away.”
“There’s no need.” Yasmine didn’t turn around, her tone sounding resolute. “I have nothing to say to him.”
Those words pierced Zachary’s heart like a blade. He stepped forward abruptly, rainwater flying from his hair.
“Yasmine, I know it was all my fault! My feelings for Queenie were just an obsession. It was all because of her manipulation and the way she came between us that made me act that way.
“I’ve already dealt with the York family. They’re about to go bankrupt, and she won’t have a good ending, either.
“The person I truly love is you. Can you give me a chance? After all, didn’t you love me too back then?”
Yasmine looked at him quietly, her brow slightly furrowed. “So in your mind, all the problems between us existed only because of Queenie? Zachary, Anthony” should have already told you that I simply mistook you for someone else back then.”
The rain grew heavier, and Zachary’s face looked increasingly pale under the dim lighting. “No, that’s not it. Yasmine…”
“The person I loved was always the one who saved me from that car accident.” Yasmine’s voice was soft but exceptionally firm. “That wasn’t you.”
Zachary staggered back a step, confusion flickering in his eyes. Meanwhile, Xavier stood behind Yasmine with his head slightly lowered. There was still a trace of blood on his lip.
From an angle Yasmine couldn’t see, he lifted his gaze to meet Zachary’s. Those eyes were sharp and calculating, even taunting, with no trace of the hurt and timidity from moments before.
Zachary’s pupils contracted sharply. “Yasmine, look closely! He’s not the person you think he is!”
At that moment, Yasmine had already turned around. She was gently cupping Xavier’s face, her fingertips carefully touching his reddened lip. “Does it hurt?”
Xavier shook his head, naturally taking her hand in his. “Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”
The door slowly closed in front of Zachary, shutting out the last sliver of light. He stood in the rain, soaked to the bone. Though he couldn’t feel the cold, he couldn’t stop shivering.
Even so, he no longer had the courage to call out to Yasmine.
The next day, sunlight streamed through the floor–to–ceiling windows into the apartment. Yasmine sat at the dining table, her fingertips lightly tapping the edge of her coffee cup.
Her phone buzzed, and the screen lit up with a message from Anthony. “Yas, something happened to Zachary.”
She glanced at his long texts with a calm expression.
“Remember how Zachary was going after the Yorks? Even though Smith Group doesn’t fully support him yet, he’s still the Smith family’s heir. Taking down struggling company would be child’s play for him.
“After the Yorks went bankrupt, Queenie’s dad turned completely ruthless. He sent Queenie to Paul Sutton and his crew. You know what those guys are like. “‘Queenie got tortured pretty badly before getting some money, then her old man took it all and ran, leaving her all alone.
“Ever since coming back from your place, Zachary’s been drowning himself in booze, doing nothing but targeting the Yorks.
“In the end, those guys probably got bored with Queenie and let her go. The first thing she did was hunt down Zachary at a bar and ram him with her car.
a
He didn’t die, but word is he won’t wake up. Daniel’s furious about it, and he had Queenie locked up with special instructions for her ‘care.‘ I guess scums really do get what’s coming to them.”
After reading it, Yasmine casually typed a reply, her face showing no emotion.
So? Do you have
Chapter 24
212
When Yasmine pushed open the restaurant doors, the entire hall was empty, filled with soft lighting and rose petals scattered across the floor. Following the trail of petals deeper inside, her heart began racing as she guessed what Xavier intended to do.
In the center of the hall, Xavier stood waiting in a perfectly tailored black suit, holding a bouquet of pure white jasmine flowers. Sunlight streamed through the glass dome above, illuminating his features like a painting, making him look impossibly gentle.
Seeing her approach, Xavier took a deep breath and dropped to one knee, extending the bouquet toward her.
“Yasmine.” His voice trembled slightly yet carried unwavering determination. “I like you. I’ve liked you for a very, very long time.
“I wanted to tell you as soon as you arrived here, but I wasn’t sure about your feelings. Then, when Zachary came the other day and I heard what you two said to each other, it gave me the resolve to tell you everything.
“I know I might not be good enough, but I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that I’m worth your trust. Yasmine, would you be willing to be with me?”
Yasmine looked at his ears, flushed red with nervousness, and suddenly remembered the young man who had rushed into the flames to save her years ago. He had blushed the same way when he was carefully asking if she was hurt.
That man, whose face she couldn’t see clearly against the light, now merged with the man before her.
She accepted the bouquet and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “I will.”
Xavier’s eyes immediately lit up, as if they were filled with starlight. He stood and pulled her tightly into his arms, his voice choked with emotion. “This time, I won’t let you mistake me for someone else again.”
Yasmine rested against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of jasmine, and gently closed her eyes.
This time, she had finally found the right person.
