Chapter Ten
1266 Words
Jasmine POV
“Ma’am, aren’t you going upstairs? It’s late already,” Dominga said from the kitchen entrance, her voice gentle but tired.
“No, Dominga. I’ll read for a little longer and then head upstairs. Thank you.”
“Alright. Goodnight, ma’am.”
“Goodnight, Dominga.”
Once her footsteps faded toward the staff quarters, I stood up and walked into the kitchen. I had been craving ice cream all evening, and I wasn’t about to wait until tomorrow. I opened the freezer section of the big refrigerator, pulled out the vanilla tub, and grabbed a spoon. I settled at the kitchen island, flipping pages in my novel while slowly eating straight from the container. The quiet house and the cold sweetness were the only comforts I had tonight.
A short while later, the front door opened. I froze, then slipped off the stool and moved to the kitchen doorway to peek out. It was Adonis and Maya. They had finally returned after three days in the city.
Maya immediately hugged Adonis from behind. “Let’s go to the field tomorrow, Adonis.”
“Not tomorrow, Maya,” he said, gently pulling her arms away. He walked over to the dining table and sat down, looking worn out.
“Why not tomorrow?” She followed him and took the seat right beside him. “I’ll prepare your favorite snacks. We can just relax there like we used to do before.”
“Because I can’t tomorrow. Just drop it already.”
“Fine. I won’t bother you if you don’t want to go.” She paused, then brightened up. “Let me get you a cup of hot chocolate before you head upstairs.”
“Wait,” Adonis said, his voice low but clear enough for me to hear from the kitchen. “I need you to do something for me.”
“What is it?”
I leaned closer, my grip tightening on the doorframe.
“Mr. Lorenzo told me that Jasmine tried to escape on our wedding day here at the ranch.” Can you try to find out which of the workers helped her? I need to know so I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
My stomach dropped. He was actually investigating it.
“Just stop it, Adonis,” Maya snapped, her voice rising. “Do you really believe what that man said? Besides, I’m sure that girl tried to run off on her own. No one on this ranch would want to help her.” She sounded so quick to dismiss it, so defensive.
“Can you just do what I asked and stop assuming things, Maya?”
I had heard enough. I pushed the kitchen door open and stepped into the dining area, my spoon still in my hand.
“Answer him, Maya. Why are you trying so hard to shut this down?” I said, my voice louder than I intended.
Maya shot up from her chair and faced me. “Jasmine, are you mad? What do you want me to say when I know nothing about why you tried to run away?”
“The truth, Maya.” My pulse hammered in my ears. “Tell Adonis the truth. That you came to me on my wedding day and offered to help me escape. Don’t play innocent. “Tell him how you offered to drive me back to the city before I tried to leave on my own.” I was practically shouting now. Her face, that fake concern, made my blood boil.
“That’s not true.” Maya’s eyes widened. “Jasmine, why on earth are you lying against me? She’s just trying to make me look bad because she hates me, Adonis. You don’t believe her, right? You know I would never do anything to hurt you.”
Adonis looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Are you telling the truth, Jasmine?”
I moved closer to him, trying to keep my breathing steady. “I have no reason to lie about this.”
“If anyone helped you, b***h, it wasn’t me,” Maya shot back.
I turned on her fully. “Maya, who gave you the right to speak to me that way?”
“You always talk to me however you want, so why can’t I?” she fired back.
“Because we are not on the same level in this house, and every single day you show me exactly why you don’t deserve any respect from me. I am the one in charge here, and I expect you to treat me with the respect that comes with that.”
Maya stepped away from me and moved closer to Adonis, her voice cracking as she turned back to him. “Aren’t you going to say anything? She’s disrespecting me and lying against me.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
I felt my control slipping. “I swear, Maya, if you deny this one more time, I will slap the s**t out of you.”
She got right in my face, so close I could see the anger in her eyes. “Of course I’ll deny it, because it’s a lie. You’re doing all this to get Adonis to throw me out. You’ve hated me from the first day you saw me.”
“Yes, Maya, I don’t like you at all, and I never will.” The words poured out. “You don’t know when to stop. You keep overstepping like this is your house. For the last time, if you say another word, I will slap you.”
“You dare not, Jasmine…”
I raised my hand, anger rushing through me. Just as my palm was about to connect with her cheek, Adonis grabbed my wrist, stopping me mid-swing.
“Can the two of you just stop yelling and act like adults?” His voice cut through the room, firm and exhausted.
Maya turned to him immediately, tears streaming down her face. “Adonis, please. I swear on my father’s grave I didn’t do it. She’s lying.”
“Calm down, Maya, okay?” he said, his tone softer with her.
“No, Adonis. Tell me you believe me. Please.”
“Maya, go upstairs and leave us alone.”
“But Adonis, she’ll keep making things up about me. It’s a blatant lie.”
“Enough.” Adonis raised his voice, the sound sharp enough that Maya flinched. “Just go upstairs. I want to talk to my wife.”
Maya looked stunned. She wiped her eyes, shot me one last hateful glance, and hurried up the stairs.
Adonis turned to me. The silence between us felt heavy. “Can we talk in my study?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He simply walked off in that direction.
I stood there for a moment, staring after him. Part of me wanted to refuse, to turn around and go straight to my room. I was exhausted after arguing with Maya. But another part knew avoiding this would only make things worse. I took a deep breath and followed him down the hall to his study.
The room was dimly lit when I stepped inside. Adonis had already taken a seat behind his desk. I closed the door behind me and waited, arms crossed, wondering what he would say now that it was just the two of us. My heart still raced from the argument, and the questions about that wedding day hung in the air between us. Whatever came next, I wasn’t going to back down.
- Writer
