Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 56: Hungry

A low, insistent growl rumbled through Jamal’s stomach, dragging him out of his deep sleep.

He blinked at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented. The tiny, unfamiliar room, the stiff mattress beneath him, the faint scent of old wood—all of it came rushing back.

Right. He was at Dawn’s home. Genevieve’s home. He reminded himself. As her driver he needed to think of her now as Genevieve not as Dawn, so he wouldn’t slip up.

His stomach growled louder.

Jamal exhaled and rubbed his face. He hadn’t eaten dinner last night. He had not realized just how exhausted he was. After his shower, he’d barely sat down before sleep had claimed him. And he hadn’t even checked in with Stefan.

Stefan.

Knowing Stefan he would most likely have tried to reach him to make sure he was okay.

He reached for his phone, flipping it over to check for any missed calls or messages. His brows lifted when he saw several missed calls from Stefan.

His lips twitched as he scrolled further, noticing the flurry of text messages.

> Stefan: Are you serious right now?

> Stefan: Are you really sleeping peacefully when I can’t sleep because you threw me into your mess?

> Stefan: Jamal, wake up. I’m suffering here.

> Stefan: She wanted Jamal’s number.

> Stefan: Anyway, I handled it. Told her the truth— well, my version of it. I am Jamal anyway, so the number she has belongs to me not my assistant.

> Stefan: Also, driver boy. Me and your ”boss” will be spending two whole days together. She’s skipping work to spend the day with me. I guess you’ll be driving us around.

> Stefan: Keep in mind that YOU OWE ME.

Jamal chuckled, shaking his head as he read through the messages. Stefan was always so dramatic.

Although he knew Stefan was probably still sleeping now seeing as he had spent his night texting him, Jamal typed out a response.

> Jamal: Consider it as working overtime. I’ll pay you separately for your time spent being me.

He sent the message, still grinning, then checked to see if he had any messages from Mari or Emily.

Sure enough he had private messages from them both, but none in the group. Curious to see if they had come up with a good excuse for him to explain away his absence for a month, he checked Mari’s message first.

It was a voice note. ”Jay, something crazy is going on right now. Remember what I told you about my dad’s background and stuff? Those cartel guys are after us. My parents are terrified even though they’re trying not to show it. You can’t tell anyone about this. Not even Em. They want me to leave for a while until they’re able to take care of the threat, but I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m not sure what to do or how to help. I’m feeling both scared and frustrated. I hate seeing them look so worried. Sorry I’m dumping this on you, I just need to rant and you’re the only one I feel safe enough to share this with.

Jamal frowned as he listened to her message. If they were after Mari and her family, that would mean they were after his Mom too, right? Why were they after them after all these years?

Jamal checked the time before he quickly responded to her message.

> Jamal: Call me when you wake up let’s talk.

He knew it was nighttime over there, and he she wouldn’t be awake.

He checked Emily’s message. A voice note too.

”Jam, this is an urgent cry for help. My Dad wants me to go to Husla for a residency program, and he wants me to stay with Cal for six months. SIX MONTHS, Jam. If you don’t want either of us to end up dead by the end of that six months, come up with a plan. I fear I might kill Cal. Also, I’m not sure how to tell Mari that I might not be around for her birthday. HELP ME! Maybe you can give her a hint or something.

Jamal chuckled, wondering why Emily’s dad would want her to live with Cal for six months. He sighed as he responded to the text.

> Jamal: No one is going to kill anyone. Perhaps it’s best you both live together so you can learn to get along as cousins. I’ll be rooting for you. About Mari’s birthday, you know her. It is best you tell her as soon as you can so she adjusts her plans.

Jamal sighed as he sent the text. It seemed like everyone had serious issues going on with them at the moment. He doubted that a birthday party was top on Mari’s mind right now if truly the members of the cartel was after her family.

Deciding to focus on his morning routine, he switched over to his podcast app to see if there was any update from Nobody. When he didn’t see any, he sighed and then replayed her last message on hope before switching to Instagram to see if there was any message from his mute friend.

He was pleasantly surprised to see she had left him a message last night.

> Mute Girl: Hey! Do you live in Westend? Or are you visiting?

Jamal raised a brow when he read the message. That was... interesting. Why was she asking? Did she want them to meet? Without thinking twice, he quickly typed a reply.

> Jamal: I’m here for a visit, but I’ll be around for a while. We could find time to meet up if you want. Winks.

Satisfied, he set the phone aside since he wasn’t expecting a response from her anytime soon. It was barely 7 AM. She was probably still asleep.

His stomach grumbled again, louder this time, and Jamal decided it was time to find food. The problem? He had no idea where the kitchen was.

Bob, the butler Genevieve had handed him to, had said he would introduce him to the rest of the domestic staff during the staff dinner, but unfortunately he had slept off. He wondered if Bob had come to find him during dinner time.

Jamal sat up, stretching. If he was going to be working here for the next couple of weeks, he needed to establish some useful connections. And from experience—at his place, his uncle’s place, and even his mentor’s— he knew one golden rule: get close to the cook, and you’ll never go hungry.

Aside from taking care of his stomach, he knew he could also get information about the family easily by listening to the gossips of the domestic staff.

He decided to have a quick shower first since he had no idea how early Genevieve usually started her day. He needed to be dressed and ready before she was ready to leave the house.

Thanks to the heads-up from Stefan, he knew now that she wouldn’t be going to the office.

Jamal stepped into the tiny bathroom attached to his room. The space barely allowed him to move, but he made do, letting the cool water of the shower wake him up. He was just about done when a knock sounded at his door.

His first thought was that it was Bob. Jamal guessed Bob probably wanted to check on him to see if he was up now or maybe Genevieve had sent him to him.

”Hold on!” Jamal called out, shutting off the water. He grabbed his towel, quickly drying himself as he stepped out of the bathroom. He yanked on a pair of trousers, the fabric still sticking slightly to his damp skin.

His shirt? He didn’t bother. Still rubbing his hair dry with the towel, he unlocked the door and swung it open.

And froze.

His towel slipped from his fingers.

His jaw went slack.