Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 272: Sleepless Night

Stefan lay flat on his back, staring at nothing in particular since the room was dark and he couldn’t see a thing.

The clock beside his bed ticked softly, the red digits showed ur was 4:30 a.m. He had not closed his eyes once all night.

All night, he had been thinking of Genevieve.

Although his body was exhausted and he was jet lagged, his mind was very much active and alert.

He was still trying to figure out how the best way to Genevieve to trust him enough to open up to him.

He could easily tell her that he was Stefan not Jamal Jonas. That wasn’t a big deal for him.

But if he did that, then she’d know he knew the truth about herself, and that would then leave her no other option but to confess to him. That was where the problem lay.

That wasn’t the kind of confession he wanted from her. He wanted her to do it not because he forced her hand. He wanted her to trust him enough to step forward on her own. He wanted her to prove to him that he was right about her.

He rubbed his hand across his tired face. His chest felt heavy with the burden of indecision.

But what if she was just too scared to do so? What if truly tried to run away because she couldn’t afford to tell them the truth? That was what worried him.

Needing to talk to someone, he switched on the bedside lamp as he got off the bed and then he dragged his luggage closer.

He flipped it open, pulled out his phone from the hidden pocket, and sat back down on the bed. The light from the screen hurt his eyes, but he scrolled quickly, dialing Jamal’s number.

It rang a few times before Jamal’s groggy voice came through. ”Stefan... I was just about to sleep after these kids finally let me be. You ruined it.”

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Sorry. I couldn’t sleep. I just needed to hear what was going on.”

Jamal groaned, his voice thick with sleep as he sat up. ”Are you okay? What’s happening over there?”

Stefan leaned back against the headboard. ”I’m okay. Nothing much is happening. We’re at the resort. Genevieve’s asleep in one of the guest rooms. How’s everything on your end?”

Jamal yawned as he lay down again. ”We’re in Ludus. Abigail and Josh are safe. Ryan... well, he woke up. He’s flying down to Ludus too, so he can meet with Callan.”

Stefan’s brow furrowed. ”Ryan’s awake?”

”Yeah,” Jamal muttered. ”Barely, but yeah. He’s holding on. Why did you say you’re awake again?”

”I just couldn’t stop thinking.”

”About me?” Jamal asked jokingly and Stefan chuckled. ”So, how’s it going with Genevieve?”

Stefan hesitated, then said evenly, ”I asked her to marry me.”

Jamal sat up, ”What?! Are you serious? You’re making that leap already?”

Stefan’s mouth curved in a humorless smile. ”I love her. And... I feel sorry for her too. But wasn’t exactly why I proposed.”

”So, why did you? Did she open up already?” Jamal asked curiously.

”No, she hasn’t. And as for the reason I did it, first and foremost I wanted to see if she’d accept my proposal despite the magnitude of secret she’s keeping. And secondly I hoped it would push her to open up. It was more like a spur of the moment idea.”

”So? Did she accept?”

”No. She turned me down. But she did accept to be my girlfriend, though,” Stefan said and Jamal chuckled.

”Two proposals in one night? Haven’t you been very busy, Stefan? So, which of them came first? Did you ask her to be your girlfriend after she refused your marriage proposal or did you ask her to marry you just after she accepted to be your girlfriend?” Jamal teased.

Stefan chuckled despite himself. ”I asked her to be my girlfriend first.”

”What if she had said yes to your marriage proposal? What would you have done?” Jamal asked thoughtfully.

”I love her enough to marry her. You know very well that I’m not the kind of man who needs a month or a year to decide if someone’s right for me,” Stefan said without hesitation. ”If she had accepted, I would’ve tried to find other ways to get her to confess. And she if still doesn’t do so... I’d be disappointed, and I’d end things. But I knew she wouldn’t say yes though. I wasn’t disappointed by her response.”

”That’s good to know.”

”What would you have done if you were in my shoes?”

Jamal didn’t speak right away. The line was quiet for a while, then finally he said, ”If I were in your shoes... I’d try to think of things from her point of view. She most likely believes no one is on her side or will be when she exposes everything. Genevieve has a lot to fear, and more than enough reason to not trust anyone enough to open up.”

Stefan let out a short breath. ”From her point of view. Her mother blackmails her. The man she thinks is her father has never treated her well. Abigail, the sister whose identity she’s using, would never forgive her if she finds out the truth. And me? I’m Abigail’s childhood sweetheart and might never forgive her if I find out what she did to Abigail. I can imagine how twisted that must feel for her.”

”Exactly,” Jamal said quietly. ”For all those reasons, she’s scared to open up. She doesn’t know what will happen when she does. It’s not easy for someone in her shoes to talk. So, maybe you could help her a little. Give her something. A reason to believe it is safe to talk to you. Maybe you can open up some things to her.”

”I thought of that,” Stefan admitted. His voice dropped lower. ”But I guess I didn’t give it much thought because I felt it was my emotions clouding my judgment.”

Jamal chuckled softly. ”Well, I’m of the opinion that it’s okay to let your feelings cloud your judgment, if it’s for the right person. If you believe deep down that she’s the one, then give it a shot. Every time I let my emotions cloud my judgment, I ended up doing the right thing,” he said, thinking about the first time he met Abigail at the club and when he met Genevieve at her office for the first time and decided to be her driver.”

Stefan was quiet, turning those words over. Then he asked, ”Do you think I should talk to her about it later in the day or wait until the week is up before raising the subject?”

Jamal sighed. ”Honestly? I don’t think either of you will enjoy this trip if there’s a big secret hanging between you. Maybe it’s best to deal with it now, so you can actually enjoy your time together before you come back.”

A wry smile touched Stefan’s lips. ”Thank you. Everything is clearer and I feel so much better now.”

”Goodnight, Stefan.”

When the call ended, Stefan tucked his phone away again. His thoughts still raced, but his chest felt lighter. Within minutes, his eyes closed.

Four hours later, a knock came at his door woke him up from his deep sleep.

”Come in,” he said, his voice rough with sleep.

The door opened, and Genevieve stepped in. She froze.

Stefan lay on the bed shirtless, hair mussed, eyes half-lidded, the sheet tangled at his waist. He looked rough, but in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

She stared without meaning to, her cheeks warming.

How could he look so beautiful and sexy? She wondered, recalling their heated kisses the night before.

His eyes opened fully and caught her gaze. A slow smile tugged his lips. ”Good morning.”

She blushed hard, looking away quickly. ”Sorry. Good morning. I just came to check if you were awake and find out if you have any plans for breakfast, I’m sort of hungry,” she confessed.

”Sorry about that. I didn’t sleep until six,” he said, sitting up and rubbing his gritty eyes. ”Now my eyes feel like sandpaper.”

She smiled faintly. ”In that case, I’ll let you sleep in. I’ll go take a walk around the resort and find myself something to eat.”

He pushed the sheet aside and stood up immediately. ”No. I didn’t come here with you to sleep while you walk or eat alone. Give me a few minutes to freshen up, and I’ll join you. We’ll get breakfast.”

”You look fresh enough to eat already,” She muttered under her breath.

Stefan paused, tilting his head. ”What did you just say?”

Her eyes widened when she realized she had spoken aloud.

Her face burned red. ”Nothing! I’ll be waiting!” she blurted, before hurrying out the door.

Stefan chuckled low as he walked into the en suite bathroom.

Today, he’d make sure they talked and opened up to each other.