In Barcelona, Dante was losing his mind over the phone call he just had with Jasmine.
He had slammed his cell phone violently against the office wall causing the screen to shatter, instantly.
He paced to and fro in his office, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with rage, unable to understand why she was being so stubborn.
“She hung up on me?! And even switched off her phone.”
His face darkened.
How dare she?
For years, Jasmine had never ignored a single one of his calls. Now she had cut him off without hesitation.
His assistant stood silently in the corner, too frightened to speak.
Just then, the office door opened and his longtime friend, Franco, walked in holding a tablet.
“What happened?” He was surprised to see Dante looking pissed as hell.
“Jasmine’s been so annoyingly stubborn! Why can’t she just do what I want?!”
“Speaking of Jasmine, I found something interesting...”Franco placed the tablet on the desk, on the screen was a headline.
“Second Master Madrigal to marry the Gallo’s family eldest daughter, Maliyah Gallo.”
Dante frowned. “The Gallo family?”
Franco nodded. “Apparently the wedding’s happening soon.”
“You’re linking this to Jasmine because she bears the same surname?”
Dante realized now that Jasmine barely ever talked about her family.
“I’m sure there might be no relations but what if? I was very curious and so I went to your house to ask, I also wanted to talk to Jasmine on your behalf so she could stop being so upset but she wasn’t there. Trying to find her led me finding out that she had traveled to Madrid today.”
Dante’s eyes widened in shocked. “She traveled to Madrid?!”
Without telling him?
Just how angry was she?!
He was done with this back and forth. Jasmine could never bring herself to leave him for good. She was simply acting outcast but she had really gone too far this time!
Well, maybe he’d have to swallow his pride and apologize, she loved him too much, all he had to do was placate her a bit and then she would forgive him like she always did.
“Book the earliest flight to Madrid. This little rebellion has gone on long enough.”
He picked up his car keys. He had to go bring her back. Jasmine belonged here in Barcelona...with him.
************
The black Rolls-Royce swept through the towering wrought-iron gates of the Madrigal ancestral estate, its tires whispering over the stone driveway lined with century-old camphor trees. The sprawling mansion stood proudly against the pale sky, majestic and imposing, every carved pillar and tiled roof carrying the weight of generations.
Jasmine sat beside Leonardo, her fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her dress.
She had faced countless interviews, difficult clients, and humiliating confrontations throughout her life.
Yet somehow, meeting his family frightened her far more.
Sensing her nervousness, Leon glanced sideways.
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“I’m not.”
His gaze lingered on the way her fingers refused to stop fidgeting.”Liar.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. “I’ve never met such... an important family before.”
His expression softened almost imperceptibly. “They’re just people.”
Easy for him to say.
Before she could answer, the car stopped beneath the mansion’s grand entrance.
The butler hurried forward and respectfully opened the door.
“Young Master. Young Madam.”
The title made Jasmine freeze for half a heartbeat.
Young Madam...
She had to get used to hearing that now.
Leonardo stepped out first before extending a hand toward her. After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in his.
His palm was warm.
Steady.
For some reason, the moment their fingers intertwined, the anxiety in her chest eased.
***********
The family house was already bustling with members of the Madrigal family.
The room fell noticeably quieter the instant Leonardo entered.
Some greeted him warmly. Others merely observed him with calculating eyes.
At the center of the hall sat the Madrigal family’s unquestionable authority.
Old Madam Valentina.
Though well into her eighties, her back remained straight, her eyes sharp despite the wrinkles that marked the passage of time. The instant she saw Jasmine, her eyes brightened.
“So this is my granddaughter-in-law?”She immediately waved them over. “Come here. Let me have a proper look at you.”
Jasmine obediently walked forward before politely bowing. “Grandmother.”
The old lady beamed. “Oh, what a sweet voice.”
She reached out, taking Jasmine’s hands into her own weathered ones before studying her face from every angle.
The more she looked, the wider her smile became. “What a beautiful child.”
Her fingers gently patted Jasmine’s hand.
“Such delicate features. Bright eyes. A calm temperament.”
She glanced at Leon before laughing happily. “My grandson truly has excellent taste.”
The surrounding relatives echoed polite laughter.
Old Madam Valentina wasn’t finished. “No wonder this stubborn boy finally agreed to marry.” She affectionately squeezed Jasmine’s hand. “The two of you look absolutely perfect together.”
Jasmine felt slightly embarrassed beneath so much praise. “Thank you, Grandmother.” She let out, politely.
“I’ve lived for more than eighty years. I know good people when I see them.” Her words were sincere and warm.
For a brief moment, Jasmine almost forgot she was merely playing someone else’s role.
Not everyone shared the old lady’s delight.
Sitting nearby, Second Aunt Miranda slowly lifted her teacup, a calculating smile appearing on her lips.
“So this is Maliyah.” She deliberately emphasized the name. “I heard your marriage with Leon happened rather suddenly.”
The atmosphere subtly shifted.
Madam Valentina shot her a warning glance.
But Miranda continued as though she hadn’t noticed.
“Although...” She smiled meaningfully. “It’s understandable. After all, this marriage was arranged to ward off misfortune.”
Jasmine linked. Ward off misfortune?
What did she mean by that? She instinctively turned toward Leonardo.
His expression remained unreadable. No one had mentioned this before.
Her heart skipped.
Was...Was he seriously ill?
She discreetly examined him. Apart from occasionally looking pale and distant, he seemed perfectly healthy.
Yet...why would someone as powerful as Leonardo Madrigal agree to such an unusual marriage?
The room remained strangely quiet.
Finally, Madam Valentina sighed softly.
“There is no need to hide it.” She looked toward Jasmine, kindly. “Leon was diagnosed with a serious illness some time ago.”
Jasmine’s ingers tightened slightly.
So he was indeed sick.
Madam Valentina continued. “After consulting doctors everywhere without success, someone introduced us to a respected master. The master studied Leon’s fate and said he needed a marriage to disperse the bad fortune surrounding him.”
Old Madam Valentina nodded solemnly. “We examined countless birth charts.” And then she smiled. “In the end, only your compatibility with Leon proved perfect.”
Jasmine’s heartbeat grew increasingly complicated.
Compatibility?
Birth charts?
So this marriage wasn’t mainly a business deal but because fate supposedly demanded it.
Madam Valentina looked at her with gratitude. “And surprisingly, his condition has improved significantly these past few days. It seems you’ve truly brought him good fortune.”
Jasmine felt conflicted. She wasn’t Maliyah, if this marriage truly depended on compatibility, then the person they believed had saved Leonardo wasn’t here.
Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward him.
Did he actually believe this strange superstition?
Leonardo merely sipped his tea, giving away nothing.