CHAPTER THREE

JASMINE'S POV

We got every necessary document we needed to base in New York without anyone’s knowledge a few weeks from the time we were supposed to leave. We were both eighteen, and I had just turned so recently, so the travel documents and all the others were not much of a problem. Considering that we both had people we were running from, we were determined to make it work.

Reina had much more at stake if the plan were to fail as her guardian, MR Lawrence, who was given access to her inheritance did not show an atom of care towards her. Reina's parents believed that he would take great care of their only child since they had known him for so many years and had no other relative, but they were completely wrong as Reina was turned into a slave in her father's house which MR Lawrence and his family had moved into after her parents were buried, she was made to serve him and his family. She had no luxury at her disposal and lived a life of a common maid and was allowed to go to the best school just to keep up public appearances for ten years of her life.

Reina started planning the entire escape long before I got involved, she formed an alliance with a very powerful man, MR Jerry, who was also a multi-billionaire, through the influence she had in high school. MR Jerry took a great liking to her probably because of how driven and high-spirited she was and still is, he was the finances and source of connections that we needed for the plan to succeed. Through his connections, he found out that Reina's inheritance was officially hers once she turned eighteen and decided to move out and start up alone but with a catch that she could only access thirty percent until she got married. He also helped in running every transaction we needed to move out of the country without anyone finding out.

I remember being on edge on the day of the burial, I was trying so hard to avoid King, he kept on rambling about how everything concerning the burial should be perfect and how I and Raphael should act prim and proper to the core to keep up a good face. I was made to put on a black flowing gown, a body fitted with a slit at the back, and my blonde hair perfectly done by one of his hired stylists.

I hated the outfit as beautiful as it was and I hated how extravagant the entire burial was especially the night party, but King insisted that Grandmother deserved the most glamorous Burial ever, I didn’t even understand why he would say that when he practically didn’t know her and if he was around earlier he would have known that what she needed was not the best burial but the best medical care that she could not afford when she was alive. He transformed everything, our once poor-looking parlor was looking ravishing as he bought new very expensive furniture to replace the old tattered ones, and the entire house was redecorated both on the inside and out.

The party was in full swing when Reina who wore a similar gown to mine texted me saying she was in position as we agreed that we would move during the night party when no one would even notice our absence because of the various stupid expensive performances King paid for. I remember how amusing the text was, Rei sent a lady-in-suit emoji, a gun, and a devil-faced emoji and I could almost see her wink and smirk right there.

She was a total sucker for spy movies and had just found a great opportunity to exhibit her extensively learned skills in the act of subtlety. I laughed that night as I texted back “ Roger that,” going along with the charade.

My only regret back then was that I had to leave my junior brother Raphael.

Even now, I really miss him but I’m sure leaving him with King was the best decision as painful as it is to admit. I sigh as I see that I’m close to the company, my mind drifts off to the conversation I had with Raphael.

I excused myself from the party and was about to head to the back door where Reina was when he ran up to me.

“Sister Jasmine, can you help me take this tie off? It's really uncomfortable,” He pleaded with what I thought was the cutest expression ever.

“ I don’t think Big Brother King will be pleased,” I said teasingly as I crouched down to his level and helped him remove the tie.

“ Big brother is too busy with the guests to notice, besides I won’t let him see me. You won’t tell him either right?” Raphael asked with an intense look.

Ever since King came back, Raphe had started looking at him as a father figure and as much as I want him to know that King is not as perfect as he now believes he is, I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

Ever since the death of grandmother, Raphael had been so downcast and sad. I didn’t know how he found out about her death because I tried very hard to hide it from him initially.

But all that sadness dissipated when King came into the picture, he was showered with so much love, care, and attention from King within that short period of time that his entire countenance brightened up again and he turned back into the cheery boy he normally was, even though he asked of granny from time to time.

I looked at him being so adorably cute right then over a simple bow tie and I couldn’t help the pain that shot through my heart, I was leaving him for a very long time and I felt terrible about that.

“ No Raphe, I would never,” I said as I ruffled his hair. At that point, I felt like crying, that was all it took for my resolve to crumble, I had to strongly remind myself that it was for the best and that I would come back for him later.

“ Raphe, you know big sis loves you right?” I said to him with a sad voice and hugged him tight.

“Mm,” was all Raphe said in response giving me a very suspicious look when I pulled away.

I quickly masked my sad expression with the best smile I could muster so he wouldn’t start asking questions and probably stick to me the whole night trying to cheer me up.

“ Go meet old man Tomson, he has been looking for you,” I said as I stood up trying to avert his attention from my sad expression.

He smiled back at me and headed in the direction of the old man sitting in the wheelchair and sipping wine by the chimney.

I received another text from Reina saying we were running out of time, so I summoned the last ounce of resolve I had and walked away to the back door hastily but carefully to avoid being suspected but I froze because of the little hands that were suddenly wrapped around me.

“Little Raphe loves you too sister Jasmine,” I heard Raphael say with the cutest voice and I heard the sound of his shoes tapping the floor while he ran away immediately, the tears I had been trying to hold back rolled down my eyes and I smiled sadly, making my way to the car Reina was in.

Reina drove the car in full acceleration immediately after I got in, she blasted music from the car once we were far away from the house since she noticed the mood I was in and thought it was going to cheer me up. But that didn’t help as the tears didn’t stop flowing, the thought of him waking up and finding out that I was gone was what was fueling my tears.

She parked the car and turned to me, pulling me into a hug, and tried consoling me. “It's alright Jas, he will be fine, he is better off with King for now, he will have the support and love he needs for him to grow, and he will have a stable life - you know King will make sure of this,” Rei said while trying to soothe me.

I knew all these back then, but I couldn’t help it, he was my only surviving family apart from Reina as far as I was concerned and it hurt that I had to leave him, “Am I not doing the same thing King did? I’m leaving him too. He is going to wake up tomorrow and find out that I’m gone or he will look for me this night to read stories to him and he won't see me. He is going to hate me Reina,” I said, sobbing heavily.

“ Don’t do that to yourself Jas, Raphe is a smart kid and he knows you love him, he would never hate you and you are nothing like King, he left you and Raphe without any thoughts as to how you will survive. He left you with an old woman without a single care, you said so yourself,” Reina said with a calm and quiet voice just as she pulled away from the hug and stared into my eyes.

“But you Jasmine, you left him knowing that he would be well taken care of. He left him knowing that he would have enough to eat every day and have the best care and attention. You left him to a life of luxury and comfort and this is enough to show that you love him. Even if you will miss a few years of his life you know that he will be well taken care of,” she said as she wiped my tears.

As much as I felt like crying some more, I knew I couldn’t do that to Reina, staying at that spot would have got us caught and it would have sabotaged her entire plan so I pulled myself together and put on a happy face, turned the radio back on and smiled at her. She smiled back at me and restarted the car.

“I probably should have cried a little more, at least I wouldn’t have bumped into him,” I mumble to myself in the back seat of the cab just as I notice the teardrops on my face which probably fell when I thought of Raphael. The statement I just made should feel truthful and accurate but rather I feel a twinge in my heart at the thought of not bumping into him that night.

“ Ma’am, we have reached our destination,” The driver says bringing me out of my thoughts.

I get down from the cab and I stare at the place that will determine how my future will turn out to be.