30. Jasmine

30

JASMINE

A s the elevator dinged, signaling Jasmine's arrival at the penthouse level, she steeled herself for Margo's news of the investigation.

It suddenly occurred to her that a tiny spy drone's filmed evidence was not admissible in court, but did that matter? Even if Rob and Lynda were married and the evidence of her infidelity was presented as cause for divorce, it wouldn't have changed anything. California was a no-fault state, which in the context of divorce meant that neither party needed to prove wrongdoing or fault by the other spouse in order to obtain a divorce.

When she opened the door to the penthouse, she found Margo in the living room, sprawled on her belly on the couch and looking at the screen of her phone.

"Hi. What are you doing?"

Margo lifted her head. "Shopping. I put all the packages that were delivered for you in your room. If you want to check whether everything arrived, I can brew coffee in the meantime."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just make sure that the swimming trunks are here. Julian wants to start Ell-rom on exercising in the pool."

Margo sat up and then pushed to her feet. "When are the rest of us going to meet your prince?"

Jasmine hadn't thought of that. "I don't know. I'll have to check with Ell-rom to see if he is okay with that, and I also have to check with the doctors to see if they approve. It's also possible that Kian or Jade or both will visit, so I need to clear it with them."

The Clan Mother would no doubt show up later today, but Jasmine didn't know whether she was allowed to mention her.

"Busy guy, your prince." Margo walked into the kitchen. "How are things progressing with you two?"

"Nicely." Jasmine smiled. "Make the coffee. I'll check on the packages, and we will talk when I'm done."

Margo lifted the measuring cup she was using to spoon the coffee grounds. "I'll hold you to that."

The truth was that Jasmine preferred to talk about her budding relationship with Ell-rom to discussing Lynda's cheating. One was a happy subject, while the other was depressing.

With a sigh, she walked into the room she used to share with Edgar and looked at the pile of bags and boxes stacked on the floor.

After unpacking everything, she considered putting the clothing items in a wash before delivering them to Ell-rom, but that would take too long. Besides, he might not like some of them, and she would need to return them. It was better to show him what she'd gotten for him and then ask him if he wanted her to launder the items he decided to keep.

Jasmine loaded everything into two large shopping bags that she'd saved from before, put the boxes and delivery bags in the closet in case she needed to return anything and grabbed a fresh change of clothing for herself.

It was funny how little attention she gave her wardrobe these days.

Jasmine used to be so meticulous about her appearance. Most of her outfits were inexpensive, but she always wore one or two designer items to make everything else look classier. A pair of shoes, a handbag, or a pair of designer sunglasses—those things didn't show as much wear. Then there was hair and makeup, which she had never left her apartment without.

Now, she couldn't care less.

Ell-rom thought she was beautiful and sexy without her having to put any effort into it, and it was so incredibly liberating.

When everything was stored inside the two large bags, Jasmine hefted them and returned to join Margo for coffee.

"So?" Margo arched a brow. "Did the swimming trunks arrive?"

"Everything did." Jasmine put the bags on the floor, walked around the counter, and sat next to Margo.

Margo put a mug full of coffee in front of her and placed cream and sugar next to it. "You and the prince. Talk."

"Each day, he's getting stronger, and each day, we are getting closer. I spent most of last night in bed with him. It was very enjoyable."

"Do tell." Margo lifted her mug and cradled it in her hands.

Jasmine shrugged. "Nothing much to tell. We kissed, we hugged, and things got a little heated, but he was in no condition to do anything yet. Besides, there is a camera in the room, so Bridget and Julian and even Gertrude can see what's going on if they want to take a peek."

Margo grimaced. "Yeah, that's not fun. You need to get that boy in a real bed and then have your wicked way with him."

Jasmine closed her eyes. "Don't say that word. I feel bad enough about seducing a celibate priest. He says that it wasn't a life he chose but one that was chosen for him, so he doesn't care about the restrictions of that position. But I'm worried that when his memories return, he might remember that he loved that lifestyle and that all he ever wanted to do was to serve others and lead them on their spiritual journey."

Margo shook her head. "If he felt that strongly about it, his subconscious would have remembered it." She smirked. "It's not like you had to do a lot of convincing to get him to transgress, right?"

There was something to what Margo had said, but it wasn't enough to completely assuage Jasmine's guilt.

She sighed. "I just hope he doesn't regret it later. I like him too much to lose him."

Margo arched a brow. "Just like?"

"The word love is not on the table yet." Jasmine sipped on her coffee and wished there was something to eat with it.

"What about in here?" Margo pointed at her heart.

"It might be growing in there, but I'm hiding it for now. It's too early to show it." She stood up and walked over to the fridge. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Cheese, cheese, and more cheese. The crackers are in the pantry."

"Perfect." Jasmine pulled out a tray of cheese and walked into the pantry to get the crackers.

When she returned, she put her loot on the counter and sat down. "I'm really dreading hearing your news about Lynda, but that's why I'm here, right?"

"It's a complicated story." Margo pulled a cracker out of the box. "Before meeting Rob, Lynda was engaged to a guy who broke off the engagement and joined the military. Rob knew that, and so did I, so that's not the big discovery. What we didn't know was that he had been discharged and was back in town, and Lynda had been meeting him in secret for months. So far, though, it doesn't seem like she's sleeping with him. Since we started spying on her, she's met him twice for lunch, and both times they kissed, not like friends, but like lovers."

"Then it's cheating," Jasmine said.

"Technically, it is not." Margo reached for a piece of cheese and put it on her cracker. "It looks like she still loves the guy, but she is not ready to leave Rob for him because of obvious reasons."

"What reasons?"

"Rob has a steady job and makes good money while her former fiancé is living off his partial military pension, which isn't much. He also left her once before, so she is not going to give up Rob for a guy that could disappear tomorrow."

Margo bit off a piece of the cracker.

"What are you going to do?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't know. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Don't make me the bad girl who tells you that you need to tell Rob."

"Why the bad girl?"

"Because breaking up a couple is sad. And sad is bad." Jasmine took a slice of some kind of cheese she didn't recognize and put it on a cracker. "But if he were my brother, and by that I mean a real brother, not one of my evil stepbrothers, I would have to tell him even though it would break my heart."

Margo nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "It's going to destroy Rob."

Reaching over, Jasmine took Margo's hand in hers. "I know it's hard, but he needs to know the truth and decide for himself. There is also the small detail of him being a Dormant and deserving an immortal mate."

Margo's eyes widened. "I totally forgot about that, and it's the most important thing." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I wish I could get him to visit the village and see all the gorgeous single ladies that would fight over each other to get him."

"How do you know that? You've never been to the village."

"That's what Gabi and Ella say. I wish they could find a way for Negal, Aru, and Dagor to be in the village without endangering everyone."

Margo had explained something about that, but Jasmine didn't remember what it was. "Why do they endanger the village?"

"They have trackers in them, so their superiors know where they are and where they have been. If they stay in one place for too long, it will be suspicious. But that's not the main problem. The village and the existence of the immortals on Earth must stay hidden, and the people on Anumati, who might wish the clan ill, must never find out about it and them."

"You mean the evil Eternal King."

"Yeah. That dude."

"There must be a solution. I'll think of something."

Margo smiled condescendingly. "If there was, don't you think that all these smart people would have come up with it already?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Sometimes it takes someone who is removed from the problem to see the solution. They are also trying to figure out how to hide the twins' survival from the Eternal King, and I'm trying to come up with a good idea."

"Well, good luck." Margo lowered her head and rested her chin on her fist. "If you can find a solution for my predicament, I would be not only grateful but would also never doubt your genius mind again."

Jasmine laughed. "That's one hell of a challenge, and now I have to find a solution for you." She mulled over the problem for a long moment when, suddenly, the solution presented itself in a visual scene. "I know what you can do."

Margo lifted her head. "What?"

"You are monitoring Lynda in real time, right?"

"I'm not watching the feed twenty-four-seven, but I can rewind it to see what happened before."

"Can you find out when she's meeting her ex again?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Get Rob to meet you for lunch in the same place. Let him see Lynda with that guy for himself."

Margo grimaced. "She will just tell him that she's meeting her old friend for lunch. It's not like she's going to kiss her ex in front of Rob."

"She doesn't have to. Did she tell Rob that she was meeting the guy?"

"Of course not."

"Then that will be enough, and if it's not, well, then you will have to tell your brother that you were spying on his fiancée and saw her kissing the guy."