After breakfast, Yasmin returned to the bedroom.
Buzz-Buzz-Buzz…
She heard her phone buzzing. She hurried to the bedside table, but the phone stopped ringing.
"Oh…" She picked up the phone and checked it. Her lips curled into a smile as she saw her best friend, Lisa's name. She hurried to dial her number. She waited impatiently for the call to connect.
"Hello."
"Hi," Yasmin squealed.
"Yasmin… Oh, my…" Lisa sighed loudly. "Why didn't you answer my call? I was worried about you."
"I left the phone in the bedroom."
"Oh. How are you doing?"
"I am okay."
"Oh, dear. I couldn't sleep properly at night, worrying about you. How is Mr. Wilson?"
"Hmm… I don't know." Yasmin pouted. "We don't talk much. Maybe I'll get to know him in a few days."
"Amen. I miss you."
"Don't miss me. I am coming to the college."
"Really?" Lisa exclaimed, excited. "Will Mr. Wilson permit you?" She sounded low. "I mean, you just got married."
"Why can't I go to college if he can go to the office the next day of our wedding? I am coming. See you soon." Yasmin ended the call and walked into the closet.
She checked her makeup in the vanity mirror before grabbing her bag and walking out. She ran into Harry in the hallway.
"Are you going out, Madam?" he asked.
"I am going to college. Then I will go to my parents' place. I will be back before sundown. Bye…" She strode out in a hurry, waving at him.
"Madam… wait…" Harry wanted to stop her and say something, but she had already left. He sighed in dismay and walked back to the kitchen.
Half an hour later…
Yasmin arrived at the college.
"Yasmin…" Lisa squealed and rushed over to her. Her pigtails bobbed up and down on either side of her head. She hugged her tightly.
"Hmm…" Yasmin's face contorted. She could hardly breathe. "You are squeezing me."
"I feel like I see you after ages. Awe…" Lisa grabbed her arms and looked at her from head to toe. "You look prettier."
"You are exaggerating." Yasmin adjusted her specs. "Let's go. Class will start soon."
Lisa grabbed her wrist and stopped her, smiling mischievously.
"What?" Yasmin turned to her, frowning.
"The professor is absent. There is no class now. Let's go to the cafeteria." She linked her arm around hers and dragged her to the cafeteria.
They bought two cups of coffee and sat down at a corner table.
Lisa took her hands in hers. "Tell me honestly about your husband."
"I told you we didn't talk much."
Lisa regarded her with a squint, skeptical. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Have you read today's newspaper?"
"Ugh…" Yasmin groaned and rolled her eyes. "Don't mention the newspaper."
"I know how difficult it is for you." Lisa wrinkled her nose. "How are you going to deal with him? Did you talk about it?"
"Tsk…" Yasmin clicked her tongue. "He was mad. Of course, he would get mad. He must be embarrassed." She took a sip of her scathing coffee.
Lisa also sipped her coffee as she said, "That's what I am thinking. Initially, it was just a rumor. Only a few people were aware of it. But now everyone in the city is gossiping about it." She looked left and right before leaning forward and whispering, "I even heard students making fun of it."
Yasmin's mouth hung open in astonishment. She thought Lisa was talking about the incident that happened at the wedding. But she had no knowledge of the rumor.
"What rumor are you talking about?" she asked, curious.
"Don't you know about it?" Lisa's loud voice echoed inside the cafeteria.
People around them cast curious glances at her.
Lisa felt self-conscious as she noticed so many people staring at her. She leaned in closer and said in a low voice, "Didn't you read the paper?"
"He…" Yasmin was about to say that Declan snatched the paper away from her before she could read it, but she said, "I didn't get time to read." She leaned back on the chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You don't know that he is…" Lisa stopped talking abruptly. She glanced around and added, "He is rumored to be gay."
"What?" Yasmin shouted, sitting up straight.
All the pairs of eyes in the cafeteria moved to them once again. Some scowled at them with annoyance, while others began to whisper.
Yasmin grew uneasy under their curious glances. She leaned forward and hissed, "What are you talking about? He is certainly not gay. "
"Are you sure?" Lisa squinted at her with interest. "Did he make love with you?" She waggled her eyebrows up and down, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
Yasmin's face flushed instantly. She remembered sleeping in his arms. A bashful smile crept on her lips as she murmured, "He was drunk last night."
"And he made love with you, didn't he?" Lisa grinned.
"No…" Yasmin sulked. "I said he was drunk."
"Then?" A scowl replaced Lisa's smile.
"He fell asleep."
"Huh… He didn't do anything with you!"
"Oh, stop it, Lisa." Yasmin flailed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"This is not a good sign, Yasmin." Lisa's face turned glum in seconds. "The rumor is most likely true. Your sister might have learned about it. That could be why she ran away from the wedding."
Yasmin felt like the ground beneath her feet was crumbling. Her stomach knotted tight. She began to suspect that the rumor was true. She remembered how Declan snatched the paper from her as if he was trying to hide something.
'He was hiding his sexuality,' she murmured in her mind, her face pale. 'Natasha, I will kill you.' She grew angrier at her sister.
"Yasmin." Lisa reached out to hold her hands. "You should talk to him. This could be just a rumor because he has never been spotted with a woman. And if he is gay, you should divorce him."
Yasmin was not in the state of thinking anything straight. She nodded in a trance, agreeing with Lisa.
The coffee had already turned cold.
Yasmin had lost interest in having the coffee. "Let's go back." She stood up and went back to the class, Lisa trailing behind her.
At the head office of Wilson and Co…
The board meeting eventually wrapped up an hour later. All the members left the conference hall one by one. Declan remained seated, focusing on a file.
"I am surprised to see you at the office." A familiar male voice drew his attention. When he raised his head, he saw Sean smiling down at him.
"Why are you so surprised?" Declan smirked as he stood up, closing the file.
"Well, you just got married the day before. Shouldn't you be spending more time with your wife?"
"Don't worry about that. I will work as well as spend time with her. Excuse me." His smile faded as he walked out with the file in his hand.
Sean stared at his departing form, his face turning gloomy.
When Declan returned to his desk, he saw his father pacing furiously.
Gerald stopped pacing the moment he saw him walk in. "I've never seen such a callous person," he grumbled.
"Why are you scolding me?" Declan wrinkled his brow as he walked over to his seat and put the file on the table.
"What else can I do but scold you?" Gerald exploded. "You are supposed to spend time with your wife. You should take her on a honeymoon. Instead, you are working."
"Dad…" Declan grimaced.
"Hang on…" Gerald held up his hand, cutting him short. "Pack up and go back home. Don't show up here for the next couple of weeks. I have Sean to manage everything."
"Sean, Sean, Sean…" Declan slammed his hands on the table, his face contorted with rage. "Sometimes I feel like Sean is your son."