As a woman, Elissa was always sensitive.
She questioned him, âWhat favor you were talking about?â
He handed the phone back to her.
After a long pause, he finally said, âElissa, sometimes itâs better not to know everything.
Sorry I didnât end things with Sandra sooner, but I assure you, I havenât considered being unfaithful to you since we married⦠Regarding your father, itâs common in high society for men to have their secrets.
Maybe your mother isnât aware of them, or perhaps she chooses to ignore them.
Regardless, digging deeper could embarrass the Palmer family, and thatâs something she would want to avoid.
â
With that, he walked into the walk-in closet.
Given yesterdayâs events, Raphael knew better than to expect Elissa to prepare his clothes.
He opened the wardrobe and selected his outfit.
As he was putting on his trousers, Elissa came in.
Her face looked a little pale.
After entering, she closed the door and stood by it, gazing at him with a soft voice, saying, âIs there something my father is keeping from me? What favor did he ask you?â
.
.
Library
Raphael was now putting on his shirt.
As he buttoned it up, he paused, seeming uncertain, but then suggested, âYou might want to sit down for this.
Truth is, he has an illegitimate son, whoâs already 8 years old.
The boy should have started grade school already by now, and your father wants me to help get the child a proper identity to make it happen.
Heâs been keeping this a secret from your mother.
â
An illegitimate son?
Elissa had a younger brother, and he was already 8 years oldâ¦
She was stunned.
It seemed absurd.
Her father, a man of integrity, had a child with another woman?
Raphael didnât mention that the mistress was actually two years younger than Elissa.
When she first got involved with Yousef, she was still a minor.
Raphael had bumped into them together by accident before.
She seemed gentle and compliant.
She was always reserved and held Yousef in high regard.
From then on, Yousef was open with Raphael about her and even sought Raphaelâs help with certain matters.
Perhaps because of this, Yousef remained calm during the wedding and encouraged Elissa to get closer to Raphael.
Elissa paused for a moment.
She leaned on the shoe cabinet to steady herself and asked, âWhy didnât you tell me sooner?â
Raphael replied rationally, âTelling you wouldnât change the situation.
The child is already 8 years old.
â
Elissa stared at him intently for a while.
In a low voice, she said, âIf my father stops supporting her, sheâd threaten to leap from a building and tarnish his name⦠Just like Sandra had done⦠Is that it? So you agree with my father and assist him,â she said in disgust.
For the last 20 some years, she believed she had a simple and happy life.
Upon learning this, she felt devastated.
The man she loved had made such an unthinkable deal with his assistant.