Chapter 41
ISAAC
Ryan and I rolled up to the Saad estate in Cairo. My brother grinned like a fully grown man who’d just discovered orgasms for the first time as he stared out the window. “This place is awesome. I’m staying. How the hell did you leave? It feels like we’re in an adventure movie.”
I laughed. “Right? I love it here. Leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
The adrenaline pumping through my veins was insane, making me feel like I was absolutely invincible, but naturally, when we stopped in front of the massive, wrought-iron gates, it dawned on me that feeling invincible didn’t mean I was.
There was a security checkpoint outside today and two guards approached the car. Ryan lowered his window, muttering. “Go time.”
One of the guards glanced at a tablet in his hands. “Name.”
“Ryan Thayer.”
The guard scrolled until he found Ryan’s name on the list and looked up again. “Welcome, Mr. Thayer.”
He nodded at the other guard and waved us through, and I eased my foot down on the gas again. My heart pounded like mad as I exhaled a deep breath of relief. “Thank God, we have an inside man.”
Ryan chuckled. “I told you Colin had this covered, bro. Speaking of, there he is.”
Colin met us at the temporary gate that had been constructed between the main entrance to the estate and the house.
I rolled down the window and his eyes danced with amusement as he popped his head into the car.
“You’re right on time. I was just wondering if I’d impressed the importance of timing enough or if I should call to remind you. ”
I pursed my lips. “We’re here. What now?”
“Ryan goes inside and creates a distraction. You head down the driveway. There’s another temporary gate on the other side of the property. It’s… a little more private.”
My eyebrows rose, but he took a pointed look at the pair of security guards watching us from the main gate and I nodded. “Right. Privacy. We need that.”
“Yep.”
Ryan climbed out of the car and joined Colin, who led him past more security and then up toward the main house, hidden by palm trees and greenery. Meanwhile, I kept going down the long driveway, following the curves in the road through the immaculate gardens toward the other side of the property.
I’d never seen such heavy security at the estate before, but at least Colin had warned us.
Apparently, Old Man Maher was a little paranoid after all the mistakes he’d made in Dubai, and while Basel thought it was entirely unnecessary, he’d agreed to additional security measures to ease his old friend’s mind.
I was still wondering what he’d done to warrant asking his friend to increase security when I reached the final bend in the driveway and found Rami waiting at the gate.
I frowned, my stomach flipping over as I wondered what he was doing here. He had on a navy suit, his hair not nearly as carefully styled as it had been in all the pictures I’d seen of Colin and Deja’s engagement events.
Rolling to a stop when I reached him, I opened a window and hoped like hell he wasn’t here to try and stop me. “Rami, why are you out here, bro? Shouldn’t you be inside, intimidating David like you did when Colin had to ask?”
He snorted. “Get out. Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“To stop my sister from marrying that creepy, broke fuck,” he said, his eyes wide with exasperation. “That is why you’re here, right?”
“Yeah, but why are you helping me?”
“Because my brothers and I aren’t exactly thrilled with this arrangement either. How do you think Colin got Ryan’s name on the list? That thing was under lock and key, but Tarek got to it because he’s Jasmine’s twin, so he insisted on being granted access.”
“A little family-wide rebellion, huh?” I chuckled. “I like it, but you should leave now, Rami. I’m here. You don’t need to be part of it. Basel’s going to be?—”
He snorted. “Dad would give me a promotion if he found out I helped. Now come on.”
Reaching in through the window, he unlocked the driver’s door and yanked it open. “Quickly. Before anyone sees us.”
So surprised by this turn of events that I almost tripped over my own feet, I climbed out of the car and handed the keys to Rami when he held out his hand. He pocketed them, quietly shutting the door before leading me to Tarek, who’d been waiting around the corner of the house.
Weirdly, Tarek grinned and held up a suit in a transparent garment bag. “We know you have questions, but change while you ask them.”
“Here?” I asked. “In the garden?”
He shrugged, winking at me as he handed over the bag. “We won’t look if you’re shy. Just do it.”
“I’m not shy,” I muttered, then looked up at Rami as I kicked off my shoes. “What did you mean when you said your father would give you a promotion for this?”
“He’s pretty upset himself,” Rami replied, only half turning his back as I changed. “I have sisters. I’ve seen guys change behind bushes before. You’ll survive, but we couldn’t let you walk in there looking like a tourist. You’ll be tossed out on your ass long before you reach the party.”
“Dad isn’t just pretty upset,” Tarek said, scoffing as he shook his head at his brother. “He’s furious about being backed into a corner. Hurry up, Isaac. We’re running out of time.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” I muttered but picked up the pace. “What exactly is happening in there?”
“David is going to formally ask Dad’s permission to marry Jasmine,” Rami explained hurriedly. “You need to be there before it’s granted. We can get you to the party, but you have a plan to stop this from going any further, right?”
“Uh, right,” I said, but the truth was that I didn’t really.
My original plan had been getting Jasmine alone, begging her to call this whole thing off and to be with me instead, but it was too late for that now. I could hear the party already in full swing, music, chatter, and laughter drifting across the grounds.
Jasmine would be front and center, impossible to pull away while all eyes were on her. Plus, given the extreme rush and everyone’s insistence that we were running out of time, it was obvious that the hour of David’s formal request was here.
Honestly, I didn’t really understand the ins and outs of all these rituals, but I felt a renewed sense of urgency pressing against my chest as I adjusted the cuffs and buttoned up the jacket of my new suit. It fit okay, probably belonging to either Rami or Tarek, but it didn’t have to be perfect.
It only had to get me in the doors. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
The Saad boys took the lead, flanking me on either side as they muttered instructions on our way into the house. “There are a lot of people here.”
“Both families are gathered,” Tarek whispered. “Don’t look anyone in the eye, but don’t avoid eye contact either. Just act normal.”
“Right. I got it.”
I definitely didn’t get it, but I tried to look calm as I followed them through the enormous house, weaving our way through more people than could possibly belong to only two families.
They were all dressed to the nines, filling the hallways and reception areas, but most of them were craning their necks toward the center of the room where Basel stood with one hand resting on the back of an ornate chair.
David sat across from him. Layla was on one side of Basel while Jasmine was on the other.
As soon as I saw her, I forgot about all the other people and the fact that I still had no idea what I was going to say.
She looked so absolutely breathtaking and so completely miserable at the same time that it hit me all over again that she was actually going to do this.
My beautiful, funny, clever adventurer, my soul mate, was planning on marrying that asshole.
For me.
And I almost let her do it. Good Lord. I really was an idiot.
I’d never been more grateful for my chronically interfering siblings than I was in that very moment. The important thing was that I was here now. They’d verbally smacked some sense into me and gotten me here right in the nick of time.
I drew myself up to my full height and squared my shoulders, squeezing through small gaps between people and drawing a few annoyed glances, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t flown halfway across the world to worry about etiquette.
Sure, you got here first, but I promise I’m not going to block your view. You’ll still have a front row seat. Just of something a little different than what you came here to see.
Basel’s voice carried across the room. “I understand you have something to ask me, David.”
As the asshole started rising, I broke through the final cluster of people and spoke up. “Stop.”
David turned and his expression tightened into a scowl when he saw me.
Basel started grinning but then quickly tried to school his features as he shrugged at the older man sitting next to David.
Jasmine’s eyes widened, silently screaming at me not to do this, but I gave my head a small shake and turned my attention to Basel.
“I’m sorry for interrupting,” I said lightly, walking forward until I was standing right next to David. “I know this isn’t my place.”
“No, it’s not,” David agreed coolly. “Why are you here, Thayer?”
“Relax.” I smirked. “I’ll be done in a minute.”
Dismissing him from my gaze, I turned to look at Jasmine, laying it all out not only for her parents but for her. “So, I uh, I spent the last few weeks trying to convince myself that you made the decision that was right for you and that I should just respect that.”
“Why are you here then?” David sneered, but I ignored him, my eyes bouncing between Jasmine, Basel, and Layla, who was smiling at me with tears in her eyes.
“It almost worked, too. I came so close to just leaving it be and accepting that this wasn’t my choice to make.
” I swiped my tongue across my lips and held her gaze.
“For what it’s worth, if you tell me this is what you want, I’ll leave, but I had to try.
I couldn’t let you go through with it without saying my piece. ”
Basel waved at me to continue despite the absolutely murderous expression on Mr. Maher’s face, but even I could feel time running out. I had to speed things up or one of them was going to put a stop to this.
“I’m not rich,” I said, still looking between Basel, Layla, and Jasmine.
“I don’t have a private jet, or an island, or a stock portfolio the size of a continent.
Once upon a time, I was going to be that guy when I grew up, but then life happened and now I work with my hands, for long hours, on dusty construction sites or I’m in an office, either getting lost in my calculator or my laptop. ”
A tiny smile flickered across Jasmine’s lips and she sighed. Basel shifted his weight but patiently waited for me to keep going.
I drew in a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that I was bleeding my soul out in front of probably a hundred strangers. “I’ve had to grovel or work my ass off for everything I have. Life with me won’t be anything like you’re used to. I get that.”
I gestured vaguely around the gigantic, magnificent room, with its crystal chandeliers overhead, golden accents, and marble floors.
“I’ll never be able to afford a house like this, for instance.
Eventually, I might be able to buy us a nice place in a gated community.
If we’re really lucky, I might even be able to take you and the kids on a decent vacation every year, but that’s about it. ”
Jasmine smiled through the tears welling in her eyes and I turned back to Basel. “I’ll spend the rest of my life working this hard. I realize that’s probably not what you had in mind for your daughter, but if I’m going to do it, I want it to be for her.”
I looked at Jasmine, my voice cracking when I spoke again.
“I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I let you think that this was your responsibility or that you had to carry it alone.
That was never true. I love you and I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life proving that I’m worthy of you. All I’m asking for is a chance.”
The silence that followed was heavy and terrifying, almost suffocating as I waited for her to reject me. David’s family might’ve lost a lot, but it seemed to me he could still give her a better life than I’d ever be able to.
As I looked at her, I tried to prepare myself to have my heart broken all over again. She stepped out from behind her parents, and surprisingly, nobody stopped her. Deja smiled and inclined her chin toward me, her eyes fixed on her sister. “Go.”
As soon as the word was out there, Jasmine didn’t hesitate, running to me so fast that I barely had time to open my arms to catch her before she smacked into me. The room erupted with gasps and shouts, protests loudly filling the air, but my mind filtered it out.
She isn’t rejecting me.
Without thinking twice, I laced my fingers through hers and tucked her against my side. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“I have no idea, but I think we need to get away from here.”
Those dark eyes of hers swept around the room and then we were running. Jasmine’s grip was tight on my hand as I led her away from a fate she never should’ve faced.