Chapter 10
“Wow, are you always this aggressive?”
“Wow, do you always hang around scandalous women who hit on other people’s fiancés?
Your friend made an absolute scene at a party about two years ago, even after my brother made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her and that he was engaged.
As far as I remember, you were there, cheering that witch on! ”
She looks at me, startled but not offended. “You’re Kaled’s sister?”
“Sheikh Kaled to you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sheikh Kaled. Oh, now I remember where I know you from. You were standing next to that woman he walked in with.”
“That woman is not only my best friend but also my sister-in-law and the mother of my nephew, so be careful with what you’re about to say,” I warn, putting my hands on my hips.
“Jesus, you’re pretty fiery, aren’t you?”
“Usually not, unless someone messes with the people I love.”
“Can we try starting over?” She extends a hand to me. “Nice to meet you. My name is Josephine,” she says casually, without mentioning a last name.
I take a second before accepting, but even though remembering who her friend is irritated me, Josephine has a very sweet face. “Is your friend behind this attempt to talk to me?”
Another eye roll. “Ingrid and I were acquaintances. Never friends. She was staying at my neighbor’s house and invited me to that party you mentioned.”
“Then why did you defend her that night?”
She shrugs. “I caught the story halfway through. What Ingrid told me was that she and your brother were dating and that Kaled was cheating on her with someone else.”
For the first time since arriving at this disaster of a party, I start laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“My brother was with her for one week, and they didn’t even see each other every day. That hardly qualifies someone as a girlfriend. Besides, even if it had been a relationship, he had ended everything before he started seeing Adeela.”
“I found out later,” she says, blushing. “The scandal Ingrid caused in the tabloids and celebrity magazines was embarrassing. Her career ended, you know?”
Of course I know—my brother arranged that after she staged photos with a paparazzo to make it look like Kaled was leaving a hotel with her.
“Really? Maybe she’s just too old.” I disguise a smirk.
“She’s actually only twenty-five, but with all the pressure for thinness and perfection, who knows, right? Anyway, the last thing I heard is she got married and moved somewhere in the countryside in Brazil. Living a quiet life now.”
“I’d have preferred she picked Mars as a residence.”
Josephine laughs, and now that I’ve let go of my initial negative impression, I start warming up to her.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she asks. “Tell me if that sounded rude. I’m kind of filterless, and some people don’t like that.”
“It didn’t. You’re just direct. I study at this college. I just started industrial design.”
“No way! I’m in that program too. I mean, I already make some jewelry pieces because I learned the craft from my godmother, but I feel like I’m still missing something, you know?”
I take a step closer because the pendant on her necklace has caught my attention. “May I?” I ask before touching it.
“Of course.”
“Did you make this?”
“I did.”
“Josephine, this is one of the most beautiful and delicate pieces I’ve ever seen.”
I adore jewelry. I own so much I’d need another body to wear it all. Some pieces were made in my country, others by famous designers, but none of them are this beautiful.
“Josephine, you don’t need college. You’re extremely talented.”
“You really think so?”
“People who think don’t know for sure. This chameleon is stunning.”
The piece is tiny, and she’s used different precious stones in various colors for the body. When you tilt the pendant, they seem to ripple. It’s incredible.
“I’m not talented in many things,” I admit, “but I know jewelry well because women in my country love it, and I’ve never seen such refined craftsmanship.”
“Oh my God, you just gave me the pep talk I needed. I’ve practically pawned all my internal organs to pay for university, and even then, I’m broke every month.”
“Why?”
“I’m not known. No one buys what I make.”
“I’d love to see what you have ready.”
“Are you serious? My pieces are mostly silver and semi-precious stones. Nothing fit for a princess.”
“How do you know I’m a princess?”
“After all the scandal Ingrid stirred up in the news, the whole world kind of knows about your family.”
“All right,” I say, deciding to let the Ingrid topic die, because even now I still want to make good on my promise of burying her in the Rheadur desert.
“As for not being ‘fit’ for me, I own silver pieces too. I want to see what you’ve made, Josephine.
And if I like them, I’ll order a few, but in gold and precious stones.
You just need to tell me what materials you’ll need. ”
“Are you for real?”
“I hope so,” I say, smiling as I pull a business card from my purse. “Just in case we don’t run into each other at school, as the campus is huge, here’s my card.”
“I don’t have business cards, but I can type my number into your phone.”
I unlock the device and hand it over. When she finishes typing and returns it, she asks, “You said you want a pendant?”
“Yes.”
“Something specific?”
“A cat.”
She furrows her brow. “Do you have one?”
“No, but my mother has three. I adore them.”
“All right. You want a cat. Can I ask why?”
“Cats are very independent. And that’s what I want for myself, to be free and in charge of my own life.”
“Want to trade lives? You have siblings, if what the news said is true. Both your parents are still alive. I only have my godmother in the U.S.”
“I’m sorry, Josephine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about my family. I just want to stand on my own two feet.” I feel awkward, realizing I might’ve sounded ungrateful, so I change the subject. “Are you American?”
“I am, yes. You didn’t notice before? My English is totally different from the way people speak here.”
“My ear isn’t that sharp. My English has a strong accent, as you’ve probably noticed. So aside from me, I just assume everyone in London speaks perfectly.”
“I think your accent is beautiful, but sometimes I can’t understand what locals say.”
“You came to the UK just to study?” I ask.
“That too. But mostly to actually live a little.”
“I guess we want the same thing, then. Have you been in Europe since that yacht party?”
“I wish. Back then, I saved money and came on vacation. My godmother has a friend with an apartment in Paris, so I didn’t have to pay for lodging.
Then I went back to the States and planned my permanent move to study here, but honestly?
I’m pretty discouraged. I’ve learned nothing in college so far and I’m getting poorer by the minute. ”
“As I said, I’m not a professional, but I love jewelry, and I think you have more than enough talent.”
“Thank you. I really needed to hear that. Now . . . how about we enjoy the party a little?”
“I was about to leave. The girl I planned to meet ditched me. My first university party, and I feel like a fish out of water.”
“How about we walk around and check it out? If we don’t like it, we leave right after.”
“All right.”