Chapter 7
One Week Later
For the first time since my father called me to talk, I’m taking Naim’s disappearance seriously.
My trip to the United States was completely useless. I hired the best private investigators in the country and across Europe, but so far, there isn’t a single lead on his whereabouts. It’s as if he vanished into thin air.
In the twenty-first century, in a city like New York, filled with surveillance cameras on every corner, there’s not a single piece of evidence showing what my brother was doing or who he was with.
No, that’s not entirely true.
There was an official complaint that nearly turned into a police case, one that was quickly hushed up thanks to the good judgment of Guillermo Oviedo[27], CEO of the Caldwell-Oviedo hotel chain.
Apparently, Naim threw a party in one of the most luxurious hotels in New York without management’s knowledge, since he had rented out an entire floor.
Among the guests were nearly twenty high-end escorts.
According to what I was told, the next morning those women were walking half-naked through the hallways, embarrassing several guests, including senators and U.S. Supreme Court justices staying there.
In a closed-door settlement, Naim covered all the damages and even paid for every guest’s stay on the night of the incident.
I shake my head, gripping the stress ball on my desk so hard that my knuckles turn white.
I reported everything I’d discovered in New York to my father through a video call, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t survive the shame. If the heart attack doesn’t kill him, Naim’s scandals will.
Of course, I’ll keep searching for my half-brother until I find him, but deep down, I’m certain this won’t end well.
One of the detectives I hired said the last confirmed sighting of Naim and his security team was at a charity ball. Not just any ball—the event was hosted by none other than Odin Lykaios. There’s no footage, though. Just rumors.
So I did some digging of my own into the woman who seems to be at the center of the conflict between my brother and the Greek: Elina Argyros.
I hit a concrete wall.
There’s very little information about her online, aside from what I already knew—that she’s Argyros’s eldest daughter and a very beautiful woman.
Most likely, Lykaios, as the tech genius he is, made sure to erase anything from her past he didn’t want seen. But from what I did find, Elina doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d bow to my brother’s will.
And now, to make matters worse, I’ve just landed in Paris to discover the press is exploding with news that Naim hasn’t been seen in Rheadur for over three months.
That kind of leak could’ve only come from inside the palace. It’s not unusual for paparazzi to sneak into our emirate disguised as tourists, hoping for a scoop about our family.
Amin summarized the headlines for me: they’re speculating that my brother fled with the country’s money and is now living in a tax haven, surrounded by a harem.
I run a finger down the bridge of my nose.
Unbelievable. Just six months ago, my life was simple, focused entirely on business.
Now I feel like I’m trying to stop a runaway train.
The thought of losing control over my present and my future feels like a nightmare.
I close my eyes and lean back in my office chair, my mind overloaded. But I barely have a moment to breathe before my phone rings.
Despite my exhaustion, I smile when I hear the ringtone.
Jazmina—my dearest sister. My only dear sister, really.
The lunatic set a Lady Gaga song as my ringtone, making my friends burst out laughing and earning me suspicious looks from business partners.
“What did you do this time, little flower?”
She hates the nickname, which is exactly why I use it.
“Kaled, I need your help.”
Something in her tone puts me instantly on alert.
Jazmina might be a little spoiled and impulsive, but she’s not easily scared. Still, there’s real fear in her voice now.
“What’s happened?”
“Can you talk? This might take a while.”
“One moment,” I say. I walk back to my desk and press the intercom. “Giselle, I don’t want to be interrupted for any reason.”
“Yes, sir. Your Highness.”
“Here, I’m your boss, not a prince,” I remind her for the thousandth time since she started working for me five years ago.
I have secretaries all over the world, in every office, but I chose Paris as the headquarters of my company, and Giselle is the all-seeing eye. She runs the others with an iron hand. She’s competent, brilliant, and stubborn as hell when it comes to how she addresses me.
“Talk to me, Jazmina. What’s going on?”
“Can you come get me?”
“Get you? What do you mean?” I’ve brought her to Paris several times before. I want her to experience the Western world and make her own choices about her future. She’s been negotiating to study in England, but my brother has kept stalling, making excuses to delay her departure.
“I need to get out of here. I’ll explain when you come.”
“Now’s not a good time to bring you to Paris, Jazmina. As you know, I’ve been all over looking for Naim.”
“I know. I heard Father talking about it, and about the possibility of you becoming sheikh, which honestly makes me happy. I don’t hate our brother, and I hope nothing bad happened to him, but you’d be a good ruler for Rheadur. Naim was never right for the throne.”
I exhale deeply, exhausted as hell.
The worst part? She’s right. Naim is a terrible leader. And if Jazmina—na?ve, sweet, nineteen-year-old Jazmina—can see that, imagine what the council must be saying behind closed doors.
“I know you’re overwhelmed, brother, but I need you. I don’t trust anyone except Father, and he’s lost influence with the council ever since Naim brought on one disaster after another.”
“Don’t talk like that. He’s your sheikh, and he deserves respect,” I warn her, even though I agree.
Jazmina can be impulsive, and she doesn’t always think before speaking.
Regardless of how much harm Naim has done, while he’s still in power, he’s our ruler.
It would be dangerous if anyone overheard her speaking ill of him.
“I’m sorry, but I’m scared. And when I’m scared, I say things I shouldn’t.”
“Has someone threatened you?”
“Kaled, I swear, it’s serious. I know you’re supposed to come in three weeks to take the throne if Naim doesn’t return, but I can’t wait that long.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Come get me before that.”
“I can’t leave now.”
“Then order someone to bring me to you.”
The fear in her voice, constant since the start of the call, finally breaks my resistance.
“All right. I’ll send the jet for you tomorrow. How long do you want to stay with me?” I ask, already knowing I’ll have to say goodbye to the model I’ve been seeing this week. My sister would devour her alive if I ever made the mistake of putting the two of them in the same room.
“Until you take the throne as sheikh.”
“You sound very sure Naim won’t return.”
“Do you think he could?”
“No,” I answer honestly. “I think something happened to him and we’ll never see him again.” I’ve checked his personal bank accounts. There’s been no activity. I’m starting to believe Naim is dead. “All right. You’ll stay with me for the next three weeks, whether I take the throne or not.”
“You will, Kaled. It’s written. You’re meant to be our leader.”
“Fine. The plane will pick you up early in the morning.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“You really don’t know when to stop, do you? Go on.”
“I need Adeela with me. I won’t leave without her. So you’ll have to call Counselor Arif and tell him my friend is traveling to Paris as my companion. He’ll only let her go if the order comes directly from the future sheikh.”