Chapter 26
“My brother bought you an entire wardrobe,” Jazmina says, clapping her hands as she twirls around my closet, where dozens of bags filled with clothes, shoes, and lingerie have just arrived. Then she freezes. “But he forgot the most important thing.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The wedding dress, silly! We need to get it as soon as possible. Although, with how rushed this wedding is, Kaled will probably have to use his influence to get a top designer to fit you in.”
“It can be something simple. I don’t mind a ready-made dress that only needs minor alterations. I saw online the other day that several ateliers here in Paris have them. I think the French call it prêt-à-porter.”
“Don’t say that. Just imagining you in anything that isn’t exclusive makes me dizzy,” she says dramatically. “You’re only getting married once, so let’s make sure it’s an event people in Rheadur will talk about for years.”
I shake my head, smiling at her enthusiasm.
“Besides,” she adds, “I can’t wait to see the envy on your sisters’ and stepmothers’ faces when you walk in looking radiant on your wedding day.”
“Faiza has always been kind to me, as much as she could,” I retort. Even if our relationship changed after she married my father, I still like her. Everyone fears him, and she’s no exception, of course.
“If you say so. But you know what I think: silence can be almost as bad as wrongdoing. If you stand by and say nothing in the face of cruelty, you’re complicit in it.”
I stare at her, stunned. “I didn’t know you ever saw how they treated me.”
“Why do you think I used to invite you to sleep at the palace so often when we were growing up? Of course, I didn’t realize how bad it was.
If I had, I would’ve begged Father to let you move in with me permanently.
But even then, I could tell how they were always trying to put you down, Adeela.
” She steps in front of me, taking my hand.
“You should’ve told me everything. I would never have let them go that far. ”
“I didn’t want you to be my friend out of pity. I wanted you to love me.”
“I do love you. I always have. But I wish I’d protected you from your father’s cruelty.”
“Jazmina, having you in my life while I was growing up softened the pain of missing my mother. Don’t blame yourself. I don’t want to dwell on the past.”
“All right. I’m sorry for bringing it up—I didn’t mean to make you sad. Now get dressed; we have a lot to do today,” she says, heading toward the door. “And I was serious. I want your sisters green with envy and regretting every unkind thing they ever said to you.”
“And what’s your big plan, you little schemer?” I laugh.
“Leave that to me. I’ll make my brother work for it. He’ll have to pull strings to get you an appointment with the best designer in Europe,” she says, already reaching for her phone. “It’s time for Kaled to use his royal credentials.”
That afternoon, same day
“I didn’t ask how your call with your mother went,” Jazmina says while we wait for the designer in a chic atelier on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
I hadn’t believed the woman would actually see us, but apparently, I underestimated Kaled’s power and influence. Barely an hour after Jazmina called him, he texted to say the driver and security team were ready to take us.
“It was . . . strange and sweet,” I say. “Like talking to a stranger, because she doesn’t really know me anymore, who I’ve become. And yet . . . she’s still more a part of me than anyone else in the world.”
“I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I had to be separated from my mother forever. I mean, when it’s death, like with Kaled’s mother, there’s nothing you can do. But your situation was so different. Your father’s selfishness stole years from you both.”
“I think we’ll both need time to adjust to each other again. But we agreed to talk every day until I can go to the United States to bring her home.”
“Kaled told me her doctor said it wouldn’t be a problem for her to continue treatment in Rheadur. After all, our hospitals are some of the best in the world. That’s always been a point of pride for my father.”
“Yes, but . . . I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“My mother’s health is fragile, Jazmina. What if they insult her? What if my father or his wives try to hurt her somehow?”
“Adeela, I know you don’t know my brother that well yet, even though you’re engaged to him.
But remember this, always: Kaled would never allow anyone to touch your mother—not her body, not her heart.
He never takes on a mission halfway. If he said he’ll bring her to our country, he’ll keep her safe there. ”
The door opens, and the most elegant woman I’ve ever seen—blonde, with a perfect shoulder-length cut—steps toward us. “What a pleasure to welcome you, my darlings. Which one of you is the lucky bride marrying the prince?”
Her English carries as strong an accent as ours, but her warm smile instantly puts me at ease.
Maybe commissioning my dress from the woman who designs gowns for Oscar-winning actresses won’t be as intimidating as I thought.
The next night
“I feel naked,” I mutter, trying to tug the black dress a little lower, though it already ends just above my knees.
The problem isn’t the length; it’s how it hugs every inch of my body. My breasts look fuller against the soft fabric, and my hips stand out in sharp contrast to my narrow waist.
“You’re not naked; you’re perfect. My brother’s going to lose his mind. Besides, you’re the one who picked that dress.”
“Actually, Kaled did. I tried on so many that I was dizzy by the end and agreed to anything. He seemed more than willing to buy out the entire store.”
“The dream man for every woman,” she teases with a laugh.
I don’t know about other women, but he’s certainly mine. And it has nothing to do with the gifts he gives me. Even if he didn’t have a cent to his name, I’d still want him just as much.
Lately, he’s been coming home late, usually after I’ve gone to bed, and I can’t pretend it doesn’t disappoint me.
This morning, I woke up to a message about a party tonight on his friend’s yacht. Another prince, Vicenzzo.
I’m nervous. I’ve never socialized among Westerners before, but with Jazmina by my side, I won’t feel so out of place.
A knock at the door comes before the man who will soon be my husband steps inside.
We lock eyes in silence, barely noticing Jazmina’s laughter as she mumbles something about being the third wheel and slips out of the room.
He looks devastating in black slacks and a matching shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The first few buttons are undone, revealing a glimpse of his chest, and I shiver, remembering how those muscles felt under my fingertips.
“One of the new ones?” he asks, stepping closer, his gaze sliding over me from head to toe.
“Yes. You’re the one who chose it. Don’t you like it?” Suddenly, I feel unsure, like someone trying to step into a world she doesn’t belong to.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he circles me slowly. When he stops in front of me again, his eyes burn with a heat that steals my breath.
Without warning, he pulls me to him. His hand grips my hip, pressing my body against the hard evidence of his desire.
Starved for his touch, I wrap my arms around him, holding him tight. I won’t settle for anything less than having him, too.
The kiss that follows is wild, urgent, making the space between my thighs ache with need.
Tongues desperate, lips wet, we clash and devour in a mix of battle and dance. The intensity of it makes me weak, barely able to stand.
When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless, dizzy.
He looks at me, a faint smirk at the corner of his mouth. “Does that answer your question, my bride?”