Chapter 51
Rheadur
Six Months Later
“Is she right about this?” my husband asks, not for the first time.
I love how protective he is of my mother. Kaled behaves more like her son than her son-in-law.
The best proof of that was how personally he took it when that lunatic Eiza and Arif, who’s still missing, tried to kill her with the scorpion.
I hate remembering it, just as I hate thinking about when I almost lost my baby. But at the same time, I force myself not to forget, because sometimes, a smile hides a rotten heart.
My father, to the outside world, was a man beyond suspicion. But behind the facade of a wise and powerful counselor, there was a cruel traitor who valued no one but himself.
About three months ago, Eiza was finally tried and sentenced to life in prison. Because of the plea deal, the trial was quiet, and the local press barely covered it compared to the international media. Here, it was little more than a formality; everyone already knew what the verdict would be.
As for the maid, since she gave the name of her employer, she was spared spending the rest of her life behind bars.
Her sentence was commuted to twenty years in prison without parole.
But I asked Kaled, as a personal favor, that her children be cared for.
They aren’t to blame for their mother’s wickedness.
“Yes, my love. They’re in love. After everything, my mother deserves a second chance at happiness,” I answer, returning to our conversation.
The German doctor, Konrad, proposed about a month ago, but Mother wanted to keep it secret until she made up her mind. Only a few days ago did they tell my husband.
Her fiancé had been coming often to Rheadur, since she wanted to stay close to Tajj until he turned six months old. But now, her bags are packed for Germany, and in two weeks, we’ll fly there for their wedding, a small civil ceremony.
“I know. Daisy’s still very young. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s found someone who loves her, but . . . I can’t help worrying she’ll get hurt again.”
I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his waist. “You’re jealous, husband.”
“I didn’t think I was, until I met you. Now, our family is my true kingdom. I like keeping you close.”
“You’ve changed so much.”
“Have I?”
“Yes. When we met, you had that whole powerful CEO aura, the lord of the world, which, by the way, I adore, but you also seemed untouchable. I never thought that . . .” I stop mid-sentence because, even after all this time, I still have moments of shyness.
“That what?”
“That you’d want me forever.”
Without warning, he scoops me up and carries me to the sofa in his office. “You seduced me before I even knew what was happening.”
“Oh, right, poor playboy CEO, helpless against a virgin’s charms.”
As punishment, I get a sharp smack on the butt.
“Should that scare me?” I tease. “Because it only reminds me of that day when you . . .”
“When I what, naughty girl?” He caresses my legs, gripping my backside, his words turning us both on.
“You know.”
“When I bent you over this very desk and took you from behind? When I pulled your hair and spanked that gorgeous ass while I fucked you hard?”
We’re very vocal during sex, and that kind of exchange is just foreplay for us.
His hands slip beneath my dress, and with one move, he tears my panties. His finger finds my sweet spot.
“Ahhhh . . .”
Without him saying a word, I start moving against his hand, riding it while hurriedly unzipping his pants.
I kneel on the chair to tease him but nearly faint when he pulls me down onto his lap, thrusting into me without warning.
“So wet,” he murmurs.
Now that he’s inside me, he doesn’t give me what I want, refusing to let me ride him.
“You’re driving me crazy, my sheikh.”
He grins, his hips meeting mine in slow, deliberate thrusts. “Not yet, habibti,” he says. “But that’s the plan.”
Two days later
“We’ll be waiting for you in two weeks,” my mother says before boarding our family’s jet, “and you too, Jazmina.”
Every time she’s gone to Germany to visit Konrad, my husband has sent her on his private jet. At first, she was embarrassed, but later she understood that’s just how Kaled is. He has this need to protect and take care of those he loves.
Her last medical exam, a few months ago, showed she’s cancer-free. Of course, we’ll always live with that sword hanging over our heads, alert to any sign of its return, but I prefer to believe she’ll finally be able to live without fear.
“I wouldn’t miss that wedding for anything, Daisy,” my friend says, smiling. “And from there, I head straight to England. I can’t believe I’m finally going to study abroad!”
“You know you can call us anytime, right?” Mom asks. “Germany is closer than Rheadur, and whatever you need, I’ll be there in a heartbeat. You’re like a daughter to me. The way you’ve cared for my girl all these years would make me love you even if you weren’t already the wonderful person you are.”
“Thank you, but I doubt that’ll be necessary. Does anyone really think Kaled won’t assign fifty thousand bodyguards to me? I’m pretty sure if I sneeze in London, someone in Rheadur will say ‘bless you.’”
I shake my head, laughing, but I can’t deny she’s probably right. “Mom, Kaled sends his apologies for not being here to say goodbye, but he said he’ll call you tonight.”
“That’s all right. I know how busy he is. What I really want is one more kiss from this handsome grandson of mine.”
Tajj is nothing like me—he’s a born charmer. The moment he hears his grandmother’s voice, he starts bouncing in my arms, eager to go to her.
“You already got his passport, right?” she asks for the hundredth time today.
“Yes, relax. Your grandson will be at the wedding in a little suit and tie.”
“Oh, my God! Don’t say that. I won’t be able to leave.”
I laugh. “Your fiancé must be counting the hours, Mrs. Daisy,” I tease. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll be fine.” I know every time she leaves, her heart is heavy with worry.
“I won’t rest until that man is caught and punished,” she says, meaning my father.
Me neither, I agree silently, not wanting to upset her.
Berlin, Germany
Two weeks later
“What’s going on, Jazmina? You’re pacing so much you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“Because I know you. You’re fidgety, and every time you look at me, you look away. You’re making me nervous.”
We’ve been in Germany for three days, and although we had a lovely time at Mom’s civil wedding the day before yesterday, followed by a small dinner with Konrad’s relatives, Jazmina has been on edge since breakfast this morning.
Kaled rented the top two floors of a luxury hotel, including the presidential suite, for me, him, and our son, while Jazmina accepted my mother’s invitation to stay at Konrad’s house.
I thought it best for us to stay at the hotel because it would’ve caused a scene in my new stepfather’s neighborhood to show up with the absurd number of bodyguards assigned to protect us.
And of course, there’s Amin, my husband’s ever-faithful right hand.
Traveling for us isn’t like it is for normal people. We practically move the entire palace: press aides, bodyguards, lawyers. The list never ends.
This morning, my mother came to pick up her grandson to spend the day with him, leaving me and Jazmina free to go shopping. She and Konrad decided to postpone their honeymoon until we return to Rheadur. Mom doesn’t want to miss a single minute with Tajj.
But Jazmina doesn’t look happy. On the contrary, if I had to guess, I’d say she’s about to faint.
“All right, I’d rather you hear it from me.”
My heart skips, and I’m on my feet in seconds. “Did something happen to Kaled?” Just the thought makes me shake.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“What time did my brother get back to the hotel last night?”
“Late. He had a meeting with the board of the shipping company. Why?”
She unlocks her phone and shows me the homepage of a celebrity magazine.
The headline makes my knees buckle.
Playboy Sheikh Kaled Fouad Ayad Badawi Faheem spotted leaving a Berlin hotel in the early hours with model Ingrid Meyer. Could there be a second wife soon?