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Adin sobered almost instantly. “Don’t leave. I have limited days left, but I intend to use them wisely. Do not leave, my son.”
A muscle jerked in Syed’s cheek. “I will not have Sarah hurt.”
Adin nodded. “Bring her to me.”
When Syed didn’t immediately respond, Adin cackled. “I promise to be kind.”
Later that day, Syed held Sarah’s hand as they approached Adin’s room together. Just outside the door, Syed paused, taking his wife around the waist and pulling her towards him. “I love you,” he said simply.
She blinked up at him, and her smile was bright. “I know.”
When the door opened inwards, Adin was not alone.
Syed’s eyes swiped from the man in bed to his left, where Zahir stood with his wife Violet; and to the right, where Ashad and Charlotte were arm in arm.
“Quite a welcoming committee,” Sarah murmured under her breath, though perhaps not quietly enough. She was sure she saw the woman to the left of the bed hide a smile.
“You are the American?” Adin asked, his voice croaky but still rich with command.
“This is my wife,” Syed said through bared teeth. “Her Royal Highness Sarah Al’Eba.”
Adin’s smile was stretched across his face. “The American you could not forget. Come closer, child. Let me see you.”
Butterflies rampaged Sarah’s stomach but she did as the old man had commanded, her chin tilted at a defiant angle, her eyes sparking flame and confidence to anyone who dared challenge her.
“I did not realise everyone would be here,” Syed said, right beside Sarah.
Stand by my side, when I need you most. And he was doing just that.
“Well,” the woman to the left spoke. Her voice was clipped, her accent British, and obviously extremely upper-class. “Of course we’re here. How many times do we get to meet a new member of the family?”
She broke formation first, moving towards Sarah and extending her arms. Her hug was kindness itself; she kissed each of Sarah’s cheeks and then stepped back, making way for Charlotte to welcome Sarah.
“So,” Charlotte said, her smile genuine. “You’re the woman who stole my fiancé.” She winked over Sarah’s shoulder at Syed and then laughed. “I would say that worked out very well for both of us, no?”
Sarah couldn’t help but return the woman’s smile. “I didn’t know about you.”
“I know.” Charlotte squeezed her hand. “I am pleased to meet you.”
Behind her, she heard Syed’s exhalation of breath.
“My son has only ever disregarded my wishes once,” Adin said into the room, his eyes pinned to Sarah’s face. “He tells me he loves you.”
Sarah arched a brow and nodded. “He tells me the same thing.”
Beside her, she heard Violet’s quiet laugh.
“And you love him?”
Sarah thought about a sarcastic rejoinder. But instead, she spoke with complete seriousness. “Why else would I marry him?”
She saw Zahir stiffen and she knew that he was yet to be convinced. But his wife was obviously supportive of their marriage, and that was something. “I would have married him five years ago, and I had no idea who he was or what fortune he had. To me, he is just Syed.”
Adin nodded. “And to us.” He turned his face towards the windows and frowned. “It is a nice afternoon. Have the table set for lunch. We should eat together – as a family.”
*
“You are stunning.”
