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She nodded and then cleared her throat. “Yes, sir.”
Faisal eased himself into the chair opposite, wincing a little as his body made its complaint felt.
“I understand you have taken great pains to make my oldest son comfortable.”
She stared at him for a moment, not comprehending what he meant.
“Ra’if speaks very highly of you,” he added.
“Oh.” Her smile now was natural, and it transformed her face into, perhaps, one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. “He’s just being kind.”
“No, he’s not.” Faisal’s laugh was a hoarse bark. “He is rarely generous with praise. But he seems to have only good thoughts for you.”
She tilted her head to the side. “It’s mutual. I enjoyed spending time with him.”
“Yes. Why did you?”
Her feet were nudging closer to dangerous ground.
“I’m sorry, sir, I’m not sure I understand.”
“Zamir believes you might be interested in marrying Ra’if.”
Her mouth dropped open at the very idea. Of course, she knew that Zamir had been jealous, but not that he would go so far as to spread his nonsensical theories as fact.
“Zamir is wrong,” she spoke matter-of-factly despite the pangs of hurt clawing into her heart. “I spent time with Ra’if, initially, because I thought he might be lonely after Zamir left. We became friends.”
“And you claim that friends is all you are to each other?”
“Yes.”
“I understand you have been an excellent companion to Ra’if. It seems strange that you would choose to spend your time with a man like him.”
Offense coursed through her. “A man like him? Your son is wise and kind, funny and sweet. Of course I spent time with him.” She bit down on her lower lip. “He’s doing so well now. I imagine you’ll find him almost like his old self, when he returns.”
Faisal ran a hand over his chin. “This pleases me,” he assured her, but he found himself confused by her staunch defence. “I still do not understand why you sought this relationship.”
Because Zamir loved him. And that mattered to me. “Zamir was seeing Ra’if every day. He left Las Vegas abruptly and I thought … I knew Ra’if would feel his absence. I worried it might even derail his recovery.”
“And so you stepped into Zamir’s shoes?” He prompted dubiously.
“It was good for both of us,” she admitted with a tone that didn’t invite further questioning.
“Yet you have no romantic interest in Ra’if.”
She nodded.
Faisal’s gaze narrowed. “You are in love with my other son, then.”
“No.” She swallowed, and flicked her eyes down to her lap. “And I beg your pardon, sir, if it’s not the done thing to say what I’m about to. But none of this is something I wish to discuss with you.”
“My sons are my future; the country’s future. It is for this reason I am asking you these personal questions,” he explained, his fascination with her increasing.
“Yes, but I have told you, I have nothing to do with either of them. You don’t need to be worried that you’ll end up with me in the palace permanently.”
“Yet you are here now.”
She tilted her chin defiantly, and the barrage of insults she wanted to level at this man about his heavy-handed son ran through her mind. But she didn’t give in to the temptation as she wanted to. Instead, she nodded slowly. “Not for much longer, I promise you, sir. I’ll be gone before you know it.”
