AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eight
The Crown Prince watchedin contemplative silence as his brother stepped out of the conference room for the third time in the past five minutes, only to return to his seat a mere few seconds later.
Ilyas wasneverrestless. The other man might be known for being hotheaded and impatient, but his younger brother was also infamous for having nerves of steel. It was why Ilyas had been in charge of negotiating with spies, rebels, and mercenaries in Huzna's civil war, and in all those years of strife and violence, not once had Saif seen his brother appear on edge...the way he was now.
When Ilyas rose to his feet yet again, Saif shook his head and asked finally, "What happened? Has one of our companies gone bankrupt?"
Ilyas looked stung at the question. "No, of course not."
"Then what exactly is eating you?" Saif demanded.
The door opened before Ilyas could speak, and Saif had his answer when he saw his brother stiffen at the sight of their cousin stride in while speaking amiably with Ilyas' secretary.
Ah.
Did this mean Ilyas had finally figured out his feelings?
Ilyas couldn't stop staring at Ember. She looked too fucking hot right now, with her usual ugly clothes replaced by a scoop-necked dress that hugged every curve of her body.
And her tits, dear God...
They were no longer made to look flat like before, but had she done it because of what he said...or because she was currently smiling up at Adam like she was about to change her name from Ember to Ever?
The thought had him seeing red even though he knew he had no fucking right to be jealous.You asked for this, Ilyas Al-Masri. You left her. And now she's with someone else.
In the meantime, the Crown Prince was clasping his cousin's arms in a gesture of greeting. "Thank you for coming at short notice."
"Ember here was very persuasive." Adam had only meant this as a joke but was surprised to see Ilyas' jaw clench at his words.
Saif glanced to see if Ember had noticed his brother's reaction, but the girl's expression remained polite and unreadable, and that could only mean one thing.
His brother had fucked up, and Ilyas would soon have to grovel.
Adam shook hands with Ilyas, and Saif saw his cousin raise a brow at the marked reserve in his brother's demeanor.
The Crown Prince waited until Ilyas had turned his back before catching his cousin's gaze, and Adam went from puzzled to amused when Saif inclined his head tellingly in Ember's direction. So that was why Ilyas was suddenly treating him more like enemy than kin. He would never have guessed that his cousin could be this possessive about a woman, but if that were the case—-
A row of chairs positioned at the back of the room was typically reserved for staff use, but just as Ember was about to take one of them, Adam asked if she could take a seat next to him instead.
"Oh, um—-"
"It's fine, Ember," Saif said. "You've been working on this program from day one. We're certain to need your input sooner or later."
