AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Being born in a royal family had it’s perks. Kamal never wanted for anything. He was gifted two cars, but he also had a chauffeur and no reason to drive the cars. Guards shadowed his every move outside the walls of his palace, and there was always an abundance of food and drink.
And women.
Although Kamal could see that his father loved his mother very much, he still indulged in other women. At any given time, all Kamal had to was ask and a beautiful woman was presented before him. Dating Sara gave him his first taste of a monogamous relationship, and it had been hard at first. But she had made her expectations clear, and he had willing complied. Anything to make her happy.
Since then, there had been countless women in his bed. He’d tried to drive her memories away with sex, but none of it ever meant anything. He was hardly fulfilled.
Nahid walked through the entrance and smiled when he saw his son. Kamal met his eyes in the mirror and nodded respectfully. “You look like a man,” Nahid said with a shake of his head. “You look like you’re ready.”
Kamal steeled himself for his father said next. Here, in this moment between father and son, the rest of his life would begin to spin out of his control, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Your mother has coddled you, and I have indulged her. I will admit that sending you to America for your studies has had it’s perks, but it has also had its setbacks. Tonight, for your birthday, I will do right by you. Tonight you will face the people of this party not as a birthday boy or even as my son, but as my heir. You will one day wield all of my power, and the events of tonight will help shape you.”
His father said nothing about Jada, but he didn’t have to. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air between them, and Kamal lowered his eyes and nodded. “I will make you proud,” he said quietly.
Did it bother him that tonight he would ask for a woman’s hand in marriage? Not really. Kamal couldn’t have Sara, so it didn’t really matter who stood by his side. No one would compare to her, and he realized that.
“Come,” his father beckoned. “If we do let your mother know that we are ready to escort her down, she will take forever getting ready.”
Kamal let a genuine smile slip over his face as he followed his father out the room. Casting a last look at his room, he felt that smile fall away. These moments would be his last to hold on that insane hope. Tonight he was a man of duty. It was time to finally let the dreams of the boy go.
* * *
Dressed in light green with black embroidery, Jada glanced wearily out the window. Her father was pleased with her selections, but this particular dress made her hazel eyes seem more green than blue. Her father liked to tell people that she had his green eyes, but she was the spitting image of her mother.
He never talked about her mother. She knew they didn’t have a good marriage. She’d always been weak and sickly, and she’d passed before Jada could even retain any memories of her. Jada didn’t even have a mother-figure in the form of a nanny. As a child without any discipline, her nannies came and went often.
“There are rumors that Kamal was entangled with a woman while he was in America,” Jada told her father while she kept a close eye on his expression. “They say he fell in love, and he was never the same when he chose duty over his own heart.”
“Bah,” her father wave his hand around. “It doesn’t matter of his past. He’s had many women. He will fall for you tonight, and that is all that is important. You will do well, tonight, Jada. I’ve enjoyed the change in you. I was wrong. Europe was good for you.”
Europe was great for her. It actually pulled her away from her responsibilities and let her enjoy a few freedoms for once. But she couldn’t tell her father that.
As the limousine pulled up to the expansive home, Jada resisted the urge to put on her glasses. The sun well below the horizons, and the last of its light was fading. Everyone would know that she was only covering the truth was always visible in her eyes.
Or maybe they would think she had a disease. Perhaps she could play that to her advantage.
“This has always been my dream for you, Jada,” her father said softly. “I know you think I do this so that I can boast of a family connection, but I want to keep you close. There are men who would not treat you well. Kamal’s family has always been good to us, and I have no doubt that you will be able to find happiness there. And should you not, I will be near to protect you.”
Startled, Jada turned her head sharply to stare at her father. She couldn’t remember the last time he had said something so sweet to her. There was no underlying message in his words, and there was nothing but love in his eyes. He spoke the truth.
“Thank you,” she said honestly. It bolstered her confidence to enter into a union knowing that her father had her own happiness in mind.
The driver opened the door and held out his hand. Jada gathered her skirts in her one hand and swung her legs out of the car. The driver gently pulled out her out of her car, and the doors to the palace swung open. She recognized the current Sheikh and his beautiful wife. But as her gaze landed on Kamal, she inhaled sharply.
Time had been kind to him. Kamal Al-Basir had grown into a handsome man. Her fingers itched to run over the dark stubble on his face, and her heart skipped a beat when his eyes bore into hers. She saw the surprise in them and realized that he had also not known what to expect.
Immediately, she bowed her head and kept her eyes trained to the ground. A shadow crossed over her, and she heard Kamal clear his throat. “Jada, it’s pleasant to see you again.”
It took every bit of self-control not to wince at the strain in his words. He may have been surprised by her beauty, but it wasn’t enough to make him happy about her presence. Forcing a smile, she raised her head. “And you as well.”
Forcefully, he held out his hand. “Allow me to escort you in.”
“I would appreciate that very much,” she muttered as she took his hand. She nodded reverently at his parents as they passed, and several servants opened the door for them. She wasn’t the least bit surprised or impressed with the glittery affair before her. Parties, no matter how elegantly decorated, were not enough to hold her attention. “Your mother has done as excellent job,” she muttered, still playing her role.
He dropped her hand, and she immediately felt the loss. What was going on with her? Kamal stared straight ahead, and she turned and studied his profile. There was anger. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said carefully. What had she done?
“It’s not you,” he said abruptly. “I’m a busy man, and I think celebrating the fact that I survived to live another year is ridiculous. Still, you’re not wrong. My mother put a lot of work into this, and I’m sure she’ll appreciate your sentiments.”
