Page 33 of Seduced By the Sheikh

“Now we’re getting to it,” said Zak dangerously, “the real reason you’re here. May as well forget the niceties and come straight out with it.”

The sheikha laughed. But it wasn’t pleasant laughter, it was the laughter of someone who thought she held the advantage.

“Oh, Zak!” she said, cocking her head to one side to blow out another plume of smoke. She laughed again and daintily plucked a piece of tobacco from her tongue. “You should see your expression. It was worth coming here just to see that!” Before he could respond, she continued. “Maybe you’d like to know why I sought Madame Cardusi out?”

“Not really,” he said. “I think that’s pretty obvious. You wanted to find out what was going on between them and us.”

The sheikha gave an amused grunt. “You were never this predictable, Zak. Must be married life.” This time, she didn’t even bother to look at Soraiya.

“Quit the insults and get to the point, will you?” growled Zak.

“I went to see her because I thought she had the right to know exactly who she was dealing with before everything fell apart on them.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Nothing is going to fall apart.”

“Isn’t it?” she asked. “Zak, you’re missing the obvious. Marriage has also stunted your senses. Think. What is it that sits at the crux of all of this?”

He glared at her in silence.

The sheikha looked from one to the other of them. Then settled her gaze on Soraiya.

“It’s land, isn’t it Soraiya? The land which you are due to inherit from your grandmother as her only true granddaughter.”

Soraiya nodded. She couldn’t very well contradict the sheikha because the land was, indeed, the whole reason for their arranged marriage in the first place.

“But it seems that DNA sample you gave for that ancestry site your cousin asked for has thrown the cat among the pigeons.”

Zak looked at Soraiya. “DNA sample? When was this?”

“My cousin asked if I would. She wanted it for our family tree. I didn’t think there would be any harm in it. It was about six months ago.”

Zak looked back at his mother. “Go on. What cat? What pigeons?”

“Well, my darling son, it seems your new wife isn’t who she claims to be.”

Soraiya’s mouth dried in shock. But it had the opposite effect on Zak. He walked over to his mother, towering over her, fury imprinted on his features.

“You’ve said enough! I want you out of here this instant.” He strode over to the door and called some guards who came running, closely followed by an anxious-looking vizier who’d obviously been loitering, concerned as to what was playing out behind closed doors.

“Fine!” said his mother. “The more the merrier. Let everyone hear.” She opened her arms theatrically wide. “Her Royal Highness Queen Soraiya is not the natural daughter of His Highness, the King of Ra’nan. His blood does not run in her veins. Not to put too fine a point on it”—her eyes narrowed as she looked at Soraiya, and Soraiya’s blood ran cold—“she is a fraud.”

There was a collective gasp.

“Ha!” the sheikha said, turning an amused look to her son. “If looks could kill!”

Zak roared and strode across the room toward his mother. Before Soraiya knew what she was doing, she found she’d leapt between the two of them. It was all to do with her and she didn’t want it to end up in something even worse because his mother was right, Zak’s look could kill. And she wanted no bloodshed.

“Enough!” said Zak. Soraiya had never seen this furious side to him. “I want you gone from here immediately. You’ve had your fun, now leave!”

“Wait!” Soraiya said. “This is just hearsay.”

“You obviously haven’t checked out the website,” said Alishaba, “or been in contact with your cousin.”

“I want you out, now!” shouted Zak. “Guards!” They stepped forward, but Soraiya instinctively stopped them.

“No,” said Soraiya quietly.

It was his mother who looked at her in surprise. “The mouse has a voice,” she said sarcastically.

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