Page 46 of Seduced By the Sheikh

“I didn’t steal it, Zak. What I did was break my trust—my moral undertaking—to care for it for future generations. Anyway, I want to make amends.”

He didn’t trust his mother, but he’d never heard her speak like this before.

“And how exactly,” he said slowly, “do you intend to do that?”

“How do you think?” she said brusquely. It was somehow reassuring that his mother hadn’t changed completely.

“I don’t know,” he replied testily, “otherwise I wouldn’t have asked.”

She shrugged as if understanding. “I intend to return what I can back to Sirun. It hasn’t brought me happiness, and I was wrong to take it. I know that. I’ve always known that, but it didn’t stop me.”

“And what’s brought about this change of heart?”

“Soraiya.” She waved her hand. “All that selflessness. It pained me.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Of course it did.”

She leaned in close, as if it were important that he should understand what she said next. “No, it pained me because it reminded me of me, a much younger version of me of course, but still me.”

He could see the pain in her eyes as they watered over and he realized he’d never seen her look so genuinely moved before. For the first time since they’d begun the conversation, he believed her.

“And I feel ashamed, Zak. I know I don’t want to live the rest of my life estranged from you and Kadar, and from my grandchildren. I want to come home,” she added quietly.

He sat back, not knowing how to answer her. Should he give her another chance to make amends? Had she really changed so much?

“I’ll have to talk it over with Kadar,” he said. “It’s not a decision I wish to make on my own.”

“Of course. And I’ll call him next and talk to him. But I want you to know something. Even if you don’t want me back in Sirun, I’ll still return what I took. And I will still ask your forgiveness because that’s the most important thing to me. I don’t think I can go on without it.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time, mother,” he said.

“I’ve got to break the cycle, don’t you see? I passed on my own anger and grievances to you, and it turned you into the man you are today.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Is that so bad?”

“No. Not totally. But you were such a loving boy, so open, always wanting cuddles.”

He cleared his throat. “I still like cuddles.”

It was her turn to raise her eyebrow. “Not those sort of cuddles. You know what I mean. You’re closed off and wouldn’t know love if it bit you on the?—”

“Okay, okay,” he interrupted. All this talk of cuddles and love was messing with his brain. “But you’re wrong, you know. I do know love.”

“Do you?” she asked, with a quick shake of the head. “I don’t think you do, because otherwise why, when I asked Soraiya if you loved her, did she say that she didn’t know.” She leaned into the camera, again. She seemed intent on getting as close as she could to him. “She needs to know, Zak. You need to tell her, you need to show her, because without love, life is empty.” She sat back and gave a hollow laugh. “I should know. I?—”

“I have to go,” he said, reaching over and finishing the call. He’d cut his mother off mid-sentence, but he didn’t care. He was too shocked to continue. He spun around in his chair, paced across the room, walked outside, and kept walking. He couldn’t sit still. His mind was in a panic. But his feet knew where to take him. Straight to Soraiya.

Soraiya had spent the past hour in her office talking over some internal palace administration with her staff. After they’d gone, she sat in silence for five minutes, enjoying the sense of peace and satisfaction which working in this space gave her. It was her own, and she loved it.

She’d had it furnished and decorated in a feminine, homely style which made her feel even more at ease than she did already. It had given her a project to keep herself busy during those terrible first weeks after losing her baby. She still felt his loss, but managed to hide it most days. Her counsellor had told her that the pain would get easier because she’d learn to live with it. She just wished Zak would agree to talk about their loss. But he refused to. Even with her.

But he was as loving and as tender as ever in bed. At least she was reassured that he wanted her by their physical closeness. He refused to discuss an annulment. He’d told her that she was the only wife he wanted and that was that. She just hoped that in time he’d come to love her as much as she loved him. In the meantime, life was as good as she could possibly hope for.

She reached over and rang the buzzer to call her assistant in. They were going through her diary for the next week when she heard raised voices outside her office and quick footsteps on the marble floor.

Suddenly her door opened and she rose in surprise.

“Zak!” She glanced at her watch. “I wasn’t expecting you yet. Is anything the matter?”

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