Page 178 of Shâhzâdeh

“Zhat’s vhat you don’t understand. He already is. You’ve had your head so deep in some stripper’s ass zhat you can’t even tell vhat your people zhink of him.”

Afshin chuckled at my words but he knew I was right. “Xerxes is right. I would not. Zhat is zhe zhing about all of zhis, Ibriham. You had zhe tools to reject zhis lifestyle but it is one you welcomed wholeheartedly. I could’ve joined you, life would’ve been much easier if I had. But instead of becoming a predator after so long being prey, I was an advocate. To use zhe voice I had, limited as it was, to fight for zhose who needed it. Zhat is zhe type of person I will be as king.”

Even now Afshin spoke with the conviction of a leader while they looked like the people who age of consent laws were made for.

“No one vill accept you. Zhey will riot in zhe streets.” Mohammed looked at his son like he was beneath him and it showed just how much he lacked awareness of what was going on in his kingdom.

I cocked my head annoyed how even now my grandfather couldn’t see what was right in front of him. “You seem to forget who is the face of zhe monarchy to zhose who you believe vill riot. Zhe one who is going out and doing good vorks vhile you all live zhe life you do. Vhenever I am in town, I am zhere watching and I can see zhe love zhey have for him. Hear zhe whispers of how you all need to get it togezer. I’ve warned you for years zhat zhe tides were turning and you didn’t listen. Well, grandfazer, a change has come.”

“It’s been a looong, long time coming. But a change has come.” Nate started to sing soulfully that momentarily broke the tension in the room. For us at least.

“You vould allow zhem to kill your father? Zhe man who ensured you had life?” Mohammed was attempting to use connection to the son he abandoned and tried to have killed all because he didn’t do exactly what the crown commanded.

My father didn’t want to let his anger get the best of him but I knew he felt completely insulted by the attempt at emotional manipulation. “Zhe life I live is zhe one I built wiz my two hands. It wasn’t until I came to America and met my soul zhat I understood vhat love vas. And my soul introduced me to zhe men who stand beside me. Who have stood beside me. Laughed wiz me. Been my sounding board vhen I needed it so zhat I could be strong for my family. Micheal, Xavier and Deuce are my brozers. Zheir children are my nieces and nephews. Zhere is no bond stronger zhan zhe one we built between us. One zhat was forged of love, respect and understanding. It’s not one built on obligation.”

“Ve are blood!” Hearing no was something the king wasn’t used to and seemed to take personal offense to not being able to manipulate my father.

“And look how you treat your blood! You tried to have me killed multiple times. You vent after Babette until you realized vhat she was far more formidable zhan anyzing you had ever faced. A woman, my woman, humbled you and zhen offered you a gift to keep your pride. But still you weren’t satisfied. You vanted her to come begging. For her to fail so zhat you could dominate her. But our family vould’ve never allowed zhat to happen.Iwould’ve never allowed zhat to happen. Plenty have come after us and zhey are zhe decomposing memories. And zhen you made zhe mistake of going after my son.” Bâbâ was furious and no issue with letting his hurt and anger show.

Kamran stood up groggily after shuffling around on the floor for a moment. He braced himself against the ground and lifted himself up slowly. “Talk! Zhis is nonsense, my grandfather is a king. I am a prince! Zhis vill not be tolerated!”

“Is it time to rock his ass to sleep again? I was having fun listening to everybody talk then this weak muthafucka opened his mouth.”

“Chill, we get to have more fun. We gotta let people do what they need to. Folk need to get this shit off they chest before these people die.” Sampson and Nate were having a conversation like it was just another day and I appreciated their lack of fucks to give.

Seeing that he was not affecting his son, the king turned his hatred back to me. “I couldn’t get zhe man to kill you but I could make sure zhat zhere were no more you to come later.”

My grandfather’s words recaptured my attention because he spoke them with far too much joy. Like he was finally showing his hand after all these years. “And what does zhat mean?”

“You zhink your mother, healzy as she was, didn’t vant more children? Of course she did. But zhat emergency vhile she was under zhe knife was no mistake. It vas a doctor zhat vas more zhan paid off in order to ensure zhat no more half breed pieces of shit like you could come zhrough and ruin zhe Mahdavi name. All you had to do Bijan was marry a goodmuslimah. One who vould bring honor to zhe family. But instead you married zhat zhing. AnAmerican. Zhe very people who have destroyed generations of prosperity in our country.” My grandfather’s face was tight and angry but that anger was futile.

“But it never stopped you from accepting zhose American bribes did it? Vhen you needed to look the other way vhen some portion of zhe country was attacked. Vhen our neighbors were harmed. It didn’t stop you from allowing zhose same Americans zhat you swear you hate to harm others so long as you were fine. You veren’t worried about zhe Muslimahs zhat were harmed zhere, were you? As long as you could sit in your palace and enjoy your peace. But my wife? Zhe reason Allah put me on zhis earz is more zhan a simple woman to me. She is my soul. Zhe moment I saw her zhe rules and governances of your lifestyle and zhis world faded away. She was Allah’s vision of perfection to me for me! Zhere is nozing you can say about her Blackness, about her Americanness zhat would ever dissuade me from loving her. If she is labeledharamzhen I am a heretic willing to bear zhe eternities ofJahannamso great is my love for her!”

The anger I normally tried to prevent my father from feeling was fully on display. Hearing this information had tears in his eyes realizing he hadn’t been able to keep my mother completely from harm. But the way he went to bat for her so fiercely then and was reaffirming her perfection even now in her absence was moving.

“Disgusting. You make zhis display for a voman? zhat is not vhat a man looks like!” Ibriham was still posturing on things that didn’t matter. No matter what words he said, he was still going to die tonight.

“And you zhink your harem of vomen zhat did not ask to be zhere brings you closer to honoringAllah? Zhat the vay you treat zhem and your people? No. You hide behind your piety vhen it is something you don’t like. I’m sure if we took a poll of zhe people zhey’d prefer zheshâzâdeh ye- faqir(pauper prince) to any of you.”

My uncles had been charged with keeping my father in his spot, but they’d allowed him to inch closer and closer to his father without thinking of stopping him. I was sure that Uncle Michael was ready to shed blood over what had been done to his sister.

“Can we kill them so these bitches can’t ever try this shit with Vanya? Because my trigger finger is itching to end them and I just met her again.”

I turned to look at Ahmad smiling at the scowl that was on his face. He hadn’t said shit about hopping on the jet, just asked me where and when the time to handle them came. He was showing his loyalty and love to his sister everyday and jumping in on this for me proved his loyalty didn’t stop with her.

“Zhis has been a long time coming. Let him confess all his sins now before he gets sent to hell,habibi.”

I don’t know what about us and our people kept the murdery professional athletes in our orbit, but I could always appreciate a man who would put in work.

I turned back to my grandfather smiling at the betrayal on his face. “Your time is up. And we will trust Afshin to do what is necessary for zhe people instead of being concerned wiz zhe zhrone. Zhere are no people who will mourn you. And for zhe dishonor you did to my mozer your fate is going to be far worse zhan I planned.”

“Zhere is nozing you can do to me to make me beg for my life.” My grandfather rolled his shoulders back trying to stand with his kingly baring like he was going to die with dignity.

I chuckled as the people behind me laughed. After seeing the lengths I had gone through with the people who’d hurt my wife, the damage was going to be catastrophic. “You say zhat now, but you understand just how inventive I can be.”

“If he wasn’t already here to meet his fate I would tell you to vithdraw every dime zhat has been put into zheir coffers. But no matter, zhere is a pretty bauble zhat vill make up for you doing somezing so foul. Who am I kidding? zhere is nozing zhat can be done to make up for zhat. I’m more zhan zhankful zhat my son and his wife will do more from zhe outside looking in zhan you ever did as king. zheir names, along wiz zhe son you tried to zhrow away will be zhe ones zhat people talk of when zhey sing zhe praises of zhe Mahdavi family. You will be in hell roasting, realizing zhat all your planning and ultimatums still got you exactly vhat you didn’t zant: two littlehalf breedsbeing better at your position zhan you vould ever be. And you, Ibriham, you could’ve been so much more but greed got in zhe way. I hope you enjoyed your sixty years because it has now ended.”

“How many of us vill you slaughter? How many down zhe line of succession vill you take out? Vill you kill your aunts as vell? My daughters? My vife?” Ibriham was looking nervous for the first time, which I found hilarious. My father’s words had shaken him despite him trying to be tough. He was trying to use the women in his family once again to save him and it wouldn’t work.

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