Page 19 of Shâhzâdeh

I rotated the glass in my fingers thinking of the words to say to encourage him. “It’s necessary. Even you know it. Zheir antics are drawing far too much attention. Zhe people are whispering and soon enough whispers become shouts. Zhe king is old and set in his ways so he will not listen to zhe words zhat start with him reforming. Your brother has been told zhat he has absolute power so it is doubtful zhat he would do vhat was necessary. He certainly hasn’t tried to control his son so far. Besides zhat, he feels zhat ruling the people is a divine right instead of a job zhat he needs to actually do. Work hard for. So, no, do not be wary of what’s coming. You need to feel energized zhat zhe good is finally on the horizon.”

Afshin scoffed and took a sip of his drink before speaking. “Easy for you to esay.”

“I zhink I’ve done my fair share. But tell me about zhe construction we will be touring tomorrow.” I knew speaking about the building would lighten his mood and I was right. Afshin’s face was shining with excitement and the passion for his work and this project were obvious.

“Zhe project is progressing vell. Ve have multiple areas of interest but I have to agree with you zhat starting zhe build on zhe ocean vas better zhan having it close to zhe capital. It allowed us to move more covertly and it’s paid off.”

“Has your father tried to get his share of zhe build yet?” I was rubbing my chin anxious to hear what my grandfather had been up to.

“I vish you vould not lay ownership of his blood solely on me.” Afshin sighed as though being related to that man was really that bad and frankly, it was so I understood his aggravation. It was the really why I teased him about it.

“You’re closer genetically so I give him to you. But soon it von’t ever matter. Vhat types of business do you tink ve can attract?”

His look was thoughtful and I knew we would carefully consider anyone that wanted to do business on our resort complex. “All are itching to find a lower cost to Dubai that will give them the same experience without so much expense. The people on both coasts are eager to have a new industry, especially if we are preserving their culture and current way of life.”

“And putting money into their pockets dat isn’t dependent upon de whims of de king and his debts for the month dat exceed his income.” We shared a smirk because pissing off the king was always top of our list of priorities.

“Many will be more than happy about that. I just wish—” He’d grinned but it faded as his good heart shined through.

“So did your brother. But we have been waiting for a man to change zhe ways he’s been set in for over seventy years. Zhat makes us as foolish for our hopes as he is for his actions.”

Afshin only nodded but he sighed and put a small smile on his face. “Well, I am here. Allow your uncle to impose upon you for dinner. Ve have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

The building was magnificent. The resort style amenities were surely going to attract people initially from Tehran to this portion of the country. Bandar Abbas was a port city that specialized in trade with many other countries. The ability to build a resort and shopping district that would take advantage of the high average temperatures in a place that was specifically welcoming to people of all nations was an area of commerce that hadn’t been explored in Iran as effusively as it had been in other Middle Eastern countries.

Many Persians would hop flights and visit other nations not allowing the beauty of their own country to be explored. We needed to improve that. There was a lot of national pride within the country, but some fled and never looked back to avoid the overly strict rules my grandfather attempted to impose.

I’d removed the horses I still had within the stables that the royal family had access to. I preferred the idea of having a major source of income away from their hands because I knew they were skimming off the top of their already overly generous portions of the profit. The idea of having a second facility in Bandar Khamir, a town that was close to the resort was done for multiple reasons. The first was that few of my relatives would want to leave the comforts of Tehran. But with the completion of the resort, we would host our own horse race to celebrate its opening. Having stables for people to board their potential winners just over an hour away and enjoy the sea and culture. The idea of not being able to enter a potential champion was irritating to me, but Afshin was right when he said it would look rigged if we did that. So I defaulted to him. At least I would for the first race. I wouldn’t mind our horses winning in every other country if necessary.

The stables in Bandar Khamir were especially close to my uncle’s heart. The town was known for their sustainability and emphasis on ensuring all buildings there were done with the local ecosystem as its priority. For our designs to be approved by the local government and residents in the area was impressive.

“Everyzing looks good. How you’ve kept all of zhis going and do your work is a mir—”

“His majesty is here.” Shoaib quietly interrupted us and stood with his hands behind his back. He wore a thobe with a keffiyah the same as my uncle and I.

“Zhe king or his heir?” Afshin was too kind for me because I would never address either with that much respect unless I had to.

Shoaib glanced between the two of us before he gave us a smile. “All of zhem.”

I glanced at Afshin, and he looked tense. I knew it was more from the irritation of having them around, but I hoped he realized he wasn’t alone. “Ahh, time to put zhem on zheir way to death, then.”

“Are you sure you vould not vant to vait until ve are back in international vaters?” Sho was concerned, but I knew it was more about planning out my safety and the safety of my uncle than having any actual fear of my grandfather.

I pat his shoulder smiling and he could only shake his head because he was used to my antics. “Vhy prolong zhe inevitable?”

“Dangerous game,Shâhzâdeh.”

“Not vhen you hold all zhe cards, Sho. Besides, does zhis mean you are vorried about your ability to perform your duties?”

“Never zhat.”

I clapped him on the shoulder playfully and his lips barely formed a smile. “Zhen don’t vorry. It’s a volley. One zhey won’t be able to ignore but will zhink zhey can avoid. But I am not moving on my volition. I am karma’s vessel; nozing more or less.”

“Khodâvand be mâ barekat atâ farmâyad. (May the Lord grant us blessings).” Afshin’s tone was sarcastic, the idea of dealing with our insufferable relatives put an even bigger damper on his day than mine.

My grandfather walked into the building with all the pomp and circumstance of a monarch who didn’t know how to read the room. He was flanked on multiple sides by men armed to the teeth and several women were surrounding him. He had long started to arrive with what he referred to as his ladies-in-waiting. Anyone with common sense knew he was potentially using them as human shields. They would bear the brunt of any assassination attempt and he would use any of them to protect himself before he tried to protect them.

My grandfather had long ruled this country but had made no significant impact on it or the people. Beyond holding up that status quo. It meant that he was popular with those of his peer group who were wealthy, but those who were younger expected more from their monarch. And he wasn’t willing to give it. My uncle, his heir, was even worse. He understood that this was a changing economy but instead of wanting to invest in something other than oil, Mohammed wanted to compete with the other countries who had already learned the lesson of only relying on oil but he spent no energy on diversifying the economy. My cousins who were in line for the throne, all male because of archaic rules, were addicted to how they looked on social media instead of working to ensure they could maintain their lifestyle. It was sad that they expected my father, who they had no respect for, and me to continue to make shit shake for them. But awakenings were often uncomfortable and theirs would be far more bloody than rude.

---