Page 14 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
The doors to her apartment blew open. Angela turned, ready to snap at whoever had burst into her home. But when she saw her father’s furious expression, the words died unspoken. She adored her father completely. He was the best dad in the world. She hadn’t known he was her father the first four years of her life and, even though she didn’t consciously remember those years, Angela remembered an intense need to have her father’s approval.
“Uncle Raj!” Nahla gasped, rushing forward to give him a hug. “Isn’t this exciting?” she asked, obviously trying to ease the tension. But his expression remained furious.
“What happened in Paris?” Raj demanded, scowling at Angela even as he wrapped an arm around Nahla.
Angela held her breath, not really sure how to answer that question. How had that hotel video “gone viral” already? She was too tired and just…drained…to figure this out.
“Dad, I don’t–”
“Raj!” her mother interrupted, stepping forward to wrap her arm protectively around Angela’s shoulders. “Don’t you dare admonish her for that video!”
Raj turned to face his wife, still keeping a protective arm around Nahla, who shot an apologetic glance at Angela. “I won’t allow her to marry that–”
“Careful,” Helen said in a calming voice as she stepped up to Raj’s other side. “Nahla dear,” she said to the younger girl, then she turned to include the others. “Would you all give me and my husband a chance to speak with Angela privately?”
Nahla immediately smiled and pulled away. “Sure, but I’m not sure why you bother with privacy,” she teased with a flounce as she turned to leave.“We’ll find out everything anyway.”
After the room cleared, Angela turned to her parents. “Before you harangue me, I’m going to change into real clothes.” She didn’t wait for permission. Instead, she headed back into her bedroom. A few minutes later, dressed in a pair of jeans and a comfortable sweatshirt, she confronted her parents again, feeling less vulnerable now that she was properly dressed.
“Okay, what’s going on?Why is everyone congratulating me for getting engaged to Ti…Sheik el Maistri,” she quickly corrected, knowing the slip had been caught when her father’s grim scowl deepened. “I amnotengaged to Lativa’s biggest enemy.” She crossed her arms overher chest, and gave her father a glare.
“Dear,” her mother started.
But Raj interrupted. “You’re damn well going to marry the man after that kiss!”
Kiss? She’d only kissed Tiro in the hotel bar and…! The hotel bar!The video of their kiss! Why would the hotel security team have released the video? Surely they hadn’t! Their guests’ privacy would be more important than a publicity stunt.Right?
“Raj!” Helen interjected, pulling away from her husband to stand beside her daughter, “you’re not going to pull that purity crap again, are you? We made a deal that we wouldn’t impose that kind of irrelevant patriarchal stupidity on our daughter!”
Raj shifted uncomfortably and dropped his gaze to the floor. But when he looked at his wife again, the scowl was still there.“Until now, I hadn’t been challenged on that vow.” He breathed in, then releasedthe breath slowly. When he looked at Angela, he seemed more controlled. “Okay, so tell us what happened. How did you end up engaged to one of our country’s biggest enemies?”
Angela shook her head and shrugged. “I still don’t know what everyone is talking about. What engagement?”
Helen turned to face her daughter. “Are you saying that youdidn’tagree to marry Sheik el Maistri?”
“No!” Angela insisted, shaking her head to emphasize the statement. “I definitely did not agree to marry him or anyone. There wasn’t even a conversation about marriage!”
“But you kissed him?” Raj demanded, his expression darkening again.
Angela blushed, hesitating. And that moment of hesitation was all her father needed to jump right back to fury.
“Youdid!” he growled. His hands clenched into fists. Not a good sign, Angela noted.
“Dad, you know how I struggle to sleep sometimes?” she began.
“Yes.”
Angela stepped closer, lacing her fingers together. She wanted to appear confident, but suspected that her body language was more concerned than self-assured. “So last night was one of those nights,” she continued. “I went down to the hotel bar to write up my notes on the weekend’s meetings. Just like I do with every meeting I attend for Uncle Khal.”
“Okay,” Raj replied, crossing his arms over his massive chest as he continued to stare balefully at her.
She wasn’t used to such treatment from her father. Usually, he doted on her. His wrath was normally directed toward the rest of the world or her brother. Saif was the rebel of their family. Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. Angela had her moments, but her rebellion against the strictures of palace life was more circumspect. Angela had always suspected that Saif’s rebellions were because Angela, Zayn, Rafi, and Laith were so close and they’d gone on…excursions…throughout their younger years while the younger cousins had witnessed only the resulting lectures by aunts, uncles, parents, and bodyguards.
So, if Saif was the rebel in the family, what role did that leave for her?Angela was the…well, she wasn’t sure what her position was.
However, she was one hundred percent certain that her role wasn’t “fiancée” to a man she barely knew!
“We’re waiting,” her father prompted.
