Page 1 of Prince of Her Heart
Chapter 1
“Please!I’m begging you!Don’t do this to me!”
Prince Ramzi El Sandir didn’t flinch.He stood motionless across from the trembling man, his tailored suit immaculate, his expression carved from stone.His voice came low and crisp—controlled, but deadly final.
“Mark, the begging is pathetic.If this is your idea of negotiation, you’ve already lost.”He leaned forward slightly, just enough to make the older man swallow hard.“Even if I stepped aside, Hestra Investments would take control by the end of the quarter.”He paused, letting the words hit.“Is that your endgame?”
Mark’s face drained of color.“A private equity firm?Hestra—!”His voice cracked.“They’ll gut my company!”
Ramzi didn’t blink.“Adam Hinds met with me last week.He proposed consolidating our positions.”He adjusted the cuff of his shirt with slow precision, a gesture more menacing than casual.“I turned him down.Not because I owe you anything—but because I don’t hand my competition what they want on a silver platter.”
“But—”
“Bondras has been on life support for years.”Ramzi’s tone turned cool, surgical.“I respected what your father built.But that legacy ended the moment you decided to run the company on emotion instead of discipline.I’m not interested in nostalgia, Mark.I’m here to prevent a collapse that would ripple across four sectors and would depreciate my investment.”
Mark’s breath hitched, his eyes darting as if searching for an escape.
“Hestra owns twelve percent,” Ramzi continued, his voice like steel.“RAS Industries—through various channels—controls thirty-nine percent.Do the math.”
He did, and the expression on his features turned ashen.Ramzi watched, mentally shaking his head.But then the man did something unexpected.He rallied, straightened a little.For a moment, Ramzi felt a flicker of respect.Pathetic, but at least he was still fighting.
“I can buy you out,” Mark whispered, desperation leaking through every syllable.“I’ll pay market value.You won’t lose a dime.”
Ramzi pretended to consider the offer.He let the silence stretch, let the hope build in the other man’s eyes.But they both knew the truth—Mark didn’t have the capital, and no financial institution in its right mind would back him.Bondras stock had been circling the drain for two years.The vultures were already circling, and every one of them wanted what was buried in the company’s vault: the patents.
“You can’t afford me,” Ramzi said flatly.“You didn’t even see Hestra coming to the party, Mark.And you didn’t know I was already sitting at the table while you were still fumbling with the invitation.”
The older man clenched his hands, trying to mask the tremor in his fingers.“I’ve got new products in development—game changers.I’ve personally developed some new formulas that will bring us back.And my grandson,” he stammered slightly.“He’s coming along.Some of the mistakes in the past year have been unfortunate, but he’s a good kid.He’s learning quickly.”Then his eyes brightened.“Also, AJC Distributors is interested.”His fingers trembled as he held them out, pleading.“It’s all coming together.It’s just… taking longer than I expected.”
Ramzi tilted his head slightly, as if observing a malfunctioning machine.“You're still clinging to promises, Mark.Hopes.Not numbers.Not execution.I don’t invest in hope.”He leaned back, folding his arms.“You’re trying to convince me that the company’s future depends entirely on you, and with a deal you haven’t even closed yet.”
“I just need time—”
“No,” Ramzi cut in sharply, impatient now.He’d been kinder to Mark than he’d intended.“What you need is a reality check.You’ve unintentionally confirmed two catastrophic failures: first, that the thirty scientists on your payroll have produced nothing viable in two decades.Second, that your grandson—the supposed heir—is unprepared and untested.”He paused just long enough to let the air tighten.“If something happens to you, Bondras collapses.That’s not a business.That’s a liability.”
Mark opened his mouth to protest again.
Ramzi’s stare turned lethal.“Don’t mention the new products again.If they were half as promising as you claim, you would’ve led with data.Instead, all I’ve heard is panic.”He stood, buttoning his jacket with deliberate calm.“I’ll be meeting with your board this afternoon.This conversation is over.”
“But,” Mark started again, standing as well.His shorter height compared to Ramzi’s six-foot-three frame didn’t help the man’s confidence—but Ramzi respected him for trying.
“The new products,” Mark pressed.“They really are good.And if I could just get them to market, the profits might revitalize everything.”
Ramzi was already shaking his head before Mark finished speaking.“I don’t doubt your products have potential.That’s not the issue.The problem is execution—and you’re negotiating with AJC Distributors.”
“Exactly!They’ll—”
“They’re owned by Hestra Investments,” Ramzi interrupted coldly, leaning down to pull a folded document from the folder beside him and laying it flat on the table.“This is a list of AJC shareholders,” he said, tone clipped.Then he pointed to the next column.“And here—this is a list of Hestra’s shareholders.Cross-reference the names.Jason Hinds owns enough of AJC to control everyone’s contracts.”
He waited, bracing his fists on the scarred conference table, while the older man scanned the page, watching as understanding and dread slowly twisted Mark’s face.
“Hinds isn’t helping you,” Ramzi continued, voice sharp as a blade.“He’s setting you up.He’ll bleed Bondras dry with inflated distribution fees and he’ll delay your contracts until you have no revenue, all while increasing Hestra’s leverage.Within months, there won’t be enough revenue coming to afford payroll.He’ll force you to sell your remaining stocks, which will trigger a total acquisition at a fraction of your company’s worth.”
Ramzi straightened again, watching the older man carefully.At one point, Mark Bondras had been a legend in the chemical engineering world.His products had revolutionized industries.But mismanagement had taken a toll.Ramzi let the silence stretch long enough to feel heavy.
Mark looked up, the agony in his eyes naked now.“What can I do?How can I stop this?”
Striving for patience when he should have walked out of this meeting long ago, Ramzi sighed.“Hestra is a private equity firm, Mark.Their playbook is predictable—strip, downsize, and sell for parts.They’ll lay off more than half your staff.Which, frankly, should’ve happened already.”Ramzi’s voice didn’t waver.“You’ve allowed personal loyalty to cloud your judgment while managing this company, Mark.You kept people on payroll who should’ve been let go a decade ago.And then—because legacy was more important than leadership—you handed your grandson a title without purpose.”
