Salam.
So...are we going to surpass Hidden???
Anyways...isn't Tawfiq getting on our last nerves??
Welp let the story continue as I decide what to do with him.
Enjoy.
******************************************
"Karim." Naima stepped inside the room and hugged him.
Karim hugged him back.
"Mama."
"How are you doing?" Naima smiled sadly at him.
There was nothing in his eyes. It was usually bright golden brown but now it looked just brown to her. He looked like he had lost all reason to live but was holding on because of something. One thing. Getting Zaira back.
"I'm fine." Karim simply answered and let his mother go.
"You're not okay, Karim. And I don't know what to do to make you better." Naima frowned.
Karim smiled a little.
"I'm sure you convinced dad to change his mind. That's the best thing you could have done for me."
Karim moved further into the room and sat down.
"It's not enough. You still look like you did yesterday. You're going to save, Zaira. You should be happy." Naima tried to get him to smile genuinely or brighten up but he still had a gloomy face on.
"I'm saving her to let her go again. And if I don't, dad will tell everyone in the world the truth about Samia." Karim sighed.
"Your dad threatened you?" Naima frowned.
What was wrong with Tawfiq? Naima knew he was over protective but this was going to far. How could he threaten Karim with Samia? That was just out of the question.
"An ultimatum. He gave me a choice. To choose between Samia and Zaira." Karim looked over at the baby cot.
"And you chose Samia. So you have to let Zaira go." Naima paused. "I don't care what Tawfiq thinks he's trying to do but I'll talk to him. He can't threaten everyone just because he thinks he has to."
"No. Don't. Please. I can't afford it if he changes his mind again. It will hurt a while but I'll be okay, right? As long as she's alive then I'm okay with that." Karim shrugged.
Naima looked at him sadly. How was she supposed to tell him it wouldn't hurt for a while. It would hurt for a long time and he'd feel like drowning every second of the day. He'd feel the pain twice harder each day that passes. Knowing he could have her in second but can't get her.
But she wasn't going to tell him that.
"Let's not go so far into the future. Right now we just need to find Zaira. So why don't you come with me to your dad's office so we can get to saving her. What do you say?" Naima said with a smile.
Karim nodded and followed his mother to his father's office.
**
"How long will it take you to decipher the code?" Tawfiq asked Naima.
"Not long." Naima replied and moved with the recording to another side of the office.
Everyone else was gathered around the office desk.
"The coordinates point exactly to the city by the border. It's fully rebel held and from what I know there are just a few civilians there." Aziz informed the small party.
"How do we get in?" Dean asked.
"Commercial flights are out of the question and your jet can't land in the country without them finding out."
Tawfiq crossed his arms across his chest.
"You're right. We could land here. In this country. We have good connections with them." Tawfiq suggested as he pointed to the country which shared a border with them.
"We could your highness. But we're entering their country in the end. Border control officials will know of our arrival and we can't show ID. Fake or not they know your face." Aziz explained.
Tawfiq pursed his lips.
"We could smuggle in. A country like that will have a lot of traffickers sending people in and out." Bella suggested.
"Could work. But it's dangerous. We can't tell who the trafficker is loyal too. Besides they know my face." Tawfiq sighed.
It seemed he was the problem.
"Cut your hair or something. Dye it blue. Shave your beard. You hid in America pretty well." Dean shrugged.
"Americans don't know much about the Middle East. These people are on the same continent with us. They'll know." Tawfiq answered.
"If you were to shave your hair very low they'd not notice as much. Your hair stands out the most for you. And you can trim your beard too." Zain suggested.
"Umm no. Why should he shave his hair?" Naima eyed them from her seat. She was listening in.
Tawfiq chuckled whiles everyone arched a brow at her.
"Why? It will grow back. Or do you have a hair fetish, little N?" Dean joked.
"No. I don't. But can't he just be disguised in another way?" Naima asked.
"It will grow back, Habiba. Don't worry." Tawfiq assured her.
She grumbled and went back to her work.
"So it's decided. You're cutting your hair and beard."
"I'm not shaving all my beard. Just a bit. And only because it's necessary." Tawfiq said to them.
"Now. How do we get in?" Zain questioned as he looked at everyone.
"I have an idea." Karim muttered.
He didn't feel like talking that's why he kept quiet.
"Tell us." Tawfiq insisted but Karim didn't bother to look at him.
It'd take a very long time before he'd be able to look at his father and not want to release all his his anger on him.
"We could join a peacekeeping mission. They get into countries without a lot of hassle since the paper works are done by the UN."
"Karim's right. But not every country will allow us to join without a reasonable explanation." Tawfiq pursed his lips.
"Uncle Jalil sends peace troops there."
He had done his investigations in case he had to go alone. Sue him.
"That's true, your highness. Saudi Arabia sends peace troop there every once in a while and if my timing is accurate, they'll be removing the soldiers there to bring new ones. We could join them. I'm sure your sister can convince the king." Aziz said to him.
"I can convince Jalil." Tawfiq nodded.
"So it's settled. We're going to be soldiers in the Arabian army. Sweet." Dean grinned.
"If we're done, please excuse me."
"Where are you going?" Tawfiq narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not running away. I'm just going to sit with my mother if you don't mind? Or are you going to threaten me not to go there too?" Karim dared him to say anything.
Tawfiq's jaw ticked. Everyone looked between them waiting for someone to break the ice.
"Is it getting hot in here or it's just me?" Dean chuckled nervously.
Tawfiq looked away and went to pick his phone up to call Jalil.
Karim went to sit by his mother who smiled at him. He returned the smile.
"How close are you?" Karim looked at the notepad in front of his mother.
"Morse code isn't as easy as it may seem. Takes time especially when it's a long translation."
"If anyone can do this it's you mama. I know you can do it. I got my intelligence from you so I can't doubt you."
"You just made a joke." Naima smiled.
Karim hadn't made a joke for a while now. He rarely talked to his siblings or anyone for that matter.
He chuckled.
"That's not a joke. I got my intelligence from you."
"Oh no. You got it from him." She pointed at Tawfiq who was on his phone. "And so did you get your stubbornness. Your handsomeness." She pulled his cheeks. Karim laughed.
"What you got from me was being able to see past the bad of people. No matter how bad a person is, you want to find good in them. It's why you got hurt. I'm sorry, Karim." Naima apologized. "Sorry for giving you a weakness."
Karim shook his head.
"That's my greatest strength, mama. The greatest of all. And unfortunately that's one thing your husband lacks." Karim muttered.
Naima only sighed and went back to her work.
After this, she had to make sure Karim and Tawfiq went back to how they were before all this. If it was even possible to begin with.
**
"Farhana. Little Sister. I've missed you." Tawfiq said over the phone. He had called Jalil personally because he didn't want to get his sister involved. But somehow she answered the phone.
"Yet you're calling Jalil. Is he cheating on me with you or something?" Farhana joked.
"I'd never dream of taking him away."
"Well what do you want with him then."
"It's an important matter. I'd like to talk to Jalil himself."
"Well that's not happening until you tell me first." She wanted to know what was going on.
After the bombing and attack on her former home she had called literally everyone there to find out how they were. The first person she had called was Tawfiq. And he had sounded a bit angry and promised to find the culprits. And if he was calling Jalil for something it meant he really did need his help to do something he couldn't do.
"Why do you even have his phone?"
"Because I do. Just tell me what it is?"
Tawfiq sighed.
"I need his help with something."
"Which is?"
"Farhana..."
"Tawfiq..."
"We're going into a country to find Zaira and also try to get Hamid and Yasmine. And I need his help getting into that country."
"I see. He'll do it." Farhana stated.
"How do you know so?"
"Trust me. He will. I'm going to give him the phone now." She chirped.
The line was quiet for a while before he heard Jalil speak.
"Tawfiq. My wife says you need my help." Jalil said to him.
"I do."
Tawfiq explained everything to him.
"You know we can't get you very far from the border. My base is just a few kilometers from the border." Jalil explained.
"We just need to get in. After that everything is up to us. You don't need to get your troop involved." Tawfiq assured him.
"Hmm. How many are you?"
"Five men and five women."
At first he had wanted Salim to go with them but it was better if he stayed behind with Aziz to look after his family. And also so no one noticed his absence.
"Five women? You're sending five women there?" Jalil wondered in shock.
"And my peace troops don't consist of women." He added.
"They're not regular women. And don't worry. They can blend in. No one will notice."
"Okay then. The next troop will be going after the UN gives us a go ahead. I'll get back to you on when to come here."
"Thank you, Jalil."
"We'll be in touch. Salam."
"Salam." Tawfiq ended the call.
"Okay so we've got our way in. Now what do we do?"
"We don't know the layout of the area. We don't know exactly where they are in the city. Until we get there we are basically blind. We'll draw a full plan once we're in."
"Yes?" Aziz moved away from them as he spoke into the coms in his ears.
"I see. Find the IP address of who first put everything out and find the person for me. They'll answer to the King."
"What's wrong, Aziz?" Tawfiq asked.
"There's an article going around about your demise. They claim you're dead and it's being covered up by your family to ensure peace."
Tawfiq rubbed his forehead and took his phone to search the web.
"Your people haven't seen your face for a few days and they think you're dead already." Dean chuckled.
Tawfiq saw a picture of what seemed to be a body covered with the military flag. It was Hassan. From the point the picture was taken you'd think it was a bigger person.
"Is The King Really Alive?"
"I suggest a live press conference to put everyone at ease, your highness."
Naima's phone started ringing and when she picked it up it was Aunt Faiza.
"Salam. Mom? Who?" Naima frowned.
"What do you mean by dead?....He's standing right here? .....Who said he's dead? .....He isn't....Why would I lie? ....Speak to him." Naima walked towards Tawfiq and handed the phone to him.
"It's my mom. She said she heard you're dead." Naima frowned.
"Hello....I'm alive and well, mom....Yes. It's really me....It's fake news....Sorry for getting you worried...okay." Tawfiq handed the phone back to Naima.
"I told you he's alive." Naima said over the phone.
Dean and Bella's phones started to ring simultaneously. He checked it to see it was also his mother. Bella checked to see it was Nick.
"Call all the news channels, Aziz. I'm having the press conference today."
Tawfiq assured Harriet that he was alive and not dead. The woman was on the verge of tears already. Bella assured Nick that Tawfiq was indeed alive.
"Find whoever took this picture and what they thought they'd gain from it."
**
"Be careful." Naima gave him a knowing look.
"I will." Tawfiq kissed her forehead and walked out of their room to meet Aziz downstairs.
He walked with Aziz and two other guards behind him towards the front of the house where they were having the conference.
"I have a bad feeling about this, your highness. Your son could be right." Aziz whispered to him.
"Weirdly enough, I do too. Something's definitely off."
Some people wanted to know if he was actually alive or dead. They must have been given a reason to believe he was dead when he wasn't. Or ensure he actually does die.
He walked towards the reporters who all bowed when he stood behind the podium with the royal crest on it in front of them.
The cameras began to click after they stood straight. The telecast wasn't going to be live as Tawfiq had wanted.
"Salam. I believe this is proof enough that I'm alive. You must ignore any article stating otherwise." Tawfiq quickly said.
One reporter raised his hand.
Tawfiq nodded at him to speak.
"What about the picture, your highness? And the military flag over it. I believe the flag is used for soldiers of rank and honor. And the king himself."
"That unfortunately was my nephew, Hassan. He lost his life during the attack on Najam Al-Uma. I gave him the rank of Major upon his death. Hence the flag." Tawfiq answered.
Another person raised his hand and Tawfiq pointed to him to speak.
"Your absence at recent events have been a bit troubling. It might be the reason why people believed you were dead." The reporter asked.
"Again. I'm not. And due to security reasons and personal ones too I've been advised to stay indoors for a while."
"Are you saying the attack was personal, your highness?"
"I'm not saying anything. But an attack on Najam al'Uma is an attack on me."
"Another question, your highness?" The same reporter asked.
"Go ahead."
"Do you know who was behind the attack? And from what I know, the military were held outside. How did you get saved? And is there a possibility of another attack? Did the attackers escape or they're in your custody?" The reporter rambled.
Tawfiq arched a brow.
"That's more than one question. Everything you asked is strictly confidential and can't be revealed to the public yet. But rest assured that everything is being done to make sure nothing like that ever happens."
Another reporter at the far back raised his hand and Tawfiq called him to speak.
He looked too over dressed for a press conference.
"Is the mastermind behind the attack in custody? And do you know if there are any other minds involved in the attack?"
Tawfiq eyed him.
"Well. The mastermind is currently still at large aand everyone is working tirelessly to find that individual. And at the moment we currently know of just one mastermind. But we believe there are others. We are close to finding them. And when we do, they'll wish to be dead by then." Tawfiq tested.
They weren't even close to finding out who and who exactly were involved but he just wanted to see how spook they'd be.
"Thank you your highness. But. Unfortunately you will never find out." The reporter taunted.
"See you in hell!" He screamed.
He pulled out a device but before he could make another move, Dean had come out of the small group of reporters seated and put a knife right to his throat.
"Don't even think about it." Dean growled and pulled the small device out of his hands. Dean opened up his clothes to see a bomb strapped to him. He eyed it for a while before quickly pulling out some wires. He disarmed the bomb.
All the reporters just looked at him wide eyed. Shocked out of their senses. Did they almost die? Did someone amongst them try to kill them?
The reporter who had asked so many questions earlier tried to sneak away but bumped straight into Bella.
"And where do you think you're going?" Bella cocked her head.
"Leaving the party so soon."
Tawfiq sighed and smiled at the reporters.
"Let me reiterate. Rest assured that everything is being done to make sure nothing like that ever happens. Thank you for coming. And this part of the conference stays here. Or else consider your channel shut down. My guards will do a routine check on everyone else and and after that you're free to leave."
Tawfiq walked away from the podium but he could hear whispers from the reporters.
"That's why they didn't search us when we entered. He wanted to smoke them out."
Tawfiq chuckled and walked away with Aziz right behind him. Dean and Bella followed with the two reporters.
A few hours ago
Karim looked at his father.
He didn't want to speak with him one bit but he also wanted to put his fears out about the press conference.
"Dad?" Karim called out.
"Yeah?" Tawfiq looked surprised that Karim was talking to him but he covered it up.
"I know you think the press conference is necessary but I have a feeling you're playing right into a trap."
"What do you mean?" Tawfiq frowned.
"Well, if you were actually dead, they'd had found out days ago. Someone on the palace grounds would have told a news channel by now. But an unknown source puts a random article online making sure it pushes you to come out of here palace or at least let people inside."
"The plan was to kill you from the very beginning because if you survived it meant everyone involved was in danger of getting caught somehow."
"They want me dead. So I don't find out who is involved."
"I'm positive that's what it's for because they knew you'd call a conference to assure the people that you're alive."
Tawfiq thought everything through. Karim was right. It was possible.
"What do you suggest? We should cancel the conference?
"Actually no. Let them come. I could be right or wrong. But if I'm right, we'll get people to get answers for why Zaira...why this happened." Karim said to him.
"Dean and Bella can join the band of reporters too." Tawfiq nodded.
"Don't search them rigorously. They'll get scared off before it gets to their turn."
"It's dangerous to let them inside, Karim" Tawfiq frowned.
"We'll never get them if I'm right, they'll run off at the gates if they're searched like how searches are done these days."
After the attack the searches were too tight. And if they noticed they couldn't get passed the gates they'd run off.
"It's risky."
"Yes. But if everything plays out fine, we'd get someone with information that's valuable to us."
"Hmm. I see."
Presently.
Karim was actually right.
**
Zaira spat on Jafar who growled angrily and tried to attack her.
"You bitch!"
"Jafar? Leave the girl alone. We need her alive." Yasmine ordered.
"What do you need me alive for? You think they'll come for me? You've got to be stupider than you look. The king hates me so much. He wouldn't allow his precious little successor, Karim, come after me." Zaira grinned maniacally as she pulled on the chains.
"Well I'm finding it hard to imagine Tawfiq coming here too. He despises this country and he despises you too. And if he finds out you're in the country he so despises, the chances of him coming are close to zero. Why do you think I chose this country? But I'm counting on your little boyfriend to do everything in his power to force Tawfiq to come here at least."
"You are just as dumb as they come. Karim won't come. Trust me. I made sure of that. As I made sure of ensuring that if I die at least I know I'm going with the sons of bitches who helped you. I left the good king and my husband a message. They'll find out everyone who ever helped you. I told you if you touched Karim I'd send you to hell. And I will. I fucking will."
Yasmine slapped her on her cheeks so hard that Zaira could taste blood in her mouth.
Yasmine heard someone click their tongue behind her.
"Darling. I thought you said we needed her alive?" Hamid pondered.
"She's going to ruin everything. If Tawfiq gets the names of the people involved, it's over for us." Yasmine glared at Zaira who only chuckled.
"Hmmm. Just call them and tell them what's at stake. They'll save their asses themselves trust me. And they need us too. They won't let us go so easily. We know too much."
"And you, bunny." Hamid got on his knees in front of Zaira who glared at him.
He caressed her cheeks lightly and she recoiled from his touch.
"Pray to whoever you believe in that Tawfiq and your husband don't look for you and find you. Because if they do. That will be the last time you see any of them. I'll kill both of them myself."
"Forget your threats. They won't come here no matter what." Zaira smirked.
"Let's hope so." Hamid stood up and walked out of the room.
"You're going to let him control you?" Zaira chuckled. "I thought you were the mastermind. The big gun?"
"I need him for now. The Emirs trust him. You'll go to hell with him I guess." Yasmine whispered into her ears.
She left the room a while later leaving Zaira alone.
She hoped Karim had found her recording already. They could send a bomb straight to the coordinates and kill off everyone including herself. They had to do that. That's why she gave them the coordinates. It was a war torn country with missiles going off everyday. They were surrounded by rebels and bombing it would be simple.
She believed Karim's father would hate her enough not to risk coming here personally. She knew he wouldn't do something so stupid. Unlike Karim.
With the help of Marilyn she had been able to find out all the higher ups helping Yasmine and her husband. She didn't hate Tawfiq for hating her. It was unavoidable. She had done too many things wrong to him and his family. That's why she left the Morse code of the security pins of all the people involved with Yasmine and funding her. Giving her information too.
She had left a message too. She had to leave all her messages coded in case it ended up with the wrong person. She knew only Karim could understand her words.
At least before she died, she'd try to send all of them to probably hell with her.
She sat on the cold ground and closed her eyes.
Please don't be stupid, Karim.
Listen to your father and let me go.
**
"Who sent you?"
"Your mother." The man with the bombs strapped to him answered Tawfiq.
"Funny."
"You see that woman in the corner there? She's a torturer. It's basically her job to get answers out of any person. I don't think you'd like that that's why I decided to speak to you first." Tawfiq said calmly but there was a threat in each word.
"Oh I'm sorry. Your wife sent me actually. I slept with her as paym..."
Tawfiq punched the man's face before he could finish speaking. Tawfiq was raging now.
"Leave him to me and my plier." Bella stepped in.
Tawfiq stepped back.
"You clearly don't value your life so you thought ending it would be better." Bella placed the plier to his thumbnail.
"You have such horrible nails. I think I'm going to give you a free manicure and pedicure session if you don't mind."
Bella pulled the plier and the man screamed as the fingernail was fully removed on.
"Beauty is pain, love. Just keep it in and when I'm done you'll be the envy of all." Bella smiled sadistically.
"Who sent you?"
"I won't tell you....Argh!!!!" He screamed again as Bella removed another fingernail and it could be heard everywhere. Luckily they were underground in the cells.
"Another nail?" She smiled and placed the plier close to the third nail.
"Wait...wait...I'll tell you who sent me." The man cried out.
"I'm listening. Who was it? The devil made you do it?"
"No. No. It was a lady. Zaira was her name. Zaira Nasim." He said out in tears.
Karim had his hand around the man's neck in a second strangling him to death.
"You're lying! I'm going to kill you!" Karim strangled him more as the man's face started to turn blue.
"Karim let him go." Tawfiq ordered.
He wouldn't be surprised if Zaira sent this man to kill him.
"He's lying to us. And I know you will believe his words without a doubt just because you don't like her. But I know, Zaira. If she really wanted you dead she'd do it herself. Not send this lowlife. But she doesn't want you dead. She's the one in danger here!"
Karim was close to almost killing the man when Salim pulled him off.
"Calm down. Killing him won't get the truth."
"You seriously don't think Zaira sent him right, T?"
"I don't know what to think. Maybe he's telling the truth." Tawfiq said to Dean.
Dean shook his head.
Tawfiq was clearly never going to like Zaira.
Karim just glared at his father. If he hadn't told him to be careful of the conference he would have been dead already and here he was doubting the woman he loved. Again.
"If he's lying I'll find out." Bella informed them.
"Suicide bombers are ready to kill theirselves because of their beliefs or to get money they don't need but someone does." Bella stated.
"You don't seem to believe in anything. So you're in it for the money aren't you?" Bella was sure of it.
And the expression on the man's face gave it off.
"You're getting the money for someone? Your wife? Your girlfriend? Your daughter? Your mother? Your son?"
The man didn't answer.
"I honestly don't care who. It could be your twin brother even. But I'll find whoever that person is and after I have removed all your nails, I'll ground it into powder and force them to eat it up. After that, I'll begin to peel..."
"Please no. Don't." The man pleaded.
Everyone had a weakness.
"Give me a reason not to."
"Zaira Nasim didn't send me. I don't even know her. I was told to mention her name if I was caught." The man revealed.
Karim glared at his father again.
"By who."
"Everything was done online. I just got the bombs delivered to me. I don't know who is behind it."
Just like the people who had attacked the palace. They didn't know who was actually involved.
"The other man. What was his job?" Bella questioned.
"I don't know but he told me on our way that after the chaos occurred from my bombing, he was supposed to get something he didn't even know of from inside the crown prince room. And if he didn't find it, he had to burn the place down."
"The book." Dean concluded.
"You know both of you are dumb right? Your bombing would have killed him too." Bella shook his head.
"The plan was made just yesterday. It was rushed and maybe they had told him a way to escape not getting hurt."
Basically everyone was as dumb as they could be. They were definitely in a rush to find the book even though they didn't know what they were looking for. Which meant it had to hold something valuable.
They were all thinking of various scenarios when Naima walked in. Her eyes fell to the man who looked like he was about to die. She scrunched her face.
"Habiba?" Tawfiq walked to her.
"I decoded the Morse code." She announced.
Karim came closer to her.
"In the beginning it was a few words. A poem I guess and I guess she was telling the reader not to find her."
"I don't care what she wants. We have to find her no matter what." Karim fumed.
What was Zaira thinking? She thought leaving a poem behind telling him not to find her would stop him? She was very much crazy then.
"So it was just another poem?" Dean arched a brow.
"No not exactly. The rest were a bunch of numbers. At first I had no idea what they were. Each set had 9 numbers. After a while it kept reminding me of something. They were actually social security numbers. And some were special social security numbers. Just like ours." Naima explained to him.
Tawfiq exhaled. He knew where this was going. The person he hated had helped him again.
"The Emirs. Zaira gave us the people involved with Yasmine." Naima smiled.
Karim narrowed his eyes at his father.
"This is the third time. Do not forget."
Karim walked out of the room. He had to go and train. They were definitely going to get Zaira back. No matter who tried to stop them.
_____________________________
Dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn🌝
Did y'all like the chapter? And we heard from Zaira today....yayyy🥺❤️
And she has helped Tawfiq again.
Just let your anger go, big guy.🌝🌝
I hope the chapter came out just the way I planned it??
Anyways.
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