My hand was hurting from the hard punches I gave that bastard prince. He threatened me and my girl, and no doubt my sister was also within his reach if he decided to retaliate.
"What came over you?" Melanie asked, calmly, which surprised me.
"He threatened to take Melanie from me and said he could do it without lifting a finger! I'm not one to take threats likely."
"Faisal, you're a prince, a Sheikh. You have to start behaving as such!"
"I don't want any of this!" I looked at her sternly. "I did not ask for this nor did I ever imagine any of this!"
"Look, I'm your sister and I love you. But you have to start taking responsibility for your actions and accept whatever destiny you've been given!"
Her tone was cold, not freezing, but not warm. She was serious and I almost did not recognize her.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you need to start acting like what you are, a Prince. You represent this Emirate and while I am not trying to be cruel, that's the reality of what your life is now."
"Wow, and here I thought you'd still be the same person I always knew."
"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. I'm being realistic and honest and if that seems cruel to you, you have to learn to take what comes to you."
"Are you even hearing yourself?'
"Yes, I am. I am telling you this for your own good. You are Sheikh Faisal Al Maktoum and you are the son of the heir apparent for this emirate!"
The way she kept repeating the word 'Emirate' really made me shake inside. She was being cold and not at all like my sister. It was as if she had gotten body snatched and was taken over by something or someone else. Almost as if my grandpa was somehow controlling her because Piper was never like this with me.
She always had my back and I had hers. We were there for one another and she was the one who used to help me get past our mom's cruel treatment of me.
"Think about it!" Melanie said in that sudden nonchalant tone.
She was suddenly behaving like someone who took no nonsense.
"Piper, what's gotten into you?" Melanie demanded, looking at her as if she did not recognize her.
She was not the only one.
"I'm trying to reason with him. He can't be acting and thinking with his fists like he usually does and the sad reality is that he is a Sheikh and he's gonna have to start behaving as such!"
"Get out of my face!" I told her.
"Excuse me?!" Piper looked at me with surprise.
"What you heard!" I looked her directly in the eye, holding back the tears that wanted to spill out of my eyes. "I could have taken it like a soldier had you told me I was an idiot for tossing my fists in the air but you telling me I have to succumb to a life I never asked for nor would I have ever wanted, is beyond me!"
"Life is not a joke, it's a reality. You have to get used to it."
"Then I guess you're not the sister I knew! You can go back to LA with mom since it's quite clear I don't have you for any kind of support."
"Okay, now you're being dramatic!"
"Whatever, Piper. I'm going to figure out a way to relinquish this title if it's the last thing I do! I don't want this life and I don't want to represent anything or anyone. Not even this emirate because this life is not for me!"
"You can deny your title or refuse the job, but you will always be a prince by blood!" she said coldly and sternly.
"Why are you being so cold?!"
"Because all you do is use your fists when people pick on you and now that you're a prince, you need to man up! You're not a boy anymore!"
"Something my dear sweet mom would say! But I get it! Dramatic or not, if you're going to be this cold and calculating...whatever, my point is that I don't need you if this is how you're going to be. So you're free to go back to LA and live your life!"
"Fine, be a brat. Take it however you want to. But as for me going back, I stayed behind for you and if this is how you're going to be with me then you have one thing coming!"
"What do you mean?"
"If you piss me off enough, I will no longer have your back!"
"Wow, I suppose you've changed your damn mind about me. Fine, then again it's not like mom ever stood by me, or much less cared or loved me. I can't expect you to be so with me."
"I'm telling you this so you can succeed in this life you've been given."
"But I don't want this life! I never asked for it and I don't want it!"
"It was handed to you and you will have to deal with it, whether you want to or not!"
"Fine, then get out of my face if this is how you're going to be acting with me!"
"Okay, but I'm still your sister and you still owe me respect. I can't treat you like a boy because you're not one anymore. You're a prince and it's time you own up to that responsibility."
Piper's behavior did not make any sense. Yes, I expected her to reprimand me for beating that sorry excuse for a prince but her throwing in my face my status as a Sheikh and the cold treatment she was giving me, was not in her nature or personality.
Piper left and Melanie ended up leaving with her.
Entering the palace, my grandpa looked at me with menacing eyes.
"You are to break up with that girl! Immediately!" he demanded.
"No, I'm not!"
"Did you just refuse an order?"
"I did, and?"
"BABA!" my dad walked over and stood between us. "If anyone will tell my son what to do, it's me...not you!" my dad said, looking at him sternly.
"He's my grandson and he must be with someone who can properly represent this family and this emirate!"
"No, he is to choose who he wants for him and I will not be the one to ruin his life when he never chose this life to begin with! Don't forget that it's because of you and Isabella's parents that I never got to know my son and I will not be the one to ruin it for him!"
"He is a representative of this emirate and he is to behave as such!"
And here, he was mirroring Piper's words.
This was weird and something told me that maybe Piper's sudden change in behavior toward me had something to do with him.
While that seemed plausible, it also seemed somewhat unlikely because I would have seen it in her eyes if she was in some kind of distress. It was as if she was doing it willingly and without remorse. Something I never imagined coming from my sister.
"I don't care what you think!" my dad said firmly. "His life has been turned upside down without a single soul asking what it was he wanted."
"He doesn't get to choose what he wants, you and I do! I do!"
"No, because he's my son!"
"He's my grandson!" gramps tried to throw.
"And he's my son and I'm the one who decides how he is to live his life...and I will let him choose and not you or me!"
"You don't have the right to do that!"
"I think I do! You and Isabella's parents stood between us and my son, and now I'm the one who will take charge! I was young and naïve then but not anymore!"
"And he also beat your brother bloody!"
"He had it coming! I heard how he threatened to take Melanie from him by force and while it's not very princely for him to have used his fists, I will not get mad at or punish him for defending what's rightfully his! Melanie is his girlfriend and he has the right to protect her as I do with him, especially from you!"
"Excuse me?!" dear gramps was offended.
"What you heard!" he looked at him angrily. "I will not put him in such a position where he has to choose! I will even bring Melanie to the palace to live with us if it means she will be protected from Khalil because you've always babied him and it's because of that that he's become so willful and unwilling to take No for an answer!"
"Hamdan...you represent this emirate and you have a responsibility!"
"And I have a responsibility to my son, the one you kept from me all these years! And I will not change my mind and if you want to take away my title as Crown Prince, then go ahead because if I have to choose between that title and my son, I will gladly give it up! But if you force my hand, I will give it up myself if you don't back away from my son and I know you don't want to crown another prince!"
My grandpa was completely taken aback, as I was because I did not expect my dad to defend me as he had just now.
He walked away and it was just my dad and me.
"Dad, I'm sorry..."
"It's not your fault and I'm not mad at you. You defended your turf and I will not get mad at you for that because I know what Khalil can be like."
"But I made things worse."
"No, you didn't. My dad is the reason why I never got to hold you or watch you grow up! I will not be the one to ruin your life and you have my blessing to be with Melanie. I will not be the one to separate you two and I will even let her live at the palace if it means she will be safe and what you two have is protected!"
"You would do that for me?"
"Yes, I will. I will not force you to do anything you don't want! This is not the life you asked for but while you are a prince, you are free and you will not be a slave. I will simply ask that you let Khaled be your bodyguard so I can have peace of mind that you will be safe! It's all I ask and I hope you will comply."
Seeing that my dad was being supportive, I had to honor this for him.
"I agree. You're protecting me and Melanie and it's the least I can do for you, Baba!"
He reached over and hugged me, kissing my neck and hugging me in a way that assured me that he would be there for me.
"Let's go back to Nad Al Sheba and spend the day together. And later, I'll have Melanie come and stay with us and have someone fix up a room for her. How does that sound?"
"Like a plan" I smiled.
"But something has me rattled."
"Piper?"
"Yes, she was being frigid with me."
"I'll talk to her. I think she meant well but it likely came out wrong on her part since I know she did not like the way you put Khalil in his place. But don't worry, you two have always been close and I doubt this tiff between you two will break you both apart."
"I hope you're right because since arriving here, things have been different and everything is changing rapidly I've almost had no time to catch up."
"Everything will work out. I promise!"
"Okay, but can we get out of here? I really don't want to have another run-in with grandpa!"
"Sure" he chuckled and Saeed Hilal prepped the car so we could leave.
***
Hey y'all, the long awaited update for this story is finally here. Also, I will post another author's note explaining some things in more detail as to the absence and comeback of this story!
Please Comment, Vote, and Share and again, so sorry for the major wait but I will explain everything in the note. So please, turn to the next chapter :)
Thank you again
Johnny