I felt like I was in a daze. I was watching the news coverage with Rania's feet on my lap and I could not believe my ears. We were being lauded for what we had done. People were seeing our point of view. Finally. Somehow, the news reporters had found and interviewed the taxi driver that had taken me to the market that day. He was ecstatic. His business was booming now. People had sought him out. Even some of the shopkeepers came forward to express their views.
Everything was being discussed, from my outfit to my shoes. I started to feel self-conscious as they panned over a shot of me. Had I gained weight? My lineage was also a topic of national debate, with analysts arguing about the line of succession. I rolled my eyes and turned to face Uncle EJ who had an irritated expression on his face.
"It'll only get worse" he murmured not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Do we know the why who and how of today's attack?"
"My best men are on it. We can't trust any of the previous men. They're also investigating the assassination attempt. Apparently the castle footage had been tampered with, we've got a mole" my heart clenched. I was not safe in my home. "You'll have to be kept under guard... at all times now" great, more guards. I stretched out, ignoring Rania's protests. After the third hour, I gave up and decided to walk around the castle. My trusty group of four guards started to follow me as I stepped into my office. I turned around to face them.
"Hi," a mummer of replies followed my greeting. "Since we'll be spending most of our time together, it would be nice to know your names" they glanced at each other. The one in the front cleared his throat and stepped forward after giving me a short bow.
"My name is Ahsan. It's an honor to serve you Begum Sahiba"
"Ahsan, it's an honor to have you in my team" I replied with a smile. He gave me another short bow and stepped back into the group. The guy with a cool bird tattoo stepped forward.
"My name is GI. Khan, Begum Sahiba" I nodded and gave him a bright smile. He smiled back.
"My name is Hamesh, Begum Sahiba" His eyes twinkled with mischief after his head rose from the bow. I fought a wide smile.
"Jackson, Begum Sahiba" His mustache twitched and I nodded as he too gave me a bow.
"Well, it's nice to be acquainted with you gentlemen. Since you're on the day cycle, I've got some rules. Please try and avoid crowding me. I respect your position and understand that you have certain instructions to follow but I would appreciate the consideration" they nodded to show their understanding. "I also hope that it is understood that anything that is discussed with me or the people around me is confidential. I will not stand for any gossip or leakages" more nods. "And above all, you gentleman have my utmost trust, I sincerely hope you do not let me down. We are all comrades in this"
"Understood, Begum Sahiba" Ahsan said.
"Thank you"
It was 10 in the evening and I was tired. I was going over the list of southern leaders arriving at the house tomorrow and I was seeing double. Hussein's dad was going to be here tomorrow. Was that why he decided to stay? Probably.
Putting my head in my hands, I took a few deep breaths and went over my day. Wow, had it been a crazy day. Faced an ex, almost died, felt unsafe in my own city and addressed a crowd. All in a span of 12 hours. Relaxing on the chair I looked up at the ceiling.
What was I doing? What was going to happen tomorrow? We'd made it today... what about when those people got arrested? What if they did not get arrested? What if Naila's dad came after me politically? He knew how to play the game, I was a novice. How far should I support Feroze? We were allies for now but if he posed a counterclaim to Gulzar Mahal, what was I going to do?
"Hey" A soft voice echoed from the door. I straightened to see Izzy standing, his hand on the doorknob.
"Hi" I answered, waving him in.
"Rough day huh?"
"You have no idea"
"I can't imagine. How are you holding up?" he said sitting on the armchair.
"Surprisingly well..."
"Well... I had to tell you something. Think you can handle it?" I sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. Anxiety bubbled up.
"No time like the present"
"You asked me to look into the shipping and ports sector"
"Yes...?"
"Well, they've been firing people on the pretext of not having jobs. They're partially right, they're importing drugs and using a few close people to transport it into the city. They are not paying taxes, they've bribed the city officials. We don't know what's going out of the city, or what's coming in. The ledgers have been tampered with" I stared at him in shock. "They are also hoping to increase export duty to earn more by showing their companies in loss"
"How... how long has this been going on?"
"2 years," he said his eyes dark.
"That's not all, is it? What are you not telling me?"
"Hania's dad... he knows. He's involved. She doesn't know, but..." I put my head back in my hands. "It's messed up. I don't know what to do Eli, she's my wife"
"If she's not involved..."
"But that's her dad, I... I can't stand against my family" I stared at him with sympathy.
"Maybe she had the right idea. Maybe you guys should not be here"
"And leave you alone? Are you insane?"
"Uh, bad time?" We both looked around to see Zaroon standing at the doorway. I saw Ahsan give me a very apologetic smile and I understood. Zaroon outranked him in this current hierarchy.
"No... you might as well know this too" as Izzy filled him in, I walked around the room, trying to calm my nerves. Hania's dad now? I had met him at the wedding, he didn't seem like a person running a massive drug cartel. Although, what did I know, I imagined all drug lords to look like Pablo Escobar and he didn't look like one either. His group was probably also involved in supplying the drug to the New Revolutionaries.
"Maybe that's how they were getting their bank" I said out loud.
"Pardon?" Izzy said. I rushed towards him and sat on the arm of his chair. He put a hand around my waist to stop me from falling off.
"The rebels. How are they getting funding? Through this! It's a textbook case"
"Should I be concerned by your excitement?"
"No"
"What will you do?" Zaroon asked a slight furrow in his brow.
"Present it tomorrow. I'm hoping Izzy has proof?"
"Of course"
"Don't worry, I understand the delicacy of the situation. Although I would advise you to get the London estate cleaned up just in case"
"I don't want to leave you"
"You might have to..." He opened his mouth to argue. "Sometimes, when we have to move forward, we take a step back" that convinced him, for a now. "Does Uncle EJ know?" he shook his head. "Go tell him"
As the door swung shut behind him, I collapsed on the chair.
"I swear it feels like everyone is out to get us"
"You're taking a lot on your plate," Zaroon said sympathetically. "You've already done a lot"
"Aren't you always telling me to do more?" I said, arching my brow. He gave a short laugh as his gaze caressed my face and I felt my temperature rise. "But this makes things a lot more clear now. At least we know where we need to start cleaning up"
"What if her dad comes into the picture and uses his daughter?"
"That's why I'm sending them out of the country. Away from the troubles here. Izzy will handle his business and Hania will have no reason to be here" And they would spend more time with each other. Hopefully, it would solve all of the current problems. He whistled appreciatively.
"Thinking like a politician" I shrugged. "And what about Feroze?"
"What about him? He needs me, I need him. Half the trouble is solved if he actually manages to get into that office"
"Do you think he can do it?"
"I know he can" I would have missed the shadow that passed over his face if I hadn't been looking at him intently. "What?"
"What?" he said, his face blank.
"What are you not saying?" I asked leaning forward. He stayed silent and then leaned forward too.
"You seem to trust him..."
"I don't. It's an alliance. He needs it more than I do. Trust me" We stared at each other, willing the other to give up. Eventually, he sighed and raised his hands in defeat. I smiled and relaxed in my chair.
"Have you eaten anything?"
"Who are you, my nanny?" I said jokingly. He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, habit"
"I think I applied for that job once"
"Hahaha, which reminds me, will Auntie be okay?"
"She'll be fine... I've stayed there a couple of times. She knows the drill"
"Oh"
"But, deflecting the question does not get you out of eating"
"I have to start controlling my weight. Rania's planning my tv interviews and stuff, I can't look fat on national television" the words burst out of my mouth. I had always been cautious about my weight, but the tv thing had been bothering me since Rania had told me about it. The look that he gave me could have leveled anyone else to the floor. I could not stop a mental recap of images I had seen earlier in the evening. I was self-conscious. People tended to point out the flaws of women. Regretfully, a woman politician was an even easier target.
"That's stupid. How did you even get that in your head?"
"I saw myself, I don't want to give people any reason to not like me. We're in difficult waters, I want to be perfect." I said, upset. He looked at my pout, sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Elena, you are perfect. Starving yourself isn't going to make you any more of that, if anything it'll make you weak", I blinked. "You need to be at the top of your game, like today. Don't lose sight of that. This is who you are, not the person the cameras and news anchors want you to be. This is what people will like."
"I was thinking of what I wanted." I could tell Zaroon had no idea how to deal with this. So, being Zaroon, he went with the tried and tested approach, honesty.
"Elena, how you want to look is your choice but that's not why you want to change how you look. You want to present yourself differently because of their standards. You're beautiful... I mean look at you" he said coming closer and tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. I glared at him, my arms crossed. "I'm not the greatest at this but not eating food won't get you what you want. I'll... If you still want to lose weight, I have a person who could guide you. At least do it the right way." I stared at him open-mouthed.
"Thank you" I whispered. He sighed, relieved.
"I still think you're gorgeous" he whispered back. I blushed at the intensity in his eyes. "Do you know what I like the most about you?"
"No"
"I love the way you think. I love how your family is at the forefront of your mind. I love how you care about this city. How you fought your preconceived notions to stand in front of that crowd today. How you tolerated Feroze, so you could save your city" he moved closer and I had to tilt my head to look into his eyes. "I especially like the fact that despite being the most beautiful person I have met" I rolled my eyes at that. "You're fearless. Your fire is the thing that drew me towards you. That's precious. That's irreplaceable and that's what I want the rest of the world to see because that's what made me fall in love with you" he said it so matter of factly that I had to replay his words in my head to make sure of what I had heard. He said it like I should have known. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I think you might be better at this than you think," I said, a lump forming in my throat. He gave me a small smile, a nervous look in his eyes. And yet, he did not push me.
"Now, can we get some food? I'm starving"
"You haven't eaten? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Would that have worked?" he said, smiling, as I cleaned up my desk. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on normalizing my heartbeat.
"Come on," I said leading him out, with my hand in his. Ignoring the surprised looks on my guards' faces, I proceeded to walk towards the kitchens, remembering the way this time.
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Whew.