“Never mind all that,” Steph said, changing the subject. “I came here to apologize. The truth is, an arranged marriage isn’t really what I wanted, and I tried to be strong until the end, but…” She hesitated, not wanting to give Mehdi away. “I just couldn’t do it.”
Sadiq was quiet for a moment as he stared at her with a curious expression. Then, without warning, he burst into laughter. Steph watched him in bewilderment as he worked to contain his mirth.
After a moment, he looked back at her, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, Steph. I know how this must come off, but the truth is, I didn’t want to get married either.”
Steph blinked. “I’m sorry?”
Sadiq’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and Steph realized then that she might have just made a new friend after all.
“There is a revolution going on in this country, Steph.”
At her surprised expression, he held up his hands.
“Not like that. A cultural revolution. As the world gets smaller, many of us have traveled and seen how other cultures do things. We like the way the world is different outside here. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with adopting some of those practices ourselves. Marriage for love is one of them.”
“You want to marry for love?” Steph asked.
“I do,” Sadiq agreed. “In fact, there is a woman I have very much been in love with for quite some time.”
“Then why did you agree to this?” Steph said.
“You know exactly why. My parents wanted a girl they could approve of, and you fit the bill better than she did. Her parents have another man in mind for her, anyway.”
“What are you going to do? Run away together?”
Sadiq stared out into space for a moment, considering that option. “No. I don’t think we’ll run away. Now that I’ve been left at the altar my status as desirable has been diminished. Not many other girls will be brave enough to accept an offer from my parents.”
Steph glanced down, feeling deep embarrassment for the harm she had caused.
“Oh, no. You shouldn’t feel bad! You’ve given me the greatest gift of all, Steph. Now there will only be one woman in the world willing to accept me—the exact woman I want.”
Steph looked up to find Sadiq beaming with gratitude, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “We’re certainly an interesting pair, aren’t we?”
“You could say that,” he chuckled.
“But you put so much effort into making us want you in our family—upgrading us to first class, a luxury suite. Why didn’t you try to sabotage it?”
Sadiq shrugged. “I may have wanted something different, but I wasn’t about to let my future wife’s family travel uncomfortably. That’s not how I treat the people close to me, and, for all intents and purposes, that would have included you.”
Steph’s smile was warm as she stared at him with fresh eyes. “I’m glad that this could work out.”
Sadiq held out a hand for her to shake, which she did, vigorously. She was about to ask him about the woman he loved when they heard the elevator ding again and a loud voice coming from that general direction.
The voice belonged to none other than Steph’s mother.
THIRTEEN
Steph
“Where is she? Where is my daughter?”
Steph winced at the anger in her mother’s voice, and Sadiq lifted an eyebrow.
“I take it that’s my ex future mother-in-law?”
Steph nodded, her throat bone dry. “You guessed it.”
Without hesitating, Sadiq stood and stepped out of his office. Steph waited in her seat a moment, working up her courage, taking strength from the fact that Sadiq was not only with her, but also on her side. She stood and joined him outside the office.
Elora was making her way across the large open room. Behind her, Steph saw her father, his cheeks ruddy, his shoulders slumped. If he’d had a tail, it would have been firmly between his legs.
Finally, Steph braved a real look at her mother, who practically had flames shooting from her eyes. It didn’t bode well for them. Seeing Sadiq, Elora calmed her expression, though her shoulders remained stiff, her posture aggressive.