Badir went to see Basil in his office. Even he had not seen the Prince since the wedding. He bowed to him before joining him at his desk. The Prince leaned back in his seat. He looked so relaxed and there was something else about him that Badir could not quite put his finger on. He had never seen the Prince like this.
“There is something different about you,” Badir said to Basil and slowly analysed him. Basil held up his right hand.
“This gold band maybe?” Basil joked.
“I must say, I never thought I would see this day. You, actually marrying Miss Saja. The fights I witnessed between the two of you,” Badir laughed. “Must have been the sexual tension,” he added. Basil laughed quietly. There were many times he wanted to take her but he had restrained himself and he was glad that he did.
“She was a handful,” Basil said as he remembered how they met. She is a handful, he thought. Never in his life had he witnessed such a relentless and strong-minded woman.
“The honeymoon must have been great.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The two of you have not been seen or heard from since the wedding.”
The Prince did not respond. He had enjoyed the honeymoon more than he had anticipated. He never thought that being alone with one woman would bring him such happiness. He’d chosen a villa in Al-Badry for their honeymoon. It was close to home, but still far enough away that they could be alone. The villa sat on a large lot of land, and included a swimming pool and a stable with a few horses.
Saja seemed to enjoy the villa. Basil taught her how to ride a horse. She had never been on a horse before and she was a very clumsy rider. It amused Basil when she fell off her horse a couple of times, but she never gave up and seemed to enjoy it, despite the bruises she acquired.
“How is it going then with El-Tamar? Have you heard anything from him?” Badir asked, interrupting Basil's thoughts.
Basil frowned before he spoke. “He has been rather quiet, as he should be,” Basil said. He had not given El-Tamar much thought but then there was the house he was taking from them. He sighed as he wondered if that was too much. Part of him wanted to give them back the house, only because El-Tamar was still Saja's father. The other part of him wanted to make him suffer because of how he treated Saja. He abandoned her and then tried to use her to cover up his transgressions. That part of him was winning the argument. He was going to get revenge on Saja and Pamela's behalf.
Before the wedding, Pamela had spoken with Basil. She told him everything in regards to El-Tamar; from how they met to when he abandoned her. Hearing it from Pamela angered Basil deeply. Seeing how hard she worked to raise Saja, he bought her a property in London and hired a team of servants to see to her needs. He wanted his mother-in-law to live the life she should have had. Being a single mother wasn’t easy. She had taken multiple jobs so she could sustain herself and Saja. Basil thought it was time for her to relax and reap the rewards of having raised his future wife.
* * * * *
Saja stood there wide-eyed staring at the walk-in closet. Her side was filled with brand new clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery. She felt like she had walked into a boutique. The closet in Basil's bedroom, which was now her bedroom too, was large; much bigger than her living room in London. She stood in the middle staring at the clothes. To her surprise, there was a mixture of dresses, trousers, shorts, skirts, lingerie, traditional Arabic clothes and a range of tops. She expected him to have her only wear loose fitting dresses.
“This is all for me?” Saja asked.
“Yes and there is more,” Mona replied.
“More?” Saja turned to face her maids. She was not used to people buying her things. Especially things this expensive. It seemed that Basil liked to spend money on her. She was speechless. He had spent a lot of money on her mother and now on her. She was not used to all this. She grew up knowing that she would have to work hard for everything. Since a very early age, she managed to work part-time to help her mother. All this was overwhelming and would take time for her to get used to it.
“Yes, but we will get to that later,” Amber said and gave Saja a cheeky grin.
After exploring her new wardrobe, Saja went to make dinner for Basil. Even though they had a great chef, she wanted to cook for her husband. She made him cream of mushroom soup for a starter, then spicy grilled chicken with mixed peppers, Mediterranean salad for the main dish and a red velvet cake for dessert. Basil was pleasantly surprised when he returned to his quarters for dinner. He kissed Saja before he sat down.
Mona informed him that Saja had prepared dinner. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Saja. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked her as he loosened his tie.
“Can't a woman cook for her husband?” Saja asked. He stared at her for a moment before he replied.
“I guess she can,” Basil replied as he picked up his cutlery. The women he was used to did not know how to cook, preferring to instruct the servants.
“How was your day?” Saja asked him. Basil smiled. If this was what married life was like, then he loved it. It pleased him to come home to her and have her prepare his meals for him. Even talking to her about his day made him feel warm inside. He liked how attentive she was. He felt as though he could talk to her about anything. He asked her what she wanted to do with her medical career.
“Well, I have completed my housemanship, so I want to specialise,” Saja said to him.
“Which speciality?” Basil was pleased that his wife possessed both brains and beauty even though he had never admitted it to her. His past lovers weren't particularly intelligent. They were more interested in the idea of marrying the prince and sitting at home doing nothing. They had no ambition.
“Cardio-thoracic surgery.”
“That is impressive.”
Saja laughed. Was Basil actually complimenting her? Was he already getting softer? The first time he had found out that she was a doctor, he was n
ot so impressed or maybe he was pretending. He simply looked away and did not comment on the matter. It was his brother who was more intrigued and impressed.