“She deserves everything that's coming to her,” Abia spat out. She was glad that she had finally given Saja the beating that she had wanted to give her. Now, all that was left was the ransom money.
“We have to do this right,” El-Tamar said quietly.
“So now, you are in?”
“I have no choice. You brought me into this mess.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed a moment to calm down. “Look, if we have any chance of escaping with our lives, she MUST remain unharmed,” he said.
“Are you suddenly feeling like a father now?” Abia asked mockingly.
“Woman!” he shouted, as he stood up. “Are you so enraged that you cannot think clearly? Daughter of mine or not, she IS the princess. If the Prince finds her in a terrible state, then we are all dead. Do you not understand how much trouble we are in?”
“Our situation is dire,” Akeem said. He too was having mixed feelings about the situation. He did not want to be on the wrong side of the royal family. No one did. That was suicide.
“After we get the money, we will flee as far away and as soon as possible. Forget getting our family house back. Don't negotiate that anymore,” El-Tamar said.
Abia sighed and sat down. She wanted her house back but her husband was right. They needed to flee the country. There was no way the Prince was going to give it back and let them live peacefully. They were as good as dead.
Mona sat next to Saja and kept checking to see if she was okay. Saja was angrier than she was in pain. She had not done anything wrong to these people. They had brought the situation on themselves. How dare they use her as an excuse.
“They're cowards,” Saja said. “They could not live honest lives. Even after everything that’s happened, they could not even repent,” she added.
“The Prince will come for us, do not lose hope,” Mona said.
“I miss him.” Saja fought back the tears. The thought of not being able to see him again broke her.
“Oh, Miss Saja,” Mona hugged her. She knew how much Saja and Basil loved each other. It was heartbreaking to see them torn apart. “The Prince will make them pay for this,” she added.
Chapter 8
It had been three days since Saja had gone missing but to Basil, it felt like it had been a lifetime. It was killing him slowly and painfully. He knew Badir was the best at his job and was the only one who could find her. Basil trusted him but those three days had felt like the longest days of his life. He had been through a lot in his life. He had been to war, he had been injured many times but nothing compared to this pain. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and crushed over and over again.
Badir walked into Basil's quarters. He found Basil standing on the balcony. He walked out to join him. He had come with news in regards to Saja. Abia had called once more and was demanding something different. It was clear that she had not thought the whole thing through and that would be her biggest undoing.
“Abia called,” Badir said getting straight to the point. He knew Basil would not appreciate any small talk. At this moment, he only cared about one thing and that was all he wanted to know about.
“What did she say?” Basil asked calmly. He was staring into the distance.
Badir informed him that she no longer wanted the Prince to return their property. Instead, she wanted more money. She was asking for ten million riyal for the safe return of both women.
“We were not able to trace her specific location but we did narrow down the area,” Badir said. Basil turned to look at him.
“Then let's go.”
“Your highness, I do not think you should go. You should stay here.”
“There is absolutely no way that I will remain here while there’s a chance that we can find my wife.”
Badir did not even bother to try to convince him. It was futile. The Prince was very stubborn. No one could change his mind when it was set on something. Badir thought it was better for him to remain behind. After all, he was a Prince. He needed to let Badir do the work for him.
“Where is the place?” Basil asked.
“Noor City,” Badir replied.
Basil nodded then headed to his room to change his clothes. He knew Noor City well. This made it easier for him. He had been there many times and he knew the city like the back of his hand. He got dressed quickly, as he wanted to leave as soon as possible.
When he left his bedroom, Marina had informed him that Badir had left to get ready. He was going to meet the Prince in the courtyard with their security team. The King walked into Basil's quarters and came to a halt when he saw how he was dressed. He could see that his brother was dressed for war.
“You found her?” The King asked. Basil dismissed Marina. She bowed her head to the King before she left.