* * *
Kyril was right—they were waiting for them in a receiving area on the main floor. It reminded Hannah of a living room, if that living room had been expanded to four times its normal size and appointed with understated and obviously expensive furniture. All the pieces were different, yet they all bore the same mark of elegance and luxury. Nothing like the secondhand stuff she’d filled her apartment with at home.
She recognized his whole family from her research on the Internet, having been consumed with finding out as much as she could since they’d planned to come back. Kyril’s father, Zafir. His mother, Daya. His sister Adira, and his brothers Rami and Issam. They stood in a clutch in the center of the room, and by the way they were standing, Hannah could tell they were a close-knit group, traditional and private. It soothed her. Kyril took her arm and strode to them, head held high. Adira was the first to notice.
“Kyril! You’re here! And this must be Hannah.” His sister rushed over, eyes shining, and embraced Hannah. “Welcome. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you so much, Adira, and congratulations on your graduation.” She’d spoken too soon. ”Oh—”
Adira laughed out loud, the sound reminding her pleasantly of Kyril. “She’s been looking us up,” she cried as the rest of the family came to join them. “Then you also know that Rami’s afraid of you.”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed.
“That’s entirely incorrect,” Rami said, extending his hand for Hannah to shake. There was little warmth in his eyes, and Hannah felt herself standing as tall as possible. “Though I do have some concerns about the repercussions this situation might have on our business interests. We need to consider this from every—”
“Oh, Rami, don’t be like that.” Daya brushed him off, coming to put her hands on Hannah’s shoulders and look her up and down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you feeling well? Have you eaten? We’ve had lunch prepared, all healthy—”
Kyril’s father cut her off, beaming. “Kyril, you didn’t say she was as beautiful as the morning sun.”
Kyril looked sheepish. “I wouldn’t say that to you.”
Issam, the youngest brother, hung back, arms crossed over his chest. “Are you sure about this, Kyril?”
Adira turned and shot a glare at him. “Issam—” Her voice held a warning, but it wasn’t enough.
Issam shook his head and stepped forward to introduce himself. The moment he was done, Adira took Hannah’s arm. “Ignore him. We’ll talk while we eat.”
* * *
Every inch of the long table in the royal dining room was laden with dishes, each one more delicious th
an the last. Adira and Daya sat Hannah between them. Before she could take her first bite, they were talking.
“I knew you wanted to be part of the family,” Adira said kindly. “That’s why you did your research on us. Go ahead. You can admit it.”
“I did,” Hannah said. “I didn’t want to seem careless.”
Adira chuckled. “Wishing me a happy graduation when we had hardly met. I love it.”
“Speaking of being part of the family…” Daya looked thoughtful. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together over the coming days. The dress will be the least of our worries when it comes to the ceremony.”
“Ceremony? What ceremony?”
Daya patted her hand. “The official royal wedding ceremony. Invitations will need to be issued soon. I’ll sit down with the social planner and arrange that, and—”
“Oh, that’s—” Hannah struggled to find the words. “You don’t need to throw another wedding.”
“Of course your wedding in Greece was legally binding,” Daya said. “But there must be an affair on behalf of the royal household.”
“But I won’t…necessarily be a part of the royal household.”
The conversation around Hannah stopped dead. Zafir’s fork clinked into his plate in the silence. His gaze was bemused, but kind. “What do you mean by that, Hannah?”
She swallowed hard. “I planned to maintain a more…independent lifestyle.”
“See?” Issam’s voice was cutting. “She needs her own security detail, otherwise she’s nothing but a risk to us.”
“She’s part of this family,” Adira shot back. “She’s already doing her best to get to know us, Issam.”