“Do you want me to call him first? I think it would be appropriate to ask the former sheikh for your hand.”
“We’ve done a lot of inappropriate things since deciding to get married, Rodrick. If you don’t mind, I’d rather talk to him first, but you should call later, yes. He’ll be pleased, because my father is attached to tradition. The authorization Kaled gave me is final. He’s our sheikh and everyone owes him respect, even my father, but it would be good if our relationship started with everything flowing smoothly between you.”
“Authorization . . .I don’t like that word,” he says.
“Consent?”
“Reluctantconsent. I had to threaten to expose his past.”
“Is it that bad? I mean, you were always together and—”
“I know where your mind is going, Jazmina, and I refuse to talk about the past. I’m no saint, but you demanded fidelity, and I’ll give it to you.”
“What? Are you telling me you’ll only be faithful because I demand it?”
Suddenly, dinner tastes bitter. My appetite disappears in an instant.
Before he can answer, someone approaches.
We’re in a private area of the restaurant. There are only three tables around us, so there’s no way the man made a mistake.
“Already fighting, little brother? You just announced the engagement!”
Rodrick stands up so fast he knocks over his glass of water. A few waiters move to clean it up but then stop. No one dares to say a word.
My fiancé is inches away from the other man’s face, though he’s shorter than Rodrick. You don’t need to be an expert in fighting to understand that if there were a confrontation, the stranger would be at a serious disadvantage.
Then I register what the man said.
Brother?
“You’re not my brother. You’re just a leech, Gilroy,” my fiancé clarifies, as if he can read my thoughts. “A parasite who lived off my father’s money.”
“Rodrick,” I call, but he doesn’t seem to hear me. I fear things are about to turn physical, since it’s clear their hostility is old.
“I expelled you from my lands so I wouldn’t have to see your face. Don’t speak to me. Never address me or my fiancée again.”
I see that behind Rodrick, Lamar and the other bodyguards are approaching.
“Step away from the duke,” the head of security warns, but Rodrick doesn’t move.
“I can handle this, Lamar.”
“Your Grace, please forgive this incident. He was a guest in another salon, and we didn’t see him enter,” the maître d' apologizes.
The duke ignores him as well, and I’m starting to panic, so I decide to intervene.
“Rodrick,” I call again. Nothing.“My fiancé.”
He finally turns to me. It’s like he’s waking from a trance, as if it takes him a moment to understand where he is and who I am. “Jazmina.”
“Yes. I want your company. Help me choose a dessert.”
I watch as the restaurant staff escort the intruder away.
Even though inside I’m shaking, I act as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. “Can you tell me which desserts here are the best?”
He seems to understand my maneuver now. He leans closer and speaks only to me. “I didn’t promise fidelity because you demanded it,” he says softly. “I promised it because I don’t want any other woman.”