collar and started punching him in the face over and over again until I lost count of the fists thrown at his face.
“How dare you put your disgusting hand on my wife? How dare you touch her?” the prince said through clenched teeth as he kept punching Jasem under his jaw and in the nose while the weak monster struggled to block the punches the prince was showering him with.
“How dare you call her a name?” Another punch to his stomach and then another to his side.
“Enough!” to my surprise I heard Mona saying, but the prince didn’t stop.
“Mazen! That’s enough!” The commanding tone in her voice was more than shocking, let alone the fact that she hadn’t used a title before his name, or the fact that he did stop when he heard her.
What kind of power does this woman have over him? She is just a servant, I wondered.
The prince then took Jasem by his collar and dragged him until he was right in front of me, pulling him to stand on his knees, his face all puffed up and bloodied so that he was now even more disgusting to look at than before.
“Now you can apologize decently and beg for her forgiveness–if she really accepts it; only then will I let you go, you jerk,” the prince shouted.
Jasem shouted back with something in Arabic and was met by a shove of the prince’s leg to the middle of his back while continuing to hold him still by the back of his collar, causing him to scream in agony, a very disturbing noise to hear.
“I–uh, I’m sorry, Princess. I b-beg your forgiveness.”
I nodded frantically. “Accepted, you’re forgiven,” and said the words in a hurry, turning my face to the side. I just couldn’t stand seeing him kneeling in front of me like that, and I just wanted him gone.
Only then did the prince let go of him. “I swear to Allah if you ever step a foot inside my father’s wing again without my permission, I will make you regret it, Jasem,” he threatened. “Take him out of my sight.”
The guards helped Jasem to his feet, and once settled, he shoved them away and walked himself out of our sight, barely able to walk at all, words that sounded like curses dripping from his mouth.
Prince Fahd came and patted his brother’s shoulder with delight shining in his eyes. “Couldn’t have done it better.” The prince shrugged his hand away, not forcibly, but powerfully enough to show how mad he still was. And then headed to an elevator after saying, “Let’s go.”
I followed him, not knowing how it would be between the two of us from now on.
Despite everything that was happening, despite the worry that had its grip on me so tightly, and the anxiety about what was to come that filled my every sense, I couldn’t help the warmth that spread deep inside of my heart when everything the prince had just done sunk in.
He’d lied to save my life. He’d punished because I wasn’t protected enough. He’d ordered and commanded to make sure I’d always be safe. He’d used his fists to deal with the one who’d treated me with disrespect.
And...he’d promised to cut heads off if a hair on my own was touched.
I couldn’t even imagine what all of this meant to me. It was making me speechless, even inside of my brain; I was speechless, as in couldn’t-even-form-a-thought kind of speechless.
I couldn’t understand why he would go this far to protect me? For what? A part inside of my head couldn’t help but wonder if there was something hidden in all of this. Like...if he had other intentions. Bad ones. I just couldn’t find a reason why would he do all of that for me.
Unless he cares for you. A lot, something inside of me spoke.
Could it be true? That the prince had feelings for me? I really didn’t know. But the mere thought of it made my insides tingle…in a very good way, and I had no clue what to make of it.
Just like the walk through the lobby, the wait in the elevator was... Silence. The only sound was coming from the prince’s panting as he tried to catch his breaths, while leaning his body and his head back against the side wall of the elevator with his eyes closed.
Oh, how I wanted to take him in my arms, or rather be in his arms, but I didn’t know if it would