Chapter one

**Jamal was uninterested.** The luxurious allure of his fair-skinned and refined mistress had worn thin.

At that precise moment, she was perched on the bed, fascinated by her reflection in the mirror as she adjusted the glowing ruby necklace now gracing her throat. "It's so beautiful," she said, her eyes wide with enthusiastic admiration. "Thank you. You've been very generous."

Anna was astute. She understood the bracelet was a farewell gift and that she would leave his opulent Dubai apartment without protest, ready to seek out another affluent man. Jamal had concluded that sex was nothing extraordinary. He favored amateurs over professionals in intimate settings but held few illusions about the character of the women he chose as lovers. He provided them with a luxurious lifestyle while they offered him an essential outlet for his intense sexual drive. These women understood the necessity of discretion and recognized that speaking to the media would be a highly unwise career move.

Jamal had a greater need than most to safeguard his public reputation. At the age of thirteen, he had ascended to the throne of Eldoria, with his uncle serving as Regent until Jamal came of age.

He was the newest ruler in a succession of monarchs to sit on the sapphire throne in the historic palace. Eldoria was prosperous due to its vast oil reserves but deeply entrenched in tradition. Every time Jamal attempted to modernize the nation, his council of twelve senior tribal leaders, all aged over sixty, would express concern and advise him to reconsider.

"Are you getting married?" Anna suddenly asked him, then looked uncomfortable. "Sorry, I know it's none of my business."

"Not yet, but soon," Jamal answered calmly, straightening the tailored jacket of his business suit and turning to leave.

"Good luck," Anna murmured. "She'll be a fortunate woman."

Jamal was still frowning as he entered the elevator. When it came to marriage or children, luck didn't play a significant role in his family history. Historically, both love matches and practical alliances had their share of difficulties, and very few children had been born. Jamal had grown up as an only child and had managed to remain unmarried until the age of twenty-nine due to being a widower. His wife, Amira, and their infant daughter, Layla, had tragically died in a plane crash seven years earlier.

At the time, Jamal had thought he would never recover from such a profound loss. While everyone respected his grieving process, the pressure at home to marry and secure an heir was undeniable. Preserving the continuity of his lineage for the stability of the country he cherished was his foremost duty. However, deep down, he had no desire for a wife at all, and he deeply resented the expectations placed upon him. He cherished his solitude; he preferred his life just as it was.

A luxurious private jet brought Jamal back to Eldoria. Before disembarking, he adorned himself in the traditional attire required for attending the ceremonial unveiling of a new museum in the city center: a flowing white robe, a beige cloak, and a intricately wrapped headdress. Only after fulfilling this public duty could he return to the ancestral palace, a sprawling estate surrounded by fragrant gardens. While a modern palace now served as the official government center on the opposite side of the city, Jamal's heart remained attached to the ancient residence.

It was also where his beloved uncle, Hamza, was spending his final months battling a terminal illness, and Jamal cherished every moment he could spend with him. In many ways, Hamza had been the father figure Jamal never had a wise and gentle man who had imparted invaluable lessons in negotiation, self-discipline, and statesmanship.

Jamal's business manager, Elias, awaited him in the office Jamal used for official matters. "What brings you here?" Jamal asked in surprise, as Elias rarely made such visits.

Unlike his brothers, Mamid and haru, who had made names for themselves in the financial world, Jamal had little interest in business affairs. Eldoria had become prosperous long before his birth, and he had grown up surrounded by the wealth of his family's oil empire. Elias and his capable team managed and safeguarded that fortune.

"There is a matter I felt I should bring to your attention personally," Elias informed him solemnly.

"Of course. What is it?" Jamal inquired, leaning back against the edge of his desk, his dark eyes probing in his tanned, angular face.

The middle-aged accountant's discomfort grew. "It concerns a personal loan you extended to a friend three years ago... Nathan Green."

Startled by the mention of that name, Jamal stiffened. Yet it wasn't his former friend's face that flashed in his mind, but that of Nathan's sister, Rebecca. An image of a young woman with flowing dark-brown curls, deep blue eyes, and graceful legs flashed in his mind's eye. Jamal froze in defensive anger at the swift and unwelcome memories of Rebecca’s blunt words:

"We're both too young to settle down."

"I'm from a different background. I couldn't adapt to a culture where traditions overshadow equality."

"I'm not suited to be a partner in this venture."

"What's happened?" Jamal asked Elias calmly, though a surge of sudden energy lit his dark eyes with amber, betraying his outwardly composed demeanor.

Rebecca entered the silent house. She was so exhausted that sheer willpower kept her upright.

A light was on under the living-room door; Nathan was still awake. She passed quietly, unwilling to face another confrontation with her volatile brother, and entered the kitchen. The room was in disarray, with abandoned plates of food still on the table and chairs pushed back from the previous day, when Nathan had shattered their world with news of their financial collapse during a family meal.

Setting her shoulders and pushing aside memories of that dreadful lunch, Rebecca began to tidy up, knowing she'd only feel worse if she faced the mess in the morning.

The house felt empty without her parents. Distressing images of her mother, frail and aging in her hospital bed, and her father's uncontrollable sobbing, filled Rebecca’s thoughts. Hot tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away fiercely; indulging in self-pity wouldn't change anything that had happened.

The events of the past twent-four hours had piled up like a chain-reaction crash. The nightmare began when Nathan confessed that the family's accounting firm was on the brink of bankruptcy and their parents' comfortable home, where they all lived together, was heavily mortgaged. Just returned from a Mediterranean cruise that Nathan had insisted their parents take while he managed the business, their father had been furious and incredulous at the sudden dire situation. Negan Green hurried to the office to review the firm's accounts and consult with the bank manager, while Nathan stayed behind to explain everything in detail to their mother.

Initially, Sarah Green remained composed, believing that her resourceful, successful son would resolve the issues and secure the family's future. Unlike her husband, she didn't immediately condemn Nathan for forging their signatures on the document used to remortgage their home. She believed Nathan had acted out of concern to shield them from financial worry.

"But Nathan has always been the beloved center of our world," Rebecca admitted wryly.

Excuses had always been made whenever Nathan lied or cheated, and forgiveness and immediate understanding were frequently extended to him. Born with both intelligence and athleticism, Nathan had excelled in every area, and his parents' pride in him had been boundless. Yet Nathan had always harbored a darker side to his character, coupled with a troubling disregard for the well-being of others. His parents had sacrificed to send Nathan to an exclusive private school, and they had been overjoyed when he earned a place at Tiverton University.

In school days, Nathan had befriended wealthier students. Was it during this time that he began to succumb to the driving ambition and greed that would ultimately lead him astray? Or did this change only occur after Nathan became a successful banker with a flashy car and a strong sense of entitlement? Whatever the case, Rebecca thought bitterly, Nathan had always desired more, and inevitably, his pursuit of easy wealth had led him down the wrong path in life. But what Rebecca could never forgive her brother for was dragging their parents into the depths of debt and despair.

The worst had already happened, Rebecca reassured herself urgently. Nothing could compare to the horror of her mother's collapse. Upon finally realizing the extent of their financial ruin, her mother had suffered a heart attack. Rushed to the hospital the previous day, Sarah Green had undergone emergency surgery and was now thankfully in the recovery ward.

Her father had tried valiantly to adapt to their sudden change in circumstances, but ultimately, it had been too much for him once he realized he couldn't even pay his employees their owed wages. Shock and shame had overwhelmed him, and he had broken down in tears in the hospital waiting room, blaming himself for not monitoring Nathan's actions within the company more closely.

A slight sound made Rebecca whip her head around. Nathan, who had the robust build of a rugby player and the hefty figure of a man who didn't prioritize fitness, stood in the kitchen doorway nursing a glass of whisky. "How's Mom?" he asked gruffly.

"Holding her own. The prognosis is good," Rebecca replied quietly, turning back to the sink. She was eager to keep busy rather than dwell on the unsettling fact that Nathan hadn't accompanied her to the hospital or made an effort to visit their mother since.

"It's not my fault she had the heart attack," Nathan declared defensively.

"I didn't say it was," Rebecca responded firmly, unwilling to argue with her brother, who had always been ready to debate endlessly rather than concede a point. "I'm not looking to assign blame."

"Well, Mother could have had an attack at any time, and at least this way, we were here to handle it and get her to the hospital quickly," Nathan remarked casually.

"Yes," Rebecca agreed soothingly, for the sake of peace. She paused before continuing, "I wanted to ask you... about that large loan you mentioned taking out three years ago..."

"What's your point?" Nathan asked sharply, his expression guarded as Ella broached the subject.

"What bank did you borrow from?" Rebecca inquired, curiosity edging her tone.

"No bank would have loaned me that amount without security," Nathan retorted, his tone dismissive. "Jamal fronted the money."

At the mention of Jamal's name, Rebecca’s grip loosened, and the dish brush slipped into the soapy sink. "Jamal?" she echoed in disbelief, her voice catching.

"After I lost my job at the bank, Jamal offered me the funds to start my own venture," Nathan explained grudgingly. "An interest-free loan with no repayments for the first three years. Only a fool would have turned that down."

"That was remarkably generous of him," Rebecca acknowledged tightly, her face pale and controlled despite the emotions churning inside. Feelings she had suppressed for three long years threatened to surface. "But instead of starting your own business, you joined Dad's firm."

"Home is where the heart is," Nathan quipped, unabashed. "The family business was going under until I stepped in."

Rebecca restrained a sharp retort, her lips pressed into a firm line. She wished Nathan had opted for entrepreneurship instead of driving their stable firm into bankruptcy. "I find it hard to believe you took money from Jamal."

"When a billionaire offers you cash, you don't say no," Nathan replied condescendingly. "Jamal only gave the loan because he thought you were going to marry him. Having an unemployed brother-in-law would've been awkward for him."

Rebecca stiffened at Nathan's unsettling revelation. "If that's true, you should have returned the money when we ended things."

"You didn't break up, Rebecca," Nathan scoffed. "You inexplicably turned down Jamal's proposal. He wasn't going to stick around after that rejection. If you're looking for someone to blame for this mess, look at your role in it."

Shocked, Rebecca spun around again, her eyes wide with dismay. "Are you implying I'm responsible for what's happened?"

Nathan's eyes flashed with bitterness. "Your decision to reject Jamal not only offended him but also ruined my friendship with him. He never reached out to me again."

Rebecca bowed her head, her blond hair falling around her face as she s truggled to respond. "I declined his proposal because we weren't right for each other," she said awkwardly, staring at the tiled floor.