Chapter three

Rebecca parked her mother’s car with the meticulous precision of someone tightly wound with nerves, terrified of making a mistake. That morning, she had visited her parents, which had been a disorienting experience. Her father, now calm due to medication, seemed completely disconnected from the events leading to his breakdown, never once mentioning them. She had been warned to avoid any distressing topics. Thankfully, Negan was mainly concerned about his wife’s recovery and lamented his inability to be with her. At least Rebecca could reassure him that her mother, Sarah, was out of Intensive Care and receiving visits from friends. However, Sarah was equally reluctant to discuss the events leading to her heart attack.

Consequently, Rebecca felt utterly unsupported, guiltily chastising herself for her selfishness. Neither parent was well enough to help her. Simultaneously, she was acutely aware of the enormous pressure on her shoulders, with bankruptcy and repossession threatening her parents' business and home. She had already managed several justifiably angry calls from employees who hadn't received their pay and were struggling to cover their bills. Amidst this chaos, despite being Negan's business partner, Nathan had done nothing except contact an old college friend to find out where Jamal was staying before his university speech. Nathan then called the hotel on Jamal’s arrival, spoke to his chief aide, and secured an appointment.

Nathan made some wildly optimistic predictions about Rebecca speaking to Jamal in person. "Jamal values family highly, so he'll be sympathetic once he understands how devastating this has been for us," Nathan had said. "I'm so relieved you’ve agreed to this."

"Shouldn't you come with me?" Rebecca asked, surprised. She had assumed her brother would accompany her to the meeting. "Jamal lent the money to you, not me. I won’t be able to answer any business questions."

"Trust me, you’re the best person for this," Nathan insisted.

Unfortunately, Rebecca did not feel up to the task. She was painfully aware that any affection Jamal might have had for her three years ago had vanished when she refused his marriage proposal. Determined not to reveal her true feelings, she had given feeble excuses that had offended him and still made her cringe.

Could she blame him for his anger? Jamal al-masri, of royal lineage, was far from average. She might have overlooked this when he visited the Uk, but the day she said "no," Jamal had looked at her with stunned disbelief, his strong ego visibly recoiling from her rejection.

Of course, he had shown no emotion. Clearly, Jamal did not do emotions, and she would have been too emotional to make him a good wife, she reflected wryly. She had been mistaken in thinking that Jamal’s icy reserve and self-discipline hid powerful inner feelings.

While she had fallen deeply in love with Jamal, she had realized the last time she saw him that he was indifferent to her. He was not in love, merely in need of a male heir. If Nathan knew how shallow her relationship with Jamal had been, he wouldn’t hope that his sister could save the family from his extravagance. Rebecca suspected Jamal would be annoyed rather than appreciative of her request for another meeting. In Jamal's world, women were gentle, nurturing, motherly beings, his ideal, as Rebecca painfully knew.

She entered the grand country house hotel where Nathan had said Jamal and his entourage occupied the top floor. "Miss Green?" A slim Arab man with a goatee beard approached her before she could speak to the reception staff. "I am Hamid, the King’s chief aide. I spoke to your brother. His Majesty will see you upstairs."

While Hamid cheerfully chatted about the weather, undeterred by her curt responses, Rebecca nervously smoothed her damp palms over her long skirt, wishing she had a smart business suit instead of her usual casual attire. Unfortunately, she didn't own any formal outfits. She had paired the skirt with a crisp white blouse and camisole. At least she wasn’t wearing jeans, she consoled herself, trying to think about anything other than the impending meeting with Jamal. Her heart raced, a chill of nervous tension rippling through her slender frame and making her stomach churn.

She took a slow, deep breath, attempting to calm herself.

"Miss Green," Hamid announced, pushing the door wide open.

Rebecca took a few hesitant steps into the room and then saw him, and her courage faltered, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Standing at six feet two inches with a lean, powerful build, Jamal was an extraordinarily handsome man, in her opinion, the most striking of the three half-brothers. He was also the youngest of the trio, the other two of whom she had met briefly.

Jamal had tawny eyes framed by thick black lashes, set deep below straight ebony brows. An arrogant, slim-bridged nose accentuated his high cheekbones, and his striking features were completed by a strong jawline and a perfectly sculpted mouth, the very thought of which had once kept Rebecca awake at night. She had craved his touch like a life-giving drug.

The memory sent a wave of chagrin through her tense body as she recalled how nervous she had been with his hands-off courtship. She had been a virgin but would have surrendered if he had asked. She was still a virgin, she admitted with undeniable resentment, only because she was determined not to settle for anything less than the intense desire Jamal had once sparked in her.

"Rebecca," Jamal murmured, his rich, dark voice sending shivers down her spine like the touch of ghostly fingers from the past. He had no discernible accent, having learned English from his British grandmother.

Her throat tightened. "Jamal…" she managed to say, struggling to get his name past her lips.

Jamal surveyed her with piercing intensity, his thick black lashes partially concealing his sharp gaze. He had once had an antique storybook as a child, featuring a beautiful pale-haired princess trapped in a tower, and had often wondered if that had sparked his former obsession with Rebecca Green.

She was the epitome of an English Rose, with her translucent porcelain skin, bright blue eyes, and long, wavy hair the color of rich golden honey. Slim and of medium height, she had surprisingly lush curves for her slight frame and moved gracefully, like a dancer. He examined her soft, pink mouth, and his body reacted instantly. Anger stirred within him, along with the indignity of the physical response he felt.

She had always appeared natural, unadorned, untouched. His even white teeth ground together at the improbability of it all. It had likely been part of the demure act she had put on for his benefit in the days when he had been naive and impressionable with women, he thought with bitter resentment.

Time would have progressed for her regardless, just as it had for him, and he refused to delve further into that thought because it would breach the defensive boundaries he had erected in his mind. After all, it was solely due to Rebecca Green's influence over him that Jamal had later abandoned every principle he had once respected. He still recoiled from any recollection of the mistakes he had made and the significant blow dealt to his once impeccable sense of honor. She had engaged in a risky power struggle with him, playing him like a puppet, determined to boost her ego by having royalty propose marriage without ever seriously considering acceptance.

"Wouldn't you like to sit down?" Jamal smoothly invited, his outward confidence unwavering. "Then you can tell me how I can assist you."

So, Jamal was going to feign ignorance, Rebecca thought uncomfortably, then wondered if she was being unfair. Could it be possible that he was completely unaware of her family's predicament?

She settled into a plush, high-backed chair and went straight to the heart of the matter. "Earlier this week, I discovered that three years ago, you gave Nathan a substantial loan."

"That was not your concern," Jamal responded without hesitation.

Rebecca stiffened defensively. "But I wish it had been," she retorted, refusing to be intimidated by his imposing presence. "Giving Nathan a million pounds without any oversight was like putting a fox in charge of a henhouse."

Jamal pressed his lips together. "You're not very loyal to your brother."

"How loyal would you feel toward one of your siblings if their wheeling and dealing plunged your father's company into bankruptcy and left your parents facing homelessness? Right now, my concern is for them, not for my brother," Rebecca asserted defiantly.

A spark of surprise flickered in Jamal's striking eyes. It had been a long time since anyone had addressed him with such blatant disrespect. Perhaps the last had been her, and he was both irritated and strangely amused by her boldness. It was a novelty in his world where nearly every word spoken to him was wrapped in flattery and a desire to please. His jaw tightened. "I wasn't aware that your parents were involved in this mess."

"They became involved the moment Nathan became a partner in Dad's company. My father was so proud that his son was joining the family business that he gave Nathan complete control," Rebecca explained pointedly. "My business manager has already presented me with a report detailing his investigation into how the loan was used."

"So, it wasn't very kind of you to ask how you could assist me when I arrived," Rebecca shot back spiritedly. "You were being sarcastic at my expense."

"Was I?" Jamal quipped, studying the animated expressions on her face, which openly displayed every emotion she felt. He was convinced he could now read her like a children's book and couldn't fail to notice her anger, resentment, and embarrassment at having to plead her case.

In fact, Jamal had few illusions about Nathan's character. Long ago, he had been repelled by the qualities he saw in Nathan and would have ended the friendship much sooner if it weren't for Rebecca's presence in the same circles. His dark gaze hardened as he recalled the day it had all ended, feeling anew the sting of his wounded pride and indignation. She had humiliated him, insulted his country and his people, and outraged him beyond forgiveness, but no amount of torment could make him admit that truth.

"I believe so," Rebecca told him firmly, noticing the way his long lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones as he glanced down at her, his handsome dark head tilting in a familiar manner. Unsettled by the memory and the overpowering urge to gaze upon his striking beauty without restraint, Rebecca looked away, her heart racing.

As hard as it was to believe now, Rebecca had once loved Jamal with every fiber of her being, she remembered painfully. She would have done anything for him, but he had hurt her deeply, leaving a wound and insecurity that even three long years hadn't healed. It was a new experience to discover that a marriage proposal could be wielded like a weapon.

“When I gave that loan to Nathan, it was out of pure generosity,” Jamal stated confidently. “He was devastated by losing his job, and your parents were equally upset. I genuinely wanted to help your family.”

“That may be true,” Rebecca admitted reluctantly, feeling his sincerity, “but it's not that simple. Nathan needed another job more than he needed that money. The loan just led him into dangerous fantasies about building his own business empire.”

“And settling his personal debts, which was dishonest and against the terms of the loan,” Jamal interjected calmly, his lean, bronzed features showing cold disapproval. “Your brother wasted most of the money on frivolous purchases, including a new Porsche and a personalized Range Rover. I won’t forgive the debt. Ignoring such fraudulent behavior goes against my principles.”

“That’s all well and good, but what about my parents?” Rebecca demanded emotionally. “Do they deserve to suffer for Nathan’s mistakes?”

“That’s not for me to answer,” Jamal responded without expression. “They raised Nathan and taught him their values. They must know their son best.”

“No,” Rebecca countered passionately. “They only know the man they wanted him to be, not the man he actually is! Right now, my mother and father are distraught over what Nathan’s done.”

At that tense moment, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of a waiter with a tray. Rebecca closed her lips and took a deep breath to control her emotions. Coffee was served in fine china cups, and cakes were offered. Any appetite Rebecca might have had was killed by her growing dread of what the future held for her parents. As the waiter left, she searched Jamal’s handsome features, desperate to see some sign of a softer response to her plea on her parents’ behalf.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you want from me,” Jamal murmured under his breath, his temperature rising as she leaned forward, revealing the shadowy valley between her full, rounded breasts. There was a bitter irony in his response, for he knew in that moment of fierce, driving desire that what he wanted from her was exactly what he believed he could have had three years earlier.