Page 49 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

No. That will never happen.

If I’d thought about it from that angle before touching her, maybe I could’ve stepped back. But now I don’t want anyone else. No one else will do.

“I can be what she needs,” I say, closing the door on further argument.

“All right, I won’t spoil your joy. I’m happy for you both. She’s a precious girl. Now, let’s discuss practical matters: have you spoken to Arif yet? If not, you must do so immediately. You’ve already broken protocol, you know. You should have asked for her hand first.”

“It’s an outdated custom, and I’m not sure he would have accepted.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What father wouldn’t feel honored to give his daughter’s hand to a prince?”

One who’s a bastard, whose life’s mission seems to be to make his daughter as miserable as possible.

“He offered her in marriage to a man fifty years older,” I reveal flatly.

“What? That’s impossible! Why would he do that when there are so many young, successful men in our country willing to marry her? You’re proof of that. A lifelong bachelor suddenly enchanted by her beauty.”

I don’t correct him. It’s true, after all, though “enchanted” feels far too mild a word. Spellbound might be closer. “Either way, it won’t happen. This isn’t the Middle Ages. Adeela has the right to choose, and she chose me.”

Saying it aloud somehow dissipates all the anger I felt toward Arif.

She’ll be mine by her own decision, never by force.

“I’ll speak to him before you call,” my father offers. “From one father to another, just to smooth things over.”

“Do as you wish, but it won’t change anything. Adeela Ghazal belongs to me now. Forever.”

Hours later

I have no desire to do what I must, because Arif Ghazal deserves no respect, and certainly no notification that I intend to marry his daughter.

Yes, because this isn’t a request. He’ll have no say in the matter.

But as a prince of Rheadur, it’s my duty to formalize the engagement.

And there’s another reason: he needs to understand that from this moment on, Adeela is beyond his reach. Anything he does to harm her or Daisy Ellis will be taken as a personal offense against me.

I wait in my office while my secretary arranges the call.

About ten minutes later, Giselle enters to say the video conference is ready.

I didn’t ask Adeela if she wanted to speak to her father, but I doubt it, though sooner or later they’ll have to face each other. Especially now that, if all goes well, Daisy will soon live in Rheadur.

This morning, I collected my fiancée’s documents to secure her travel visa to the United States. She’s anxious to see her mother again and worried about her condition, so as soon as her entry is cleared, we’ll fly there.

Coincidentally, her mother lives in New York, the same city where Odin Lykaios has settled with his wife. I’ve decided to meet him. I want to look him in the eyes. Only then will I know whether he had anything to do with my half-brother’s disappearance.

I open my laptop and launch the call.

The unpleasant image of Arif Ghazal fills the screen. “Peace be upon you, Your Highness,” he says.

“Good afternoon, Arif Ghazal,” I reply coldly, ignoring his greeting. “My day is busy, so let’s get straight to the point.”

“If I may, Your Highness, before that I’d like to ask that you send my daughter Adeela back home. She’s needed here, and I’ve already given her an ultimatum: she is to arrive in Rheadur by nightfall. But she hasn’t answered my calls, and I fear she intends to defy me.”

“You don’t have to wait for her anymore. She won’t be coming.”

His hands clutch the arms of his chair. “What? She can’t stay there! We’ve already discussed—” He’s so furious he seems to forget to whom he’s speaking.