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Basil had returned to his quarters. He could not stay in his office; it was not doing him any good. He was sitting in his living room when his brother walked in.
“Brother, how are you?” the King asked as he sat down in front of him. The King knew that he was not going to get a straight answer but he was asking anyway. He knew his brother never talked about his feelings.
“What brings you here?” Basil asked. He could not even give his brother a warm welcome.
“My sister-in-law went missing; where else would I be?”
Basil did not even react. Of course, the news had reached the King. Saja was the princess after all; it was the King's business. Marina scrambled into the room with a tray of refreshments. She placed it on the table and left the room straight away.
“What is the latest information?”
Basil remained silent for a moment. Then he told the King about Abia's call. The King was surprised to hear it. He too had never expected El-Tamar to make such a cowardly move. Whether it was his command did not matter anymore. He should have brought Saja back if he had nothing to do with it. The King once thought of him as a man of honour but that opinion had been severely tainted.
El-Tamar had become an enemy to the state now. Biological father or not, he had put hands on his sister-in-law and that was a problem. The fact that El-Tamar did not feel any paternal instincts was another problem. That was his daughter. He should have treated her better. In the King's eyes, he was not a man and he was going to pay gravely for this.
“You left your wife and your concubine together?” Basil asked, changing the depressing topic.
“They can handle each other,” the King said.
“You might find the palace upside down by the time you return.”
The King grunted. He knew the queen and his mistress did not get along. Everyone knew! It was a bad idea leaving them alone in the palace. When he was there, at least they held back and pretended to be civil.
“I left mother in charge,” the King replied blandly. The two brothers started laughi
ng. Their strict mother was not fond of either woman but she could control them. They respected and feared her. “They will not cause any trouble when she is around,” the King added.
“Smart move, brother,” Basil said. Since the King did not have a crown prince, there was no one to run things in his absence. So his mother; the former queen, was the best option. She was both stern and wise.
* * * *
Abia and her sons walked into the room where they were holding Saja and Mona. Saja was sitting with her back against the wall. She stared at Abia as she walked in. Abia held eye contact with her. She stood right in front of Saja staring down at her with a face full of hate.
“I spoke to your husband today,” Abia said to Saja in an attempt to provoke her.
“Oh, is that so?” Saja did not want to show too much emotion. She could tell that Abia wanted to annoy her. Inside she was hoping that Basil was coming to rip Abia's throat out.
“It will be a while before he comes here for you.”
“What do you want?” Mona screamed at Abia. Abia slapped her with the back of her hand. The impact left Mona’s lip bloody.
“Back off!” Saja barked at Abia as she held Mona to check if she was okay.
“Well then, she should not get involved,” Abia replied coldly.
“You want me right? So why not let her go?”
Abia laughed sardonically. “That's not going to happen,” she said. Saja narrowed her gaze. She could feel herself getting angry. The woman was crazy and evil. Her tone was sadistic and Saja could feel the hate oozing out of her.
“You have issues, you need help.”
“Issues that started the day you were born,” Abia slapped Saja in the face. She had held it in long enough. Saja slapped her back. Aman ran over to pin Saja down whilst Abia hit her. Anwar was holding Mona down to stop her from getting involved.
Abia kept hitting Saja. She was out for blood. Saja was trying to fight back but Aman's hold was too strong. She managed to kick Abia in the stomach, which angered her even more. Akeem walked into the room. He stood there staring at his mother. He did not recognise her. He had never seen her like this.
“That's enough!” he shouted but Abia did not seem to hear him. He had to stop her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her away. She kept trying to get away from his embrace but he was much stronger than she was. He pulled her out of the room. Aman followed them out.
“Mother what was that?” Akeem asked as soon as they returned to the kitchen. Abia was still panting. She poured herself some water. El-Tamar was sitting at the table looking at his wife. This was a terrible mess that she had created. He did not want any more trouble from the Prince, but it was too late now. There was no turning back.
