Chapter 16

Bassem arrived at the palace on Thursday morning. He rushed to his quarters to freshen up before he went to meet the king. The king may have been his father but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to take care of his appearance before he met with him. Basil went to his quarters to get ready also.

The two brothers reunited in front of the king’s quarters half an hour later. One of the palace guards outside the king’s quarters opened the doors for them. Bassem walked in first. Basil followed a few steps behind him. The king was sitting at the breakfast table about to start eating when Bassem and Basil arrived. A maid announced their arrival as they walked into the dining room.

“I knew you would come, but not this early,” the king said as he unfolded his napkin.

“Good morning, Father,” Bassem and Basil said in chorus as they bowed their heads. A maid poured black coffee into a cup for the king.

“Bring plates and cutlery for the princes,” the king instructed her.

“Yes, your majesty.” She bowed her head and then left the room.

“Have a seat,” the king said to Bassem and Basil. The brothers joined their father at the breakfast table. The maid walked back into the room and served them their food.

The king ate his eggs quietly. Bassem knew his father was really angry. Whenever he took his time to tell them off, that was when he was most angry.

“Sheikh Khalifar,” the king said quietly.

“Pardon?” Bassem replied. The king wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Sheikh Khalifar was behind the abduction.”

Basil and Bassem looked at each other and then at the king. “You found out already?” Bassem asked.

“Of course I did. He was after you as his competitor and the crown prince of Al Huddah,” the king explained. Bassem knew Sheikh Khalifar. He was Bassem’s number one competitor. He owned an oil business also. The sheikh was from a neighboring country.

“That was a careless move on his part.” Bassem shook his head.

“It was careless and reckless for you not to tell me.”

“I was going to tell you.”

“When?” The king shot him an icy gaze.

“I wanted to find out who was behind it first.”

“It’s my fault for not being careful,” said Basil. The king looked at him.

“When will you grow up? You are just playing around in Austin and wasting money,” the king said to him. Basil opened his mouth and then closed it. “From now onwards, you will work as one of the geologists in Austin and Dallas,” the king added.

“But Father—” Before Basil could protest, the king cut him off with his hand.

“It’s either that or I freeze your assets.” The king paused for a moment. “Actually, I will freeze your assets. Your spending money will be your salary,” he added.

“That is a bit harsh, Father,” said Bassem. The king turned to face him.

“As for you, you will meet with Keira. She is Sheikh Mirak’s eldest daughter. That is whom your mother and I have agreed on being our daughter-in-law.”

“I am not ready to wed.”

“That was not a suggestion.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Bassem knew it was pointless to try and disagree with his father. He was not going to win the argument.

“You are thirty years old and the crown prince. You should have been married years ago.” The king rubbed the temples of his head. “I will take Badir’s resignation.”

Bassem’s eyes flew wide open. “You want to fire him?” he asked.

“It’s a small price to pay for this situation.”

“The abduction was not his fault.”

“When I sent him to Austin with you, it was under the assumption that he was good at his job and that he was going to protect the both of you. He failed at that.”

“He found Basil no more than twenty-four hours later,” said Bassem.

“Anything could have happened within those hours. Do you understand the magnitude of your error?”

“I do, Father. Please don’t let Badir pay for it. He is the only man I trust with my life,” Bassem replied. Bassem had found that the men that had kidnapped Basil had been hired to do so. They were petty criminals that had been paid for the kidnapping.

“The only reason that I am even considering letting him keep his job is because he found the person that stole the van. That man had been paid a handsome amount a few days before. My men then traced the payment back to Youssef Hadid,” said the king.

“Youssef Hadid; Sheikh Khalifar’s nephew and right-hand man,” said Bassem. His face darkened. The king rose from his seat.

“You may keep Badir but he will get a pay cut and his land seized, and you will marry Keira,” he said to Bassem. Basil and Bassem immediately rose to their feet and bowed their heads to the king.

“Yes, your majesty,” Bassem replied. The king walked out of the room. Basil exhaled loudly and sat down. “That wasn’t too bad,” said Bassem as he sat down. Basil raised his eyebrow.

“What are you talking about? I have to work as a geologist,” he complained.

“You are qualified enough.”

Basil frowned. “Do you know how little the salary is?” Basil shuddered. Bassem took a sip of his coffee. He knew why his father was making Basil work a regular job. He wanted to discipline him and wanted him to learn about hard work and the true value of money. Basil had never wanted to learn about the family business. He just spent money on fast cars and women.

“I pity you on that,” said Bassem. “At least you don’t have to get married,” he added.

“What will you do about Blake?”

“There is nothing to do about her.” She was not his woman. So why would he need to do anything about her?

“I am disappointed in you.” Basil shook his head.

“Why?” Bassem asked dryly.

“I thought you had finally met a woman you could love but instead you are going to deny your feelings and just go along with what father says.”

Bassem raised his eyebrows. Part of him felt saddened by the idea of not pursuing anything with Blake. “We only shared a kiss. That doesn’t mean that I have feelings for her,” he said. Basil raised his eyebrows.

“You kissed her?” he asked. He looked so amused.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What was it like? Do you crave her?”

“I am not having this conversation with you.”

“Then with who? It’s not like you open up to anyone else.” Basil took a bite of his toast.

“It was just a kiss. I didn’t make a big deal out of it and neither should you.” Bassem sipped his coffee and then rose to his feet. “I have to go and get ready to meet Keira,” he said and then headed for the exit.

“My stone-cold brother!” Basil called out after him. Bassem just ignored him and kept walking away.