Chapter 28Alexandre walks out into the hallway, taking long strides to the elevator. As he waits for it to arrive, he runs his trembling hands through his hair. His jaw is clenched, and he stands still as if his feet are glued to the floor.In the room, Laila remains in the same spot, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming uncontrollably down her face.A deep sadness engulfs her, and her heart tightens. She stands there, unable to move, suffering for something that never existed, Alex's love."So this is the end of something that never began. I don't understand what happened," she thinks sadly.Alexandre hears the elevator doors open, but he can't find the courage to step inside. He feels that what he left behind is more important than his wounded ego as a ladies' man.He turns around, practically runs, and enters the room, taking Laila into his arms and kissing her passionately."Laila... Laila, I love you. I can't stay away from you any longer," he says between kisses."Alex...
Chapter 29The security guard, Mustafa, enters Zayn's office, pushing the trafficker, who stumbles in.Upon seeing him, Zayn feels a deep displeasure. The man appears to be intoxicated, just like the last time, and as always, he reeks like a skunk.Zayn pinches his nose, feeling nauseated. How can a man be so careless about his hygiene, he wonders in his thoughts."Open the windows; this man smells worse than a dead rat in the sewer," Zayn tells the guard and then sits back down, looking into the eyes of the foul-smelling trafficker. "Sit down; I want to have a conversation with you."The man's legs wobble; perhaps the sheikh has discovered that he hasn't stopped kidnapping women, and now he'll be punished."My sheikh, I can explain..." he begins, fear in his voice."Explain what?" Zayn asks, not understanding."I tried to stop... I swear, I tried, but unfortunately, it's stronger than me. The money comes so easily..." he says, sweat trickling down his forehead and neck, feeling unwel
Chapter 30Lying down, Laila smiles happily as she gazes at Alexandre's handsome face."You are so beautiful," she says, and immediately remembers that she is running incredibly late for work. "Oh God! Oh God!" she exclaims as she hastily gets up, grabbing the dress that was strewn on the floor."What's wrong, my dear?" Alexandre asks, sensing her tension."By Allah! I'm more than late! I'm going to lose my job!" she exclaims, searching for her shoes.Laila paces back and forth, not sure what to do."Laila, you're making me dizzy," he says, playfully watching her. "Come here, let's do it again."Laila stops in her tracks and looks at him, tempted to accept. Despite feeling a bit sore from the intense night, her desire for him is strong, like being in a desert without a drop of water to drink.He gets up, goes to her, and pushes her against the wall."You're not getting away that easily," he says, kissing her and leading her back to the bed, pulling off the dress.Nana Jamile passes by
Chapter 31Laila blinks several times, taking so long to respond that Zayn speaks again."Laila, is Mr. Aguiar bothering you?" Zayn inquires."No, nothing he does bothers me," Laila replies."Are you sure about what you're telling me?" Zayn asks, concerned, looking deep into her eyes. "You're like a sister to me. If he's bothering you, I'll talk to him. You're young and very beautiful, maybe he's taken a liking to you."Laila opens her mouth and blinks several times, unable to believe what Zayn just said."Do you find me beautiful, sir?" Laila questions."It's not a matter of finding, you are beautiful," Zayn affirms."Are you sure? Me? Beautiful? I think you might need glasses like Mr. Aguiar..." Laila stops suddenly, realizing she's said too much."So, he called you beautiful? Should I be concerned about that?" Zayn inquires."No, Sheikh. Mr. Aguiar has been very kind to me," Laila responds.Zayn looks at Laila and notices the sparkle in her eyes as she talks about Mr. Aguiar. He'll
Chapter 32The clashing sounds of sword blades constantly echo through almost the entire Al-Abadi mansion.Morgana hears it from the gym, curious, she goes to the location and watches Zayn and Naim fighting as if their lives depended on it. Their agility is incredible, they fight with fervor, seemingly unafraid of the blades passing inches from their faces.She's impressed, never seen this type of combat up close, it looks so real. Unfortunately, for Morgana, Zayn loses. Nevertheless, he smiles at his friend and leads him inside, suggesting they have a refreshing tea.Returning to the gym, Aisha is on the stationary bike, and she pretends not to see Morgana as she heads back to the treadmill.As if they were best friends, Aisha starts a conversation."So, you and Zayn are getting married? When's the wedding?""We're getting married in five days," she says politely but without much enthusiasm."So fast. Why the rush?""Zayn is a sheik, I believe that says it all."Morgana doesn't swall
Chapter 33After lunch, Alexandre calls Zayn for a conversation. Laila is trembling, hoping the sheik will accept without any issues.Zayn admires Alexandre for initiating this conversation; if he hadn't, Zayn would have done so.Alexandre is direct and shares his feelings and intentions with Zayn."What kind of relationship do you intend to have with Laila, Mr. Aguiar?" Zayn asks, looking him in the eyes, arms crossed, leaning against a chair."As soon as you marry my daughter, I intend to do the same with Laila.""Very well. I'm happy with your decision; it's the right thing to do. I approve of this union. From today onwards, Laila will dine with us and no longer work in the Al-Abadi mansion.""From what she told me, she loves cooking, and I wouldn't want to take that away from her unless she wants it," says Alexandre, leaving that decision up to her."Alright. I'll talk to her about it. I'll hire others to take care of the rest of the work."In the kitchen, accidentally, Laila brea
Chapter 34Zayn walks to the bed, crouches down, and his suspicions are confirmed; there's an animal under the bed. Upon seeing it, the snake crawls towards him. Zayn stands up slowly, never taking his eyes off the large cobra. He makes body movements that confuse the snake, as if under a spell, with each of his movements, she follows him, until he quickly reaches out and grabs it.Zayn observes the animal in his hands, leaves the room, goes straight to his security and hands them the animal, telling them to search the whole house. He knows more than anyone that the cobra was deliberately placed in his room. He goes straight to the harem room, entering without warning, startling some women."Aisha, I don't know what your game is. Why do you want to hurt Morgana? I removed the snake from the room.""Oh, my sheik, how awful! Why accuse me? I'm terrified of snakes; I wouldn't go near one," Aisha says, horrified. Some of the women confirm that she's indeed afraid of the animal, and they w
Chapter 35At dinner, everyone is happy, especially Laila, who is sitting next to Alexandre. Honestly, she feels like a lovestruck teenager, her eyes light up every time she looks at him.Morgana observes Laila's happiness beside her father and how well he treats her, wondering if he was like that with her mother. Probably, he was. He's an excellent father, and he must have been an excellent husband.Morgana feels a penetrating gaze, and when she looks to the side, she sees Aisha blatantly watching her without averting her eyes, as if she wanted to say something.Returning her attention to Zayn, she talks to her fiancé and her father about the wedding. Aisha isn't worth her concern.Aisha takes her place, as usual, she was the last to arrive at the table. As she sits down, she wrinkles her lips in displeasure when she sees Laila sitting at the table with everyone."So now we have to share the table with the servants?" she says with an air of superiority, tilting her nose."Aisha!" Zay