Kidnapped by the Arab

Amina and Ibrahim asked Aisha not to say anything to Ahmed for the time being, as it could lead to a disaster. She agreed to keep quiet.

“Arkham has always wanted everything Ahmed has. Since father took away his succession, he has hated him. His hatred increased after Lyna died. Arkham met her at a party and fell in love with her. A few days later, Ahmed rescued her while she was snorkeling in Fujaira, and they have been inseparable since then,” Amina explained.

“That must have been so difficult for him,” Aisha empathized.

“It was terrible. He had given up his right to succession, though not formally. Our parents never accepted Lyna. They had two beautiful children, little Abdel and precious Antara. They were four and six months old when they died in that terrible accident. I never got to spend time with them; I only knew them through photographs that my brother or Lyna sent me.

Our parents didn’t want to know them and didn’t allow me to either. Arkham feels guilty; he devoted himself to a life of excess, and Lyna left him because he refused to change. She was going back to Switzerland when the plane crashed.

I thought my brother would go crazy; he cut off all communication with us, and I knew about him through Cambell,” Amina revealed, clearly affected by the memories.

“I can’t imagine the pain he must have felt,” Aisha said, feeling completely sympathetic. She thought of her own tragic life and remembered her father’s words, “Unfortunately, there’s always someone worse off than us,” his way of trying to uplift her spirits when something happened.

“Anyway, let’s move on. We’ll get you ready for the engagement celebration, so little brother, you have to leave this room,” Ibrahim interjected, breaking the emotional moment.

Amira opened the doors of the room wide, and several girls entered with various gifts. Aisha was impressed to see all of it.

“What is all this?”

“These are gifts from the groom and the relatives. It can either be this or a single sum of money called Al Zahba. During the wedding reception, it’s not customary to give gifts; the relatives will be sending them over these days,” Amira explained.

“These gifts are traditionally displayed during the signing of the engagement contract, called Miksar. Ahmed doesn’t want it to happen for security reasons.

There are people who disagree with the wedding and might try something against you. Some can be very extreme, including the Amin family. To ensure these gifts could pass, they were thoroughly inspected,” Ibrahim added.

Aisha placed the beautiful turquoise dress on the bed.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Go on, get dressed. I’ll help you with your hair and makeup,” Amira said with a smile.

Aisha went to the dressing room and returned a few minutes later, fully changed, but she hadn’t put on the hijab yet.

Amira applied makeup and styled her hair according to tradition. The final result pleased Mía; the makeup accentuated her eyes, making them look bigger and elongated. She wore a beautiful gold tiara with delicate chains holding a stunning turquoise stone on her forehead.

Her hands were adorned with Bu Shawk, which were fine bracelets, and her neck was adorned with a beautiful necklace that showcased some stones.

“The ancient tradition was to have the hamman for seven days, but nowadays it’s usually done two days before the henna night. Mother wanted it to be seven days, but Ahmed refused due to security concerns. Some people can be very extreme, like the Amin family,” Amira explained.

“What is the hamman?” Aisha inquired.

“It’s a steam bath where you seek physical and spiritual purification.”

Aisha thought she would have liked Thara and Caroline to be with her during the celebrations; it would have made her feel less alone.

They left for the Mosque, and Jamil was already waiting for them. Ibrahim was with him in the car, and they seemed a bit strange, but in that place, who wasn’t?

They arrived at the mosque, and Ahmed was waiting outside, dressed in a white kandoura with a hatta on his head. Aisha thought he looked really handsome but scolded herself mentally for thinking so; she couldn’t understand what was happening to her lately when she was near him.

There were very few people accompanying them; Ahmed had arranged it that way for Mía’s safety. The Amin family might attempt something against her, and if any reporter managed to take a photo of her, Carlo would find out her location, and that would be another problem.

Many people were upset with the secrecy surrounding the engagement. Some even said that the Sheikh’s fiancée must have some physical defect, that she was too ugly to be shown.

Ahmed found it amusing; if only they could see her, they would know that an angel pales in comparison to her beauty.

The Nikah ceremony began, and the Sheikh led the ceremony, speaking about the importance of marriage and reading some passages from the Quran. He then asked the couple if they agreed to enter into the marriage, and both answered yes. The walli verified the contract, ensuring that Aisha’s rights were respected. He mentioned that the bride hadn’t specified whether she accepted the groom’s potential polygamous nature.

Without hesitation, she replied that she preferred him to be monogamous. Ahmed’s heart raced with excitement; this gave him hope to go further with her. Meanwhile, Ahmed’s mother, who was at the back in the area where the women were, had to contain her anger at this disobedience. She thought she had made it clear.

After exchanging rings, they left to their respective palaces, as they couldn’t be together until the wedding ceremony. Aisha watched Ahmed get into the car, and before he left, he looked at her and bid her goodbye with a big smile. Amira took Aisha’s arm, and Jamil opened the door for them to get into the car.

Later, in Aisha’s room, Amina insisted on opening the gifts that kept arriving non-stop. They were in the middle of doing so when Básima entered the room, completely furious.

“Mother, you know you are forbidden to enter this palace.”

“I will come and go as I please. This woman has dared to defy me. I told you that Ahmed would take Aracha Amin as a second wife and that a child of theirs would be the successor, and you ruined it. You knew you had to accept it for my son to accept second wives.”

“I’m sorry, but you respect your traditions, and I respect mine,” Amina responded firmly.

“May you be cursed forever! I hope you die soon, just like that Lyna. I’ll celebrate the day she died,” Básima spat out her words.

Amira and Aisha questioned whether Lyna’s death had indeed been an accident upon hearing those words.

Básima covered her mouth when she realized what she had said.

“Well, it was an accident, but thanks to that, Ahmed finally returned. If she were still alive, he wouldn’t be here,” Básima tried to justify herself.

“How can you find joy in the death of your grandchildren, mother?” Ahmed’s voice was cold as he stood behind her.

“Honey, that’s not what I meant to say. It’s just that this woman drives me mad. And you can’t be here; it’s forbidden.”

“She will return with me to the Sheikh’s palace this instant, I warn you. If you ever bother Aisha again, I’ll forget that you’re my mother and send you back to the desert with your family.”

“You wouldn’t do that to your mother, son.”

“Oh, believe me, I would if necessary. And you don’t understand, but I will make sure you do.”

Ahmed had heard everything clearly; he hadn’t interrupted to see how far his mother was willing to go. When they returned from the Mosque, he noticed her behaving strangely, so he decided to follow her.

After they left, Aisha was left disturbed. What kind of woman was that?

“Let’s watch a movie, my sister-in-law. It’ll help you forget this bad moment. I’ll be right back with some popcorn,” Amira said, trying to cheer her up.

Aisha nodded slightly in agreement. Thank God for Amira and Ibrahim, they made her stay in that place tolerable.

They spent a pleasant time chatting and watching movies. Aisha noticed that Amira didn’t agree with her mother, just as she hadn’t agreed with her father. They were both bound by those old traditions that seemed so obsolete.

Aisha thanked Amira for supporting her brother during this time of turmoil. Later, she bid her farewell.

“I’m going, sister-in-law. I’m keeping the bride awake, and I want her to be fresh and well-rested to impress my brother.”

Aisha blushed; that was the effect thinking of Ahmed had on her.

In the early hours, she got up to get some water. As she walked down the hallway, she heard noise. Instinctively, she hid behind a piece of furniture and peeked out to see who was making that noise. It was Ibrahim and Jamil, who were leaving one of the rooms.

The boys were so distracted that they didn’t notice her presence. Aisha was surprised to see them bid each other goodbye with a passionate kiss.