Slave to the Sheikh: by Nadia Aidan Page B

the spiral had begun.  He’d abdicated his rulership at once, mostly because in the month long search for her , he could barely make it to any of his meetings, he’d cancelled all of his scheduled trips, and the budgets and reports Fatimah put on his desk had begun to pile up and over onto the floor.   
    Once he’d given up his position as regent, the only thing left for him to do was to end the farce that was his betrothal.  Sheikh Abdul al-Mujaher, Sabeen’s father, his own godfather.  Amir had believed him a man of the old ways, but soon discovered his assumption had been very wrong.  Left widowed by his beloved Ethiopian wife after just ten years of marriage, Abdul had found himself raising three very beautiful, precocious, headstrong daughters.  Admittedly, he’d spoiled them, which was probably why when Amir met with him to end the betrothal contract, Abdul didn’t wage a blood feud or some other antiquated custom meant to avenge the perceived slight to his honor.  It was obvious in his eyes, the deep love he held for his daughter when he spoke.  Sabeen’s father wanted her to find happiness above all else, and had long ago realized she would never be happy with a man who did not love her. 
    Abdul had truly surprised him when Amir had stood before him and told him he could not marry his daughter because he loved another woman.  Not only had Abdul accepted Amir’s reasoning for absolving the betrothal contract, he’d praised his honesty, saying he considered it far more honorable for a man to admit the truth and accept his fate, then to enter into a marriage for no other reason than the fear of losing face and power. Abdul had known how much Amir had risked by doing what he’d done. Not only his rulership, but his honor, that of his family’s name, and his family’s pride.  The older Sheikh had even gone so far as to admit he’d long wished to nullify the contract, but had seen no way to do so without deeply offending Amir’s father, and longtime friend. Both men had known the traditional nullification of the contract could only be executed if Amir entered into a misfar al-sharaf, which Amir had always rejected.  He would never use a woman as an escape clause, and despite how much she irritated him, he would never resort to humiliating Sabeen in such a manner. 
    As such, there was no precedent for their actions. Both Abdul and Amir knew the other noble families would balk if they just shook hands and walked away, claiming the al-Azizs’ thought themselves above the law as the ruling family of Sharjah.  If not handled properly it could turn ugly with power challenges from the other families. 
    Khalil had presented him with an alternative, to which Sabeen had surprisingly seemed amenable, which left Amir suspicious.  Sabeen was not known for being amenable to anything, but he hadn’t dwelled on her odd behavior long.  She was now Khalil’s problem.  
    After sharing with Abdul his plan, the older man had carefully considered Amir’s proposal, before he offered a reply, “If Sabeen and Khalil are both in agreement, as well as yourself and your parents, then I do not object and I doubt any of the other families shall protest, as long as you understand that they must be properly appeased, of course.”
    Oh, of course Amir knew exactly what Abdul meant by proper appeasement.  Gifts would flow like rivers from the al-Aziz family to practically everyone in Sharjah.  First, to Sabeen’s father because Amir needed to give the appearance that he was begging the al-Mujaher’s for their forgiveness, and then to the remaining noble families, also for the same reason, to beg their pardon, so that he did not appear as if he was above the law.  In the end, everyone would get what they wanted, and all parties would walk away happy.
    That was all parties except for him . 
    Once the matter of his betrothal had been settled, Amir had considered his affairs in order, and had promptly disappeared.