Page 101 of Shâhzâdeh

“French for butterfly. That is what I see when I lookout you.”

“A butterfly?”

She cupped my face in her hands a move so normal to her but foreign to me but melted me into a puddle. “Yes. Someone who started out in one way. They saw you as a caterpillar. Something that in their eyes held no value. Think of how many people see the value in worms despite all the hard work they do?”

“Very few.”

“Precisely. And they expected to keep you there. The worm in the dirt making their soil more fertile so they could be the bright and showy flowers. But they did not realize that once you had a taste of freedom you would change. You broke free, you went into your cocoon to solidify and change the parts of you that were necessary to your growth. And they tried to keep you hidden but you poked and poked and now you can break free. Into the beautiful creature I see now. You broke free. Standing here as the woman you are. And I take special pride in being able to witness the miracle of the butterfly. So spread your wings, Vanya. The unknown has not failed you yet.”

My emotions were bubbling over but the tears were thankfully still trapped in my eyes. “Thank you for that.”

“You do not need to thank me. And look at the colors you choose to wear. You know in your heart it is true. All florals, and bright colors and garden themes. All an expression of who you are instead of mundane fashion to fit into a box. I knew I would enjoy having a daughter.”

I wanted to believe she was a liar, but without even knowing this woman longer than five minutes, I could tell she was being honest.

“Did you want to view houses today?” That was the entire point of her coming by. I reached for my tablet to pull up the listings but she stopped me.

“That would be lovely, but would you mind if I took you to lunch?” She looked so eager for the outing that I couldn’t have refused her. I didn’t want to refuse her because lunch sounded wonderful.

“Navi and I—”

“Navi has already said she had things she can do. We will have my guards with us and Shoaib can meet up with Quentin, Bijan and my son.” She was already standing up like the matter was settled. She ran her hands over her hips smoothing out imaginary wrinkles.

“You’re a bit of a force.”

She winked as I stood up and put my feet in my shoes. I was thankful I’d dressed up slightly today in the white pants suit and hot pink sling backs.

“A gentle breeze that can nudge you along or a tempest. I never see the need to be a tempest with you. If anything Xerxes will wonder who this new person is that has inhabited hismaman. You will get whatever you want from me. So, shall we eat?”

I could only nod because I truly wanted to have lunch with her. Not to pick her brain or to ask her questions, but to bask in the presence she had. Maybe it was selfish or dub or childish but her energy was soothing. It differed from her son’s but I appreciated it all the same.

“Mrs. Mahdavi, I have been told to accompany vou all.” Shoaib was at the doorway looking official in his suit. I’d realized that he and Quentin both wore flesh-colored ear pieces whenever I was around them so Xerxes could communicate with them and them with each other.

Ms. Babette locked her arm with mine as though we were presenting a united front to Shoaib. “My son, a gentleman to a fault. I’m surprised he isn’t here right now.”

Shoaib smiled briefly like he was keeping a secret but wanted to share. “He wanted to. Mr. Bijan vould not let him interfere.”

“Ugh, I love that man. I will need to remind him of how much when I see him.” She had a dreamy look of a woman in love even after so many years. I hoped that what we had would develop into something that deep and sustainable. “Come, doll, let us enjoy food while you show me a property that Bijan and I can stay in while we visit.”

Lunch had been an interesting affair. Ms. Babette had to be one of the happiest people I’d ever met. She was the type of woman who enjoyed every part of her day and wanted to live life fully. She’d made a call and rented out the Fig Tree for us to have lunch. This place wasn’t even open unless it was for dinner but that just showed the pull she had. We toasted over champagne, a twelve hundred dollar bottle ofJacques SelossePremier Cru 2012. She ordered it like she was asking for a glass of water. She literally charmed every person in the building and the owner was trying hard to get her to come back for some brunch they were having in a few weeks.

We’d walked through an estate that couldn’t begin to be called understated. It was bold in its elegance and its opulence, which seemed to be right up her alley.

She had already started talking about the suite inside we would need for when we visited, like our house wasn’t within fifteen minutes of this place.

The home was part of a gated community that only had two other plots inside of it. They hadn’t been developed yet, but I could tell that they never would be, by the way Ms. Babette marveled over the house. They had already put in an offer and were discussing having a gathering there within the month since it was an all cash offer. The house was purely southern in its construction. The expansive double front porches held up by large columns and looked as though it were plucked straight out of the garden district in New Orleans. We had spent close to an hour marveling at the house before they were ready to leave.

And now we were at a bridal salon and I was surrounded by women and feeling like a fish out of water.

“You look contemplative. I know Babette’s happy-go-lucky self didn’t make you this way.” The curvy body didn’t waste a moment before she snuggled up next to me like we were the best of friends.

I looked at her beautiful, rounded face and could only shake my head by how easily I could see she was ready to cut up. I knew she’d been in town, but had been out to Carolina Falls and hadn’t made her way to the agency. This visit clearly piqued her interest, since she didn’t hesitate to come back.

“Jada… I don’t have the words to say how it feels to see you again.”

She grinned and then rest her head on my shoulder. Her locs were twisted up into a beautiful petal updo that made her look far more innocent than she actually was. “Probably like a hot poker to the brain but in a good way.”

I looked down at her head on my shoulder but couldn’t even be annoyed with her. “There’s a good way for that?”

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