Page 176 of Tall, Royal Hater
They both looked at me with wide, hopeful gazes. I reared back. “You want me to do it?”
“Doesn’t have to be permanent, but it would be good experience for you,” my mum said. “And we were kind of hoping you might take some interest in the business. Especially, if we considered opening an international branch sometime within the next two or three years.”
I gaped. Because fuck me, that had come out of nowhere. They had never once mentioned wanting me hands-on-deck with their venture capital and consultancy business.
“You’re serious?” I questioned.
“Yes.” Dad nodded. “But you weren’t interested, and we wanted you to follow your passion. But if that has changed, maybe this is an opportunity to consider.”
The idea was intriguing, but…
I scrunched my face. “The nepotism would cause problems.”
“It’s not nepotism if you’re qualified. And we wouldn’t be giving you a senior role, Mar, so you’d work your way up like everyone else.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I considered it, rolling the damp tissue between my fingers. “Have you actually had this role planned or…”
“It’s been planned for a while, just something we haven’t yet recruited for,” Mum explained.
It was several quiet moments before I nodded slowly, hesitantly warming to the idea. “Okay.” I nodded with more confidence. “It’s something to consider. And the experience would help.”
“There’s our confident girl,” Mum cooed and squeezed me in a side hug. “You send HR your resignation with the same confidence, okay?”
I huffed out a tired laugh and smiled between them. “Thank you. For everything.” A liquid sheen drifted over my eyes again. “And you were right. I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
“Don’t be silly, Mariyah.” Dad laid a heavy kiss to the side of my head. “Just remember that you can trust us with anything, so don’t feel the need to hide something like that again.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
I welcomed another round of tight hugs and loving kisses before Mum straightened with a haughty sniff. “Now…what was this about Shehryar being an idiot?”
Chapter 42
Shehryar
With the two-hour time difference, it was just after seven when the plane touched down in a cold, dark Jahandari setting. I was met at Arrivals by a palace driver, and it took about forty minutes to get to Jahmal Palace. It felt odd passing by familiar scenery when I wasn’t the one driving.
Sully, King Kareem’s private secretary, greeted me when we arrived, and the older, white-haired man let me know that the king wanted to dine with me once I’d changed and showered. So, after freshening up, I made my way down to the private dining hall.
It wasn’t until we were eating the main course that King Kareem said, “I heard things…took a turn, shall we say—and not quite for the better.”
“You don’t have to say it like that,” I said, pausing from cutting my steak. “Princess Esmeralda fired me from both roles.”
He gave me a sheepish grimace. “That’s what she said on the phone…”
I stretched my shoulders to their full breadth. “And while I understand her decision, with all due respect, I do not accept it.”
The king nodded. “As you shouldn’t.”
Wait, what?
“You…agree?”
He smiled, small but amused. “Yes. There is no one better for the job.” The curve turned a little self-deprecating. “You were a brother to her when I wasn’t, and you know her to the point the two of you work seamlessly together.” He shrugged his brows in consideration. “She had some valid points about you working too much and focusing on the wrong things, but I do not believe her firing you is a permanent nor long-term thing. From what she said, she simply wants to give you time to reevaluate certain aspects of your life and what’s important to you.”
“I know,” I said, lowering my gaze to the half-eaten steak on my plate.
Silver cutlery clanked against the king’s plate. “Look,” he said with a soft sigh. “Take this from someone who nearly destroyed his relationship with the only immediate relative he had left because of the actions of our father—it’s not worth it. The anger, I mean. Holding on to it and hoping that it will protect what he hurt, while becoming the person that does the hurting.”
