Page 207 of Tall, Royal Hater
I set my glare back on Shehryar. “Yeah, the idiot finally told me, but why the fuck would you fire him in the first place? How could you pick me over him after everything he’s done for you?”
“Why are you angry on his behalf, Mariyah?” she countered.
“That’s beside the point right now—”
“Did you two finally work things out?”
I opened my mouth to snap back at her. Then paused as a cloud of realisation drifted over my mind.
This girl…she didn’t…no, she fucking didn’t…
Closing my eyes, I let out a calming exhale. I lifted my lashes and turned my face to Shehryar. By the little tilt on his lips, I was sure he could hear her too. “Esmeralda,” I said. “Did you fire Shehryar, so we’d get back together?”
There was a pause on her end. “Answer my question, and I’ll answer yours.”
But her mischievous tone was answer enough.
“Oh my…” My mouth spread in a dumbfounded smile. “You’re insane. You’re actually insane, Esmeralda, I hope you know that.”
“I’m not insane,” she countered. “I was simply…motivating Shehryar to act before it was too late.” I grunted in disbelief. “And you still haven’t answered my question—did it work?”
All my annoyance from moments ago was replaced by flabbergasted amusement. “I don’t think I wanna tell you, you meddling bitch. How could you fire him just to get us together?”
“I didn’t fire him only to push you two back together. I was also worried about him, Mariyah, and I knew he wouldn’t do anything about either his father or you if I didn’t put him in a situation where he had to.” I watched Shehryar’s small smile waver as he listened. “Plus, he’s never had any time to evaluate how much he works and what’s really important to him in his life, so I wanted to give him that.”
His jaw rolled as he swallowed, and I felt a little pang of understanding of what Esmeralda was saying. “So, you didn’t fire him. You were just giving him a break,” I confirmed.
“I was.” I could hear the nod in her soft voice. “Though he’s still been working with Yunis to manage my schedule and security technically, but this was as good of a break as I could force him to take. And when he’s ready, his role is waiting there for him—with some alteration, but that I’ll discuss with him later.”
I kept my eyes on Shehryar as I absorbed what she said. “You schemed so fucking well, you little bitch,” I eventually grumbled with playful gruffness, and she giggled proudly down the phone.
“That’s not the only meddling she’s been doing,” Shehryar said with a faint, brotherly smile.
I gaped. “What?”
“What?” Esmeralda echoed in confusion. “Was that Shehryar? Are you with him right now? What did he say?”
I ignored her as he nodded to the phone with his chin. “She was the one who put us in rooms opposite each other and convinced Mother and Prince Arsh to have us work together on their wedding.” My jaw dropped lower and lower with each of his words.
“What?” Esmeralda said again. “What is he saying?”
I clapped my mouth together. “Esmeralda, did you organise for me and Shehryar to sleep in opposite rooms and tell Katiya and Prince Arsh to ask us to plan their wedding?”
“No…” Never had one single syllable sounded so cheekily guilty.
Wow…
A low, slow chuckle of insanity bubbled out from me. “When I catch you, Esmeralda…you are dead.”
“Look, I did it because I love you both, okay?” she babbled through a panicked laugh. “I just wanted you to see how perfect you were for each other, and I didn’t know how else to do it. And before you get annoyed, I didn’t force you to be together, you did that on your own. I just gave you reasons to be around each other and hoped it helped. And it did. It worked! You two are finally together—”
“Esmeralda,” I growled, and Shehryar rubbed a hand over his mouth, trying and failing to wipe away his grin.
“I know! I know I shouldn’t have, but I don’t regret it, and I would do it again, because he was your tall, royal hater, but he was always meant to be your lover, okay? I’m not sorry.”
Shehryar’s brows puckered in confusion. “Tall, royal hater?” he echoed, and a blush ripped through my cheeks. I couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud in front of him.
“Also, tell Shehryar he doesn’t have to think about coming back until after the new year, so enjoy the next two weekswithout worry,” she quickly added. “Think of it as a dating honeymoon. Okay, bye!”
