discipline of his upbringing had worked well, but this was not filial obedience. What they failed to understand was that it was Ilyas himself who was disciplined—he had chosen to abide by their rules.
For now.
When Ilyas had turned twenty-two, tragedy had struck the palace. His father and adviser had decided that a royal wedding would raise the spirits of the country and that it was time for Ilyas to marry. They had called a meeting to inform him of their decision.
But Ilyas had shaken his head.
‘It is not necessary for me to marry yet.’
King Ahmed had frowned at his son’s response, assuming that Ilyas had misunderstood him, for the king had been used to his demands being met.
But Ilyas had held firm on the subject of marriage.
Ilyas had indeed taken his father’s advice to look ahead. He’d had plans for the future, many of them, in fact, but there was no one he could risk sharing those plans with.
No one.
Marriage was not something he’d wanted to consider, at least for a couple of decades, and so again he’d declined his father’s suggestion. The king had grown more insistent.
‘A wedding, followed by an heir, would be pleasing for our people,’ he’d told his elder son, assuming that was that and they could move on to the next matter, but Ilyas would not be swayed.
‘The people need to grieve in their own time,’ Ilyas had said. ‘I shall marry when the time is right, not when you decide.’ He’d glanced over at Mahmoud, whose face had paled as Ilyas had delivered this challenge to the absolute authority of the king.
‘I said that I would like you to marry,’ the king had bellowed, the command inherent in his tone.
‘Marriage is a lifetime commitment and one I am not yet willing to make. For now, the harem shall suffice.’ He’d looked over at Mahmoud again and moved on the meeting. ‘Next item.’
* * *
Ilyas was stern yet fair, level rather than cold, and the people of Zayrinia adored him and silently longed for the day he was king.
As the king’s health had declined, Ilyas’s power had subtly risen, though not enough for his liking. But on this particular Friday, as Mahmoud stated that a fresh crisis threatened the palace, it was Ilyas who took control.
‘It is already being dealt with,’ Ilyas informed his father calmly, though the amber in his hazel eyes flashed with irritation. Why the hell had Mahmoud raised his younger brother’s latest indiscretions in front of the king?
‘But what sort of party was it?’ the king asked.
‘It was just a gathering,’ Ilyas smoothly answered. ‘You yourself said that you wanted Hazin to come home more often.’
‘Yes, but to attend to royal duties,’ the king said, and then looked at his aide and asked again, ‘What sort of party was held on his yacht?’
Ilyas could very well guess the type of debauched gathering that had taken place.
His brother was famous for them.
Almost.
The palace had their work cut out concealing the scandals that Hazin left in his wake and the king had recently decided that enough was enough. King Ahmed al-Razim was more than prepared to disinherit his youngest and strip him of privilege and title.
Most would say Hazin deserved it.
Ilyas was not swayed by others, though.
Not even by his father, the king.
‘I discussed it with Hazin before he left,’ Ilyas informed his father. ‘He assured me that it was just a day out with friends before he headed back to London.’
‘And did you remind him that if there is one more whisper of scandal the London apartment will be off limits to him?’ King Ahmed checked. ‘Did you tell him that his accounts shall be severed and there shall be no more access to the royal jets and yachts?’
‘Yes, I told him,’ Ilyas responded.
‘Perhaps if he has to work for a living he might spend his money more wisely.’
‘Hazin is wealthy in his own right,’ Ilyas reminded his father.
‘Few could be wealthy enough to support his habits,’ the king hissed. ‘It had better be dealt with, Ilyas.’ He strode out of the office and, once the doors parted and closed behind him, a worried Mahmoud spoke.
‘Your father needs to know that the palace is being blackmailed in order to keep Hazin’s secrets. If this gets out it will be a disaster,’ Mahmoud insisted. ‘Hazin has been given enough rope—there have been too many last chances.’
‘I said that I shall deal with it,’ Ilyas warned.
‘King Ahmed needs to know! These people need to be paid off. I have been his senior advisor for almost half a century—’
‘It must be almost time for retirement, then,’ Ilyas cut in, and he watched as Mahmoud puffed in indignation. ‘The palace must not give in to threats.’ He gave a dismissive shrug. ‘I don’t believe there even is a sex tape.’
‘I am not so sure,’ Mahmoud said and, now that the king was gone, he admitted to more. ‘Unless the payment is made by midday on Monday they will release the footage. The woman has made contact again.’
Ilyas read through the messages that had been coming through to the private server for the past week, but the demands were more specific now—stating the sum of money required and where and when it was to be deposited to prevent the release of the tape.
‘She is bold,’ Mahmoud said.
Ilyas did not agree with the advisor’s findings.
‘No,’ he said, again reading the message. ‘If this Suzanne believes that she can bribe me she is a fool.’
He examined the attached photos and knew at first glance that they had been taken aboard his brother’s yacht.
A stunning redhead with green eyes and delicate-looking pale skin had been photographed in a willow-green bikini.
There was another photo, grainy as if it had been taken from afar and zoomed in, that showed her lying on a bed as Hazin walked into what Ilyas knew to be the royal cabin.
The message warned that the more explicit footage taken inside the cabin would be shocking, but Ilyas wasn’t buying it.
‘If they had more they would already have sent it.’
‘They have more,’ Mahmoud said as Ilyas moved to the next photo.
It was a full frontal of his younger brother in a less than regal pose.
Hazin was completely naked, though, in fairness, Ilyas could see he was just rinsing off, presumably after a
