Chapter 15 · Untitled Chapter

The heavy silence of the corridor was broken not by footsteps approaching the inner threshold, but by the distant, resonant chime of the perimeter gate bell echoing through the estate's high stone walls.

Bandar did not rush. He adjusted the crisp cuffs of his white thobe, his movements measured and unhurried, carrying the unmistakable weight of a man whose authority did not rely on raised voices or frantic haste. He turned his gaze toward the outer hall, listening to the muffled cadence of tires crunching against the raked gravel beyond the courtyard.

"The northern gate," I said quietly, gathering the dark silk of my abaya close around my shoulders. My pulse remained steady, cooled by the resolve of the night before. I knew that arrival. It bore the heavy, deliberate formality of a kinsman who believed his lineage granted him the right to command where others only negotiated.

"Abu Fahad," Bandar replied, his tone devoid of surprise. "Your ammi sent word at dawn, no doubt, hoping an elder of Al-Subaie might claim the authority he lacked the stomach to exercise himself."

A discreet knock sounded at the heavy wooden door separating the private wing from the central vestibule.