The Sultan's Trap

Sultan Zaydan bin Azhar Al Rayhani, the Crowned Prince and future King of Emirat Al Rayhan, a trillionaire with astounding features, had a lot to be proud of.

Sultan Zaydan’s face was carved to rule and seduce. With almond-shaped and chestnut eyes, he could get anyone captivated. Yet, those charming eyes had a hint of aloofness in them. Although he would look at you, it would seem like he was distant and cold.

Sultan Zaydan had the classic royal nose—straight and aquiline. His chiselled oval face had a hint of angular masculinity, and many teenage boys in his kingdom longed to be blessed with such features. His chin was strong with a subtle cleft, while his jawline was squared and sculpted.

“Your Highness, she is here,” came the messenger, announcing the arrival of the visitor from the far-off island.

Sultan Zaydan pursed his thin lips, furrowing his brows, thinking about the kind of mess they could get into bringing a stranger into the palace.

Did his father, the old Sultan Azhar, not have enough betrayals? Already, being the most powerful kingdom in the region was attracting enemies from left, right, and centre. With the new drone technology, the kingdom was no longer safe at all.

“I’ll be in the conference room soon,” Sultan Zaydan said in an austere tone.

Sultan Zaydan kept on pondering the purpose of the stranger’s visit and hoped it was not one of the spies that had been hovering around for the past months, right after he was declared a trillionaire. From sand to skylines, Emirat Al Rayhan had taken a progressive leap, which had the whole world talking.

As Sultan Zaydan sprang up from his seat and strode to the meeting room, all the servants bowed on his way.

He was six feet tall, and his aura was overpowering. Even the maidens sighed as he paced.

“Oooh! He’s so hot!”

“Oh, God! I hope my heart doesn’t stop.”

They were all swooning over him and sniffing the air filled with musk as he passed by.

As soon as he stepped into the boardroom, his father, the assistants, and the stranger were already seated. However, when Sultan Azhar introduced his son to the beautiful lady who had just arrived, she immediately rose and looked quite frightened.

“Oh, Your Majesty… Uhm… Hello.”

Sultan Zaydan stared at her. His lower lip was slightly fuller, hinting at temptation, while the upper curved into a natural sternness.

“So, we finally meet, Miss Tahira Shah,” Sultan Zayhan smirked, extending his right hand to greet his guest.

“Y-yeah, Your Highness… Pleased to meet you,” Tahira said with a smile and a gentle island lilt to her accent.

She could feel the current passing through her as he shook hands with her.

Tahira was twenty-four years old, from ÎleMaurice. She had recently completed her postgraduate studies at the Halwell School of  Global Communications and was known as an ethical journalist from the Maurice Royal Press Delegation.

She had seen Sultan Zaydan in some pictures with the other members of the royal family, but never had she imagined that he would be so charming. Never in the short span of her career had she felt the words stuck in her throat upon meeting a celebrity.

She had embarrassed herself today, and the smirk from the Sultan said it all. She had to redeem herself; otherwise, he would think that she was just an incapable novice. But how could she?

Sultan Zaydan was so irresistible. His mesmerising eyes, high, pronounced cheekbones, broad shoulders, and olive-brown skin tone sent a sudden rush through her.

‘This can’t be happening!’ Tahira tried to steer her mind back to her work.

Alas! It seemed like she could faint any minute.

“Please, sit down,” Sultan Zaydan chuckled.

It seemed like he could read her thoughts, or perhaps it was just the kind of reaction he was used to. Tahira looked around her only to notice that the others were smiling.

‘Gosh! What a fool I am,’ she scolded herself again.

“How was your flight?” Sultan Zaydan asked.

“It was good, thank you,” Tahira averted her gaze instantly.

Sultan Zaydan was amused. He had never seen such beauty in his country before. It was not that he knew every lady around here, but while he was all over the place, he had never…

'Tahira…' he thought, 'What a lovely name.'

Tahira was elegance wrapped in simplicity. Her eyes were hazel tea, deep and flecked with green and gold. He had noticed how the colours would shift from the light and her mood. Zaydan had never seen eyes like that; not flinching before power, yet shying away from his gaze as if she were hiding some dark secret.

Secrets…

Now it hit him. She was here on a mission. Was she here to destroy him? This golden-brown girl, petite, s*xy, alluring, and possessing the most expressive lips, was sent by his enemy, for sure. She was carefully chosen to bring him to dust.

However, he was not going to let that happen. She might be coming from Île Maurice, the ally of Emirat Al Rayhan, but that did not mean she was not a spy or a traitor.

D*mn! A second ago, he was going to fall for her, and now that he was back to his senses, all he could do was set a trap. It could take some time for her to fall and spill the beans, but Sultan Zaydan would wait.

He was a patient and calculating man, after all. The last betrayal taught him some valuable lessons.

“What brings you here, Miss Tahira?” Sultan Zaydan asked in a rather mocking tone.

Tahira straightened her back, looked right into the Sultan’s eyes, and replied, “I’m here to document Emirat Al Rayhan’s  and your family’s rise, Your Highness.”

“Well, why you?” Sultan Zaydan asked.

The others gasped and then remained silent. Even Sultan Azhar could not utter a word. He knew that his son was too protective of the kingdom and, after days of arguments, had finally agreed to let Tahira enter the palace.

In fact, Sultan Zaydan had suggested she be put up at a nearby hotel, but Sultan Azhar did not want to do that. He was ready to trust another outsider and advised Zaydan to turn a new page.

Unfortunately, the heartache had not allowed Sultan Zaydan to forget the past. The once-trusting prince had turned sour and guarded over time.

It seemed that the Sultan had been staring at Tahira for an eternity, and it made her very uncomfortable.

He was someone hard to read. However, Tahira tried to set all those thoughts aside. She had heard that Sultans kidnapped women, had their harem, and they would force women into many things after toying with them.

She had been so skeptical when her boss had chosen her to cover the Al Rayhani family life. She had just started her career. After the successful interview with one of the princes of the neighbouring country in the Sapphire Gulf, the Durrani family, Tahira had been requested to come here.

The difference was that the Crowned Prince Durrani was on a visit to her island, and it was quite easy for her to do her job, while now being in the most feared Sultan’s territory made her insides churn.

“Shall we begin?” the old Sultan finally asked, as he sensed the tension between his son and Tahira mounting.

Tahira smiled faintly and nodded.

“Giv