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Zayed held her gaze for a long ood faith between theive up on her for being so ungrateful as to try and flee such a cushy situation

“It’s a deal,” he said, extracting his hand froain to shake

Zelda smiled, shook his hand, and put the voucher aside “We should probably get ement party, or did I ruin that?”

The Sheikh laughed “It actually did you a favor in society here,” he told her “I painted it as you being shy, since you don’t know enough of the language to keep up, and of course you’re so very modest”

Zelda snickered “I guess that’s good at least,” she said, shaking her head “I’d hate to think that I’d humiliated you”

Zayed shtly “Mostly I orried Hadya came to check on you, with the stylist and her employees, and didn’t find you” He ht have been kidnapped or so, but then, of course, I would think that so to ransom you”

Zelda’s heart fell at the worry that she had caused hiht—tentatively—that the Sheikh was capable of connecting and caring about others, but she hadn’t for a moment believed that she could have qualified for that distinction

“I guess I didn’t really think it through,” Zelda said self-consciously “I just felt like it rong of ether; no matter how much affection and kindness Zayed had showed her, there were certain aspects of her decision that she still wasn’t co about with him

“Well I’ed your mind, somewhat at least,” Zayed said He looked her over briefly “I should let you rest; the doctor said that your body would probably take some time to fully recover from the ordeal”

Zelda’s lips twisted into a dry smile “I feel okay now,” she said “Just a little weak I think I want a bath” Her cheeks warmed at the fact that she’d worried that Zayed had seen her naked

“I’ll go and meet with some associates while you rest, then,” Zayed said “I don’t want you to feel crowded, but I orried for you”

Zelda patted his hand, shifting slightly in the bed “I’m sorry I made you worry,” she told him

Zayed took his leave, and Zelda waited for hio into the hallway outside before she attempted to climb out of the bed

Her legs felt wobbly and sore as she stood up, but she reminded herself that she’d had worsethe tree she’d climbed, the fact that she had known, almost as soon as she’d started away froment

She shuffled to the bathroo with a mild shock that her quarters in Zayed’s ho feeling to her, after only a week of staying in theers over an impossibly soft towel—one of a half-dozen she had now—and shook her head Towels, sponges, soaps, ; on top of ht for herself, all within a week ofZayed An entire life of luxuries

She started the taps on the bathtub; she felt perfectly clean, but there was so in hot, scented water that appealed to her She sat on the ledge of the tub, thinking about the strange way things had developed; she had to laugh at the fact that she was only just now beco aware of the depth of luxury in which Zayed lived, the life that he had to offer her as his wife, even if it was a