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His PA’s eyes sloidened as if he’d just raised a gun to her head ‘I couldn’t quite say, sir’

Meaning she didn’t want to say Which didn’t surprise hi out the personal opinion of those orked for him Not on private matters anyway

Still, he couldn’t quite contain his frustration as his PA shuffled into his office and perched on the edge of an office chair Between fear and awe he’d go with awe every ti for him to attack her with a blunt instru to do with the whole host of unwanted emotions and memories his father’s death had stirred up in hi As far as Nadir was concerned, long buried eood reason

‘What else have you got for me, Miss Fenton?’

She flashed him a relieved look that he had turned his e’

Nadir already regretted calling up an old mistress to see if she was free for dinner Earlier, when it had crossed his roup of business executives who couldn’t give away a cold beer to a dying man in the desert let alone convince him to shell outto manufacture on the cheap ‘Let’s have it’

His PA shifted uncomfortably ‘She said—and I quote—“I’ to take our relationship seriously this time”—unquote’

Rolling his eyes, Nadir told her to strike that one ‘What else?’

‘Your brother rang and wants you to call him ASAP’

Maybe Zachi as well Butwith his plan to help haul their Arabic homeland into the twenty-first century With a spaceship, Nadir thought wryly, orfront-end loader His father had ruled Bakaan with an iron fist and now that he was dead it was supposed to be Nadir’s job to lead the country into the future So

Years ago he had made a promise to his father that he would never return to rule Bakaan and Nadir always kept his prorooreed to take on the position as the next King of Bakaan Poor bastard ‘Get him on the phone’