Chapter 34

It was evening in the Farsi Estate. The air inside the meeting hall was thick with the scent of unwashed tea and the restless shifting of bodies. Most of the Farsis had rushed here directly from their respective businesses, skipping their meals to attend the urgent summoning. They stood or sat in clusters, their faces etched with a mixture of exhaustion and sharp curiosity. In the center of the room stood Layla Al-Farsi. As the daughter of the third son, she had always occupied the periphery...