Chapter 9

Rana Ghazi burst into the villa's main hall, her chest heaving as she gripped her phone with trembling fingers. She didn't wait for an invitation to speak, stumbling toward the center of the room where the elders sat. Her eyes were wide, darting between Khalid Ghazi and the silent, masked figure of Tariq Al-Farsi standing near Layla. "Grandfather, look at this! It's all over the local news!" Rana cried out, her voice cracking with disbelief. She thrust the screen toward Khalid Ghazi. The image on the display was unmistakable. It showed Sami Haddad, the powerful chairman of Najm Group who hailed from the elite Haddad family in Al-Asimah, bowing deeply toward a woman. The caption confirmed the impossible: a hundred-million-dollar contract had been signed, personally sanctioned by the chairman himself. Khalid Ghazi took the phone, his hands shaking as he adjusted his glasses. He stared at the photograph of the chairman—a man whose favor most families in Al-Waha would kill for—humbling himself before Layla. The patriarch let out a sudden, booming laugh that echoed off the high ceilings of the villa. "A hundred million dollars!" Khalid's face flushed with a rare, predatory joy. He looked at Layla as if seeing her for the first time since her recovery. "Layla, you have done what no one in this family thought possible. You have secured the future of the Ghazi Group for a generation. Excellent! Truly excellent!" Layla didn't smile. She looked at the praise-filled face of her grandfather and then at Tariq, who remained as still as a statue. "Grandfather, since I have fulfilled the task and brought the contract, what about Tariq? You said his status in this family depended on this." Before Khalid could answer, the heavy double doors swung open. Salma Ghazi swept into the room, her eyes instantly locking onto Faisal Sharif, who sat nearby with a look of bored arrogance. She completely bypassed Tariq and Layla, heading straight for the young heir of the Sharif family with a wide, flattering smile. "Master Faisal! I didn't realize we would have such an esteemed guest today," Salma gushed, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. She turned and gestured toward Layla with a sharp flick of her wrist. "Layla, stop standing there looking like a fool. Come and greet Master Faisal. He has been asking about you all morning." Layla's face hardened. She stamped her foot, the sound sharp against the marble floor. "Mother! I am married to Tariq. Why are you acting like he isn't even in the room?" Salma's smile didn't falter, though her eyes turned cold as she glanced at Tariq's mask. "Married? To a vagrant who hides his face? Don't be ridiculous. Master Faisal is the future of the Sharifs." Faisal Sharif leaned back in his chair, his lip curling into a sneer as he looked at the contract lying on the table. He reached out and flicked the paper with a manicured fingernail. "A hundred million dollars? It's a nice piece of paper, Layla. But do you really think it's worth anything if I decide it isn't?" He looked around the room, his gaze settling on Khalid Ghazi. "My family has a permanent agreement with Najm Group. We have early access to every order, every decision. If I make one phone call, I can have this entire contract voided before the ink is dry. Sami Haddad might have been having a momentary lapse in judgment, but he won't cross the Sharif Group for a girl from a third-rate family." Khalid Ghazi's celebratory mood vanished instantly. The prospect of losing the hundred-million-dollar deal sent a surge of panic through him. He looked at Faisal's smug expression and then at Layla. "Layla," Khalid said, his voice regaining its authoritative edge. "Faisal is right. We cannot afford to offend the Sharif family. This contract is only valid as long as they allow it to be. You will divorce this... this Tariq immediately. You will marry Faisal. It is the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Ghazis." Tariq Al-Farsi, who had remained silent throughout the insults, finally moved. He took a step closer to Layla, his presence suddenly heavy, casting a long shadow across the floor. He didn't look at the shouting elders or the arrogant heir. "Layla," Tariq said, his voice calm and direct. "What do you want to do? Do you want to stay with me, or do you want what they are offering?" Layla looked up at him, her eyes bright and unwavering. The fear that usually clouded her interactions with her family seemed to burn away. "I will not divorce you, Tariq. Not for a contract, and certainly not for him." Tariq's eyes crinkled behind his mask, a ghost of a smile reaching them. "Then there is no problem. Since Master Faisal claims he can void the contract with a single word, why don't you call Sami Haddad right now? Let's verify exactly how much power the Sharifs actually have over Najm Group." Salma Ghazi lunged forward, snatching Layla's phone out of her hand before she could react. "Are you insane? You'll ruin everything! You don't call a man like Sami Haddad to complain about the Sharifs!" She turned to Layla, scolding her like a child. "You'll get us all blacklisted!" Faisal Sharif let out a dry, confident laugh. He waved his hand at Salma. "No, no. Let her call. Give her the phone back. I want her to hear it for herself. I want her to understand that in Al-Waha, my word is law when it comes to business." He looked at Layla, his eyes mocking. "Go ahead, Layla. Call him. Let's see how fast he hangs up on you once he hears my name." Salma hesitantly handed the phone back. Layla's fingers trembled as she dialed the number Sami Haddad had given her. The call connected almost instantly. "Chairman Haddad?" Layla said, her voice small and hesitant. "Mrs. Al-Farsi! Is something wrong with the contract?" Sami's voice was loud enough for those nearby to hear, his tone uncharacteristically anxious to please. "No, the contract is fine, but..." Layla glanced at Faisal, who was watching her with a smug grin. "Faisal Sharif is here. He says that the Sharif Group has a permanent agreement with you. He says he can void my hundred-million-dollar contract whenever he wants. He says your word doesn't matter compared to his family's influence." There was a moment of absolute silence on the other end of the line. Then, a roar of fury erupted from the phone, so loud that even Khalid Ghazi recoiled. "He said WHAT?" Sami Haddad screamed. "Void my contracts? Who does this brat think he is? I don't care if his name is Sharif or Sultan! No one voids a contract signed by the Haddad family!" In the background of the call, the sound of a door being kicked open echoed. "Akram! Get in here!" Sami's voice was muffled as if he had turned away from the phone, but the rage was unmistakable. "What is this 'permanent agreement' with the Sharifs? You handled the partnerships! You're fired! Get out of my sight before I have you arrested!" The Ghazis sat in stunned silence as they listened to the chaos on the other end of the line. Faisal's smug expression began to flicker, a hint of sweat appearing on his brow. Sami Haddad's voice returned to the phone, still breathing heavily. "Mrs. Al-Farsi, please stay on the line. I am looking at the files now. This Akram was taking kickbacks from the Sharifs to give them priority. It ends now. As of this second, every single partnership, every order, and every agreement Najm Group has with the Sharif Group is canceled. Voided. Terminated!" "Chairman?" Layla whispered, shocked by the sudden escalation. "And another thing," Sami continued, his tone shifting into one of desperate professionalism. "Since the Sharifs are no longer our partners, we have a massive opening. From today, Daim Group—your company—will have first dibs on every single order Najm Group puts out in Al-Waha. You have my word. I will send the revised terms to you within the hour." Layla slowly lowered the phone, looking at the room of frozen people. Faisal Sharif forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow. "It's a bluff. It's a joke! Sami Haddad wouldn't throw away a decade of partnership over a phone call. He's just putting on a show for you because he's embarrassed I called him out." He stood up, smoothing his suit jacket. "You think you can bankrupt the Sharifs? We are the foundation of this city's economy!" "A joke?" The voice didn't come from Layla. It came from the phone, which was still on speaker. Sami Haddad's voice was no longer screaming; it was cold, precise, and lethal. "Faisal Sharif, I can hear you," Sami said. "You think you're a foundation? You're a termite. I've already contacted the banks. I've frozen the credit lines Najm Group guarantees for your family. Within half an hour, your father will be calling you to tell you that the Sharif Group is filing for bankruptcy. You are finished." Sami's voice softened as he addressed Layla one last time. "Mrs. Al-Farsi, I apologize for the insolence of these people. They won't be a problem for you much longer. Half an hour. That's all it takes." The line went dead. The silence in the villa was heavy, broken only by the sound of Faisal Sharif's own phone beginning to ring in his pocket. Tariq Al-Farsi stood by Layla's side, his eyes fixed on the pale, shaking heir of the Sharifs. ════════════════════════════════════════