Lindsay stared malevolently at the closed door. She refused to cry. No matter how hopeless her situation appeared to be, she wouldn't give up. She just had to get her anger under control before her next meeting with Brian. There wasn't a doubt that she had handled this situation - in particular, Brian - all wrong. There had to be a way out. Without being able to contact one of her few allies, everything was up to her.

How had he found Jasmine so quickly? Had the nurse turned the child over so easily? And what had been her fate? She had known from the very beginning that the nurse was the weakest link. At her core, she was a devout caregiver. It had taken some manipulation to convince her that Jasmine, being an unwanted female child, would be better off removed from the king's household. Of course, she had known that to be false, but having Jasmine taken away had been her sole objective. Not only did she seek to torture Brian, but she wanted leverage to use down the road. She had vastly underestimated Brian's diligence in discovering the truth. If she had thought this through, she would have left Tehara, and then contacted Brian from a safe place, with her monetary demands in exchange for his daughter's whereabouts.

Lindsay sneered. A safe place. She was only fooling herself. With Brian's connections and power, was there really such a place? She assumed that the nurse's life would be spared. Obviously, the woman had made bad, and uninformed choices, but she wasn't the instigator, and in all likelihood, had given Jasmine as good of a life that she could with her meager means. The doctor, however, would feel the king's full wrath... if he could locate him. Should Brian get his hands on the immoral doctor that had plotted with her, she had very little doubt that it would end up being his life. The doctor was a descendant of Tehara, a citizen for the greater part of his life. It would be simple for the king to force his return on the grounds of treason. After that, the doctor would undoubtedly meet his death.

A cold smile crossed Lindsay's lips. That was it. The solution to her dilemma was right in front of her. It had always been there. She had one ally within the palace, one that no one knew about. She had hidden the connection, and she was certain her baby brother had done the same. Somehow she knew he would find out what had happened to her... and when he did, perhaps he would search for her. Knowing her brother as she did, she knew that he would work at discrediting the king for wrongly persecuting his wife. She had to believe everyone still thought she was the queen. That was vital in any possibility of publicly condemning the king.

Brian would be distracted with hunting the doctor. That was her best and only chance. When the time was right, she could extend one last offer. This time it would have a different price attached. Her freedom from this wretched country and all that tied her to it. Now, she did see the advantage in maintaining contact with the conniving doctor. If it meant leaving Tehara and starting a new life elsewhere, she would hand the doctor over on the proverbial silver platter. Lindsay laughed as she thought about it. Brian's plans for torturing her would be extremely short-lived. Once presented with the opportunity to capture the doctor, he would be forced to make a deal with her. When he did that, she would be gone from here forever, free to start a new life. In the meantime, she needed to refrain from any further outbursts. When she met Brian again, she would be patient, transferring all of his hunger for revenge away from her, and to the doctor that she knew he now hunted.

Glancing down at the file he had read numerous times, the king motioned for the nurse to be seated, his demeanor more patient than it had been during their first meeting. "Please relax, Mila. I am a man that follows my instincts, and I believe that you had good intentions regarding Jasmine, although you obviously made some questionable choices. That being said, I am grateful that you have taken such good care of my daughter. Having to give her up to me and her rightful home is punishment enough; I won't seek anything more."

"T-thank you, Your Highness. I have no words to express my gratitude." Mila bit at her lip hesitantly, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I will miss Jasmine, although she is quite a handful." A slight laugh escaped. "I'm sure you will discover that in time..."

The king joined her with his own laughter. "I already have, Mila, and that isn't something that is your fault. Jasmine is so much like me; surprisingly, her temperament is more like mine than my son's. Life should be very interesting going forward."

"I had wondered where she got such a rebellious spirit. She is so different from my other children, and myself as well, but she is not of our blood either. I realize I was deceived in a horrible way; I always had my doubts, but not enough to rebel against your wife and the doctor."

"Allow me to correct you, Mila. My marriage to Lindsay was dissolved shortly after the birth of the twins. For so many reasons, that will become public knowledge soon, but in the meantime, I would appreciate you keeping that information private." The king affixed a stern and uncompromising gaze on the woman, not much of a doubt in his mind that she would follow his simple command.

Nodding her head, Mila quickly agreed. "Of course, Your Majesty. I have to say that's a relief to me. After everything that's happened, I doubted that Jasmine's mother would be a part of her life now, but it's good to know that she doesn't have any real power to harm her further."

"Indeed." The king sneered, his rage developing each time he thought of his evil ex-wife. "Lindsay's fate is sealed."

"Also, Your Highness, if I would somehow hear from the doctor, or remember anything that could be useful to you, I want you to know that I will supply that to you. I feel a tremendous amount of guilt; I only want to set things right now. I just wish I had done so sooner."

"I appreciate that, Mila." Standing to his feet, the king moved around to the front of his desk, maintaining his distance from the woman, aware that too close of proximity would most likely frighten her to death. "I am going to rescind my former decree and not require your banishment from my country. It will be your choice."

Mila gasped, that being the last thing she expected to hear. "I'm shocked, Your Highness. Thank you... but may I ask why?"

"Selfish reasons, I suppose. If one day, Jasmine wishes to see you again, I don't want to be the reason she cannot. I do think all of us should move on and live our lives as we always should have... but I also want Jasmine to feel comfortable and have all that she needs. There may be a time that she wants to connect with you."

"Tehara is my home; I have no desire to go elsewhere." Mila sighed, shaking her head in slight sadness. "I doubt that Jasmine will ever seek me out. I'm not sure why, but I think Jasmine is going to adapt quickly to her new life, instinctively finding her way. She has been a bit of an oddity in my home. As much as she tried, she never quite fit in. I always thought it was because I knew who she truly was... but it was something I think even Jasmine sensed as well."

Brian smiled, not the least bit surprised. "Both of my children are incredibly intelligent for their young ages. I am anxious to watch them interact and be as twins are meant to be." Reaching behind him, Brian reached for an envelope he had prepared moments ago, uncertain of how she would respond but found himself compelled to thank the woman for the care she had given to his child, no matter how faulty her choices had been. "I want you to have this, Mila. I realize that caring for Jasmine has added to your own burdens, both financially and mentally. This should recompense you for what the true criminals withheld from you."

Opening the envelope, Mila's eyes bulged at the sight of a check endorsed by the king for twenty-five thousand dollars. "Your Highness, this is too generous! I don't deserve this, especially after what I have personally cost you..."

"Nonsense." The king waved away her protest. "You could have handled Jasmine's care much differently, especially after feeling forced into it and not having the means to see to her needs as well as for the rest of your family. Of course, you made some unwise decisions, trusted the wrong people, and have probably suffered years of anguish as a result. After meeting Jasmine, I know you took great care of her, and that is why I am doing this now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tears rolled down her cheeks, as her eyes focused on the check. She couldn't believe it. For years she had sacrificed, but now, she could give her family so much more. She had been such a fool to fall for Lindsay's deception, but that was just how convincing the former queen had been. "Am I free to go? I have so much to explain to my children, and so many plans to make with them as well."

"Yes, you may go. I will have one of my guards drive you home." He moved behind his desk, once again, a stern look on his face. "Don't make me regret this, Mila. You are to keep our business private, and if you hear from the doctor, I am to be notified immediately."

Standing to her feet, she bowed her head in response, a new respect born for her king. "I promise... and thank you again. I know that Jasmine will have a wonderful life now, back where she belongs."

Pushing a button, the king was silent as his guard entered, his words delivered in Arabic to advise him to have her escorted home. When they departed, it was only a moment later when a knock sounded on his door, a scowl on his face when the door opened without him granting permission, irritation developing when he saw the identity of his improper visitor. "What do you want?"

Once through the door, Ethan kneeled, his head down, as he addressed the king. "I apologize for intruding, Your Highness. I was hoping for a moment of your time."

"Hoping? You barged into my office without an invitation. That is NOT how you get my attention, slave!" Brian cursed, seeing the man still on his knees, his sudden subservient behavior aggravating him even more. "Stand up and look at me!"

"Begging your forgiveness, Your Majesty, I wanted to ask..."

"Ask!?" the king exploded. How dare this imbecile? Taking this man in was the worst decision Emmett had ever made. "I realize you are displeased with the fact that I haven't chosen to make use of you, but to be perfectly honest, you simply don't appeal to me."

Briefly, a condescending look crossed Ethan's face. He couldn't delude the king any longer. "I realize I come across as brazen, but I am not slave material, Your Highness. I wanted inside the palace, and well... Here I am. Although you are exceptionally beautiful, you are not exactly my type." Ethan smiled dreamily when he observed he had the king's full attention. He knew his next words would induce a reaction. "Your favorite pet is a different matter. I would love some private time with him."

Immediately, Brian's hands clenched into fists, a jealous rage now glittering in his eyes. Justin. That wasn't a surprise to him. He remembered Justin's little visit to the slave quarters. Ethan had devoured Justin with his eyes. The lust had been unmistakable. "You are a fool..." Brian hissed. "Why would you come here to deliberately goad me? This is not the time for these types of games." Brian's eyes narrowed into tiny, glacial slits. "What is your true agenda?"

Ethan laughed. "I doubt you'd believe me if I told you."

Brian slammed his palm down on his desk. His impatience was growing, as was his temper. "I would answer quickly, or be prepared to face the consequences. I don't intend on wasting any more time with you."

"Fine, I will get to the point. I want something that should be very simple for you to grant. If I don't get what I want, your secrets will be exposed." Ethan stood to his feet, any respect he had been giving the king now long gone. He was only interested in results, despite the risks he took now. After observing the king for months now, he had learned one thing. The ruler wouldn't kill him if he hadn't committed a crime... and he had not done that.

The king also stood to his feet, his face now reddened in anger. "Are you actually threatening me!?"

"I suppose you could see it that way, but it doesn't have to be like that." Ethan shrugged his shoulders indifferently, facing the king's deadly stare head-on. "I am not a commoner or anyone's slave, but I think you have always sensed that. Perhaps that's why you kept a distance from me."

"No. It's more of a matter of taste. You escaped my notice because I had no interest in fucking you." Brian cast a scathing glance over the smaller man. "That definitely hasn't changed."

"Okay. As much as trading insults with you is entertaining, it's not my objective. I want one thing, and then if you want to throw me out on my ass, then I'm ready to go."

The king rolled his eyes. "I can do that without granting your request."

"Of course you could, but I don't think you want to do that, Your Highness. It would look really bad if it was revealed that the king had his wife imprisoned in her own home before it is publicly known that she isn't really the queen..."

Once more, curses erupted, this time, long streams of Arabic that indicated the king's quickly rising wrath. "How do you know any of this?"

"That's a very good question, and one that I'll gladly answer," Ethan smirked, loving the shock value of what he was about to reveal. "I believe that you investigated your former wife before you married and inseminated her. I'm sure you discovered that she had a stepbrother." Ethan spread his arms wide. "Names can be changed; however, the connection remains. I am Lindsay's stepbrother, and I want to see her - NOW!"

TBC