"Are you sure, Bass?" Zayed asked, sucking in a breath, as he went through the reports for the hundredth time.
"You think I won't cross check something like this, Zayed? I still can't believe it. I don't know whom to trust anymore" Basim said wearily.
"Such a deception. How did she manage to fool us over these years? Nobody suspected a thing?" Zayed said
"It was her who called Brianna." Basim said
'Also remember! I am not the only one who wants to separate you. There is someone very close to you who encouraged me in this. I will leave it to you to figure out who' Zayed remembered the parting words of his ex-girlfriend.
He thought she was simply trying to cause trouble with that. But he should have taken it seriously.
Someone from within the family was trying to ruin them.
"I am worried about Salim. How will he take this? He will be broken. To know that the woman he loves and respects so much is behind all this" Basim said
"He needs to know. I would have let it go lightly, if not for trying to harm my babies, Basim. That is an unforgivable crime. She should be punished for this, no matter what. And we are here to manage Salim" Zayed said
"I understand. What about Uncle Khalil? How did she fool the poor man for decades?" Basim asked in disbelief
"There is no point in us going over it again and again. We should expose Aunt Suhara before she causes anymore harm" Zayed said determined
With that said, he walked out of his younger brother's room.
"Where are you going now?" Basim asked, hurrying behind his elder brother.
"It's not something to procrastinate, Basim. That woman needs to be exposed sooner" Zayed said
"Shouldn't we talk to Salim first? Let's tell him personally first." Basim said and it made sense to Zayed as well.
"Fine. Call him to the council room. I will wait for him there" Zayed said and walked away.
****
An hour later, Salim was staring at the documents in front of him with a broken look.
Proof against his mother's deception.
How she had kept them all in the dark and tried to ruin his brother's family.
He couldn't believe that she tried to kill the innocent kids, just because they would be inheriting the crown.
Compared to that, Uncle Karim seems like a Saint.
He didn't try to kill Salim, when he was born before Zayed.
This type of act was expected from Uncle Karim. Not his mother.
But then Uncle Karim has always been open about all his feelings. He never believed in stabbing from the back. He was always upfront about his hatred. And compared to what his mother did, Uncle Karim deserves to be respected for that.
"Salim?" Zayed called out
"Are you sure, Zayed? There's no misunderstandings?" Salim asked, hoping against hope
"I wish" Zayed mumbled softly
Salim visibly composed himself.
"Just because she is the woman who gave birth to me, I would let her scot free for what she did, Zayed. You can rest assured for that. She tried to harm the next in line to the throne of Zidra. That is a non forgivable crime. And the throne of Zidra will take strict actions against it" Salim said
Zayed and Basim nodded their head
"Did you pass on the information to the oil rigs to stop all the work immediately?" Salim asked
"Done" Basim said
It was Suhara who played behind their backs and plotted to cause a huge accident in the oil rigs of Zidra. It was a blessing that a senior manager noticed the low quality of the materials used in construction and altered Zayed about the same immediately.
"Hyder" Salim called out loudly for his security team head, standing outside the council room.
"Your Highness" Hyder greeted as soon as he stepped into the council room.
"Pass the information to the council members that a meeting is to be held immediately. Gather all the family members too. I need every single person here within the next fifteen minutes" Salim's voice was cold and hard that even the ever stoic Hyder shivered a bit.
*****
Within the next fifteen minutes, all the council and family members gathered in the huge council room.
"What is it, Salim? Why did you summon everyone urgently?" Karim, the former king of Zidra grumbled in annoyance.
"Be patient, Uncle Karim. Everything will be revealed soon" Samil said coldly and Karim scowled at his nephew.
Salim turned towards Hyder.
"Hyder. I want you to personally guard the triplets. Call in the best from your team and be with them. Now" Salim ordered.
He was so cold and distant that everyone shivered at that.
"Zayed? What's wrong? Why is Salim behaving like this?" Camille asked her brother in law, worried at her husband's coldness.
"Cami, relax. It must be some political issue" Ava tried to console her sister.
Zayed maintained a stoic silence.
"No. I know him, Ava. There is something definitely wrong. He looks so broken. Something very bad has happened" Camille, who could see past her husband's cold facade, said in worry.
"We will know soon, Cami. Relax. Everything will be alright" Ava, though worried herself, couldn't see the worried look on her sister.
As everyone looked at Salim expectantly, he shot a cold glance around the council room.
"All of you are aware of the kidnapping that occurred a couple of months ago. The heirs of Zidra, the triplets, were kidnapped from the Palace premises. The people involved in the crime were arrested immediately. But we couldn't get the names of the mastermind behind the kidnapping from the prisoners" Salim said
Zayed watched his aunt closely and was furious to see that there was not a single change in her expression.
What an actress!
Not even a single emotion crossed her face.
"Did you find the culprits? The bas**rds who tried to harm my heirs?" Karim Ahmed asked furiously.
He had been livid when he came to know that his heirs were kidnapped.
He has a fair idea of who the culprits were. But there was no proof.
If his nephew managed to get proof against the bedouin tribe, he would make sure the punishment would be unbearable.
"Yes. The culprit is found" Salim said, looking straight at his mother.