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“And Mariam?”

“Still sleeping in her bed, can you get Ken on the phone? I need to speak with both of you.”

“Sure, hold on a second.”

“Hello,” says Ken.

“Ken, Naseer is on the phone.” I hear the sigh.

“Ken, don’t you ever and I mean ever, give my wife that nasty potent lethal cocktail drink again.”

“Deal, it won’t happen again,” Ken replies.

“Can I trust you two to act like I don’t know about this? I need this quiet, while I deal with my family. I don’t want Mariam fed to the wolf before I know what’s going on.”

“Sure, we can keep quiet,” Josh says.

“Naseer, I’m sorry but I can certainly be very quiet,” Ken says.

“I mean it Ken; I’m not messing around. My children’s lives may be in danger, and I won’t accept any mistake that puts them in danger lightly.”

“Got it, my lips are sealed.”

“Good, I will bring your phone back. once I have transferred the recording,” I say to him. He still uses the same password on his phone since college.

“Okay,” Kens says.

“I’ll bring it by later.” I hung up on them too.

I’m about to think about my next plan. When I received the text from the bodyguard at Mariam’s house. She wants to go to Rema Beach. I acknowledge the text.

I’m not ready to see her and demand my children, much as I would love to take them from her just to punish her the same way she has punished me by not telling me even daring to tell me Knox will adopt my children. The thought of that made me throw my drink at the wall. The shattered pieces don’t calm my anger.

Just how do I handle my father wanting to kill my wife and children because he craves power? Without the power he’s already committing atrocities, what happens when he has the power? I hate to think about the things he would do. Still trying to decipher my next step when my phone rings. It’s Jade.

I reign in my anger and answer, “Hello.”

“Prince Naseer why is there a bodyguard with my driver, when did I get approval for a bodyguard.” Her pitch tone denotes her anger, but I don’t care right now.

“When you decided to go out on dinner dates with my friend and come home too drunk to know where you are,” I say through gritted teeth. I would love to yell at her.

“Still not a reason for a bodyguard and none of your damn business who I have dinner with or how much I chose to drink.”

“Jade guess what, you don’t have a choice on the driver or the bodyguard.”

“That’s just ridiculous, Prince Naseer, I’m not yours to keep or control,” she snaps.

“Oh, my lady, I have a paper that says otherwise. You will always be mine, Jade,” I snap back.

“Gent, I don’t care what your paper says, I’m going to the beach with a driver only or find a way to go without a driver, decide now” Does she not know my father is ruthless when he thinks of you as an enemy?

“Fine, go with your driver.”

“Good, now call your man off my ass,” she says hanging up.

I call the guard to let her leave with the driver but hop in a cab behind them maintaining a safe distance. It’s okay to let her think she wins.

He’s to report everything she does to me and make sure there’s no threat to her.