Behind him the twins wipe away tears, and my eyes blur, unable to believe. “The news that I’ve abdicated my throne to my brother and will be taking over my departed grandfather’s role as CEO of the Tourmaline Group will be released worldwide tomorrow. But now…now is where I am. And I want now to be forever with Prin.”
Then, to my shock, he looks over his shoulder and nods to the full band who starts into “It Had To Be You” with a tinkle of piano keys.
This is the most romantic moment ever…until Zahir starts to sing.
As deep and resonant as his voice is when he speaks, he is an awful, awful singer. Off-key and somehow squawky and tone-deaf at the same time.
I rush onstage and call out, “Z, baby, stop singing. You are a terrible singer.” And hello, Jersey. Just like my father, I have no problem being heard over the music.
He immediately stops and turns to me, his eyes filling with the unexpectedly tender look I remember so well.
I shake my head at him, because, “Seriously, you abdicated your throne?”
“I chose happiness,” he answers, his voice calm and level.
“I never would have asked you to give up so much for me. That’s crazy!”
“I chose happiness,” he answers again, this time closing the space between us. “I chose you.”
“But—”
For the first time in my life, Zahir interrupts me. “Prin, I fell in love with you, too. I loved you then and love you now where were are. Will you marry me?” he asks, cutting off any further protest.
I stare back at him. The woman too broken, too cynical to love and be loved back in return. The girl who was never meant to get a fairytale ending.
I asked for a prince and received…a prince, actually…now that Zahir’s abdicated his throne.
And you know, I’m trying to be cynical here. I’m trying to think of reasons that this will all turn to shit. But as he looks at me and I look at him, I can’t help but think this isn’t a happy ending. It’s the happiest beginning a girl could ever get.
Chapter 57
AMBER
“Prin, will you marry me?” Zahir, one of Luca’s best men at our wedding, asks my former legal secretary after a lengthy speech.
Lengthy but enthralling. One moment, I’d fully turned around and was counting the steps to the ballroom entrance so as to avoid another run-in with my ex-husband. And the next, I’m standing there with tears in my eyes, enraptured by his speech.
Damn hormones…
I don’t even realize I am still in the same place until Prin says, “Well, ya know, now is where we are…” and the audience bursts into the kind of ecstatic applause people only get when they’re kissing.
But uncharacteristic romantic spell over. I’ll send Prin flowers with a, “Call me when you need a divorce lawyer” note tomorrow morning. Right now, I’ve got to get out of here.
Just as I’m close to reaching the ballroom door’s entrance, a voice behind me says, “What’s what, Mrs. Ferraro?”
Mrs. Ferraro…even though I never took his name. Ugh!
But I won’t take the bait. I can’t take the bait like I did at Holt and Sylvie’s baby shower.
I speed up my step and walk even faster toward the door, hoping he won’t follow me—
But there’s a sudden quickening of feet, and the next thing I know, his voice is in front of me. “Hold up, where are you going so fast? I need to talk to—” he starts to say, only to stop.
And I still can’t see him. Nothing’s changed about that.
But I know why he’s stopped. Know he’s gaping in shock.
Not at my face, which he used to always tell me was so fucking gorgeous. But much lower down…namely my large baby bump.
Dearest You,
Oh, my gosh. Zahir and Prin, man…what a couple! What a story. My very best friend in the whole wide world is from Jersey, and I’ve always wanted to set a book in her state.
Prin has been kicking around in my head for years now. I even outlined a whole novel with her, but it just didn’t work. Then Zahir showed up and shocked the s-word out of me, by saying, her… yes, her.
I’m so glad he did. It was such a kick to find out why these two had to be together no matter the cultural differences and the external and internal obstacles keeping them apart. In real life, I love couples that make real weird sense, and these two have become a new fave.
Also, how nice was it to visit Holt and Luca?
Speaking of which… I am overwhelmed and honored by the response to Luca and Amber. Please get their story on Amazon.
And if you’re interested in the Luca/Amber novella that sparked off the entire RUTHLESS TYCOONS series, sign up for my newsletter to instantly get your free copy today. If you’ve already signed up, check your inbox as the story hit your inbox on release day. The novella can also be downloaded at Amazon.
That all said, I sincerely hope you enjoyed ZAHIR: Her Ruthless Sheikh. If so, please do us the further grace of leaving a review so others might find this one of a kind couple.
So much love,
Theodora Taylor
About the Author
Theodora Taylor writes hot books with heart. When not reading, writing, or reviewing, she enjoys spending time with her amazing family, going on date nights with her wonderful husband, and attending parties thrown by others. She now lives in Los Angles, California, and she LOVES to hear from readers. So….
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LUCA - Her Ruthless Don (Ruthless and Obsessed Duet, Book 1): 50 Loving States, New York, Pt. 2 (Ruthless Tycoons 3) Page 36