by Holly Rayner
“Windows down?” Ali asked once they were in the car.
Alyssa buckled up. “Sure.” She watched his profile as he drove out of the lot. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”
“Something happened at the party.”
His glance was sharp, and the car jerked as he abruptly hit the brakes at a stoplight. “What? What happened?”
Alyssa shook her head in confusion. “What? No one hurt me, if that’s what you’re thinking. Why would you…”
His lips formed a thin line. “You’re royalty now, Alyssa. And, I must confess, that has worried me of lately. I’ve wondered about hiring a full-time bodyguard, after all.”
“Have there been problems with your cousins?”
“Occasionally.” The light changed, and Ali took off with the rest of the traffic. “Nothing too serious, but it is best to be cautious.”
“Um, okay…let’s put a pin in that for now. There’s something else I want to talk about. This man came up to me at the party and…” How did she say this without sounding accusatory?
“Yes?” Ali prompted with a frown.
“He said that he’s the assistant of an old business rival of yours.”
Ali laughed drily. “Oh really? Who was this man?”
“I didn’t get his name.”
“What else did he say?” Ali’s voice became more serious. “Whatever it was, it appears to have upset you.”
The sick feeling in Alyssa’s stomach intensified, but she pushed on. Ali was her husband. They shared everything. Not being completely honest with him would be akin to shooting herself in the foot.
“He said that his boss was basically steamrolled by you,” Alyssa said. “And that other people had been, as well. Other small businesses.”
Ali’s shoulders stiffened, and the hand that was on the steering wheel tightened. “All right.”
A long beat passed. Alyssa waited for him to say more. When it became apparent he wouldn’t, she licked her lips and spoke again.
“He made it seem like you don’t care about small, family-owned businesses. Like you would…I mean, he made it seem like you don’t consider what’s at stake for them, that’s all.”
Ali looked over at her. “Who was this man?”
“I didn’t get his name.” Hadn’t she told him that?
“Uh-huh,” he said simply.
“What?”
“Did he give you the name of his boss?”
“No,” Alyssa said slowly. “What, you think he was trying to con me or something? Why? How? What could he possibly get from me?”
“It’s merely a questionable story, is all. Not that he said anything horrendous about me.”
Alyssa’s jaw dropped. “He basically said that you destroyed smaller businesses. How is that not horrendous?”
Ali’s lips stretched like they couldn’t decide whether to smile or frown. “Alyssa, do you hear what you are saying? You are merely defining a capitalist market and calling it bad.”
Alyssa’s face grew warm. “That’s not what I’m doing. I’m not talking about markets or numbers on a paper. I’m talking about people. Families.”
Ali sighed. “Please don’t get worked up.”
“You’re the one working me up,” she hissed.
He ran his palm down his face. “Alyssa. Please listen. I know you don’t like to ask about business because it is…rough, sometimes. It’s winner takes all. Especially in the industries that I operate in.”
“Monopolies,” Alyssa said, repeating the man’s word.
“You say that as if they’re a bad thing.”
“Aren’t they?”
“See.” Ali wagged a finger. “This is why we should not talk about this.”
“How can you say monopolies are good, Ali?”
“Do you know how many people my family employs?” Ali asked. “Sometimes, the case is that when we come in and absorb a smaller business, we end up hiring more hands than the small business ever could have had on their own.”
“And sometimes you hire less,” Alyssa said, only taking a guess.
He hesitated. “Yes. But that does not make what we do inherently bad. That is the game, Alyssa. If I did not win, someone else would. Everyone who ventures into opening up a business knows they are taking a gamble. If they do not, then they are in for a rude awakening, and that is their fault.”
Their fault.
There was the side of Ali that Alyssa so seldom saw. The obsessed businessman who would do almost anything to come out ahead.
“You’re right.” She looked out the window. “We shouldn’t have talked about this. Any time we get into a conversation about work, it doesn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry,” Ali said sadly. “Did you at least have a good time at the party? Other than when this man spoke with you?”
She looked back over at him. “It was nice, sure.”
They were quiet the rest of the ride home, and Alyssa went into the house so tired it was difficult to put one foot in front of the other. Kinsley and Rashid were in the home movie theater, watching a cartoon.
“Mama!” Rashid smiled.
Alyssa settled on the bean bag next to him and ran her fingers through his dark curls. “Did my little bug have fun today?”
“Dog.” Rashid pointed at the theater’s screen, where a show involving talking animals played.
“It’s his first cartoon of the day,” Kinsley said. “We were basically outside all afternoon, making mud castles.”
“He can watch a little,” Alyssa said.
Ali appeared in the doorway.
“Hi,” Kinsley said. “How was the party?”
Ali’s jaw flexed. “Nice.”
Without another word, he walked away. Footsteps sounded on the carpeted stairs, and a discomfort filled the theater. Kinsley fiddled with her braid and stared at the TV, though Alyssa could tell she wasn’t really watching it.
Rashid tried to climb his way into Alyssa’s lap.
“There’s no room, Rashid,” she murmured. “Not now.”
Rashid whimpered, and Alyssa rubbed his back. “Shh. Stop.”
Tears pricked at Alyssa’s eyes, and she felt Kinsley watching her.
“Can I get you anything?” Kinsley asked.
“No.” Alyssa blinked fast, refusing to allow the tears to come. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”
Alyssa looked over at Kinsley and smiled. “Yeah.”
As much as Alyssa wanted to break and tell Kinsley everything, she wouldn’t do that. The girl was her employee, and, like it or not, Alyssa’s status created an invisible, but very real line between them.
“Ali seemed upset,” Kinsley pressed. “And so do you.”
Alyssa pushed her fingers to her temple. Okay, so Kinsley really didn’t want to let this go.
“We’re just having a little relationship strain, that’s all. Nothing big.”
Kinsley nodded seriously. “I know what that’s like.”
Alyssa tried not to laugh. Kinsley was barely out of college, having the time of her life in Baqar with a summer fling. Alyssa doubted they were going through similar experiences, but it was nice of Kinsley to try to empathize.
“I need to go do a few things,” Alyssa said. “Then, I’ll go ahead and make Rashid’s dinner.”
Kinsley nodded. “He’s been pretty grumpy this afternoon. He only napped for, like, fifteen minutes, so he should crash hard tonight.”
“Good.” Alyssa struggled to stand up from the bean bag, and Kinsley offered a hand.
Leaving tot and nanny to their cartoons, Alyssa left the basement and climbed the stairs to the main floor. At the end of the hallway, Ali’s office door was shut.
Figures. He would be working right now.
Purse in hand, Alyssa climbed another flight of stairs. Instead of going to the master bathroom and drawing herself a warm bath like she’d initially plan
ned on doing, she continued down the hallway to one of the empty bedrooms.
This room, which Alyssa called the blue room on account of its sky-colored walls, had no one staying in it. Sometime in the last couple months, she’d made it her hideaway, a secret place she slipped off to when she wanted a little bit of time to herself. It was at the corner of the house, and with the tall trees gathered at the edge, she could sit at the back of the balcony and be hidden from the view of anyone in the front or side yard.
Taking a seat on a cushioned chair, Alyssa propped her feet on the base of the balcony railing and took out her phone. There was one person she wanted to—no, needed to talk to.
Tapping on Lucy’s name, Alyssa made the call. As the phone rang, she looked out over the hills. The neighborhood they lived in, easily one of the most luxe in Baqar, was populated with white and tan mansions, separated by walls of concrete and rows of trees.
Alyssa didn’t know her neighbors. Not that she had in New York. But for the first time in her life, she found herself wishing she did. Maybe if she knew a friendly housewife across the street or a woman her age down it, she’d feel a little less lonely. A little less like a fish out of water. And that would make the rocky times with Ali more bearable.
Lucy’s phone stopped ringing and went to voicemail. Frowning, Alyssa looked at the time. In New York, it was Saturday morning. Study time. Every Saturday morning, no matter what, Lucy went to the coffee shop down the street from her place and studied for law school. Even if she was tired from a week at work. Even if she had to go into the office later. Even if she was hungover from a rare night of cutting loose.
She should have answered. She always answered.
Alyssa called again and still got no response.
She remembered the cute new guy from work that Lucy had mentioned. Was she out on a date with him? Maybe having a cozy study session with him?
Jealousy rippled through Alyssa, and she knew it was stupid, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted her best friend.
She wanted her husband.
But there was a gap between her and Ali. It seemed they were in an endless cycle as of late: have a fight and make up, only to have another fight the next day.
Alyssa wanted to fix things between them, but the problem was, she just didn’t know how to do that anymore.
Chapter 7
Ali
Forefinger and thumb pressed to his jaw, Ali leaned back in his chair and stared at the computer screen. He’d been trying to focus since arriving home from the party, but so far, it was not going as planned.
There were tasks to be taken care of, particularly if he were to fulfill the promise of an intimate dinner with Alyssa that evening, but it was as if the wheels in his head spun and yet produced nothing. His mind kept drifting back to the conversation in the car.
Did Alyssa believe him to be immoral when it came to business? If only she knew!
Compared to most of his colleagues, Ali had a bleeding heart. While most of the businessmen and women he knew chased dollars at the expense of all else, Ali still held onto a core set of values. His family came first, and he would never knowingly hurt someone.
It drove him wild to think Alyssa believed he might.
He had no clue who the man who had approached Alyssa could have been, but the situation made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. His parents had for weeks been suggesting that he up the security around himself and his family, and perhaps it was time he did so—even if that only meant one bodyguard to trail behind Alyssa and the children whenever they went out.
Putting his computer to sleep, Ali left his office and entered the quiet, dark hallway. He’d lost track of time while sitting in the office, and dusk was falling.
“Alyssa?” He walked down the hallway and into the living room. “Kinsley?”
“In here,” Kinsley called from the kitchen.
Ali found her at the table, having dinner with Rashid.
“Where is Alyssa?” Ali asked.
“I don’t know.” Kinsley helped Rashid with his sippy cup. “She said she’d be back in a bit for Rashid’s dinner and bed, but I haven’t seen her for over an hour.”
Ali’s heart rate picked up. “She didn’t leave, did she?”
“I don’t think so.”
Ali held back a curse. Alyssa was sad and alone somewhere, and it was his fault. Even if she was being dramatic about what happened at the party, he still had a responsibility to make her feel as safe and calm as possible. She was nearly nine months pregnant and nervous about surgery that she hadn’t been expecting to undergo.
“Thank you.” Ali took the stairs up to the second floor. “Alyssa?” he called.
Just as he was about to continue on to the third and last floor, he heard her faint answer.
“In here,” she called from down the hallway.
Ali passed the first two guest rooms, where the doors were closed. The last door in the hall was open, and Ali stepped into the bedroom. He would probably be able to count the number of times he’d been in the room on one hand. The house had a generous amount of space, and they would be able to put up close to a dozen guests comfortably, were that called for. But Ali did not make roaming the house a habit, and a maid came several times a week to care for each room.
He paused in the doorway and looked around the empty space. Hadn’t this been where Alyssa’s voice had come from?
“Outside,” Alyssa said, and Ali saw that the door to the balcony was ajar.
He found her sitting on a chair in the corner of the balcony, her feet propped up and her purse on the floor next to her. She gazed up at him, her face placid.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been out here, you know,” Ali said.
In the valley below them, Baqar came alive with the twinkling of lights in the dusk. A light breeze swept across the yard, rustling the trees and lifting the fine hairs around Alyssa’s face.
“I come out here all the time,” she said.
“You do?” His voice rose in surprise.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I was wondering where you went off to. Kinsley—”
“Oh, shoot!” Alyssa sat up straighter. “I was going to go down and help with Rashid. He needs—”
“Kinsley has it. They’re eating dinner now.” Ali dragged the other wicker chair on the balcony next to Alyssa’s.
“Sorry, I lost track of time,” she said softly.
“So did I.”
Ali folded his hands in his lap. He wished to ease the tension between them, but he did not know how to. An apology was always a great way to start, but he had nothing to apologize for, did he?
“What would you like for dinner?” he asked instead.
“I don’t know. Whatever.”
“I can call an order in. Or there is lasagna or coconut chicken in the fridge.” Like in New York, Ali employed a chef who came by several times a week to drop off meals.
“Either sounds good.”
“You really don’t care?”
“No.” There was a sharp edge to Alyssa’s voice. “I don’t.” She angled her face to his. “I’m sorry.”
“I am, too,” Ali blurted out.
Alyssa’s lips pursed. “For what?”
“For…upsetting you.” Even as he said the words, Ali knew they were the wrong ones.
“You’re sorry for upsetting me,” Alyssa said slowly. “But you’re not sorry for anything else you did?”
Ali stared her down. “You’re trying to get me into a corner.”
“I’m trying to get you to be a good person. To admit that you did something wrong.”
Ali rubbed his eyes. “Can we not just talk about dinner?”
The quickening twilight did nothing to hide Alyssa’s scowl. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’re pregnant with twins. I know you’re hungry.”
“Oh, really?” Alyssa barked. “Are you speaking from personal experience? What was your appetite like the last time you were pregnant?”<
br />
Ali’s teeth gritted, but he forced himself to remain calm. No point in losing his temper. Alyssa was in a fragile state, and he needed to be understanding of that.
“Alyssa, please don’t fight me. I am not the enemy. I’m your partner. Your husband.” He let the weight of the statements hang there.
Alyssa’s chair creaked as she shifted her weight. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m just upset, Ali. I can’t get this whole thing off my mind.”
“How do you even know that man told you the truth? He did not give you his name, nor the name of his employer.”
“It’s not about him anymore,” Alyssa said. “You didn’t deny what he told me. It’s about your business practices.”
“Business is business.”
“That is such a stupid thing to say,” she lashed back. “That’s not even an explanation. You just repeated a word.”
Ali stretched his legs out and folded his arms across his chest. Another impasse.
“You’re so stubborn,” Alyssa said.
Despite his bad mood, Ali chuckled. “It takes one to know one.”
A slight snicker permeated the tension. “Yeah,” she conceded. “Okay. You got me there.”
“Listen.” He reached for her hand, pleased to find she allowed him to take it. “Can you please drop this for now? I want to go downstairs, put Rashid to bed, and have a nice dinner with you.”
Alyssa’s hand, though it sat in his palm, remained limp. “I can’t just drop it, Ali.”
“How about pausing it?”
“You know I don’t want to do that, either.”
Ali nodded, but he was losing hope. What else could he say?
“When that man told me those stories…and then you say things like, ‘business is business’…it seems so cold-hearted.”
“It’s another world. There are different rules—”
“I think you forget that I wasn’t always a stay-at-home mom,” Alyssa cut in. “I worked at a law firm for years, Ali, and I’m not an idiot when it comes to the business world. There are ethics. And some people respect that…and some people don’t.”
