Twenty-seven minutes later.

Nadine and Adam arrived at Camellia’s house. Adam followed Nadine as she led the way to the garden. She took her phone from her bag and called Camellia. “I’m in the garden,” she said as she quickly hung up the phone.

“What’s going on?” Adam inquired nervously.

“Just wait,” she said not looking at him. Camellia appeared in front of them in an instant. Nadine and Adam stood near the pool and square table. Nadine extended her hands to Camellia, who handed her the letter and turned to face Adam. She reached into her bag for a pen and signed the letter. “Sign here,” she said, moving her gaze to meet his,  handed him the pen and the letter.

He took the letter and read through it. “You’re firing me! Are you insane?!” Adam yelled angrily, while Nadine nodded calmly and without emotion. Adam’s voice was so loud that it broke the silence of the house, drawing everyone’s attention inside.

Camellia noticed everyone in the garden seconds later: her parents, Nadine’s parents, and some of their friends. Camellia tried to warn her, but she ignored her. “What’s wrong with you?!” Adam yelled once more.

“How long will it take you to wrap up this play?” Nadine spoke with a measured tone and a frown on her face. Her words made him sweat profusely. “Like when? After we get married? Or after we have our first child.” Nadine took her phone from her bag and played a voice message between Adam and another girl.

“Baby… I can’t believe you’re getting married to this moron! You need to end this nonsense?” a soft female voice asked.

“You know how much I hate being here without you, but we have to finish it if we want to get what we want.” In shock, he looked at Nadine as his recorded voice echoed the silence of the garden. “Nadine, I can explain!!,” Adam said, his voice shaking.

“What was that?!” Camellia inquired, pointing to Nadine’s phone.

“Prince charming is still talking to his ex-girlfriend, and he saved her phone number by his sister’s name—”

“No! It’s not true! It’s all fake! I love you!” Adam said loudly, despite his shivering voice.

“—both agreed on a plan for Adam to marry me and then take as much money as he can from me, beginning with working at my company and then convincing me to deposit massive amounts of cash in his bank account because, you know... I love him and will do whatever he says so that he will be wealthy enough for her family to finally accept him.” Nadine was unusually calm.

Everyone gasped, and Camellia opened her mouth in shock, staring at him in disbelief. Adam was sweating profusely, and his face flushed. He attempted to speak, but Nadine cut him off.

“You really believed I’d give you money,” Nadine sarcastically said as she handed Adam the pen to sign. “I can’t believe you had the audacity to believe such nonsense, you won’t get a pound from me or my family, no one will hire you, Baby,” Nadine said, moving her hair behind her ears.

Adam signed the letter with trembling hands. Nadine took it and handed it to her father to sign. “I’m sorry for bothering you, Papa.” She handed it to him while looking at her aunt and uncle. “Congratulations on your new hospital. I apologize for ruining your evening.”

Camellia requested that one of the security guards remove Adam from the house. What a night, she thought as she witnessed Adam being dragged out of the house. Layla instructed the guests to return inside to continue their evening, leaving Nadine and her parents alone in the garden. “What happened just now? Couldn’t you wait until morning?” Murad said.

“Would it really make a difference?” Nadine scowled.

“You made us look bad in front of everyone. Couldn’t you just keep it to yourself?” Pakinam spoke in hushed tones. Nadine stared at both with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“It’s your fault,” Murad said as he lit a cigar, “He was your choice; how could you be so stupid! how could you have allowed this to happen? I can’t believe how much of a failure you are. You humiliated both me and your mother! You’re not even using your brain. Clean up this mess and whatever else you’re going to do. I never want you to come to me with this nonsense again!” He turned around and went back inside.

Nadine looked at her mother, expecting her to blame her, but she left her standing alone in the garden with disgusted looks and curses. Camellia hid behind one of the doors, listening in on what was going on and silently waiting for them to leave Nadine before returning outside. She sat beside the pool, panting, and closing her eyes. “Are you okay? I tried to warn you that you had an audience.” Camellia took a seat next to her.

Nadine remained silent; her face expressionless. “It didn’t matter,” she said, pulling her hair into a ponytail, “they’d yell and blame me either way.” Camellia embraced her. “May I use your car?” Nadine replied, hugging her back.

“Why?” Camellia said as she broke the hug.

“I’m exhausted. I want to go home.”

“No, you’re not going anywhere,” Camellia said, holding her hands.

“I’m exhausted; I need to sleep,” Nadine complained.

“You can sleep here,” Camellia said, smiling fondly. Nadine locked her gaze on her. “Fine, but I’m not going to let you drive. I’ll have Samir drive you.” Camellia insisted despite Nadine’s objections. She requested that another security guard, Samir, prepare her car. He was about to have tea with the other security guards and two of the maids.

Samir went to the car and informed Camellia that the keys were not inside. Camellia remembered putting them in her bag; one maid stood up to get the keys but stopped when Camellia told her she would get them herself.

Nadine sat silently watching them. She took a deep breath. Her phone’s range contained an unsaved number. “Weirdo,” said a husky deep man with an Australian accent on the other end of the line.

“Liam?! that’s not your number,” Nadine said, returning her gaze to the phone screen. “That’s a UAE number.”

“I’m currently in Dubai. I just landed and purchased a massive chocolate bar. It reminded me of you,” Liam joked.

“Good,” Nadine said, taking a deep breath, “Are you near Jumeirah Beach?” she asked.

“Why?”

“Can’t tell you over the phone, meet me at the beach in five hours, I’ll call you when I land.” Nadine ended the call just as Camellia returned to give Samir the keys. “I’m going to Dubai now,” Nadine said as she stood up.

Camellia didn’t respond to what Nadine said. She smiled and hugged her. “Oh, poor thing, you must be exhausted.” Nadine smiled as she got in the car, and after Samir drove outside the house gate, she told him to go to the airport.

Nadine was startled when her phone vibrated. She took her phone from her pocket and saw Lena’s name on the screen. She ignored the call and wiped away her remaining tears. The call was followed by a quick text from Lena, informing her that everything was ready for the urgent meeting.

Nadine a female voice called from a distance. She averted her gaze from her phone, which had vibrated again — the voice sounded strange as if it came from within her head rather than aloud. Nadine the voice said once more.

Nadine returned her gaze, her phone still in her hand. She noticed a woman dressed in a long golden gown with long sleeves. She wore a pearl crown over her head and had bright, long brown hair that covered her back. The woman stood across from Nadine.

She was about to open her mouth when her phone vibrated again; it was another text from Lena informing her that their lawyer had called and wanted to speak with her immediately.

Nadine immediately looked at the phone’s screen and dialed Lena, then looked up in the direction of the woman, but she was gone. She frowned and looked around, only to discover that she was completely alone on the rooftop. “What the hell was that?” she exclaimed.

Another voice stopped her as she was about to walk. A deep female voice that sounded out of place in this world, a voice she had heard before. She turned her head back to see the face behind that powerful voice.

What she witnessed terrified her.