Prince Ezra
Ebrahiem left shortly after leaving Tarek and I alone in the boardroom. My head was swimming with thoughts, a sense of guilt eating away at me for not paying better attention to my family. For being wrapped up in my own emotions that I was unable to see that my family was crumbling.
"Did you know?" I looked at Tarek with a frown. "Did you know that Adonis was not well?"
He let out a sigh, looked outside to the Marina for a second before he nodded. "Asa mentioned that Cloud had confided in her. I didn't want to believe that it could be true. Adonis always seems like a pillar. She begged me not to inform you. That you would be better off not taking on more responsibility, especially now that you were finally starting to get a footing. She didn't want to derail you."
"Shit," I cussed out to myself more than to Tarek as I ran my hands down my face. "How couldn't I have known? I've been travelling the world not knowing leaders were speaking behind my back. I won't entertain it."
"Ezra-"
"I will not," I frowned deeply as I stood up and walked to the window. Hoping that if I looked outside I could escape my thoughts even if it was only for a little. "Adonis is King and Cloud is his second. I would seem like the lost, illegitimate child seeking power. A sense to avenge his mother. That is what they will write about me, Tarek. I will be seen as power hungry."
"Ezra, even though it seems so, it is what will be best for the nation. You and Cloud need to work together to make more practical decisions. Cloud takes too long to make economic decisions that much is true, whereas you hold the most important position in the country.
"Being in charge of a country's home security and intelligence is a big task."
"It is a task I inherited from Ezekiel," I looked back at him with a frown. "He left me with this. With everything, imagine my shock when his will and testimony was read and he had given me everything long before I even knew that I loved him myself. How could I turn my back to his companies and all he had achieved? It was expected of me to take his vision and make it better. Being Minister was something both you and Ma advised."
"You wanted to be your own leader," he stressed. "You wanted to take the reins whereas Ezekiel could not. You wanted to make a difference and we believed you could. I believe that you will be able to make a great Crown Prince and assist Cloud to lead the nation again. Ezra, Kommos has investors and if they call for a change in leadership you have no choice. It is better to make that choice before they call upon it."
"Tarek, I can't take on anymore responsibility," I shoved my already shaking hands into my trousers pockets in hope of some relief. My body was coursing with stress. A sense of adrenaline I did not want to acknowledge. "I have enough going on already, especially with Thea now and the wedding."
"Ezra, the sooner we get to the task we need to complete you won't have a wedding to worry about," he sighed, "Thea is well aware of that and I think we both know she didn't plan on going through with the wedding to begin with. She doesn't fit the mold of what a princess is."
"How will I even begin to talk to Cloud about this?" I turned to face him. "He will think I've been conspiring against him."
"Be honest with him. Even if it isn't about the plan but tell him the truth and leave Ezekiel out of it."
"You should have told me sooner about Adonis," I frowned. "If I had known-"
"There was nothing you could have done. You were a great asset being out there and keeping the King's name on people's lips instead of it dying altogether."
A part of me wanted to lash out at Tarek. To blame him for what was going on and making me meet Ebrahiem. Maybe I could have been better off if I was still in the dark. Unaware of what was going on around me but I believe we both knew the truth. Either way, no matter how hard I ran away from it, it was going to smack me in the face one day or the other.
Plus Tarek had been the only father I had had in a very long time. He laid it difficult and didn't care to nurse my feelings but I knew if he didn't I wouldn't have wanted to be anything more than just Ezra. The boy who fainted whenever he got scared. Tarek had forced me to become a man, I knew without him I wouldn't have been able to make a difference.
"Fine," I shook my head, still partially in disagreement. "Fine, I'll talk to Cloud. The party is tomorrow night anyway and I have to speak to Apollo as well. Thea is probably already planning my murder. It would be best if we left immediately."
Tarek nodded and called one of his security guards into the room. They spoke in brief Arabic before he left.
"Have faith in yourself Ezra. One day we will look back on this day and thank the universe that we had this meeting," he reassuringly squeezed my shoulder once he stood up before we left. "Look at you, Mashallah, your mother raised such a fine young man. Even though I was blessed with only daughters, you were destined to be my son one day."
I blew air through my lips and huffed, "you can stop with the compliments now.
He let out a laugh and held the sides of my face. "Hold your head high, our Prince. You have this under control, we just have to figure out if Ebrahiem is worth it."