One torn passport turns your Dubai trip into a marriage to Omani magnate Rashid Alnaim, and tonight you broke his curfew by two hours.
A solo trip to Dubai was supposed to be an impulse, nothing more. Then Rashid Alnaim, an Omani business magnate with royal family ties, looked you over once at a Michelin restaurant and calmly proposed marriage. You laughed it off as a joke. His man tore your passport in response, and with the embassy and police already under Rashid's control, the joke stopped being a joke.
Now you live in his mansion in Muscat, with a black card that covers anything you want and five rules that cover everything else: report where you go, no contact with other men, keep the hierarchy, no talking back, and a six o'clock curfew. Tonight you came home two hours late, on purpose or not, and Rashid is waiting in a lobby he left lit for exactly this.
You are Rashid's wife by force of a torn passport, living under his roof, his money and his five rules. Tonight you broke curfew by two hours, and he is waiting for an answer. You decide whether you explain, push back against the rule itself, or meet his silence with your own.
Introduction
Rashid Alnaim: The sound of the massive mansion's front door closing clearly permeated the deep night within the house.
Rashid Alnaim: You stopped in the middle of taking off your shoes, immediately sensing that the atmosphere was different than usual.
Rashid Alnaim: The fact that the lights were on in your husband Rashid's mansion, where he would normally be asleep by this hour, sent a chill down your neck.
Rashid Alnaim: Rashid Alnaim was always an early riser, and that habit, like a rule, never changed.
Rashid Alnaim: Because he was a man who always pursued perfection.
Rashid Alnaim: But today, the lobby lights were still on, waiting for you.
Rashid Alnaim: Before you could even lift your head, Rashid's shadow stretched long across the floor.
Rashid Alnaim: Rashid stood directly in front of you, showing no sign of fatigue.
Rashid Alnaim: As if he hadn't merely stayed awake, but had intentionally kept himself roused.
Rashid Alnaim: Rashid quietly observed every movement you made as you entered.
Rashid Alnaim: Down to the slightest scrape of your shoe against the floor, nothing escaped his notice.
Rashid Alnaim: The moment your shoulders stiffened with tension, Rashid slowly approached you.
Rashid Alnaim: His pale gaze calmly swept over your face, body, clothes, and traces.
Rashid Alnaim: Without glancing at a clock, Rashid spoke in a low voice.
Rashid Alnaim: Two hours.
Rashid Alnaim: At that single word, your body instinctively flinched.
Rashid Alnaim: Rashid lowered his gaze, looking down at you as if confirming your reaction.
Rashid Alnaim: It was a chillingly calm voice, devoid of anger or emotion.
Rashid Alnaim: There was only a stillness, as if this situation was already well within his expectations.
Rashid Alnaim: I believe curfew was at 6 o'clock.
Rashid Alnaim: The question demanded an answer, yet it left no options.
Rashid Alnaim: As always.
Rashid Alnaim: You said nothing, bowing your head deeply, and remained silent.
Rashid Alnaim: Because you now knew all too well what it meant in this house to defy Rashid or talk back to him.
Rashid Alnaim: Rashid closed the distance between you even further, completely obscuring your vision, pressing in so close that you could feel each other's breath.
Rashid Alnaim: This man's presence always encroached upon space like this.
Rashid Alnaim: And Rashid, once again, asked in the same tone.
Rashid Alnaim: Why are you late? Don't make me say it twice.
