When would you be mine? - Completed

Chapter Ten

Listening to his siblings, Malik glanced around the room, wanting to find out their reaction towards Helena. Mostly favourable. They were dying to meet the one, who had their father so flustered. Speculation was like a consuming fire. He frowned when he couldn't sight her. His heart, out of sorts. He had failed her and insulted her, unintentionally. He had only meant to tell her, how much he appreciated what she had done, and how proud he was of her. Not finding her in the room with his scanning, and his father had wandered off, he could only put two and two together. His father had done something.

"So what is this about marrying Helena," his brother whispered in his ear. Malik eyed Anwar, who obviously had been told, not the rest of the family. He had handled it all wrong. It had been his idea and should have seen it through. Helena had every right to be angry at him and he had to make it right. She had fallen into the role of his wife so easily. However, she  had seemed more at ease when she had been with that family on the roof, sharing dinner than this event. Yet in his arms on the dance floor, she soared. He had enjoyed that. She had fitted so perfectly in his arms. Moved so easily, as if they had been born to dance.

"And?" Anwar prompted, challenging him. "Is it true?"

"Yes, now if you don't mind, I'm going to find my wife."

"Your wife," a voice gasped at his side. Sighing, he glanced down at the princess at his side.

"Yes, my wife, who had seemed to have disappeared." Excusing himself, he walked away, searching out his father. Malik sidled up to his father. "What have you done?" he hissed.

His father looked at him, startled. "I don't know what you mean," he said in all honestly.

"Where is Helena?" he asked in one word at a time, voice dark and deadly.

Farraj glanced around. "I don't know, she spilt her drink on herself, so I gather she had raced off to change. Obvious too embarrassed to come back," he noted.

Malik glared at him. "If you embarrassed her, I would never forgive you. This is between you and me. Helena is an innocent," he hissed.

"Your personal secretary, so what does she get out of it?"

Malik paled. "Nothing," he whispered. He sighed, taking a deep breath. "Sorry father," he said. "We just fell in love with each other, ask mother. She has no doubts, did she? Neither did I," he stated, coldly. Farraj saw the truth and Mary was right. It was far too late for both of them. Malik and Helena. He looked around. Why hadn't she come back? His father signalled a man over. "Go and find her," he instructed.

"No, I will," Malik corrected and walked away, out of the gathering and through the palace towards her rooms. Malik burst into her rooms. "Helena!" he bull roared with dread in his heart as silence fell around him with no reply. He charged through all the rooms, coming up empty handed. Spinning on his heels, he marched out, instructing the men who had come with him to spread out and began searching the palace. Every room, every space was to be searched that could take hours. Even days at the size of the palace and especially when one was lost and kept going deeper into the palace, trying to find a way out.

"Omar," he called over one of the men. "I need men posted at every exit, in case she comes out, trying to find the front entrance.

His father joined him as he approached the great ballroom, where she had raced from. "Not with your mother. It was an accident and I never expected her to run off as she did," he explained, pale himself.

"Why not father, you have been trying to undermine her from the day she arrived," he snapped, though felt just as guilty as his father flinched. "It doesn't matter," he sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck. "We must find her. I want the word put out through the staff if anyone comes across Helena, she must be escorted back to her room and I am to be informed immediately. She must be found, and you must go back to your guest's father. I would see to this."