The Oval Office ✓ (Book One)

Chapter Thirty One

                               Aileen's P.O.V

For a child who was told hours ago that she would be moving to a different country, would no longer be a Princess, and won't see her family very often, she's taking it surprisingly well. Today will probably be the last time she'll ever see her father- he'll most likely face life in prison. The only thing saving him from the death penalty is his cooperation, which appeared almost out of nowhere. As we land on the south lawn, an area usually reserved for the president's transportation, we're greeted by Marisol and secret service .

"You're really pretty." Mina tells Marisol. "Aren't you the president?"

"Vice President." She smiles. "Look, Aileen here is going to take you to see your dad in a minute but first I need to talk to her. Go with him and she'll get you in a second, okay?" Marisol points to a secret service agent.

"Okay." She happily follows.

"Are you okay? You look a little shooken up." Marisol says, holding my arms.

"I'd worry about myself if I were you." I shrug. "You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"So do you." She replies. "Haven't seen my kids in two days but.. it just kinda happens when you're the acting president, but I'm glad you're okay."

"That's debatable." I respond. "We can.. talk after all of this is over but I still have a job to do right now."

"Right..." she steps aside, watching as I speed walk to the White House with a look on my face that says "One way or another I'm bringing these motherfuckers down today". I've only felt like that once before. After I got out, I wanted to go back and strangle every one of them that was complacent with how people were treated there.

But that wouldn't have done any good. It wouldn't have even proved a point- I would probably have just been killed. Thank god I got the fuck out of there.

—— 13 years ago—-

I barely feel the blood gushing out of my arms and ass. I barely hear the Iranian soldiers shouting into their walkie talkies for medical assistance, or those on the side I just came from yelling at me, knowing that the entire world is about to know them as 'worse than North Korea'.

"Miss? Miss what is your name?" An Iranian soldier asks.

"Aileen." I say. "Aileen ahma-never mind. Just Aileen."

"Alright miss, we're going to move you to the closest hospital for psychiatric and medical evaluation, if that's okay- and we'd like to ask you... what your life was like in there." A female American soldier asks.

I could tell them about what had to happen in order for me to get out. How rebels within our borders made an assassination attempt on the king. How I left my sick, disabled daughter there. But this is my chance to pick and choose. I don't have to tell them everything.

"My family has been... servants to the royal family for generations. I believe you already know this but the women are treated as property. Rape.. rape is an offense punishable by death for the woman, because if she gave him the wrong idea, it 'must've been her fault' and most of the royal family is conservative." I pause. "We are educated. Taught basic math and world history, how to write and read- but nothing beyond that. God forbid we start thinking for ourselves." A soldier's furiously scribbles down every word as I'm rushed to the ambulance.

"There's a list of forbidden literature about a mile long but high ranking officials, who are just about the only people allowed to leave as you know, sneak them in and sell them for extra money. I can't help but notice the similarities between Ordaia and Gilead." I continue.

"Where did you gain access to your books?"

"I stole them from the king's library while cleaning it. I'd tie them to my legs under my skirt and hid them behind my bed since nobody ever really checked there." I say. "There's a very small, but growing number of rebels, who realized as they grew that everything they were raised on was just wrong."

  "Did you ever get caught?" I suddenly become aware of the amount of blood I've lost after I see the cloth completely drenched in it.

  "Will y'all leave her alone for fucks sake-" The female soldier says. "There'll be plenty of time for questions after we make sure she's not going to bleed out. Don't look at it."

  My gaze stays on the gash in my thigh as somebody applies a tourniquet, and I wish I'd listened to her because the sight makes me want to vomit. "Isn't there something you can give me to like... knock me out?"

  "We can't give you anesthesia for gashes and whatever dumbass in charge of stocking the ambulance forgot painkillers. Sorry."  I lay down, looking out of the small window in the back. It's almost night now, at the point where half of the sky is sunset and then fades into pitch black.

  "Where... where am I going after this?" I ask.

  The female soldier smiles. "Wherever the hell you want."

——

  Mina, in the thirty seconds or so I've been talking to the Vice President, has already gotten all the way to the door. They stand there waiting on me as I try to catch up as quickly as possible, wanting answers now. I almost feel bad for the child- but I learned a long time ago that not feeling is the only way I'll be able to survive.

She looks so out of place walking beside me in the west wing that it'd almost be funny if I could forget why she's here. He's in a different room now to see his daughter, uncuffed- but with four secret service. "Daddy!" She runs to him excitedly, and all I can see is our daughter's face. She looks exactly like what I imagine the baby looking like grown up- they both take after their dad.

"Hey pumpkin-"Ahmad says. "Where's your brother?"

"Busy being the King, from what I've heard daddy." She replies.

"Is he now?"

"Yeah! They said he took your crown about an hour ago."

"Okay pumpkin- I love you. I need you to go with them, they'll show you where you'll be staying for a few days." Mina hugs her father, following one of the agents with her teddy bear. "When exactly did I abdicate my title?" He scoffs.

"Right now." I grab the paperwork from one of the agents, sliding it across the table to him. "If you ever want to see your daughter again."

"That is extortion-"

"No you asshole, it's exactly what we agreed to. Sign the damn papers so your son can fix the mess that you and your father got that country into." He doesn't really even need to sign them. With the irrefutable evidence we have of his involvement; all of the terrorist they wanted us to release being from Ordaia, we could throw him in prison right now without a trial. The president, however- regardless of how much he wants to strangle him himself, believes that everybody should be given a fair trial.

Ahmad hesitantly signs his name in the three designated places, knowing he doesn't really have a choice.

"That wasn't so hard." I say. "Now- who the fuck are you working with and for?"

"That's a rather complicated question." He replies, slowly glancing over at the secret service and moving his gaze to stare straight into my eyes as if to send a message. "There are.. many of us in.. very high up positions of power."

I may not know him very well anymore, but I've had enough psychological training to know exactly what he's trying to communicate, so I play along, knowing what's about to come next. "Just answer the damn question!"

He gives the tiniest nod that even I barely notice, and lunges across the table like he's about to choke me. His hand is only around my neck for a quarter of a second before he's pulled away, but it was still plenty of time for him to whisper a name so low that I could just barely hear it.

The look of shock on my face is so visible that anybody could see it, but I quickly try to cover it up by pretending to catch my breath.

I never, in a million years, would've suspected her.