Kidnapped by the Arab

Sonia cried out of frustration; she couldn’t believe she had been expelled from Vinizzio’s mansion because of her daughter.

“If only I could turn back time, I would definitely have aborted her. Ungrateful brat! I’ll have to learn to live with the basics. Hopefully, I’ll find some fool who’ll pay for my travels.”

Caroline was on the terrace, curiously observing the beautiful garden. It was meticulously designed, and everything seemed to have a purpose for being there.

She noticed an artificial lake at the center of the garden and walked over to it. The lake was crossed by a small arched bridge. From there, she could see that the water was crystal clear, revealing an array of smooth and colorful stones at the bottom. As the sunlight penetrated the water, beautiful flashes of color emerged. She admired the large and beautiful koi fish swimming in the lake, with vibrant orange, red, and black hues.

“These are Koi fish, an Asian species,” a voice startled her from behind.

“They’re beautiful,” Caroline replied.

“They were Alessia’s favorites. That’s why I had them brought here from Japan. She designed this garden, and I’ve kept it the same since her departure,” Vinizzio explained.

“I would have loved to meet her,” Caroline said.

“And she would have loved to meet you, I’m sure. You both could have passed for twins,” Vinizzio smiled, imagining them together. “I hope you’ll give me a chance to earn your affection as a father. It would make me very happy. You are all I have in this world.”

Caroline smiled back, willing to give him a chance. After all, he was not responsible for her mother’s lies.

Ahmed, upon learning that Vinizzio was an enemy of Carlo, decided to travel to Italy. He wanted to investigate personally what was happening with Caroline. If Vinizzio was an enemy of his enemy, having him as an ally could be beneficial.

“Sir, Mr. Román might find out about your visit to Italy. He has surveillance everywhere, and it could cause problems,” Zafir warned.

“You’re right. Find a way to speak with De Vincenzo personally and arrange a meeting with him outside of Milan. I’ll have to arrive well ahead of time, so Román doesn’t find out. I’ll travel incognito on a commercial flight,” Ahmed decided.

“I’ll talk to my contact to arrange the meeting as soon as possible,” Zafir assured.

“Let me know immediately when it’s done.”

Aisha, who was listening, became worried. “There’s no way you’re going like that, Ahmed. You’re putting yourself at risk.”

“It’s the only way to get close to Vincenzo without Román finding out. This is our chance to have an ally against him. You can’t keep hiding from him forever.”

“I’ll go with you,” Aisha suggested.

“No way. I’ll be incognito, and you’d have to wear a hijab, drawing attention to yourself.”

“I understand,” Aisha said with a pout.

“It’ll only be two days at most,” Ahmed reassured her.

“I hope so because I won’t be able to sleep or be at peace until you return.”

“At least it’s progress to know that you worry about me. Maybe one day, you’ll bid me farewell with an ‘I love you.'”

She smiled but remained silent, paralyzed by the fear of not adapting to his culture and wanting to return to the United States someday.

Zafir arrived at Vinizzio’s house, and his contact had arranged a meeting. He made sure to pass on information without raising any suspicions.

“Tell me, Mr. Zafir, what is the reason for your visit?” Vinizzio asked.

“My boss, the Sheikh of Dubai, wishes to speak with you personally.”

“What’s the reason?”

“Miss Caroline is your sister-in-law.”

“Caroline is my daughter. She’s safe here, and your boss doesn’t need to worry about her. I only want her to spend some time with me, and then she can return to Dubai if she chooses.”

“There’s another matter my boss wishes to discuss with you, concerning Mr. Carlo Román,” Zafir revealed. Vinizzio tensed upon hearing Román’s name.

“If you have any association with that man, I won’t be able to receive you. Please leave immediately,” Vinizzio said, standing up.

“Wait, Mr. Román is unknowingly your enemy as well,” Zafir quickly added. “It’s better if my boss explains it to you; believe me, he has strong reasons to consider him an enemy.”

“Fine, I’ll meet with him. Tell him I’ll see him in two days at Capello in Bergamo.”

“I’ll inform my boss. He’ll give you his phone number so you can arrange the details.”

“Very well, do that. Thank you.”

The next day, Ahmed took a commercial flight, and four of his best men traveled with him incognito. They landed in Milan, and Ahmed took public transportation, while his men took another route, heading to Bergamo. They stayed at Capello as Vinizzio had requested.

Ahmed stayed in one room, with two of his men in the room on the left and the other two in the room on the right.

The next morning, there was a knock on Ahmed’s door. When he opened it, he found himself facing Vinizzio.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Vinizzio asked.

“Yes, please come in.”

“How did you find out that Román is my enemy?”

“I’ll be honest with you. When Caroline disappeared, I ordered my men to investigate her whereabouts, which led me to you.”

“Well, I didn’t think I’d be so easy to investigate.”

“Román doesn’t know he’s my enemy. We were partners in New York, and I married his ex-fiancée, but he doesn’t know that she’s with me. He’s still searching for her.”

“Hahaha, I already like you, Sheikh. I heard someone stole his bride right at the altar. Román was furious. You’ve gained points with me,” Vinizzio relaxed upon hearing what Ahmed said. However, he would investigate to verify the truth of his claims before considering him as an ally.

They talked for a while, and Ahmed offered his unconditional support to Vinizzio. He promised to protect Caroline if she returned to Dubai.

“You can ask Caroline to confirm what I’m saying,” Ahmed said.

“If what you say is true, count on my unconditional support. I fear for my daughter’s life if Román finds out about her existence.”

“You have to protect Caroline, just as I have to protect my wife. That man was recently in Dubai, and he doesn’t suspect that I was the one who left him standing at the altar. As I said, your daughter can tell you the story better.”

They parted with the promise of mutual support. The Sheikh returned to Dubai, and Aisha warmly welcomed him. As he entered the palace, not caring about breaking the law, she ran into his arms and kissed him.

“It seems I’ll have to leave the country more often,” Ahmed joked.

“I missed you,” Aisha said.

“Aisha has been feeling unwell, experiencing nausea,” Ahmed’s sister interjected.

“I’ve insisted, but she didn’t want to see a doctor,” Ahmed added.

“I’ll call the doctor right away,” Amira said.

“No, first I want to know how my sister is,” Ahmed said, worried about her well-being.

“I’d prefer the doctor to be present. There’s a very delicate matter I need to discuss with you,” Amira explained.

Aisha felt like she couldn’t breathe. Had something happened to her sister?

“Is Caro okay? Please tell me she is, I couldn’t bear it if something bad happened to her,” Aisha said, panicking.

“She’s okay. Try to calm down. There are things you need to know that are very delicate,” Ahmed said, trying to comfort her.

The doctor from the clinic next to the palace arrived promptly.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Ahmed, please tell me what’s going on,” Aisha pleaded.

“Caroline is not our father’s daughter,” Ahmed broke the news.

“That can’t be true,” Aisha denied.

“Sonia deceived our father, and Caroline’s real father is Vinizzio De Vincenzo.”

“That can’t be true! Caro is my sister; I can’t accept what you’re telling me,” Aisha said, unable to believe it.

Aisha took a few steps forward, and suddenly, everything around her started spinning. Ahmed rushed to hold her and guided her to sit on a nearby couch.

After making sure she was okay, Ahmed called the doctor to speak with him.

“I need you to examine my wife and run the necessary tests to see if she’s pregnant,” Ahmed said.

“Right away, sir.”

The doctor took a blood sample from Aisha.

“Will you give her a sedative?” Amira asked, puzzled.

“No, first, I’ll run some tests to find the cause of her discomfort. Then I can prescribe the necessary medication to help her get better. We can’t risk medicating her unnecessarily,” the doctor explained.

Ahmed approached Aisha, sitting next to her, and gently kissed her forehead.

“When you feel better, I’ll tell you everything in detail. You need to know the truth about what Sonia has done and how far her lies have gone.”