His Substitute Bride

Chapter Forty

                       A R A B E L L E

"Hatice, won't you welcome us?" One of the women said in a sarcastic tone as they walked closer to us, making Mehmed stand up. 

"Sultanım, not today." Mehmed said in a warning tone but that women totally ignored her. 

"Sultanım, hoşgeldiniz." Valide gritted out as she threw a fake smile at them before standing up. "Please join us."

"Of course we will." That woman replied. "Neslihan kızım, why don't you sit beside Mehmed?" She said to a girl much younger, about the same age as me I guess, to sit beside Mehmed making Halime stiffen. 

"You two really look good together." She added. 

I could feel everyone stiffen and stare at Halime and Mehmed. Ok what's going on. 

"Fatma Sultan that's enough." Halime hissed as she stood up. "I won't be disrespected like this."

"Know your place girl." That women whom I assume as Fatma hissed. "Don't you know how to talk to a Sultana?"

Valide said something in Turkish making that Fatma yell at her. Mehmed had to jump in since they almost got into hand to hand combat. 

Nick and I quietly stood up and walked out since we felt weird there, watching their family drama unfold. We decided to take a walk in the garden. That's when he received a call leaving me alone to take it. 

"Belle," Someone called out from behind making me jump. I turn back to see one of Mehmed's sister, the only girl who smiled at me, Hatice. 

"Princess Hatice." I address making her chuckle. 

"Please drop the formalities and just call me Hatice." She replied. "I'm so sorry for what happened back there. It wasn't supposed to end that way. It's just my aunts." She sighed. 

"It's fine, Hatice. You don't have to be sorry." I assured. 

"My aunt, Fatma Sultan always wanted Mehmed to marry Neslihan HanımSultan." She explained as we walk together. "You don't know how chaotic it was the day Mehmed brought Andria- I mean Halime to the palace as his fiance."

"I can imagine it but wait, if she's your aunt doesn't that make Neslihan your cousin?" I asked. 

"Yes," She sighed.

Ok, gross. 

We sat down on one of the benches near the fountain facing the palace. "She's still not ready to accept that Mehmed won't marry Neslihan and we are all fed up of her demands. But one thing I'm scared of is what if she force my father and he agrees to her demand? I know Mehmed won't leave Halime for Neslihan, he'll fight and it'll cause more problems."

I didn't really understand what she was saying but I just nodded. This royal family is more confusing than Algebra. I need a family tree to understand who is who. 

"Hatice," Nick said as he walked towards us. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going back to my chamber but I saw Belle so I decided to have a little chit chat with her." She replied as she stood up. "It's already late, I'll go now."

"I can show you around the palace tomorrow if you want." Hatice offered. 

"I would love that." I replied and she smiled. She left and Nick sat down on the place she was sitting earlier before pulling me closer to him. 

"What was she saying?" He asked. 

"Something about their aunt wanting to marry her daughter off to Mehmed." I answered and he hummed in response like it wasn't a big deal to him. 

Geez. 

We returned to our chamber and changed into something more comfortable and laid on the bed with my head on his chest. 

"Belle?" He called out and I hummed. "How do you know him?" He asked, referring to Cavin that bald head and I froze. Damn man, this man got no chill.

"Sleep." I said before moving away from his chest and moving to my side with my back facing him and he groaned. 

"Belle, just tell me already. How do you know him?" He asked again. "And what did you mean when you said you've paid your debt? Did you also give them money to kill someone?" He said and I turned to face him with a blank expression. Does he think I'm a criminal like him? 

"Do I look like I'd do that?" I asked. "You really want to know fine." I sat up to tell him the most boring story of my life. 

"Back when I was in California-"

"What were you doing in California?" He cut me off immediately, annoying me. 

I gave him an annoyed look. "Let me complete it first then ask whatever you want to." He nodded. 

"You did a whole background check on me and you don't even know that I was there for the past 6 years?" I asked with my eyebrows raised at him before shaking my head. "Nevermind."

"Whenever we got holiday breaks, I didn't go home but instead I went around visiting cities and that's where I met Cavin." I said. 

"One night, I saved an injured man and treated his injury before walking away but I didn't know someone had sent people after me because of saving that mysterious guy." I explained as my thoughts went back to that night. How saving that guy's life ended mine up in trouble. 

"To save my ass from them I asked for help from Cavin whom I met through a friend of mine, who led me to Elliot Giordano." I said. 

"You saved an injured man in California." He said it more like a statement as he stared at me with mixed emotions. 

Ok. What's wrong with everyone today, acting all weird. 

I can't believe he still got his head stuck in that me saving that injured guy part whereas I'm long gone with the story. 
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A/n : more dramas and secrets to unfold in the coming chapters. Stay tuned;)

P. S : c'mon guys, stop being this boring. Drop some comments, so that I also read them, laugh and be motivated to write more.