A Vow Of Love (Book #2) (Completed)

Chapter 14: New, Fresh Feelings

TARIQ FALED

"Excuse me?" I asked, staring at my phone as if my sister could see me through the screen.

"Mama called me to tell me that you proposed to an Indian woman. What the hell is the matter with you? What about Warda? I have been convincing her mother to let you two meet for months now. She's only recently agreed to let her daughter meet you. And now I hear this?" Alina answered, her voice sharp.

My older sister was a crass, confident woman with a tongue sharper than a knife. She was sweet and her intentions were pure for the most part but she could be disrespectful at times. Being the younger brother, I had always had to listen to her scold me, yell at me with my mouth shut.

But her words angered me this time around, mostly because I was a grown man now. Even though I was younger than her, I was still an adult, perfectly capable of making my own decisions.

"That's no way to talk about Eman, Alina." My voice was composed, like it always was. I didn't believe in screaming out my opinions even in anger. It only made matters worse. "I am interested in her and therefore, I proposed to her. I don't think what I did was wrong."

"She's not Arab, Tariq." My sister answered as if it was a perfectly reasonable response.

"But she's a Muslim woman." I pointed out.

"But we don't know her family. We don't know where they come from or what kind of people they are." She spat, her voice still full of venom. Alina was not as much offended by me proposing to Eman than she was by the fact that she was not her choice. My sister liked making everything about herself. I wasn't surprised at all to hear her be rude to me in matters of my own life.

"I know enough about her to approach her father. You have nothing to worry about." I assured her.

"You don't understand, do you? How am I going to look when I tell Warda's mother that my brother isn't interested in her daughter anymore after months of practically begging her for a chance to get to know you?" Alina asked and I could practically see her running a hand through her black hair like she did when she was stressed, the diamond wedding ring on her finger glinting.

My sister was married to the son of one of my father's friends. He had approached us after Baba's death to ask for Alina's hand in marriage. He was a rich man with a huge business empire whose heir was his only son, Hamid. Baba had known him since they were children and even though my father hadn't earned much wealth in his life, Hamid's father respected him because of the man he was at heart.

Mama had agreed for the marriage after consulting my sister but I always had a feeling that my sister was not happy with the marriage. She had agreed only because she knew that Hamid would provide for Mama and me since my business hadn't taken off yet at the time.

"Warda or her mother are not my problem, Alina. I don't even know who these people are. And you should have consulted me before approaching her anyway." I rubbed my face with my hands.

"You don't know them? You don't know them? They're business associates of Hamid. They have three bungalows in different cities and vacation homes all over the world. They are billionaires, Tariq. They have money and status." My sister explained as if these things were supposed to make me regret my decision. "Imagine your life if you get married to Warda. She's the heir to her family's business, being the only daughter. She's a strong woman, your perfect match. And she's Arab." She added.

I almost facepalmed myself at her words. She spoke as if my marriage was supposed to be a business transaction and not a relationship between two people who loved each other, who wanted to be with each other. I didn't know if Eman had said yes to my proposal but I knew even if she refused, I didn't want anything to do with Warda or any other business associate of my brother-in-law.