younisseff
One palace. Two women. A secret that could topple an empire.
Mount Lebanon, 1613. Behind the exquisite stone arches of Deir el Qamar, a silent war is being waged.
Saadiya is the Emir's greatest weakness. A mesmerizing outsider who has risen from the chains of a concubine to the heights of the Harem, she holds the key to Fakhr el-Din's modern vision for Lebanon. But in a world built on bloodlines, she is a beautiful intruder with everything to lose.
Sitti Nasab is the Emir's greatest strength. The iron-willed matriarch who has survived decades of Ottoman betrayal, she knows that power isn't maintained by love, but by sacrifice. To her, Saadiya is more than a rival-she is a contagion that must be cured.
When a sudden death stains the palace courtyard and a fierce mountain storm seals the gates, the Emir is called to the battlefield, leaving the two women alone. As the "Sharqi" wind howls through the cedars, a web of blackmail and ancient grudges begins to unravel.
Saadiya has the Emir's heart. Nasab has the palace secrets. But only one of them will survive the night.
In this sweeping historical thriller, the greatest threat to the throne isn't the Sultan's army at the border-it's the woman standing right behind you.