The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be(22)

He had often been told that he was the spitting image of his father, and  he hoped that was true. The former sheikh had been a kind-hearted man  who, with his wife, had spent his life fighting for the betterment of  mankind. Mehdi had been only thirteen when his mother died  unexpectedly-a cancer that took her quickly and painfully. His father  had been devastated by the loss, and while he had continued his work, he  only lived a few years more before Mehdi found him cold in his bed.



Mehdi had been only seventeen when he'd taken the throne. While the  position didn't hold the kind of responsibilities that the actual ruling  of a country did, he'd been thrust into adulthood far sooner than many  others his age, and he had dealt with the consequences of that by taking  his parents' stance on bettering the world for as many people as  possible. He often found himself falling short of his father's example,  and with no one to assure him otherwise, Mehdi was harder on himself  than perhaps he ought to have been.



He spent some time reflecting on the previous day's adventures as well  as preparing for a day at parliament. It wasn't always an easy trip to  make, and he would certainly be faced with challenging confrontations.  Taking a breath, he realized it was time to face his duties. He bade a  fond farewell to his parents' image before heading back to the main  entrance.



A limo was waiting for him there, and he slid into the backseat, the car  pulling away from the palace as soon as he closed the door. His  briefcase had been left on the seat for him, and Mehdi went over some of  the bills that were making their way through as he was driven toward  the gleaming capital building.         

     



 



Men and women in suits stood on the vast stairway that led to the  parliament chambers. As Mehdi's limo approached, many faces turned in  his direction, waiting for him to exit.



"Your Highness, it's good to see you! I wasn't aware you planned on attending our session today!"



One of the senators who was particularly keen to get into Mehdi's good  graces was reaching his hand out for Mehdi to shake, which he did,  albeit reluctantly. The man's brow was glistening with sweat, though he  made no move to wipe the offending drops away.



"There are a few pieces of legislation I would like to see passed today,  Senator," Mehdi said, and the man's head bobbed up and down.



"I imagine so, sir. Please, let's remove ourselves from this heat so we can be fresh when deliberation begins, shall we?"



"Of course," Mehdi agreed, allowing himself to be ushered into the building.



The parliament hall was a vast room filled with sleek wooden desks set  up in a crescent pattern, to allow all members to see one another. The  walls had been hand painted by one of El Farah's most celebrated  artists, and they depicted images of justice, fairness, and truth. While  government was not always that way, the paintings provided a solid  reminder of politicians' purpose in that building-to serve the people of  El Farah in the best way possible.



The senator reluctantly left Mehdi's side, as he was due at his desk for  roll call in a few minutes. Glad to see him go, Mehdi he was preparing  to take his own seat when a voice addressed him from behind.



"You really felt it necessary to come here today?"



Mehdi's muscles tensed at that voice, and he turned slowly, his eyes meeting the dark black gaze of his ex-wife.



"Jia. You're looking well today," he said.



It was true, after all. Jia was a beautiful woman. It was a small part  of what had drawn his parents' attention when they began seeking a bride  for him. Of course, they had died before the ceremony could take place,  so Jia had been selected by default when their files were located by  the royal attorney. It was the attorney who had taken the role of acting  parent in the marriage negotiations, and he had remained unaware that  Jia had become quite manipulative by the time she was ready to marry the  sheikh.



"Why are you here, Mehdi? You have no place in this building."



Mehdi shrugged. "I actually have a reserved seat, right over there, that  I have access to at any time. You, on the other hand, are merely  borrowing yours until the people deem you unworthy to serve. When is the  next election again?"



Jia sneered. "You exist as a fortunate accident of our history. There  are several of us that are working to dismantle your reign entirely,  which would eliminate any need for you ever again."



Mehdi laughed. "I certainly hope you all succeed. I would like to enjoy  living in a house of my own choosing at some point. Besides, the palace  is a waste of resources. We all know that. I hope you and your team work  extra hard to see this through, Jia."



Jia simmered at his words, clearly miffed that her comments hadn't hurt  him. Mehdi nodded politely to her and then turned his back on her,  effectively ending the exchange before she could get the final word in.  He knew that would leave her just as angry as anything, and he grinned  to himself as he took his seat.



Still, seeing Jia was a stark reminder of just how different she was  from Steph. His marriage had been beyond miserable, with Jia doing her  best to control and manipulate him at every turn. With Steph everything  just came so easily. With Jia everything had been a fight. She had  gotten her position in parliament based on her marriage to him, which  was laughable. She told the people she had garnered extensive experience  working for the state while she lived in the palace.



They didn't seem to care that she had only been there mere weeks before  the marriage was dissolved. Nor did they seem to care that she'd had  nothing to do with running the estate or government. She had gotten in  solely on her convincing words and beautiful face, though if that wasn't  politics in a nutshell, what was?


         

     



 
The gavel was struck and roll call was taken, and parliament began their  session. A few bills were proposed that Mehdi wasn't concerned with,  and the ones that he wanted to pass were passed, admittedly with a few  stares in his direction as senators placed their votes.



Mehdi bit back a smile at this; while he didn't hold the power to make  changes directly, he certainly held influence over those who did.  Sometimes that certainly came in handy.



"I would like to make a motion."



Jia's clear voice rang across the floor, which fell silent as the  senators waited for her to continue. She glanced up at Mehdi with venom  in her eyes.



"I move that all funding for the royal family be revoked and returned to  the people's fund of El Farah. That money is useful to us, and there is  no reason to use it to fund an ancient landmark that involves so much  upkeep."



Several senators glanced nervously at Mehdi, who held a perfectly  neutral gaze as he watched Jia try to upheave him for the millionth  time. A man cleared his throat before answering.



"I respectfully disagree. Our palace is the hallmark of our country, and  it should be cared for with the dignity that entity deserves. Would you  have France eliminate the Eiffel Tower, or Egypt their pyramids? Our  palace is as much a part of our history and identity as those landmarks,  and it should be cared for in much the same way."



The hall echoed with general agreement, and Jia frowned deeply as she glared around the room.



"We can't afford it!" she spat.



"We can, and we will be able to for many years to come. Jia, this motion  is a waste of our and our taxpayers' time. Let's get this over with,  please, so we can adjourn. All in favor?"



The room was heavy with silence. Jia and a few others raised their hands.



"All opposed?"



Hands shot up in the room. The senate leader slammed his gavel back down, the echo reverberating around the hallowed hall.



"Motion declined. We will now adjourn this session of parliament. Thank you for your time, Senators."



There was a general bustle as everyone rose from their seats. Mehdi  caught Jia's eye. He grinned, lifting an eyebrow and shrugging his  shoulder as she huffed and turned away, storming from the hall.



"In your dreams" Mehdi mumbled, satisfied.



If there was one thing he enjoyed, it was seeing his ex humiliated in  public by her own design. He made a mental note to continue fighting for  the people of El Farah, even as she worked for her own best interests.  It was obvious to the people who would have their back when it came down  to it, which was something Jia couldn't see. She was too blinded by her  own ambition.



Making his way out of the building, Mehdi took a deep breath, checking  his watch. The day had managed to slip away from him as the session had  dragged on, and the sun would be setting in a couple of hours.



Waving to the limo, Mehdi opted to walk to the beach, which was only  about a half hour stroll from the building. He placed his hands in his  pockets as he sauntered, nodding to people as he passed them by on the  sidewalk. He was met with the usual wide-eyed stares of people wanting  to address him but also give him his space. A couple of times he was  stopped and asked to take a picture, which he did with a smile.