Several of David's men rushed to help David up, cursing at Zora.
"How dare you attack David," one said. "Do you have a death wish?"
"You'll pay for putting your hands on him," said another.
"Commissioner Billings, arrest that woman," said a third.
"Are you okay?" Leona asked David.
David ignored her and glared at Zora. "You're a dead woman," he said. "Commissioner Billings, arrest her!"
Anthony looked at David and frowned. "David, please watch your language," he said.
He was shocked to realize that this beautiful woman was the queen of Brunei.
A few days ago, his superiors had informed him that the queen was missing, and they had asked him to help with the search. But he hadn't expected to find her at the Tinsdale Hotel.
Although David was one of the most respected and powerful men in Washington, D.C., he wasn't as important as the queen of Brunei. After all, the queen had a lot more influence.
David was furious that Anthony had scolded him and defended Alex.
"Commissioner Billings," he said, glaring at him. "Did you not hear me? I want you to arrest these two right now!"
Anthony stared at David. "Why can't you keep your mouth shut?" he thought. "This is the queen of Brunei! If you offend her, you could cause a diplomatic incident, and then your family will suffer!"
Anthony didn't want to explain in front of the queen, so he simply said, "David, if you don't watch your tone, then I'll have to take you down to the police station."
"What?" David thought. "What's gotten into him today? How dare he speak to me like that!"
He grabbed Anthony's coat and pulled him closer. "If you want to keep your position, then you had better do as I tell you," he said.
Anthony slapped David's hands away. "Are you done?" he demanded.
He turned to look at Zora. "Hello, your Majesty," he said. "I'm Anthony Billings, chief of police here in Washington, D.C. Everyone has been looking for you, and the Sultan has been extremely worried. Would you mind coming with me?"
"Majesty?" David thought, gaping at her.
"I have done nothing wrong," Zora said. "Alex and I are merely sparring partners. How dare you be so vulgar! Are you blind? Alex has been sleeping on the floor. His blanket is right there." She pointed it out for everyone to see.
Now that David knew Zora was the queen of Brunei, he was careful about how he spoke to her. "Your Majesty," he said, smiling. "I made a mistake before, and I apologize."
"Do you really think a simple apology will suffice?" Zora asked. "Do you know how badly you have slandered the Brunei royal family? In my country, such an offense is punishable by flogging! Commissioner Billings, please bring me a whip to punish these men."
"Yes, your Majesty," Anthony said, ordering his men to find a whip. A moment later, his men returned with one.
Zora gave the whip to Alex. "Punish these people for me!" she ordered, glancing around. "We should have strung them up on a pole, but I don't see anything suitable." She looked at the men. "Take off your coats and line up."
"Your Majesty, my name is David Drake," David said. "My family provided you and the sultan with your cars and guards. I was hoping you could forgive me." His reputation was everything, and he couldn't afford to lose it by being beaten in front of everyone.
"The Drake family?" Zora asked, smiling. "Good. When I go back, I'll remember to tell my husband that a member of the Drake family accused me of being a prostitute. I'm sure he'll be furious, so the consequences are likely to be quite unpleasant."
David was shocked. If the Sultan of Brunei was angry with David's family, it would cause them a lot of trouble. "Your Majesty, I'll take off my coat," he conceded.
He looked at his men and said, "Hurry up! Take off your coats!"
"Alex, give each man ten lashes," Zora ordered. "Except for Mr. Drake. Give him fifteen lashes. And don't go easy on any of them."
Alex walked over to David and the other men. Leona stood beside them, and Alex was surprised at how upset she looked. "Is she really that worried about David?" he thought.
"Leona, please get out of the way," Alex said. "I don't want to hurt you by mistake."
But Leona refused to move. She stood in front of David, staring resentfully at Alex. "Please don't hit him!"
"Stay out of it," David said. "We don't want Queen Zora to get angry." He knew he needed to appease Zora, and he didn't want Leona to get him into any more trouble. He pushed her away.
Leona staggered and Alex caught her, but she shook off his hand, glaring at him.
"Are you ok?" Alex whispered.
Leona didn't answer.
Alex whipped David and his men, hitting them hard enough to sting, but not hard enough to do any real damage.
David was humiliated, but he forced a smile for Zora. "I offended you, your Majesty, and I deserved your punishment. Please forgive me. I'll do whatever you ask of me."
Zora ignored him and turned to Anthony. "Commissioner Billings, I'd like you to pretend you didn't find me," she said. "I promise to return in a few days once I've finished what I'm doing. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that," Anthony said with a wry smile. "The Sultan has been anxious about your safety and has repeatedly demanded that the police search for you. He's losing patience, and we're on the verge of an international incident. You know how serious that is. Please return with me."
Zora sighed. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused," she said. "I'll go back with you."
She turned to look at Alex. "You will stay with me."
Alex followed Zora out of the room. As he left, he glanced back at Leona and saw that she was focused on David, and he wondered why she was so affectionate with her sister's fiancé.
Anthony took Zora and Alex to the West Lake guesthouse in Washington, D.C.
The Sultan had been waiting for a long time, and when he saw his wife, he rushed out to meet her, greeting her in their own language. He looked at Zora with an almost worshipful expression.
"The sultan looks overjoyed", Alex thought. "He must really love Zora, but she seems quite calm. I don't think she has strong feelings for him."
After talking to the Sultan for a few minutes, Zora took Alex to her suite of rooms, which were separate from where the Sultan stayed.
Alex cleaned himself up, and then he went outside to speak to Zora.
"I had no idea you were the queen of Brunei," he said.
Zora sat on a chair by the lake. "Georgina will arrive soon, and then my title won't matter," she said. "So, there was no point telling you about it."
She looked out at the lake. "My heart was broken over twenty years ago, and I traveled throughout the whole country, trying to get my revenge," she said. "I sought out handsome men and played tricks on them. I paraded them in front of the man who had hurt me, just to annoy him, but he never cared."
She sighed. "Later, I met the Prince of Brunei, and he fell in love with me," she said. "I was very affectionate with him in front of the heartless man who had rejected me. I told that scoundrel how much the Prince cherished me, trying to arouse his jealousy. I decided that if he wanted me, I would leave the Prince and stay with the man I loved."
"But he said he loved someone else!" she continued. "And he claimed not to have any feelings for me. Then he left, and I haven't seen him since. After that, there was no point in finding new men to taunt him with, so I stayed with the prince. He ascended to the throne a few years ago and became Sultan, and I became the queen of Brunei."
"Zora, who broke your heart?" Alex asked. "And is this why you want to kill Georgina?"
Zora wiped away a tear. "His name is Xavier Myers," she said. "And you're right. He's the reason I have to kill Georgina."
Alex wanted to ask more questions, but Zora stood up, clearly finished talking. "I've left clues to lead Georgina here, so she'll arrive soon," she said. "Unless you want her to kill me, you should practice what I've taught you!"
Alex nodded, and then he began to practice. If Zora and Georgina fought, he wouldn't let either of them kill the other, no matter how hard they tried.