Fara stepped into her parents' grand home, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. Her heart was racing, her mind churning with all the ways this meeting could go sideways. She'd barely had time to recover from Ziggy's insufferable smugness before Sultan Genio himself had summoned her with that ever-imposing, no-nonsense tone of his.
In the sprawling living room, Sultan was already seated in his favorite armchair, sipping tea like he hadn't just sent her blood pressure skyrocketing. His piercing gaze landed on her the moment she walked in.
"Fara," he greeted, setting down his cup. "You're late."
"I'm not late," she countered, already defensive. "You called me on a whim."
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Sit."
Fara sat, crossing her legs and bracing herself. "Okay, so what's this about? I assume it's the office rumors?"
