Sheikh’s Fiancée Read Online Free Page A

both have busy lives, so that can only be expected – ”
    “Exactly.” Azisa leaned forward, pinning him with her dark gaze. “We both have busy lives, and in fact our lives are so busy that we have little time to spend with one another, to cultivate and grow a relationship. I may look like little more than a sculpture to you on the outside, Karim, but I am a woman just like any other, and I dream of eventually settling down with a man with whom I can share affection and companionship, when I am ready. You and I are so busy with our own careers and aspirations that we have not had the time or energy to invest in cultivating our own relationship. At this rate, ours will be a loveless, passionless marriage, and that is not something I am interested in.”
    Karim opened his mouth, and then closed it again. What could he possibly say to that? Much as he loathed to admit it, Azisa was right. He’d not put much effort into cultivating a relationship with her – he of course gave her his attention whenever she came to visit, and they did discover some similar interests during those short times they spent together – but the truth was that he’d taken the engagement for granted once it had been set, especially since the two of them had been paired up by a respected matchmaker. He’d trusted the woman’s instincts to be spot-on and had assumed that because their potential union was approved and blessed that it would move forward without a hitch.
    Apparently he’d assumed wrong.
    “I wish you could have at least told me about this earlier,” he muttered.
    “I wish I could have as well,” Azisa admitted. “But I hadn’t come to the realization myself until just a few days ago.” Her face returned to that calm stillness of before, and Karim was struck with that odd unease he always felt from her. He realized it came from the fact that she was always just a little too perfect. This conversation he’d just had with her was probably the most honest and genuine interaction they’d ever had… and it was too bad it was going to be their last.
    “Are you certain there is nothing I can do to change your mind?” Karim asked.
    “No.” Azisa smiled slightly as she rose from her chair, and Karim rose along with her. “I’m afraid this decision is final. I wish you the best of luck finding a bride, and with all of your ventures in general.”
    “Thank you,” Karim said as graciously as possible. He fought the urge to curl his hands into fists, and instead gripped the door handle and opened it to show his ex-fiancée out. “And you as well.”
    She disappeared into the corridor, taking the scent of floral perfume with her along with his hopes for marriage. Cursing, Karim leaned his head against the closed door and gritted his teeth, his mind working fast as he tried to figure out what to do next.
    If he didn’t marry within the next four months, his dreams would go up in smoke. But how was he going to find a bride in four months? And even if he did, how would he convince her to accept him?
    ***
    “Come on, Alice. You have to at least consider the idea of moving to Dubai.”
    Alice sighed as she hung her head between her elbows, easing her body into the downward dog position. The late afternoon sun beat down onto her back, and sweat trickled down her arms and onto the yoga mat beneath her. As she inhaled, the sweet scent of jasmine and roses tickled her nostrils, coming from the bushes and trees surrounding them.
    “I have been considering it,” Alice retorted. “But that doesn’t mean I have to give an answer right now, do I?”
    Sheridan rolled her eyes, then shifted back from downward dog and into child’s pose, folding her legs beneath and stretching her arms out until her fingers brushed her yoga mat. She had invited Alice to come out to the garden with her to do some yoga after Alice had returned from a meeting – she was here in Dubai on business for Armani, the third business trip to the Middle East in the