The Sheikh's American Daughter (12 page)

“What’s up, kid?” said Jacob as he walked out of the house. Olivia was sitting on the grass in the garden soaking up some sun. She looked up and smiled at Jacob.

“I haven’t seen you a few days. Where have you been?” she asked.

“I was in Qatar.”

“Business?”

“Pleasure.” Jacob smiled as though he had some naughty secret. Olivia stretched her arms out to him.

“Help me up,” she said. He looked at her as though she was crazy.

“You are not that old. You can get up on your own,” he said. Olivia pouted and helped herself up.

“So what kind of pleasure took you to Qatar?” She did not know much about Qatar or any other Middle Eastern country. She had never gotten the opportunity to travel.

“There was a fashion show.” Jacob started walking. He gestured for Olivia to follow. She followed.

“You’re into fashion?” Olivia asked.

“Not really. Just someone invited me.”

“That woman you keep messaging?”

Jacob smiled and did not respond. Olivia nudged him playfully. “Jacob has a girlfriend,” she teased. Jacob started laughing.

“Far from it,” he said.

As they were walking, Olivia could hear voices getting louder and louder. She could tell that one of them belonged to Daaliyah.

“I feel bad for you,” the other person said to Daaliyah.

“Me too.” Daaliyah replied. “The moment I found out that Elizabeth was pregnant, I wanted her to go before he found out.”

Olivia and Jacob looked at each other.

“What did you do?” the other person asked.

“His mother and I told her to leave. We made it clear that she was never going to be accepted into the family. We offered her money but she refused.” Daaliyah laughed a little.

“How about Jacob, when were you pregnant with him?”

“Just as my mother-in-law suggested, I got the sheikh drunk and slept with him. So when Elizabeth left and he was threatening to give up the company to follow her, I told him that I was pregnant. So he had to take responsibility.”

Olivia and Jacob turned a corner. They saw Daaliyah sitting at the table in the garden with Esther.

“Mother!” Jacob spat out. His face was stained in shock. Olivia was also shocked at what she had just heard. She knew Daaliyah was evil but Sheikh Solomon’s mother as well?
She felt angry knowing that Daaliyah and her mother-in-law had conspired to get rid of Elizabeth.

“Jacob.” Daaliyah gasped as she rose to her feet.

“That was how I was conceived?” Jacob looked disgusted. “Even before you and dad were married?”

And you thought my mother was the jezebel, Olivia thought to herself. She decided to keep her words to herself. It was enough that Daaliyah had just outed herself in front of her son. Olivia just walked off without saying a word.

She went to look for the driver and asked him to take her to Joseph’s house. She did not know anyone else and she did not feel like staying home. She just wanted to get out of the house. She soon arrived at Joseph’s house. Olivia got out of the car and walked up the concrete steps leading to his front door. The maid opened the door for her.

“Is the sheikh home?” Olivia asked. She instantly chastised herself for saying the sheikh. She never called him by his title.

“He is in his office,” the maid replied.

“On a Saturday?”

“He works during the weekends.”

The maid escorted Olivia to Joseph’s office. His office was somewhere downstairs. Olivia was not sure she could find her way back to the front door. Joseph’s house was quite big. It was as if she was in a hotel.

The maid stopped in front of French double doors and knocked before she walked in. Joseph was sitting at his desk looking at some paperwork.

“I am sorry to disturb you. Miss Olivia is here to see you,” the maid said to Joseph so gently as if she was scared to be scolded for disturbing him. Joseph whipped his head in her direction in shock.

“Olivia,” he breathed. The maid scurried out of the room and shut the doors. Olivia walked into the grey and white office. It was so neat, and beautifully decorated. She walked over to the desk and sat in a white tufted chair in front of it.

“Hi,” she said. Joseph put his pen down and started packing up his paperwork.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

Olivia slumped her shoulders.

“Unfortunately, I do not know anyone else nor do I have anywhere else to go,” she said. She knew it sounded rather rude, as though he was the last person she wanted to see. However, that was not the fact. It was true that she did not know anyone else but she wanted to see Joseph. He was the first person she thought of but she was not going to tell him that.

“What happened?” he asked her as he shoved his paperwork into the drawer of the desk.

“Your mother came over.”

“Oh.” He looked disappointed.

“Don’t worry, she did not do anything to me,” Olivia clarified. “It was Daaliyah. I heard her telling your mother that she and her mother-in-law made my mother leave Sheikh Solomon. They tried to pay her to leave but she refused the money.”

Joseph looked stunned. He was clearly in shock. Olivia told Joseph everything she had heard.

“It’s shocking for me to hear because I grew up knowing Daaliyah,” said Joseph.

“I was dying to find out why Sheikh Solomon didn’t know about me and why he broke up with my mom,” said Olivia.

“Are you okay?”

Olivia nodded. “I feel disgusted by Daaliyah, and I feel guilty towards the sheikh,” she said.

“Why do you feel guilty?” Joseph asked.

“I did not want to have anything to do with him. I was angry at him for not looking for me. Now I see that it was all Daaliyah’s fault.” Olivia ran her hand through her hair.

“Don’t feel guilty. You did not know.”

“Why are you working over the weekend?” Olivia did not want to keep speaking about Daaliyah.

“I always work during the weekend,” he replied.

“You are such a boring man.”

“Excuse me?”

“Normal people do something fun over the weekend.”

“What is fun to you?”

“Trying out new dishes, swimming, movies, binge watching television shows.” Olivia sighed. She could think of so many other things that she would rather do than working.

“I have a swimming pool,” said Joseph.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Do you expect me to swim now?”

“If you want to.”

Olivia burst out laughing. “I don’t have a bathing suit,” she said.

“Don’t you swim in a bikini?” Joseph asked.

Olivia shook her head. “No. I like to wear a one-piece swimsuit.”

“Like a ten-year-old?” Joseph started laughing. 

“Why is that funny, Joseph? There plenty of women my age that wear one-pieces!” she defended herself. Daya often laughed at her also for not wearing bikinis.

“I am sure there are,” he said sarcastically.

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to sulk. However, she quickly abandoned the sulking. “I feel hungry,” she said. She was always hungry.

“What would you like to eat?” Joseph asked. “I’ll let my chef know.”

“You have a chef?” It was still hard for her to comprehend how rich he was. She had never been around someone with a bank balance more than five hundred dollars.

“Yes,” he replied. Olivia did not even know why she had asked him. He had a mansion the size of a hotel and a lot of maids. Of course he had a chef.

“Never mind, I will go cook myself.” Her boldness surprised herself. She was actually about to cook in Joseph’s house.

He raised his eyebrows. “You can cook?”

“Why does that surprise you?”

“Not many women I’ve met can or want to cook.”

Olivia rolled her eyes.

“I am sure that I am nothing like the women you’ve met,” she said. She was convinced that he only had relationships with tall models. Olivia sprang to her feet.

“You are right. No woman would ever come to my house dressed like that,” he said eyeing Olivia up. She was wearing a loose-fitting shorts and a loose-fitting basketball T-shirt.

“Maybe they should. Women are too caught up in trying to look good all the time. That means nothing if you have a rotten personality,” she said. Joseph smiled as he rose to his feet.

The two of them left his office and headed to the kitchen. Joseph dismissed all the staff from the kitchen and dining room per Olivia’s request. She did not mind cooking and cleaning by herself. So she thought it would be nice if Joseph gave them the afternoon off.

Olivia gaped at the kitchen when she walked in. The kitchen was huge. It had marble counters and floors. The stove had ten burners and a massive oven beneath it. The fridge was like a slice of heaven. It was a large cold room with all kinds of food. There was enough to last her two months.

Joseph sat on a high stool with a black leather seat and silver legs. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched Olivia finding her way around the kitchen. She took out the pots and utensils she needed and placed them on the counter. She went back to the cold room and retrieved steak, peppers, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, cucumbers and tomatoes.

“Cheese?” Joseph questioned.

“You’ll see why later,” Olivia replied.

“It’s my first time coming in here.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “Your first time in your own kitchen?” she asked in shock.

Joseph shrugged his shoulders.

“Yes. I have no reason to come in here.”

Olivia shook her head. He was so spoiled. How could someone not enter the kitchen in their own house? His maids probably did everything for him. Olivia washed her hands and then started marinating the steak.

“My father wants to have lunch with you,” said Joseph. Olivia looked up. She could not believe what her ears had just heard.

“What?” Olivia said. She stared at him with her hazel eyes widened. She was clearly shocked.

“My father wants to have lunch with you,” Joseph said. He knew that she was going to say no, however, he really needed her to agree. Joseph wanted Olivia to sit down with his father. If he liked her, then maybe he would try to convince his mother into agreeing with the marriage.

“Why?” Olivia raised an eyebrow. She looked as though she was suspicious about something.

“He wants to feel you out; see what kind of a person you are.” That was putting it lightly. His father was a very intimidating man.

“Why though?” Olivia stopped marinating the steak, suddenly realizing the answer to her own question. “He knows that you want to marry me.” 

“Yes,” Joseph said simply.

“Oh my gosh!”

“Of course I told him. Everyone knows now.” Joseph smiled mischievously.

“How disappointed they will be to find out that I won’t marry you,” she said sarcastically. Joseph smiled. “When does he want to meet with me?” she asked.

“Tomorrow,” he said.

“So soon?”

“Yes.”

Olivia sighed very loudly. “Where?” she asked.

“At restaurant,” he said. Olivia nodded.

“It’s better that way. If we met at his home, that would be bad because I would run into your mother,” she said. Joseph slightly crossed his eyebrows. He thought that she would refuse and get angry about it. Strangely she had agreed so easily.

“Okay then,” he said.

Joseph sat on his stool and watched Olivia cooking. He was so fascinated by her. She was walking around his kitchen and cooking so comfortably. It was as if it was her kitchen. Joseph had never had a woman cook for him. In fact, all of the women he had been in relationships with did not like cooking. They loved the fact that he had a chef and maids. They liked being pampered.

“You’re making rice?” Joseph asked as Olivia poured rice into the rice cooker.

“Of course I am,” she replied. “Carbs!” She grinned at him. She washed the rice before she cooked it. Then she prepared a salad.

“So the cheese is for the salad,” said Joseph.

“Yes.” Olivia put in a teaspoon of sugar. Joseph’s eyes flew open.

“Sugar?” he questioned. Olivia started laughing.

“Relax. It tastes good,” she said.

“Wow.” He was in shock.

“You have never even seen your food getting prepared.”

“That is true.”

Olivia finished cooking a while later. She served Joseph with the well-grilled steak, rice and salad. Joseph had to admit, the food looked quite appetizing. They sat on the stools at the island counter of the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Joseph said to Olivia when she handed him his plate and a knife and fork.

“You’re welcome.” Olivia sat down with her plate. “I’m so hungry.” She dove into her food.

“This is an unhealthy meal,” Joseph pointed out. There was mayonnaise and cheese and white rice. He liked his meals strictly healthy.

“Well.” Olivia was looking at Joseph waiting to hear what he thought of the food. Her big hazel eyes filled with so much expectation stared at him. She was so adorable.

“It surprisingly tastes good,” he said honestly. The food did taste good. She could give his chef a run for his money.

“Of course it does. I told you that I can cook,” Olivia gloated.

“Where did you learn how to cook?”

“My mother. She was a great cook.”

“What was she like?”

“Very feisty but soft-hearted.”

“So that’s where you got it from.” Joseph smiled. Olivia smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Joseph, I am not really that feisty,” she said to him. He raised an eyebrow as he chewed. Olivia burst into laughter. “Whatever,” she said.

After they were finished eating, Olivia cleared the dishes and started washing them. He tried to stop her from washing up but she refused. She said that she could not leave the dirty dishes for someone else.

“I should go,” she said when she was finished cleaning.

“So soon,” said Joseph. He did not want her to go just yet.

“I have been here for hours.” Olivia walked towards him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. “Joseph!” she cried out. He positioned her between his thighs and wrapped his arms around her. She fit perfectly in his arms. His head was buried in her neck. He inhaled her sweet scent and held her so tightly.

“Joseph what are you doing?” Olivia screamed and laughed as she tried to push him off. Joseph laughed with her and held her tighter. “It’s pointless, I am not strong enough.” She stopped trying to fight him off.

“It’s going to be the same thing with our marriage,” Joseph said.

“What do you mean?”

“Eventually, you are going to stop fighting me on the matter and you will agree to marry me.”

Olivia laughed. “Your mother wouldn’t attend the wedding. My sisters would probably assassinate me during the wedding,” she said. Joseph laughed gently. 

“Is this you agreeing to marry me?”

“This is me reminding you that it is a bad idea.”

“It’s not.” Joseph caressed her lower back. He wanted to touch her and kiss her. Olivia flinched and let out a squeak.

“Don’t do that!” she cried out.

“Are you ticklish?”

“I am.” Olivia managed to wiggle out of his embrace and jumped a few steps back. She fanned herself with her hand. “I need to sort things out back in Atlanta,” she said.

“Like what?” he asked.

“I need to go back. I took my annual leave to come here and I’ve called them twice to extend it, which they were not happy about.”

“You can just send them your resignation. You don’t need to worry about work when you are with me.”

Olivia raised her eyebrows and shoved her hands in her pockets. “And be a housewife? No way,” she said.

“What is wrong with that?” he asked. He agreed with the idea of a man providing anything and everything for his woman. Even though he had never wanted to get married, he always provided for the woman that he was in a relationship with.

“Everything. Some women are okay with it but I am not. I like being independent. I certainly did not go to college just to be a housewife.”

“I just don’t want you to worry about work and rent.”

“Thank you but I want to work. I like the satisfaction of hard work and being able to buy things for myself. I don’t want to rely on anyone.”

Joseph nodded. She continued to shock him. Women would ask him to buy them things. Olivia actually wanted to work and provide for herself. He was impressed by her, as usual.

“What happens if you get fired from this job?” he asked her.

“That will be really awful. Fortunately, I have some savings and I am ahead of my rent by two months.”

“You are quite responsible.”

“My mother and I have been through a lot. So I learned how to always be prepared for the worst.”

“I wish I had had the opportunity to meet her.”

“You would have liked her.”

“If she was anything like you, then I would have really liked her,” he said. Olivia shyly tucked a wavy lock of hair behind her ear. It was so amusing to Joseph because she was such a feisty person but she also got shy. He caught her on many occasions trying to hide it but he knew that she was shy or that he was making her nervous. He could spot little changes in emotions and demeanor.