Chapter 301: Bravery and Stupidity
Because Alex was in the building when Ali was dragged off to the hospital due to his severe withdrawal systems, he was alerted about the ongoing developments, and when it was revealed that Ali was going through withdrawal symptoms from painkillers, the look on Aisha and her father’s faces were priceless.
It was not just the look on the young Arabian princess’s face that gave away her thoughts, but the drastic drop in affection from the system which notified Alex immediately of these changes.
[Aisha is terribly disappointed in Ali for being a drug addict!]
[-15 Affection from Aisha to Ali!]
[Aisha’s Affection to Ali: -40/100]
This was nearly half a negative bar. And once Aisha’s affection for the man reached -100, there was simply no way for Ali to conquer her. Because of this, Alex silently took joy in this little fact, all the while he tried to comfort the woman in a way that was not so obvious to his intentions.
“I’m sorry, it must be tough knowing that the man you love is battling with addiction problems…”
The words “the man you love” were deliberately chosen by Alex to remind the woman of her engagement to the man, something which only decreased her affection for Ali further.
[-5 Affection from Aisha to Ali!]
[Aisha’s Affection to Ali: -45/100]
There was a bitter look on the young Arabian princess’s face, one that her father didn’t notice. He did, however, notice the spite in her tone as she rejected the notion of being in love with Ali with a very precise choice of words.
“I’m not in love with that filthy degenerate!”
Before Aisha could continue describing her distaste for her fiancee, her father reminded her that they were in public with a sharp tone in his voice.
“Aisha! Mind your manners, we are in public…. Mr. Smith… I hope you will help my daughter cope with her grief… I have to go make a call to the Sultan of Oman. Certainly, you understand that this incident takes priority over our agreement?”
Alex nodded his head, wearing a calm expression on his face as he assured the Saudi King that he understood the severity of their current circumstances.
“Of course, your majesty… I would never try to keep you from such an important matter. You can rest assured that your daughter will be perfectly safe with me…”
The Saudi King did not understand Alex’s hidden intent and smiled, apologizing one more time before departing from the private hospital’s waiting room. Once they were alone, Aisha was quick to ask Alex a question. One that he found amusing.
“Were you responsible for this?”
Alex chuckled when he heard this and shook his head, denying his responsibility in this matter. If anything, he rationalized his actions as trying to help Ali get clean. And could safely say the following without believing he was lying to the girl.
“I sold cocaine when I worked for the cartel, not painkillers…. Well technically I didn’t sell anything, I wasn’t a dealer, I was more in the role of enforcement… But you get what I mean, I had nothing to do with Ali’s addiction problems.”
Aisha sighed in relief, not noticing the specifics of Alex’s words. He had, after all, stated specifically that he had nothing to do with Ali’s addiction problems, which was true. He had failed to deny, however, that he was wholly responsible for the man’s current state of withdrawal, which he was.
There was actually a slight tone of disappointment in Aisha’s voice when she spoke her thoughts on the matter.
“And here I thought this was some grand gesture to ruin my engagement so that you can steal me for yourself…”
A wide smirk appeared on Alex’s face as he reminded the girl of the esteemed position which she held.
“You’re a literal princess from a wealthy oil kingdom. I’m a spoiled brat with issues… Lots of issues… Do you really believe your father would ever agree to wed you off to me even if you got out of your engagement with Ali? If you really desired that life, you would elope with me instead, as that is the only way we could truly be together…”
This comment surprised Aisha, who averted her gaze from Alex’s charming appearance, struggling to get the words out that she desperately wanted to speak.
“Would… Would you really do that… You know… If I asked you to?”
Alex broke out into a fit of laughter as he heard this, causing the girl to pout. She was so adorable in this state he couldn’t help but compliment her.
“You’re adorable…. Are you seriously asking me if I am willing to make myself the most hated enemy of one of the United States’ most strategic allies? I mean, you do realize your family is well known for assassinating people who get on their shit list, right? Would I really be willing to put my life in danger, all for the sake of eloping with their beloved princess?”
When Aisha heard this response, she lowered her head in defeat, now understanding the lunacy she was asking Alex to engage in all for the sake of her feelings. But what came next shocked her, as Alex wore an excitable smile on his handsome face, and confirmed he would indeed be willing to do such a thing.
“Of course I would! Nobody in this world is going to intimidate me into giving up what I desire. Better men than your father have tried to have me killed because I pursued me dreams at their expense, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I always wanted to add a genuine princess to my collection of beautiful wives…”
Aisha knew that she should feel angry at Alex for being just another of his “wives” and not his “wife” but the idea that he would literally risk assassination in retaliation by her family caused her to break out into an uncontrollable fit of giggles, which was followed by genuine praise.
“You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid…”
[Aisha is impressed by your courage!]
[+20 Affection from Aisha!]
[Aisha’s Affection: 45/100]
Alex couldn’t help but smirk when he saw the progress he was making with the girl. Though he was starting to get the feeling that he was just going to keep making enemies with powerful people so long as he continuous to abscond like a scoundrel with the world’s many heroines.
Then again, he already died once in pursuit of beautiful women, so what was another death to him?