Almost 4k words! Hope you guys will like this one.

A good few next chapters coming up thanks to shambhavi lol.

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Haya.

"I hope you didn't mind me showing up uninformed, Haya. I just wanted to check up on Amir." Haya heard her mother in law say as both of them were sat on the sofa, watching Amir as he cooked in the kitchen.

He had already told both of the women to stay out of his way, where as the servants were asked to stand at a distance as well.

Haya moved her eyes away from her husband and gave a smile.

She didn't really feel bitter anymore. Seeing Amir so light hearted and happy with his mother's presence, while also caring about how she felt..it had made the bitterness wash away.

"No, that's alright. It's your son's house. You can come anytime you want." Haya replied, giving her a smile as she looked ahead again.

She saw him motion a servant to cut some vegetables while he put something in the pan, it resembled oil but it was darker in color so Haya didn't know whether it was oil or some kind of sauce.

"I'm glad. So tell me, how have things been? Amir tells me you've been reading alot of books?"

The woman conversated, Haya nodded.

"I've always been into reading anyway but yes, these days I've been reading about Maraaish."

She hummed in understanding.

"Yes, ofcourse. You want to work, right?" She turned her face again, interested in the conversation as it was about work and what she was up to these days.

Shhe was glad her mother-in-law was not asking her questions about marriage, children and her plans to get pregnant anytime soon.

"Yeah, I used to work for human rights back home but it was just for a few months and then I got married." She told her, liking the fact that her mother in law was giving her proper attention.

She wasn't just making a conversation because her son was working and had asked them both to stay out of the kitchen.

Haya didn't really know what to do in the kitchen anyway. And honestly, she figured her mother in law wouldn't know much either.

"Ahan?"

"Yeah, before that I was involved in a few projects but nothing that I had started on my own, you know?"

She tried to explain.

She had worked alongside her brother Yusuf on a children welfare program before, had accompanied Illyas on his business tour to Newzealand, had even planned a few seminars on her own but that was pretty much it.

She hadn't done anything remarkable yet and she wanted to do it now.

"So you want to work for the welfare of people then?" Haya nodded.

"Yes. I actually do."

"Have you thought of what you want to do so far?"

"I have but I'm still researching so I am not really sure."

She responded, finding her eyes towards Amir for a moment before she moved back to listen to her mother in law.

"Well you still have some time, yeah? May Allah guide you."

Haya smiled.

"Thank you."

Both the women then turned their faces ahead, their eyes on the Crown Prince who was busy cooking.

He looked so calm and relaxed, as if he was simply enjoying a day off.

"He learned a few things from his step mother years ago. He still hasn't forgot how to make them. They taste good too." She mentioned, Haya chuckled.

"I was worried I'd have to lie." She joked.

She didn't remember the last time she had visited a Kitchen, let alone any man in her family.

It surprised her that Amir knew how to cook.

"No, no. He's making a traditional Maraaishi dish." Haya nodded, finding him throw in way too many olives in the pan.

"With alot of olives." She mumbled with a frown, hearing a hum from the side.

"Most of our dishes involve olives." Haya nodded, leaving Amir to his cooking as she relaxed on the sofa and picked up the margarita placed in front of her.

She sipped her own and handed her mother in law the other glass, out of courtesy.

"When is your brother's wedding?" She heard the woman ask, as she felt the coldness run down her throat.

"It's going to take a while. We're big on engagements. They can last for years and it's fine." She replied, knowing that her brother had no intention to marry this year.

"So it must have been very different for you then? Straight to marriage?" She nodded with a soft chuckle.

She remembered how upset she had been over the whole no engagement thing, she remembered being so mad at Amir and she also remembered him making all her logics go down the drain with his own.

"Yes but I suppose good different." 

"And you have two more brothers, yeah?"

Her mother in law pretty much knew everything about her family. They had met on several occasions but she understood what the woman was trying to do. She was trying to create a talking space between the both of them. Maybe, she was trying to remove the uncomfortable barrier.

"Ahan. Illyas and Shahid. They're older than me but I don't think they've any plans of marriage." Haya replied, earning another nod.

"You're the youngest, I know. It explains a lot of things." She cocked an eyebrow at the remark.

"What do you mean?" Haya asked for clarification.

"Parents spoil their youngest child. Mothers coddle and fathers always support so they end up a little spoiled."

She didn't really say it in a tauntative and rude tone but Haya still didn't really like the remark.

Even her brothers had always called her spoiled but it felt quite different when she heard the same words from someone who wasn't her immediate family.

Did Amir think the same way?

"You're calling me spoiled?" Haya asked still, staring at her.

"A little bit." The Queen sipped her margarita.

"I don't think I'm spoiled." Haya flatly replied without a single moment of hesitation.

She didn't want to be rude and she knew she didn't sound rude either but she disagreed with the woman without any hesitancy.

The Queen didn't seem to mind it either as she kept the conversation going.

"I've noticed you're quite close with your father. Do you have a good relationship with your mother?"

"Ofcourse. She's almost like my friend. Well, a friend who is always lecturing but yeah." Haya replied, fondly talking about her mother.

She loved to tease the woman, loved to annoy the hell out of her, had always made her worried through her rebellious ways. Her mother was always on egg shells with her, knowing who she was. But there was endless love too.

"You resemble her alot."

It was always a compliment for Haya. Her mother was a beautiful woman.

"Yeah, I'm lucky." Haya replied, smiling as she found Amir leave the kitchen.

In the middle of their conversation, he had completed making the dish. He gestured the both of them to stand up so they could walk to the dining room.

Haya put the glass back on the table and stood up, followed by her mother in law.

"I asked Salama to serve." Amir mentioned, holding the door for both the women as they entered the dining hall, followed by him.

"What were you two talking about?" He asked as they took their seats.

"Oh, nothing. Haya was telling me about her will to work here." His mother replied, finding Haya a little distracted as she texted someone on the phone and then put it away, knowing it was against the manners.

"She can do it. I remember her first visit to Maraaish. She literally brought the topic up with father even though she could have talked to other people. She got prisoners released the very next day." Amir told his mother, grinning as he remembered that day.

He was in utter awe of her since that very day. He remembered how beautiful she looked, how gracefully she had carried herself and how hard she had tried to look modest..just so she could impress him.

"And that's the day you were in awe of her, no? Maybe that's why she did it." Her mother joked but Haya took that seriously.

Yes, she visited Maraaish so she could have met Amir but she was also  extremely passionate about getting those prisoners released.

"I didn't do it to impress, Amir. He was already impressed." Haya commented, smiling despite a little bit of annoyance that she felt for a moment.

"I did it because those prisoners deserved to be free, they had already finished their sentences. They deserved to be with their families." She said, tilting her head a little bit as food got served on their plates.

Amir thanked the lady who was serving the food and looked at his wife the moment she took a bite of it.

He hadn't cooked for Haya before, not even once..so he was both nervous and excited for her to try it.

She took a bite, chewing it properly as she felt all the spices mix up in her mouth. It was quite different but the kind of different that she actually liked. The flavour was quite rich and she would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised that her husband was such a good cook..

Amir, upon seeing the surprised expression on her face simply smiled, glad that she was liking it.

He ate the food in silence himself, only speaking once he had finished his bite.

"Haya, I have a proposal for you. If you're interested, maybe you can start from there?" He started off, catching his wife's attention.

He had though quite alot about it, had discussed it with his father even. The King had been hesitant but he knew his son wouldn't appreciate it if he refused, so he let Amir decide what he deemed appropriate.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

Haya gestured him to go on as she took another bite and then stared at him, listening attentively..

"So basically we are trying to create a balance. Around eighty percent workforce in our country is men and remaining is women."

He gave her the statistics. Haya felt a little shocked. In her country, the working women force made up around thirty nine percent and while it was the highest amongst the middle eastern countries, she still wanted it to rise and had always complained to her father about it.

She couldn't believe that only twenty percent women worked in Maraaish.

"This topic was held up at UN for women last year and our representative just didn't have any answer for that." He further said, Haya nodded.

"Okay..." She mumbled, eating another bite as Amir stopped and took another one.

She waited for him to tell her more but he turned his attention towards his mother and pointed at the dish placed on the table.

"Mother, have some of this. I put less spice for you." He picked it up and handed it over.

"Thank you, my love. It's just as tasty as I remember." His mother replied, smiling at his son.

Haya remembered that she hadn't really told Amir how much she liked the food so she did it now.

"It's really tasty. Better than I expected." She said to him, Amir only smiled and murmured a thank you.

As the rice got served and she saw her husband mix it with the dish he had made, she copied his act.

"So you were saying?" Haya asked, mixing both the things together just the same way her husband had done it.

"Yes, so basically I want you to devise a plan where we can at least have some fresh figures and there is a growth." He started off, Haya listened with complete attention.

"Amir, don't you think that the women don't want to work either way? Their men are earning enough, they don't need to earn." She heard her mother in law chime in.

She understood her point of view but she disagreed with it completely.

"It's not just about the money. It's about having a purpose. I mean, I am pretty good when it comes to money but that does not mean I don't have to work." She explained, hearing her husband agree with her.

"Exactly."

"I think it also has something to do with the fact that there is no equal pay. If a man is doing a job he will get paid at least 60% more than the women at the same position." Amir further told her, definitely not liking the policy.

He knew that it would take a long time to change things in his country. He could not just start being a flag bearer of gender equality and expect his countrymen to be okay with it.

For decades, Maraaish had been a male dominant country and things couldn't change in a year or two. It would take decades.

"There you have it. No wonder they don't work."

Haya mumbled, not believing that two people who worked in the same position, with the same set of skills..would have different pay scales because one had a vagina and the other didn't.

Amir nodded.

"Haya, research on this. Take it slow and come up with a good strategy. I'm thinking we can open up a trust in your name where women can register to find jobs."

She looked at him, surprised.

"Seriously?"

"Of course. We already have a trust in mother's name for cancer survivors. There's one under Najma's name for orphan girls. We can have one under your name too. You don't have to work there but it'll be run by women and will have your name." Amir explained, seeing the happy look on her face.

He knew his wife liked the spotlight. He didn't mind giving it to her until it was a positive thing.

"That sounds great. Yeah?"

"Yeah." He affirmed, smiling.

"And one more thing." He further said as he saw his wife eat and nod at the same time.

"Do not have an aggressive approach. We're not looking to create some big progression in the country, we're just trying to up the numbers a little bit so we can show that work is being done." He told her, knowing how passionate she could get at times.

"I'm being very honest with you, it's all about the image, Haya."

Amir stated.

She wanted to groan. It wasn't just about the image. It was about creating a change. It was about creating a scenario where women could work alongside men and be considered equal.

"Yeah, okay." She still said, knowing she had to read and research before arguing over it.

"No bashing anyone, please baby." He requested, suddenly closing his eyes and cringing as he remembered his mother was on the very same table.

The Queen cleared her throat and Haya found Amir's slightly red cheeks, indicating that he felt a little embarassed.

She let out a laugh, earning a smile from her mother in law as well.

"Don't worry, I won't." Haya still said, enjoying the dinner more than she had expected.

@Haya : You are very lucky if you have someone to whom you can tell about your bad behaviors without them thinking that you are a bad person, but because they know that what is inside you is purer and more beautiful. - Nizar Qabbani.

"Atleast let me walk you to the car." Amir insisted.

He had already tried to tell his mother that he would take her home but she had refused, telling him that there was no point in taking a thirteen car security team because the Crown Prince was travelling to drop his mother at the Palace.

She was quite happy with her own envoy of five cars and security.

"Fine, sure." She mumbled, turning towards Haya who was at the door ready to say good bye.

"Okay, Haya. Visit soon, yes?" Haya nodded, air kissing the woman's cheeks.

"Yes, inshallah." She said, earning a pleased smile from both the mother and son.

She put her hand on Haya's cheek. Usually, Haya didn't appreciate anyone but her own parents and Amir doing a gesture like this but she didn't exactly mind it today.

"My daughter," She heard her mother in law say, as if she was saying it with a certain adoration in her voice.

Haya didn't really know what else to say but smile and thank the woman for visiting.

"Thank you for coming. You're welcome any time." She told her, earning a nod.

"Take care of yourself." Haya murmured her good bye, walking back inside as Amir stood there with hai mother..grinning.

"I guess she warmed up to you." He mentioned, walking along as they walked around the garden as the cars got ready.

"She has a golden heart. She's just a little stubborn." He heard his mother say.

He couldn't disagree.

"There was alot of drama at home. I couldn't tell you last night because Najma was there." His mother mentioned, he frowned.

"What happened?"

"Well, your other mother came and started to yell."

He knew his mother didn't always get along with his father's other wife. Even though the woman was extremely kind and humble natured, there were times when both became really protective of their children.

Still, this bitterness had never really travelled to their children. All of them simply loved each other without ever thinking about anything else.

"What?"

"How dare Amir's wife say such horrible things to my daughter?"

She mimicked the woman's words, Amir raised his eyes.

"She proceeded to call Haya stubborn mean, a magician because she managed to make you swoon all over her."

He clicked his tongue. He didn't like it at all when people bad mouthed Haya without even knowing who she was.

"Astaghfirullah."

"I told her not to ever take my daughter in law's name like that. I couldn't really defend Haya much since she did say all those things to Suhoor."

His mother told him, he shrugged.

There was nothing that could be done in this situation. Haya had promised him that she would let everything go and so had his sister. He knew both of them enough to understand that the would not argue again.

"It's all sorted now, mother. You don't need to worry. It's been hard on Haya too." He mentioned, knowing that everything was different here for Haya.

He couldn't blame her for not taking everything in with a smile on her face.

"I can understand. I saw stars in her eyes when you were talking about work with her." He smiled.

"She really enjoys work so I knew it would make her happy. She needed a little cheering up." He replied, happy that was happy.

"But are you sure this is the right thing to assign to her?" His mother enquired.

Amir gestured her to move towards the cars.

"Father was hesitant as well but I think she will be fine." He mentioned, his mother stopped in her tracks and looked at her son.

"Look, I have seen her interviews and read about her a lot. Even the way she talks, I know for a fact that she is very passionate when it comes to gender and gender neutrality." She explained, continuing.

"Amir, this country has been run by men for years now. Not just ruled but it's the men who are always superior and I know it's not very uplifting but it is how things have always been."

"What if she sparks an outrage?"

He understood his mother's concern.

"This is why I told her not to take an aggressive approach. She is smart enough to understand." He defended, his mother sighed.

"Is she smart enough to understand how things are run in Maraaish?" She shot back, Amir let out a sigh.

His mother had hardly ever taken interest in such things before.

"Mother, why are you thinking all of this?" He asked, she just shrugged. 

"I just don't want any more trouble." She stated, Amir shook his head.

"There won't be. Trust me because I trust her." He affirmed.

She just embraced her son, bidding him off.

After bidding his mother off, Amir hadn't walked back to his bedroom where he supposed Haya would be. Infact, he had spent another two hours in his study on a video call with the Turkish ambassador.

After finishing up with his work, he had walked upstairs and found his wife on the phone with her cousin, laughing and mocking something that he couldn't quite understand..

He had showered and shaved, ready to rest but the moment his eyes stared the bed, he found his wife in front of him with a beautiful smile on her face.

"Have I told you how much I fucking love you?"

She asked, Amir cocked an eyebrow at her.

A curse word with love too?

"Hm?" He murmured, giving her the time to change her sentence..

She looked so excited that she didn't even roll her eyes this time. Infact, she quickly changed her sentence..

"Have I told you how much I really really love you?" She asked again, Amir grinned showing off his dimples.

"Yes." He affirmed, Haya wrapped her arms around him.

"The food was so nice and then you made everything even better by telling me you had found something that I could work on." She rambled, looking excited like a child.

"You know how much I've been thinking about where I want to start from? You solved that for me." She further said, Amir pulled her back to stare at her face.

"You're happy then?" He enquired, Haya nodded.

"So happy that I don't even want to curse to annoy you."

He raised his eyes, surprised.

"Then I'm happy too." Amir admitted, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Haya had always found forehead kisses such a father thing to do and yet with Amir, it always felt so romantic and just so right.

"And I'm also glad that you were good with my mother." He murmured, his lips still on top of her head.

"She's actually very nice. I enjoyed her company." Haya told him the truth, Amir only hummed.

"Feel like you can breathe better now?" He teased, she let out a laugh and kissed his mouth.

"Always when you're around."

She mumbled on the top of his lips, too happy to give a fuck about anything else.

__

Thoughts?