Yasmin’s mouth went dry. “How did she die?”

Narin’s gaze pierced Yasmin and it was in then that Yasmin suspected the older woman was directing every part of their conversation. She had wanted Yasmin to know that she knew about the kidnapping. That she wouldn’t find an ally under that roof. Now she wanted Yasmin to know about Caria. It was a subtle but unmistakable threat. If Yasmin didn’t fall in line, her fate could become the same as the woman who went before her.

“The poor girl drowned,” Narin said, sipping her cup of tea, her gaze on Yasmin’s face, clocking each expression. “She was visiting the dockyard and slipped over the edge between the dock and one of the ships. She drowned before anyone could get her out. Such a tragedy. Volkan was a broken man for years after the incident.”

Narin’s eyes glittered, reinforcing Yasmin’s thinking that she was being threatened by the mercurial matriarch of the Kartel household.

Narin drained her tea and pushed away from the table, standing. “Now, if you’re ready, I’ll show you around the rest of the property. We have guards stationed all over the grounds, but you’ll barely see them, they blend in so well. We have other security measures as well, including a sophisticated alarm system…” She continued to outline everything that would make it difficult for Yasmin to escape, while Yasmin trailed behind her, feeling more trapped than she had since waking up in Volkan’s arms the first time he’d drugged her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After their morning confrontation, Yasmin wanted to despise Narin, but the other woman was making it difficult. Mostly because she was impossible to pin down long enough to hate. She was always moving, always touching and rearranging things, directing staff, and worst of all, knocking down wedding plans like they were bowling pins.

After showing Yasmin the grounds, Narin had a wedding consultant come in who outlined everything that would need to be done to pull off a wedding in a month. First, they’d need to find a dress so it could go for alterations immediately. Then they had to decide on flowers, colours, traditions, etc.

Narin was careful to incorporate Yasmin’s Hindu heritage, suggesting a gorgeous red sari for the wedding dress, which Yasmin agreed to immediately, her eyes clinging to the sketch the designer made for them. Hindu weddings were usually three day affairs, but given the short time they had to plan, both women agreed to a single day event.

Next came choosing the invitations, which was mind-numbingly boring. Finally, Yasmin pointed at one and said, “That one.”

“Oh, good choice,” Narin said, giving her a genuine smile as she circled the magnificent mahogany dining table, which was covered in stationery.