11/06/2025
For six months, I let my fiancé and his family mock me in Arabic, thinking I was just a naive American girl who didn't understand. They had no idea I was fluent in Arabic! And they definitely had no idea I was recording every word to use against them...//...The sound of laughter echoed through the Damascus Rose Restaurant's private dining room, but I sat perfectly still, my fork hovering over the lamb. Around the table, 12 members of the Almanzor family gestured animatedly, their Arabic flowing like water, deliberately excluding me.
At the head of the table sat Tariq, my fiancé, his hand resting possessively on my shoulder, translating absolutely nothing. From across the table, his mother, Leila, watched me with sharp falcon eyes, a slight smile on her lips. She knew. They all knew.
Tariq leaned toward his younger brother, Omar, speaking in rapid Arabic, casual, as if I weren't there.
"She doesn't even know how to prepare proper coffee," Tariq said, his voice dripping with amusement. "Yesterday she used a machine."
"A machine?" Omar snorted, nearly choking on his wine. "Like we're at some American diner? Brother, what happened to your standards?"
I took a delicate sip of water, my face a careful mask of polite confusion. The same expression I'd perfected for six months. The same one I’d used for eight years in Dubai, where I learned that the most powerful position is the one where everyone underestimates you.
Tariq’s hand squeezed my shoulder. "My mother was just saying how beautiful you look tonight, Habibti."
I smiled back, soft and grateful. "That's so sweet. Please tell her thank you."
What Leila, his mother, had actually said, not thirty seconds ago, was that my dress was "too tight and made me look cheap."
Tariq's sister, Amira, muttered just loud enough for the family. "She can't even speak our language, knows nothing about our culture. What kind of wife will she make?"
"The kind who doesn't know when she's being insulted," Tariq replied smoothly, and the table erupted in laughter.
I laughed too. A small, uncertain sound. Inside, I was calculating. Documenting. Adding every word to the list.
My phone buzzed in my clutch. I excused myself and locked myself in the marble restroom. The message was from James Chen, my father’s head of security.
‘Documentation uploaded. Audio from the last three family dinners successfully transcribed. Your father wants to know if you're ready to proceed.’
I typed back quickly. ‘Not yet. He needs to incriminate himself professionally, not just personally.’
I deleted the conversation, refreshed my lipstick, and walked back to the table. Tariq's father, Hassan, was raising his glass for a toast, speaking entirely in Arabic.
"To my son's clever match," he announced. "May he extract every advantage from this alliance, and may the American girl remain blissfully ignorant of her purpose."
"My father wishes us happiness and prosperity," Tariq translated smoothly.
"That's beautiful," I murmured, raising my glass and meeting his eyes. They all believed I was the lamb being led to slaughter. They had no idea I was the one setting the trap...
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