Chapter 99 — The Price of Crossing the Line
Khalid followed Balkis's gaze.
And there he was.
The man he hated with every fiber of his being, walking steadily toward them.
Sulaimon.
Instinctively, Khalid tightened his grip around Balkis's wrist.
"Let go of her."
Sulaimon's voice was calm.
Too calm.
His expression remained composed, but his eyes told an entirely different story.
Khalid scoffed arrogantly.
"Is what I'm doing any of your business?"
A cold smile slowly spread across Sulaimon's face.
"You can't hold my woman like that and expect me to stand here and applaud you."
His voice remained frighteningly calm.
"So let her go."
He paused.
"Or you might regret it."
Khalid's anger flared.
"Who is your woman?" he snapped. "How dare you spout such nonsense? She is mine. Didn't she tell you?"
Sulaimon's expression hardened.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers twice.
Immediately, five men dressed in suits and wireless communication earpiece appeared and surrounded them.
It happened so quickly that everyone froze.
The girls stared.
It was unexpected.
And strangely impressive.
"Let her go," Sulaimon repeated.
"This is the third time I'm telling you. I won't repeat myself after this."
Khalid glared at him.
"Shut your mouth and leave, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Is! Leave my—"
Slap!
The sound echoed sharply through the air.
Everyone froze.
Five red fingerprints stamped themselves across Khalid's cheek.
The slap had come from Balkis.
Her eyes were blazing.
"How dare you?"
Her voice trembled with fury.
"I told you never to cross my path again! We are done. Don't you have ears, or is this some kind of forceful arrangement?"
"Your brain is not made of marshmallows right?
Khalid slowly released her wrist.
His hand went to his cheek.
"You slapped me?"
He stared at her in disbelief, as though the very idea was impossible.
"You actually slapped me?"
Even the girls were shocked.
Apparently, they hadn't expected Balkis to be the one to deliver the first blow.
Sulaimon, however, didn't react with surprise.
Instead, he immediately signaled his men.
The moment Khalid's hand left Balkis, two of the bodyguards seized him.
Khalid struggled.
Hard.
But it was useless.
They held him as though he weighed nothing.
Sulaimon calmly tapped the watch on his wrist and spoke a few words in a strange language before ending the call.
It's Spanish, (Consígueme todos los detalles sobre él. Contacta a su familia y adviérteles haciendo que su valor de mercado caiga un 15 por ciento en 5 minutos.) Folakemi and Faridat said at the same time.
"Get me every detail about him, contact his family and warned them by dropping their market value within 5mins by 15 percent!" That is what he said now. Faridat, Basit sister whispered to the girls.
The girls exchanged confused glances before realization dawn on them.
Oh my God!
He had just made a call through his watch.
Khalid did not want the girl to know about his action but reality proved otherwise, he should have used German. And who knows maybe they will understand too. Sigh, let's it be then.
One of the men restraining Khalid suddenly touched his earpiece.
"Yes, sir."
He didn't even look toward Sulaimon.
The girls noticed the discreet earpiece tucked into his ear—the kind used by professional security personnel.
The man then walked toward Khalid.
He stopped directly in front of him.
With one hand, he adjusted his glasses.
Then he stared at Khalid's face for a moment.
Snap.
A picture.
Another angle.
Snap.
Another picture.
Then he simply walked away.
Farhan, Faridat's friend, stared after him in disbelief. She is also from a middle class family like Balkis, Rayyan and Rihannat.
"What?! He took pictures with his glasses? Just like that?"
She shook her head.
"The world is really revolving!"
The girls burst into nervous laughter.
But nobody noticed Sulaimon moving until he was already standing directly in front of Khalid, occupying the exact spot the other man had just left.
Khalid was still struggling violently against the bodyguards' grip.
It was completely useless.
He looked as though he was caught in the claws of a tiger.
His clothes had become crumpled from the struggle, and his once-arrogant appearance had been reduced to something pitiful.
Sulaimon looked at his pathetic state.
He clicked his tongue.
It was becoming obvious that whenever Sulaimon was angry, that was one of his habits.
"I would have beaten you black and blue if not for…"
He paused.
His jaw tightened.
"…the restraint I have to exercise with every ounce of control in my body."
His eyes darkened.
"If not, I would gladly take pleasure in making you experience even a fraction of what you put her through."
His voice dropped.
"The hell you put her through."
He leaned closer.
"You animal living among humans."
Khalid stared at him.
Sulaimon had noticed the moment he appeared.
At first, he had assumed the man was simply another student or perhaps someone pursuing Balkis.
But then he had seen the girls' expressions change.
He had seen the fear in Balkis's eyes.
And his instincts—the same instincts that had helped him navigate the ruthless business world for years—had immediately warned him.
This is him.
The man who had turned Balkis's life upside down.
The man who had hurt her deeply enough to make Sulaimon realize just how difficult it would be to win her heart.
The man who had nearly ruined her.
And now he still had the audacity to claim her?
How dare he?
Sulaimon gave a small nod.
The bodyguards understood immediately.
They kicked Khalid hard in the leg.
His knee buckled.
He stumbled forward and fell onto one knee.
Sulaimon slowly bent down until they were at eye level.
"I wouldn't have come if I were you."
He smiled faintly.
"Or perhaps you don't know who I am."
He straightened slightly.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly."
His eyes remained cold.
"I'm Sulaimon Whitney."
He paused deliberately.
"My name should ring a bell, shouldn't it?"
Khalid's face changed. No, it paled.
Sulaimon's smile deepened.
"CEO of Whitney Group."
The words landed heavily.
"And that is exactly why I said, if I were you, I would have walk away from her before I noticed you."
He clicked his tongue.
"What an unlucky day for you."
His gaze hardened.
"Unfortunately, your family will suffer the consequences of your stupidity too."
He shook his head.
"What a bad son you are."
Khalid phone suddenly rang.
Sulaimon glanced at the khalid, already knowing who the caller is without looking at the screen.
Then he smiled.
Khalid's face drained of color.
It was his grandfather.
Why would the old man be calling him now?
Especially after everything Sulaimon had just said?
His trembling hands moved toward his phone.
"Wait."
Sulaimon stopped him.
Khalid froze.
"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
Sulaimon's voice remain calm as if discussing business.
"I won't repeat myself."
He turned slightly.
"Balkis."
She looked at him.
Sulaimon stood and walked toward her.
Then he stopped beside her.
"She is my woman."
His gaze shifted back to Khalid.
"My wife-to-be."
The girls' eyes widened.
Balkis's face instantly burned.
Sulaimon continued as though he hadn't just dropped a bombshell.
"And I will not allow any unwanted man around her."
His voice hardened.
"She has been taken."
He paused.
"Think of it this way."
"If a man is given a treasure and throws it away, and someone else who recognizes its value finds it and takes it—treating that treasure with exactly the care and respect a gem deserves…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Is it anybody's fault?"
He shook his head.
"You can only blame yourself."
"Your ego."
"And your spoiled nature."
"You destroyed your chance with her. Don't disturb her peace now that she has finally moved on."
His expression became deadly serious.
"She has lost interest in you. Accept it."
"Allow her life to continue in peace."
He pointed toward Khalid.
"Get that into your skull."
"Never approach her again."
"Not for any reason."
He stepped closer.
"Stay as far away from her as you possibly can from this moment onward…"
His eyes flashed.
"…if you don't want to lose your arms and legs."
Silence.
Sulaimon turned away.
He gently pulled Balkis toward the car.
The girls immediately followed, almost automatically.
None of them said a word.
They were still trying to process what they had just witnessed.
Sulaimon hadn't shouted.
He hadn't thrown a single punch.
He hadn't needed to.
His calmness was more frightening than violence.
The authority he carried, the controlled power in his voice, the precision of his bodyguards—it all left them stunned.
Behind them, the bodyguards released Khalid.
He collapsed onto the ground, disheveled and humiliated.
The men immediately dispersed.
Within seconds, they were gone.
It was as though they had never been there.
Their movements had been so coordinated, so disciplined, so precise that the girls could only stare.
And then it finally dawned on them.
Sulaimon had never been alone.
He had always had guards watching over him.
Hidden, silent, invisible.
They simply hadn't noticed them before.
Until today.
And as Balkis stepped into the car, she couldn't help but glance back at Sulaimon.
The playful man who had been wiggling his tongue at her moments ago was nowhere to be found.
What stood before her now was the real Sulaimon Whitney.
The man behind the entire Whitney group.
The businessman behind the charm.
The man whose power could make even someone like Khalid tremble.
And somehow, that frightened her almost as much as it fascinated her.