LITMIR.BIZ

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mother, when she brought in Lucia, wasn’t exactly gushing with excitement at the prospect of her daughter flying off to the Middle East.

      They met in the foyer and there was only time for a very brief cuddle with Lucia as she told her mother the news.

      ‘Gabi, isn’t it time you looked for a more practical job?’

      ‘I love my work,’ Gabi said. ‘I’m good at what I do.’

      ‘Of course, but some dreams you have to let go of when you have a baby. When I found out I was pregnant with you I had to give up my studies...’

      Gabi closed her eyes, she had heard it all many times before.

      Only history wasn’t repeating itself.

      She held Lucia to her cheek and breathed in the soft baby scent.

      If anything, Lucia made her want to achieve more; her love for her daughter drove Gabi to be better rather than less. And, yes, it would be hard to leave her, but the money would certainly help, as well as the boost to her career.

      But more than that, so much more than that, she would be able to tell Lucia her history for she would have seen Alim’s country first hand.

      Gabi had grown up not knowing anything about her father; her daughter would not suffer the same fate.

      ‘Are you able to look after Lucia for two nights?’

      ‘You know I shall.’

      Gabi thanked her mother. She knew Lucia would be beautifully taken care of, and though it was her first concern it wasn’t the only one—Gabi wanted to be very sure she wasn’t walking into a trap.

      So, to be sure, she called the number she had been given by Bernadetta.

      Violetta’s voice was familiar and Gabi recalled that she had dealt with the hotel arrangements for Marianna when Mona and James had married.

      Now Gabi knew why.

      ‘Alim is concerned that his European guests will not understand Zethlehan ways,’ Violetta explained. ‘He said that you have a good eye for detail. We want the wedding to be seamless and all the guests’ needs attended to.’

      ‘Who shall I be liaising with?’

      ‘Mainly me, but also the hotel manager at the venue where the commoner guests shall be housed. That is where you shall be staying during this visit, so you can work from a visual.’

      ‘I see.’

      There was no firm date yet but Violetta ran through the guest list. Some of the names were familiar. Bastiano Conti was amongst them and Gabi knew he was not just a friend of Alim’s but about to be the new owner of the Grande Lucia.

      It sounded legit.

      Yes, it was more lavish and complex than anything she had dealt with before but, at the end of the day, it sounded like just another wedding to plan.

      And so for now she dealt with it as such.

      ‘Where will the service be held?’

      ‘There will be two services,’ Violetta explained. ‘A small, very intimate gathering of family and elders, but we would take care of that. Following the formal service there will be a large reception back at the palace. We need you to help transport the guests and to ensure that they wear suitable attire.’ She went through the dress codes with Gabi. ‘Also, all dietary requirements from them must come through you.’

      Yes, just like any other wedding!

      ‘When you are here,’ Violetta continued, ‘you can speak with the palace head chef, so it might be helpful if you could bring some menu suggestions that he can incorporate. The banquet will be traditional but we want alternatives that can cater to all palates.’

      ‘I see.’ Gabi swallowed and forced herself to delve a little deeper. ‘When I get there and speak to Sultan Alim I can ask him—’

      ‘Oh, no,’ Violetta quickly broke in. ‘While I understand that you worked alongside the Sultan at the Grande Lucia, things are very different here. You will not have access to the Sultan; you will deal directly with me.’

      And that was the real reason she agreed.

      Gabi needed contacts, and not of the usual kind, and Violetta would be a very good one to have. One day she would be ready to tell Alim about Lucia and, as she was fast finding out, you didn’t just call up a palace and ask to be put through to the Sultan.

      And so, to Bernadetta’s delight, Gabi said yes.

      ‘You need to go home and prepare.’ Bernadetta, for the first time ever, insisted that Gabi leave early. ‘You have black trousers...?’ she checked.

      Gabi’s curves had returned and she felt Bernadetta’s disapproval as she looked over her figure.

      ‘I do.’

      She just hoped they would fit.

      ‘What about this wedding?’ Gabi asked Bernadetta. ‘There’s still so much to be done.’

      ‘I think I can manage,’ Bernadetta said, ‘though if you could sort out the flowers before you go...’

      Lazy to the last, Gabi thought.

      Sophie found her a new vase and Gabi’s hands were shaking as she rearranged the flowers. She heard an email ping in.

      Gabi saw that it was from Violetta and picked up her tablet to read it. She would fly tomorrow at midday and the flight was first class.

      It was all a little overwhelming.

      Not the itinerary and not just leaving little Lucia but that the man she loved was getting married.

      How? Gabi thought as she walked out of the office with the flowers. She did not know how her heart could still beat while planning his wedding.

      ‘Hey.’

      A man called out to her as she went to take the roses up to the bridal suite and, distracted, she nodded at the handsome stranger.

      ‘Gabi!’

      He called out her name.

      ‘Oh!’ She stopped when she realised that it was Raul, one of the potential buyers for the hotel, and then she remembered how he would know her. ‘You were in the ballroom when Alim...’ Her voice trailed off as she recalled how Alim had scolded and then dismissed her that day.

      It had been the day Lucia had been born!

      Oh, she had been cross, so cross with Alim, though this stranger was clearly not to blame for that!

      ‘I’m hoping to meet with Alim.’

      ‘Good luck!’ Gabi rolled her eyes. ‘He’s back home.’

      ‘Oh!’

      ‘For his wedding.’

      ‘I see.’

      ‘I’m planning it, actually.’

      She felt as if she was about to cry.

      ‘Can you let him know I need to speak with him?’

      ‘I’m a wedding planner,’ Gabi said, and she let a little of her anger out before walking off. ‘I don’t get access to the Sultan.’

      * * *

      Saying goodbye to Lucia was incredibly hard.

      She had already been staying at her mother’s this weekend.

      Going back to work yesterday and leaving little Lucia for twelve hours had seemed agony at the time but now she would be away for two days and two nights.

      One day would be spent travelling to Zethlehan, then a night at a luxurious hotel followed by a day of meetings with Violetta.

      The second night would be spent travelling back to Rome

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