As Veronica was preparing to dine alone, in her guest room, as a break from the hectic round of dinners with the Emir, her step-mother, her sister and...her niece in various combinations, the telephone rang in the guest suite."Hullo," she said, wondering who might be telephoning her here."Good evening, Countess," said a pleasant tenor voice, "Allow me to introduce myself, since nobody else has seen fit to do so. I am Crown Prince Mustapha, the eldest son of the Emir. We met once at Stapleford. Waking up the next morning, I saw that Nick replied to my msg at 2am, saying he just got home a bit drunk, that he's off to bed, but would love it if I were to stop by after gym, and I should give him a call when I'm on my way. My hubby woke soon after me and he was feeling a bit better. Wasnt long till my daughter too was awake. I got up and made my hubby coffee and daughter breakfast before getting dressed for gym. It was just after 9am when I gave my husband a kiss on the cheek and told him. Donald went with his family every summer to his grandmother's house in the country. His cousin had been there since she was born, but that was the first year she mattered. That year, he was a teenager.For most of the year, Donald never thought about his cousin. But the week before the trip, she starred in all his best fantasies.He would imagine her playing in the yard, running through the tall grass. He would chase her, and she would giggle. When he caught her (her fight was only half-hearted,. Mamma used to tell me to get my nose out of the books and look at the world, but I was afraid to see if anyone was laughing at me for my short comings. My books let my mind wander freely to distant places with many men who called me lovely. It was that same imagination that took over as I picked up the envelope and turned it over, looking for a return address. There was none. Well now, do I open it and read some dreadful news I don’t want to hear or find out that I finally won some lottery.