His Substitute Wife

Dowry

Aleena's head snapped towards Nihal after hearing what Zayd had said but unfortunately, Nihal looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Her reaction did nothing to calm Aleena's already erratic heart down. 

And then just as he appeared, he disappeared, leaving two anxious ladies and an angry grandmother alone. 

"Zeynep," Rezan sultan called the house maid, "ask one of the men to call Imam Ibrahim if he is free tonight. Tell him we want him to officiate a marriage union for us."

A gasp escaped Aleena's mouth. "Tonight?" she squeaked. 

"Is there a problem with that?" Rezan sultan asked with narrowed eyes. 

"No, of course not," Nihal quickly answered before Aleena could say anything. 

Aleena opened her mouth to respond but before she could saying anything, Rezan sultan spoke up again.

"Go," she ordered Zeynep after hearing Nihal's answer. "If he's not available tonight, schedule him for the next available date." 

Aleena felt her heart sink upon hearing those words. Although she knew exactly what it was she was there to do, she did not feel prepared at all. It was marriage after all. Marriage was supposed to be sacred, special and life changing. It wasn't the union of one man and one woman but of two different families. Over the past week she tried to mentally prepare herself for this union but being told that the union would actually be happening and as early as that night, scared her. She wasn't ready at all. 

"This was so sudden so we don't have any dowry prepared for you," Rezan suddenly turned to Aleena. "Just tell me what you want and we will prepare it for you." 

In their tradition, there were two parts to the dowry. There was the set that the bride's mother usually prepared from her birth. It generally included household items like kitchen sets and curtains as well as covers. The second part of the dowry was a price set by the bride that the groom needed to pay. It could be absolutely anything with some brides being so in love with their grooms that they only ask for a few dollars and other smarter brides asking for as much as a house. 

Aleena's mother died when she was very young and her father had no idea how to set a dowry for her so he had always put some money aside to give to her as a wedding gift. It was his life savings so she always felt guilty but she new his intentions so she was very grateful. However, there was no way she would accept it for this wedding with Zayd. So she was not bringing anything into their family with her. Which was why she also did not want to take anything from them. She would fulfil her duty for the next six months and then leave without taking anything from them. She felt as if entering and leaving as a ghost was most beneficial. 

"I-I don't want anything."

"The dowry is a woman's right," Rezan stated, not looking impressed by Aleena's response at all. "Our family is well respected and if anyone would find out that we did not pay our bride their dowry, we would be looked down upon. Name a price and we will see to it." 

Aleena found it interesting that Rezan sultan started speaking as if she cared about Aleena's rights only to end it in the topic of saving her own face. Her intentions were obvious. 

"Aleena is a little shy," Nihal told the queen of the house. "I will discuss this matter with her and let you know."

Rezan sultan pressed her lips together before she shook her head. She then gave Aleena one last unimpressed look before she left the two girls alone. 

"I don't want anything from them," Aleena whispered when the madam was out of eye sight. 

"Don't be ridiculous," Nihal said before she pulled her to the corner so she could speak to her without others hearing. "The dowry is your guarantee. If anything happens to your husband in the future, it's so that you can live without him." 

"He won't be my husband in the long run," she told her friend, who already knew that better than anyone else. "I feel like I'm taking something I don't deserve." 

Nihal sighed before she looked her friend in the eye warningly, "Don't say silly stuff like that in front of anyone. Those in this house aside, no one else knows the truth behind this marriage. It would cause the Arslan family to lose face and if they lose face because of this, I will be the one to suffer!" 

Aleena nodded her head and squirmed uncomfortably underneath the harsh gaze of her friend. She had never seen her like that before. 

"As for the dowry, consider it a p*****t for your service the next six months. They're a harsh and strict family so your stay here won't be easy. The money will be compensation for your suffering."

Hearing those words come out of Nihal's mouth only made Aleena feel all the more anxious about her impending marriage. It surely couldn't be as bad as what she was making it, right? 

"I don't know how much people usually ask in these situations," she said truthfully. Even if she were to name a price, she didn't want it to be so much that it made her look materialistic but also not so little that it made her self-worth seem non-existent. 

"If you need a reference, I asked for half a million," Nihal said, causing Aleena to gasp. 

"Half a million?" she couldn't believe it. 

"The Arslans are wealthier than you can imagine," NIhal told her. "I could have asked for more but I didn't want to push it. I was marrying for love instead of money after all." 

Aleena thought about her situation and it most definitely wasn't love. She had married in return for her father's surgery. Did that mean that she was marrying for money then?

"I think ten thousand should be enough," Aleena finally said. She thought about it and she thought that that might be a suitable amount. If she were to marry Deniz, that's how much she would have asked from him as well. 

"Think carefully," Aleena told her. "You're putting six whole months of your life on hold for this. Do you think that's enough as compensation for your six months lost?"

Aleena could see her point however, she really didn't want anything from the family. She just wanted to leave without any problems and she was happy. 

"Your happiness will be my compensation," she told her friend with a small smile on her face. Aleena's entire demeanour changed into something much softer. She pulled Aleena into a hug and the two girls held each other until Nihal pulled back. 

"Thank you for doing this for me," Nihal told her friend with a genuine smile.

"You saved my father," Aleena responded. "This is the least I could do."

Nihal nodded with a smile before she asked, "You're certain you only want ten thousand?"

"Positive." 

Nihal sighed and was about to say something else but suddenly Zeynep ran back in and excitedly shouted for the madam. 

"My lady," she called, looking all out of breath. 

"What are you screaming for?" Rezan sultan asked grumpily as she stepped out of the kitchen. 

"Imam Ibrahim scheduled the ceremony for tomorrow afternoon." 

Aleena's heart dropped into her stomach. In less than twenty four hours, she would be the new substitute bride of the Arslan family. 

She really hoped she could get through the next six months without any issues, but looking at the Arslan family, she had a feeling that there wouldn't be single day that would pass by without any problems.