Preview of Previous Chapter:
Zayd faced his first clash with Amir Fahad ibn Rashid, Damascus' most powerful silk merchant. Fahad bribed inspectors and tax officers to choke Zayd's shop before it could open. But Zayd countered by bribing higher officials, securing papers sealed with the Emir's authority. For now, Fahad's schemes had failed—but the war had only just begun.
📍 Scene: The Annex Courtyard – Damascus – Morning
The orange trees gave off a sweet scent as workers hammered shelves into place. Tailors unfolded bolts of cloth, perfumers tested new blends. To an outsider, the annex looked like a busy workshop preparing for its opening. But Zayd wasn't watching the shelves. He was watching the street.
Fahad's men lingered at every corner, pretending to be customers. Their eyes were sharp, measuring every move.
QADIR (grumbling):
"Like rats sniffing around. Give me ten minutes and a stick, I'll chase them all away."
ZAYD (calmly):
"No. Let them watch. The more they look here, the less they see what I do elsewhere."
Layla set down a tray of papers, her eyes narrowing.
LAYLA:
"You already have a plan, don't you?"
Zayd smiled faintly, though his eyes were cold.
ZAYD:
"Fahad wins through fear. If merchants see him as untouchable, they bend before he even strikes. So we show them he can bleed."
📍 Scene: Caravanserai – Night
Later that evening, Zayd met discreetly with Yusuf, a young merchant whose spice stalls had been seized by Fahad's men the week before. The man looked defeated, his hands trembling as he poured tea.
YUSUF:
"He raised my tariffs until I couldn't pay. Guards came the next morning and took my stock. My family is ruined."
Zayd placed a small leather pouch on the table. Inside, twenty gold coins shone under the lamplight.
ZAYD:
"This is not charity. It is an investment. Take this gold, buy your spices again—but sell them under my protection. Fahad will not touch you."
Yusuf's eyes widened.
YUSUF:
"You… you can do that?"
ZAYD leaned closer.
ZAYD:
"I don't make promises I cannot keep. You sell for me, and when Fahad's men come, I'll make an example of them."
The man nodded quickly, clutching the pouch like a lifeline.
📍 Scene: Damascus Bazaar – Afternoon
Three days later, Fahad's enforcers stormed into Yusuf's stall, expecting an easy seizure. Instead, they found Zayd standing there, arms folded, Qadir at his side, and two dozen workers from the annex gathered behind him.
ENFORCER (sneering):
"This stall belongs to Fahad ibn Rashid. Clear out before you're dragged out."
Zayd stepped forward, voice calm but sharp enough to cut.
ZAYD:
"No. This stall belongs to Yusuf, under my coin and my name. If you take from him, you take from me."
The enforcer laughed, but the laughter died when Qadir unsheathed a blade—just enough for the sun to catch its edge. The crowd in the market grew, eyes watching.
Zayd didn't blink.
ZAYD:
"Go back to your master. Tell him his gold cannot buy every street. Not while I stand."
The enforcers hesitated. The market's silence pressed on them until finally, they withdrew, muttering curses.
The crowd erupted with whispers. Word spread quickly: someone had defied Fahad—and won.
📍 Scene: Fahad's Mansion – That Evening
Fahad listened to the report with a face like stone. He swirled wine in his cup, his jaw tightening.
FAHAD (coldly):
"So the boy thinks he can play war in the market."
He set the cup down, eyes flashing with anger.
FAHAD:
"Then he will learn that I don't just bribe officers. I own them. And the next time he stands in my way, he won't leave the market alive."
📍 Closing Narration:
The annex was closer to opening, but the real battle was now in the streets. Zayd had made his first strike—showing Damascus that Amir Fahad ibn Rashid was not untouchable. But Fahad was a man of silk and daggers, and his next move would not come with bribes alone.
End of Chapter 51