INTRODUCTION The first reports of the Arab civilizations and the beginning of the tribes of the powerful sheiks bring emotions, struggles, conquests... Everything for the survival of those ancient peoples. And love, could it survive? IN THE DESERT Now Bethany was hidden among the luggage of the cart. She could hear her brother talking to the head of the caravan that he had hired. It was a vibrant and cheerful voice. Scott was very protective, but even so, she was afraid. She had everything to lose if she was discovered. Her life. And her son's. The baby slept peacefully in her arms. Looking at that angelic calm, Bethany managed to smile for the first time in weeks. Her son. Her love. He fully filled her heart and it was worth all the sacrifice she made to protect him. “Are you warm enough, little sister?” He still called Bethany by her childhood nickname. “Yes, Scott. But I would like to stop for a while

Now Some tourists claim to know the desert. They spend two weeks sunbathing by the swimming pools with extravagant shapes, found in several luxury hotels, and think they have become Bedouins. But the Bedouins are nomadic peoples of the desert, who move rudimentary through the sands as far as the eye can see, under a scorching sun. Their survival depends on a lot of resistance to difficulties, the ability to defend themselves against dangers, and the capacity to face a sea of sand. Bethany would never have the vanity to declare that she knew the desert, because she lived a life of luxuries and riches, protected from the least discomfort anyone could imagine. She thought it was foolish to declare herself an expert in the desert, as it would be as if, after watching some dance performances, she declared herself a ballerina. You don't become something, just by looking at it. Great efforts, adaptations, and a huge amount of talent are needed. And t

Now:The sheik Omar Sahid al Maliq's palace was imposing and sumptuous. Inheritance of a wealthy family for generations, it had been modernized by the current sheik, providing all the comforts that money can buy.Its facade was imposing and impressive, however, it showed all the charms of a building made to shelter dreams.The walls were of an almost shining white, in undulating lines, common to Arabian taste, and rose to great heights until they gave way to towers and roofs of gold.On the main dome, a flag with the family's coat of arms identified who the majestic palace belonged to.There were more than two hundred rooms spread over several floors. All the expensive furniture attested to the good taste of its owner.After three weeks of business travel, the sheik approached his valuable property. He was proud of his possessions and all he had achieved.But he was absolutely convinced that his most valuable asset was in the palace's

Past:Michelle Clarkson was a very pretty girl. She worked at the municipal library during the day and went to study business administration at the School of Commerce at night.She was punctual and organized at work. Her love for books showed, in her indications to the library members, that often asked for her opinions. Michelle also got good grades at school.She was working hard and educating herself because she had a dream. Mainly it consisted of leaving her home because her parents drank a lot, the house was always a mess and the shouting and cursing were constant there.Fortunately, she was never beaten by them because the parents entertained themselves by hitting each other. Many times, Michelle had to clean their mess after they had broken furniture and glasses and went to the bedroom or the nearest sofa for a drunken slumber. She was used to it since it had been happening her whole life, nonetheless, it made her sad.When she saw families h

Past:Tom had not been as excited as Michelle imagined he would be when she told him about the baby.“Tom, don´t you want to be a father?”“Of course, I want to be a father, sugar. It is just that I didn´t expect it to happen so soon.”Tom had gone back to calling her ‘sugar’, after their trip. She really didn´t mind it that much, it is just that Michelle missed hearing him call her ‘his love’. Tom had never said the complete sentence to her anyway. Maybe after the baby was born, he would find the perfect occasion to say: ‘I love you’. She expected fervently for that.“I think this is the perfect time for us to start a family, Tom.”“And you may be right. It is not that I don´t want to. The truth is that I had plans for us.”“What plans?”“I was thinking that we could travel the world for a couple of yea

Past:Michelle was really living her dream. Since she had quit her job, it was possible for her to spend much of her time taking care of Scott and enjoying her new home. Some nights she would get a babysitter to stay with the baby because Tom insisted that they went out to clubs and restaurants.Mrs. Chairtall was a nice old lady very experienced with babies and Scott seemed to like her, so Michelle was able to enjoy her nights out with Tom. They went to many different restaurants and tried international cuisine as well as local food.She also enjoyed their talks, mainly because Tom was very optimistic about their future and quite often he would mention that they were headed to become very rich.“What is your work about, Tom? I still don´t understand exactly what you do.”“It is too hard for you to understand, pumpkin.”“You could try to explain it to me, Tom. I used to do a business course, remember?&rdqu

Past:When Tom returned from his trip, Michelle still expected some explanation or apology from him. But he offered none, acting as if he had returned from the nearest bakery.He had toys for Scott and a bracelet for Michelle, but no explanation, whatsoever.Since she was afraid to anger him, she accepted the situation. Tom was in a good mood and he took Scott to the park almost every day.“This little guy makes me proud, sugar. He is just like me.”“I am glad to hear that, Tom.”Their new routine was very simple. On most mornings, the proud dad took Scott to the park that was just in front of their apartment. It gave Michelle time to clean the place and prepare their lunch. One thing was for sure, Tom disliked frozen food and for that reason, Michelle avoided it as much as possible. She liked cooking and took pleasure in trying new recipes that she found on the internet.“You could open a restaurant, sug

Now:The ride under the desert sun was not an easy one. That is why Habibdul started very early in the morning and had everybody resting when the sun was stronger. That is when the group would eat and rest. He was a strong leader and everybody trusted him.From experience, he knew that the animals also needed their rest otherwise they would slow their pace. Owners who forced the animals too much could even make them sick or cause their death.Scott had hired Habibdul services many times in the past. More than that, they were friends and Scott had confided in him about his hurry to arrive at their destination. But it wasn´t an easy task since they needed to avoid the main roads used by traders for centuries.Habibdul knew that soon they would be chased by the Sheik´s men, so he had to use his skills to avoid the confrontation. Every night he discussed escape strategies with Scott, who was also an experienced traveler of those lands.It h

Past:Always when Tom left home, it became obvious that he didn´t give a second thought to the well-being of Michelle and Scott.The first time he disappeared was the only time that he left some cash in his desk drawer. And it was just enough money to buy groceries and put some gas in the car. Had she or the baby needed clothes or even medicine, there would not have been any money to provide it.Since Tom always went overseas, Michelle felt lucky to be able to use the car. At least his postcards were from abroad because apart from them, there was no other indication of his whereabouts.But the second time that he left, Michelle only found empty drawers on his desk. She couldn´t believe that Tom would be so inconsiderate. Even if he was mad at her, baby Scott was innocent and unaware that he could starve if he depended on his father´s provisions.Michelle made a solemn promise to herself that it would never happen. She would work a

Now: Sheik Omar al Malik was surrounded by the men he trusted the most. This group was composed of his personal assistants Nahim and Youssef, his secretary Zyan and his cousin Khaleb, who once had risked his life to protect Omar. “Did you gather the information that I asked, Zyan?” “Yes, emir. We have questioned the housemaids and found out that the shaikhah left three days ago. She didn´t take any of her valuable belongings. Only some simple clothes for herself and the baby.” “Right. I imagined that. Did you find out if my brother-in-law was with her?” “He made an appearance on the day before the escape and stayed few hours. But when the shaikhah left with the baby, her brother was not with her.” “He probably came in advance to discuss the details with her. cousin.” “I agree with you, Khaleb. Nahim, how many men have you gathered for the search?” “One hundred and twenty, emir. We intend to send them in two separate rou