TABLOID INTRO
People Magazine
KHALID'S FAMILY "FURIOUS" ABOUT RELATIONSHIP WITH ROMAN HELTON
Palace insiders reveal the Saudi royal family is deeply unhappy with the prince's choice. "They see her as inappropriate," one source says. "Wrong family. Wrong religion. Wrong everything." And now there's talk of an arranged marriage. Is Khalid about to be forced to choose?
---
Variety
THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM: KHALID UNDER PRESSURE TO END RELATIONSHIP
Multiple sources confirm Khalid's family has arranged a marriage to Princess Amira Abdul Nazir from UAE. Timeline? Within the year. What does this mean for Roman? One insider: "The family won't accept her. He has to choose."
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E! News
IS KHALID'S ROMANCE WITH ROMAN ABOUT TO END?
The prince has been notably absent from public events. Roman has gone completely silent on social media. And whispers of a royal engagement are getting louder. Is the fairy tale over?
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**Lainey Gossip**
*Khalid's family found out about Gary. Found out he obstructed justice for an actress. And now they're forcing an arranged marriage as damage control. This isn't romance ending—this is consequences catching up.*
---
NARRATIVE
The call comes at 3 AM.
Khalid's phone lights up with his father's number. He stares at it for three rings before answering.
Roman is awake. Watching.
"Yes, Father." He speaks in Arabic. She doesn't understand the words but she understands the tone.
Anger. Authority. Commands.
Khalid's jaw gets tighter with each passing second.
"I understand."
"That's not—"
"Father—"
He stops. Listens. His knuckles go white around the phone.
"I will not abandon her."
Silence. Then his father is clearly shouting. Roman can hear it through the phone.
Khalid hangs up.
Sits on the edge of the bed. Doesn't move for a full minute.
"What happened?" Roman asks.
"Nothing."
"Khalid—"
"They know about Gary. About what I did. About—" He stops. "About everything."
"How?"
"Doesn't matter. They know. And now the family is implementing Plan B."
"Which is?"
"Arranged marriage. Princess Amira Abdul Nazir from UAE. One year. Maybe less."
Roman's stomach drops. "And if you refuse?"
"I lose everything. Access to family holdings. My position. Everything."
"Then you agree."
He turns to look at her. "What?"
"You agree to the marriage."
"I'm not marrying her."
"Yes you are."
"Roman—"
"Listen to me." She sits up. "You're not throwing away your entire life for this. For me."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not worth it." She gets out of bed. Starts pacing. "I'm not worth you losing your family. Your position. Your entire world."
"That's not your decision."
"It is my decision. Because I'm the one you'd be sacrificing everything for. And I'm telling you—don't."
He stands. "I love you."
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Because love isn't enough." Her voice is sharp. "Because you'll resent me eventually. Because five years from now you'll wake up and realize you gave up everything and I'm still just—me."
"I won't resent you."
"You will." She stops pacing. Looks at him. "Everyone does eventually."
---
They fight for three days.
He refuses to agree to the marriage. She refuses to let him refuse.
"This is insane," he says. "You're asking me to marry someone else."
"I'm asking you to do your duty."
"My duty is to you."
"No. Your duty is to your family. To your position. To—" She gestures vaguely. "To whatever the fuck Saudi princes are supposed to do."
"I don't care about any of that."
"You will. Eventually you'll care. And then you'll hate me for making you choose."
"I already chose. I chose you."
"Choose again. Choose better."
He stares at her. "You want me to marry her."
"Yes."
"And what happens to us?"
"I don't know. But at least you'll still have your family."
---
Karim shows up on day four.
Unannounced. Just appears at the penthouse door.
"We need to talk."
Khalid lets him in. Roman is there. She doesn't leave.
"Father called me," Karim says. "Wanted me to convince you to accept the arrangement."
"And?"
"And I came to tell you—" He pauses. "I understand. I have someone too. Someone inappropriate. Someone the family would never accept."
Khalid goes very still. "Who?"
"Zuri. Kenyan teacher. Met her in Nairobi two years ago. Been seeing her ever since."
"Does Father know?"
"Not yet. But he will. Because I'm done hiding." Karim looks at Roman. Then back at Khalid. "I came to tell you that whatever you decide, I'm with you. If you want to fight this, I'll fight with you. If you want to marry Amira and keep Roman anyway, I'll help you figure out how."
"The family—"
"The family doesn't get to decide who we love."
"They get to decide everything else."
"Then we make them choose." Karim sits. "We both refuse. We both tell them we're in love with inappropriate women. We make them decide if keeping us is worth accepting our choices."
Roman speaks up. "That's not going to work."
Both men look at her.
"They'll just cut you both off. You'll both lose everything."
"Maybe that's okay," Karim says.
"It's not okay. You're both being idiots." She stands. "Khalid needs to marry Amira. That's the solution."
"And what happens to you?" Karim asks.
"I'll figure it out."
"Roman—" Khalid starts.
"No. Listen to me. Both of you." She crosses her arms. "This isn't about love. This is about survival. Khalid survives by marrying Amira and keeping his position. I survive by—" She stops. "By accepting that this is what has to happen."
"I'm not marrying her," Khalid says.
"Then you're an idiot."
She leaves. Actually walks out. Grabs her bag and goes.
Khalid doesn't stop her. Knows better than to chase her when she's like this.
"She's right," Karim says quietly.
"She's not right."
"She is. You should marry Amira."
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am on your side. That's why I'm telling you—" Karim pauses. "Marry Amira. Keep Roman. Make it work somehow."
"That's not possible."
"People do it all the time. Arranged marriages and real love. They coexist."
"Not for me."
"Why not?"
Khalid doesn't have an answer.
---
Roman goes to Randall's place.
They've been friends for years. He's always had a thing for her. She's always known and never acted on it.
"I need a favor," she says.
"Anything."
"Marry me. Fake marry me. Engagement. Public relationship. The whole thing."
He stares at her. "What?"
"Khalid's family is forcing an arranged marriage. I need him to go through with it. He won't if he thinks I'm alone." She's talking fast. Desperate. "But if I'm engaged to someone else, if I'm moving on, then maybe he'll do what he needs to do."
"You want to fake marry me so your boyfriend will marry someone else."
"Yes."
"That's insane."
"I know."
Randall is quiet for a long moment. "Why me?"
"Because you're safe. Because you've wanted this for years. Because I trust you not to make it weird."
"It's already weird."
"Weirder, then."
He studies her. "You love him."
"Yes."
"And you're doing this to protect him."
"Yes."
"From what?"
"From himself. From making a stupid decision. From—" Her voice cracks. "From throwing away everything for me."
Randall pours them both a drink. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I'll do it. On one condition."
"What?"
"When it's over—when Khalid is married and stable and you're sure he's okay—you actually give us a chance. A real chance."
She doesn't want to lie. "I can't promise that."
"Then I can't help you."
She's quiet. Then: "Fine. When it's over, we'll try."
"Really try."
"Really try."
He extends his hand. They shake.
"When do you want to announce it?" he asks.
"Tomorrow."
---
Khalid finds out from Page Six.
**BREAKING: ROMAN HELTON ENGAGED TO TECH MOGUL RANDALL KIM**
There's a photo. Roman and Randall at dinner. She's wearing a ring. They're smiling.
He stares at the article for five minutes.
Then he calls her.
"What the fuck is this?"
"What it looks like."
"You got engaged."
"Yes."
"To Randall Kim."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you need to marry Amira. And you won't do it if you think I'm waiting for you. So I'm not waiting."
"This is—" He can't find words. "This is insane."
"This is practical."
"You're engaged to another man to make me marry another woman."
"Yes."
"That's not practical. That's—" He stops. "That's you testing me again."
"It's not a test."
"It is. You're seeing if I'll actually go through with it. If I'll actually marry Amira."
"Will you?"
He's quiet for a long moment. "I don't know."
"Then figure it out. Because I'm engaged now. And I'm moving on."
She hangs up.
He throws his phone across the room.
---
Karim finds him an hour later.
"I saw the article."
"She got engaged."
"I know."
"To prove a point."
"To protect you," Karim corrects.
"It's the same thing."
"It's not. She's sacrificing her happiness so you'll do what's right for your family."
"What's right is staying with her."
"Maybe. But what's practical is marrying Amira and figuring out how to keep Roman anyway."
Khalid looks at his brother. "You think that's possible?"
"I think people have been doing it for centuries. Duty and love. They don't have to be the same thing."
"She's engaged to someone else."
"For now. But she's not marrying him. She's buying you time to make the right choice."
"Which is?"
"Marry Amira. Keep Roman. Make it work."
Khalid sits down heavily. "I don't know how to do that."
"None of us do. We just—figure it out."
---
Three days later, Khalid agrees to the marriage.
Calls his father. Says he'll marry Amira.
His father sounds relieved. Surprised. "What changed your mind?"
"Nothing. I just—" He looks at the article about Roman's engagement still open on his laptop. "I just realized I have responsibilities."
He hangs up.
Calls Roman.
"I agreed."
"To what?"
"To marrying Amira."
Silence. Then: "Good."
"Don't congratulate me."
"I'm not. I'm just—" She pauses. "I'm glad you're doing the right thing."
"The right thing would be choosing you."
"The right thing is not throwing away your entire life."
"I'm throwing away us."
"No you're not." Her voice is quiet. "I'll still be here."
"You're engaged to someone else."
"For appearance. Not for real."
"How do I know that?"
"Because I'm telling you. Because I love you. Because—" She stops. "Because this is me choosing you by letting you go."
He doesn't know what to say to that.
"Marry her," Roman says. "Do your duty. Keep your family. And when you come back, I'll be here."
"How do you know?"
"Because I always come back."
She hangs up.
He sits in the empty penthouse and tries to figure out how his life became this—engaged to one woman while in love with another. Doing his duty while betraying his heart.
This is what choosing looks like, he realizes.
This is what compromise costs.
---
TABLOID OUTRO
TMZ
ROMAN HELTON ENGAGED TO TECH MOGUL RANDALL KIM — JUST DAYS AFTER KHALID FAMILY DRAMA
The timing is suspicious. The prince's family forces arranged marriage. Roman immediately gets engaged to someone else. Is this real or is this strategy?
---
Page Six
KHALID TO MARRY PRINCESS AMIRA — WHAT HAPPENS TO ROMAN?
The prince has agreed to the arranged marriage. The engagement will be announced next month. Sources say he's "devastated" but "doing what's required." Roman's response? She's apparently engaged to someone else now.
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E! News
THE MOST COMPLICATED LOVE TRIANGLE: KHALID, ROMAN, AMIRA, AND RANDALL
He's marrying one woman. She's engaged to another man. But sources say they're both still in love with each other. How does this end?
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Lainey Gossip
Roman got engaged to Randall Kim to force Khalid to marry Amira. She's sacrificing herself so he'll do his duty. This is either the most selfless thing I've ever seen or the most manipulative. Maybe both. Either way, I'm obsessed.
---
Deuxmoi(blind item)
Update on royal/actress situation: She got engaged to someone else to push him toward arranged marriage. He agreed. Now they're both engaged to other people while still in love with each other. Anon says they're planning to make it work somehow. This is going to be messy.