JENNY

Jenny thought she might die of relief when she found herself alive, not dead and buried in the garden, but alive and standing in the enormous entrance hall to the palace. She had come in this way and clearly she was going out this way too. But with who? Where was Zayn? She'd been standing like this for ten minutes already. She turned when she heard a footstep behind her and she swung around.

"Zayn?" but as the word escaped her lips, she came face to face with Rana.

"Rana, have you seen Zayn-" Jenny stopped talking the second she saw the look on Rana's face.

"You lied to us. You lied to me." She said with such venom and malice.

Jenny rushed up to her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but Rana slapped it away. "Let me explain." Jenny begged.

"There is nothing to explain. You made me believe that I was going to be getting a sister-in-law. You made me like you so much that I wanted you as a sister-in-law. You made me think you and my brother were in love... you must be one hell of an actress. And the Oscar goes to Jenny..." she paused. "If that is even your real name."

"Yes. It is and I promise you it wasn't an act, well, it was at first and I did lie to you and I'm really sorry because I like you too, but it's not a lie now, I love your brother." Jenny stopped when Rana burst out laughing.

"Love him?" She said in between a chuckle. "You really are a great actress."

"It's not an act." Jenny begged now. She was desperate for Rana to understand. She liked Rana and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt her. "Please believe me."

Rana shook her head. "The sooner I never see you again, the better. And as for my brother... my lying brother-"

"Please don't hate him for this." Jenny jumped it. "Please,"

"I don't hate him." Rana said. "But I certainly don't like him. He's not the man I thought he was. Maybe my father has been right about him this whole time. Maybe he is just a selfish, lying narcissist? I just always chose to see through that and believe he was so much more. Maybe I was wrong about him too."

At hearing this, Jenny's heart broke. The last thing she wanted was to cause a rift in this family. She was sorry she'd lied to them, but she wasn't sorry this had all happened, because she had gotten to meet Zayn, and fall in love. Maybe given time Rana would come to understand and accept her again.

"Goodbye," she turned her back on Jenny and walked away. Jenny let her. She would give her time. Or was she just being naive. Was this whole thing so out of control, such a disaster that it was beyond repair? She felt the panic rise in her again, what was the king saying to Zayn? Why was he taking so long, but as she thought that she saw him coming down the stairs towards her.

She met his eyes and froze. There was a look in them that turned her whole body to ice.

ZAYN

She was standing at the bottom of the stairs and she looked beautiful. Her hair was a mess of red curls, she was dressed casually and her curves were accentuated by the shirt she was wearing. But more than all that, she was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. He'd never understood that concept before, the saying about looks fading and the stuff on the inside being more important. He only went for looks. He didn't give a damn about what was on the inside, until now.

She could be 90 years old, grey and wrinkly like a prune and he would still think she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Inside and out. He'd tried to reason with Rafiq, "Can't he just explain it all to her?"

"And leave her loving you? Leave her knowing that you love her but that circumstances are the only thing keeping you apart? She will never be able to move on, she will live with that tiny bit of hope inside that will drive her mad every single day."

Zayn had gotten the distinct impression that Rafiq knew about this kind of heartbreak first hand. And so now he was here, standing in front of the woman he loved, the only woman he had ever loved and about to break her heart in the most cruel way possible.

B cruel to be kind... this was so unfair.

"Zayn." She ran up to him with tears in her eyes and was just about to throw her arms around him when he blocked her. His heart broke even more.

"What...what....what's going on?" Jenny looked up at him with a confused look plastered across her face. He looked away- he couldn't look her in the eye.

"I think it's best if you leave." he said flatly.

"Are we leaving now?" She asked. We. The small word stung him.

"Not we. You. I'm not coming with you, in fact..." Zayn pulled the cheque out of his pocket and handed it over. "The rest of your money as promised."

"I don't understand." Jenny tried to reach up and touched him, but he pulled her hand away.

"This is not going to work. Let's face it. It's been a fun weekend, but it's over now. You've done the job I hired you to do, it's time you left." A wave of nausea rose up in him as he said it and he could taste the bile at the back of her throat.

Jenny gave him a tiny confused smile. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. Do I have to repeat myself?"

"Yes. Yes you do." Jenny said, looking angry now. "Repeat yourself, because I have no clue what's going on here." And then a look of acknowledgment washed over her face and she leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Is someone listening? Are you doing this because Amir is here and we need to? Is everything ok? Do you need me to play along with this?"

Zayn forced himself to push her away. "No. I'm not acting. I was acting before- I was acting this whole weekend, but I'm not acting now. You need to go!" Zayn wished so hard that he wasn't doing this right now. All he wanted to do was tell her the truth, but if Rafiq was right, the truth would just give her some beautiful, tragic Romeo and Juliet story she could lament about. He needed to give her the benefit of a clean start. Wipe the slate clean. Wipe him from her memory, erase the memory of every nice thing he had ever done. Release her.

"I don't believe you. This isn't you. I know you." She didn't look sure when she said that. In fact, she looked pained. Her face had contorted and crunched up as if she was experiencing pain. All he wanted to do was take it away- but instead he went for the jugular.

"You don't know me." Zayn said. "You know nothing about me and who the real me is. You know that photo you saw of me and the two girls? Those two hot naked models in my Jacuzzi the other night. Well, that's the real me. I'm the guy that fucks two women in a Jacuzzi and doesn't bother to even find out their names. That's me."

He could see that her eyes were clouding over, but she was shaking her head. "No it's not. I've seen the real you. I can see him. That's not you."

Why didn't she believe him and just go? Why was she dragging this out? Did she have that much confidence in him and love him so much that she could see past it? He needed to pull out all the stops now.

"You were nothing more than a little game to me- something to keep me entertained for the weekend. A challenge for me. I've never fucked a woman like you before, so I thought I'd broaden my horizon's, you know? Sample something a bit different. It was fun while it lasted, but now it's time for you to go."

Jenny slapped her hands over her mouth and started shaking her head violently. Why the fuck did she still not believe him? It was starting to frustrate him and it was dragging this whole thing out even more.

"Go!" Zayn shouted now, he heard his voice bounce and echo in the big hall. And he saw the reaction that it had on her.

"Fuck you!" Jenny screamed back. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is really going on?"

"Jesus, are you stupid or something. Do I have to spell it out for you? I don't like you. You were just another fuck for the weekend. That's all. I don't want to see you again. Now take your money and get out." He shoved the cheque at her and she grabbed it and tore it up and threw the pieces on the floor. Then she grabbed the other cheque from inside her bag and did that same to that. She was crying now.

"I don't want your money. I don't want your filthy, disgusting money." She was sobbing now. Zayn wanted to throw himself across the room and comfort her, to pull her into his arms and tell her how much he loved her and would always love her. Tell her that he was being forced to do this, that he had no other choice.

Fuck, he couldn't do this. Looking at her now he didn't care if Amir became king. He didn't care if Amir fucked the country up, bled the coffers dry, stole from the people and ruled over the land with...

At that Amir slithered out of the shadows and his cold black eyes fell upon Zayn. He had been watching and listening this whole time. Zayn looked at him, and all he saw now was pure evil. Giving a man like that a country, would be like pouring fuel on a fire. Visions of Hitler and Stalin and other rulers and dictators that had torn a country to threats, started wars, made it's people poor for their own greed and gain, flashed through his head.

He could not allow Amir to be king, and that meant letting Jenny go. His father was dying, and it was his father's final wish for him. Zayn watched as Jenny stood there, tears rolling down her cheeks. He heard another noise and Rafiq walked up to him.

Jenny grabbed her bag and it slipped from her wet, tear-stained hands.

"Don't you think we should search her bag before she leaves." Amir said stepping out from the shadows even more.

"What?" Zayn swung around and faced him. "We don't need to search her bag."

But it was too late. Amir gestured for a guard to take her bag. Jenny protested loudly as he started pulling things out. She turned to Zayn and begged him to make it stop. She looked confused, and hurt and desperate and he hated himself right now.

Suddenly the guard stopped and turned around, the ruby necklace dangling from his hands.

"What?" Jenny gasped. "I didn't.... I don't know how that got in there, It isn't I wasn't..."

Zayn glanced over at Amir, the fucking snake had planted it. He reached for the necklace and grabbed it from the guard's hands. He marched up to Amir and shoved it in his face.

"We both know that she didn't take this."

"I didn't take it," Jenny shouted. "I promise, I didn't."

Zayn glared at Amir and his demeanor suddenly changed. A wicked smile washed over his face and he walked towards Jenny.

"Maybe it was a misunderstanding then. Maybe she didn't mean to borrow it." He said slyly. Zayn froze. What the hell was he playing at?

"But I think we can all agree that it's time for her to go. Her little act is over now." He turned and looked at Zayn. "Since you two seem to have fallen out, I'll do you a favor cousin, I'll personally escort her off this island so you don't have to deal with her."

He made a move for Jenny and was just about to reach her when Rafiq shouted.

"Arrest her. Guards, arrest her. Take her to the palace holding cell, she's a thief."

"What?" Zayn swung around and couldn't believe what was happening. Suddenly the guards grabbed Jenny and Zayn couldn't take it anymore, he made a move to try and pull one off.

"Arrested her now!" Rafiq bellowed even louder this time.

Zayn swung around and caught Rafiq's eye. Rafiq gave him the tiniest nod and his mouth opened. He mouthed some words and Zayn was sure he said...

"Trust me."

Zayn looked at Rafiq and Rafiq gave him another small nod.

Zayn turned around again, "Arrest her." He said. "Do as Rafiq says and take down to the holding cell."

As Jenny was being dragged away kicking and screaming, Zayn looked over at Amir and he looked angrier than he had ever seen him before. Clearly Amir had not wanted Jenny in jail. But why?