Taimoor

𝕱ire and flame. My skin singed and peeled back. Burned. It burned so steadily that this could be purgatory. The fire bit into my knees and my toes. There was no part of me it did not touch. Pain was a shadow with body and form. I was in hell. It hurt more than I ever thought possible and I knew that a guy like me didn't deserve heaven.

Heat crawled up my back and pushed in, hot blades on damaged skin, and I could not stand it. I could not stand it. A minute ago everything was black. The hurt clarified its shape. Pressure. It was pressure. From lying on my back. I had not felt that in years. Struggling, I saw the night edged in flickering flames. The darkness at the center of my vision shifted, clearing enough to see the shape of a person. If I could only get there. If I could only get up.

I got one hand into the covers and pushed.

The movement caused the person next to me to stir.

Daania.

Daania, in my white shirt, my shorts, clothes I'd never thought I'd see her in. Her eyes widened with hope and fear and something else. Shattering relief rolled into me and detonated. Cut through the fear and pain like a bullet. Like a rushing wind. Pressure build around and in my lungs. It was bigger. More expansive. It moved up into my throat and ached there. A balled-up tension I hadn't felt in a long, long time. I suppressed my smile when I felt my legs tangled with hers. Her head rested on my chest, and I felt my hand move to play with my hair. There were always those few seconds when you woke up that you felt immense peace. Your mind had yet to overwhelm you with reality, and for those few seconds each day, you had no worries and no pain.

It was blissful. This time I expected that feeling to go away, but it didn't.

Her eyes flickered, blinking in the light, mild confusion on her face. Bleary eyes blinked and slowly took me in. She furrowed her brow and tugged up the comforter. I wouldn't mind seeing her face like this, cheeks pink from sleep, every day for the rest of my life.

"Morning."

"How are you?" the concern in her eyes was both beautiful and terrible.

"Better, much better," her eyes searched mine for a lie. As if I'd have the energy to lie. "How are you?" my mouth was dry from breathing the superheated air from hell, but I got it to work, my fingers gently brushing the bruise on her jaw. If that fucker wasn't already in the hospital, I would gladly pummel him into the ground. Again.

"You're asking me if I'm okay? When you were the one fighting for your life? Yeah I'm fine Taimoor, just peachy," tears glistened in her rustic orbs as light poured from the windows and onto her face, so bright it hurt my eyes. So pure, that it hurt my heart.

"Don't belittle what you went through," swallowing hurt, a jagged scrape. "Did you take your anxiety pills?"

"I didn't need them," surprised, I held her gaze until she blushed a deep red. Until I could see the memory of last night in her eyes. All my skin pulled tight with the effort of keeping it together while relief and animal lust sledgehammered my rib cage."How did you find me that night?"

"I had Scorpio tailing you. And thank God for him," Daania chewed on her lip, her eyes wide with my confession. "He'd added a tracker to your phone and he was always five steps behind you."

"You bugged my phone without my permission?"

"If I'd asked would you have let me?"

"Probably not," she laughed a little, and I hated the tiny edge of uncertainty in her voice. I hated the nervous pressure that built in my chest. We understood each other last night, but it was different in the light of day.

It thinned the air in the room.

She looked at me with guarded eyes, her defenses going up. "I'll call for breakfast."

The sins of our past were what shaped us. Mine had scarred me beyond recognition and hers were twisting and cutting her up inside. I watched her leave, going into the bathroom and coming out in her clothes, her hair smoothed, exiting the room without a word.

The spark of hope that had been trying to ignite in my chest sputtered out.

Baby steps.

The fact that she hadn't sprinted out of the room was progress in itself.

Half an hour later a stack of fluffy pancakes greeted me, separated from a cloud of scrambled eggs by a little dish of maple syrup. I didn't see how it could get any better until I opened the second part of breakfast. One-half of the container burst with fresh fruit. Strawberries. Grapes. Raspberries. All of it had been dusted in sugar, which was the only way to enjoy fruit at breakfast. The other half was a perfect display of breakfast meats. Four slices of bread and two sausage patties were cut into tiny triangles and artfully arranged, along with medical intervention.

"Sir, Dr. Jamshed is here to see you."

"Send him away."

"What?" Daania looked at me, now fully dressed in cream slacks, her hair tumbling down her shoulder, her eyes wide. "You can't."

"I just did. I'm fine. I'll give him a call soon."

She leaned toward me like she was afraid I'd pass out."Taimoor."

"That's all."

"I'll take care of it, ma'am," Akbar cut in, retreating, his face displaying how much he didn't agree with me. She smiled and asked him to give us a few minutes. He gave her a grateful look and practically fled the room.

"No. I'm fine."

"Taimoor you are not fine. The doctor advised you to rest up for the next two weeks," she said, her tone clipped.

"I have work to do."

Still smoldering with anger, Daania came around to my bareback, squeezing out a significant amount of paste onto her fingers. "And you can do that from home."

"Don't-" she didn't even give me chance to speak before she pressed the ointment on my scars. Searing pain flared up and I snarled, hating the spots that appeared in front of my eyes. "That hurt."

"Well if you stayed still it wouldn't hurt as much."

"Easy for you to say," my vision dimmed, and I forced one semi-normal breath into my lungs. I was not going to stroke out over this. I was not. The next breath was slightly easier. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't left the house."

"I wouldn't have left the house if you hadn't frightened me."

"Well, you shouldn't have shown up without announcing yourself first," not that it was her fault. She had knocked first.

"You should learn to control your temper," no doubt aiming a glare at me that I couldn't see and would not acknowledge. "By the way, thank you," her strokes became gentle, easing the thick paste onto the rough edges. "For saving my life."

Her careful conversation while she applied the salve made me think she was wavering. One step in the wrong direction, and she would look at me with ice in her eyes and a disgusted curl to her lip. A wild instinct became a jagged rock in my throat. My chest already felt bruised and broken, and my heart froze so abruptly, so completely, that it forgot to beat.

The words felt foreign in my mouth."You're welcome."

I was just standing up when one of the men outside opened one side of the double doors and Zeenia swept in like she was blown here on a stiff breeze. With a quivering chin and I had only enough time to react - I'd have to bend, so she didn't try to hug me around my waist- before she was there. Her arms closed around my neck in a tight grip. A layer of chill clung to the wool of her coat. It must be truly frigid out if she could get this cold walking from the car to the house.

She was not alone.

"Taimoor!" Affandi crossed the room, his strides large and unhurried.

"Are you okay? Tell me. Are you okay?" I nodded watching Affandi try and look busy smoothing down his hair and checking the walls, giving a poor impression of giving us some privacy.

"I'm fine Zeenia. Should you be on your feet?"

"It's been a week since I've given birth, I'm ready to go," this was a soft exhale as if she'd been waiting her entire life for a day like this one.

"She isn't, she's only here so she can see you," Affandi met my eyes over her shoulder, asking a silent follow-up. Are you okay?

Zeenia squeezed harder, her arms shaking, and then released me."And where's my niece?"

"We didn't want to take her out into the cold yet."

"You left her, alone?"

"Taimoor, she's with Asfand's parents. I came after putting her to sleep. She can survive for an hour."

It felt strange to tease her. My back and hand were no longer causing me pain, but there was a strange tug in that spot. A little Zeenia. A new beginning. I ignored it. Because it also felt good. Like an old door finally unlocking. "Oh."

"Have you decided on a name yet?" ah ever the little ice breaker. Asfand gave Daania a bright smile and sat next to her, their heads together as if they were going to share a secret.

"We toyed with a few names, but eventually, settled on Zohra."

"Zohra Affandi?" I put my arm around Zeenia's shoulders and guided her to the small sitting area.

"Zohra Mughal Affandi," Zeenia corrected gently, her eyes bright.

"Sounds like a future Queen."

"She won't be any less than that."

Mrs. Khan sent up a tray, with coffee and pastries. Daania moved around the room, coming to sit beside Zeenia, kicking off her shoes, and taking one of the armchairs by the fire, folding a leg under her as she sat. I abandoned the coffee and sat across from her. Zeenia checked to make sure the door was closed, and then took a long breath.

"Your absence has raised some eyebrows. The company can not afford an absent CEO Taimoor."

"I've got it handled."

"How?"

"Maybe I should leave."

Zeenia narrowed her eyes at Daania.

"This includes you, you're family."

"Zeenia," her shoulders relaxed at my tone, and she took a sip of her coffee. "It's actually good that you're here. I want to discuss your security options with you-"

"What do you mean?" her entire body prepared for battle, shoulders tensing. Affandi lifted an eyebrow.

"Just that it might be better if you... were a little careful for a couple of days."

Real concern crept into her eyes. "What does that mean? Taimoor, I've left my daughter unprotected!"

It was difficult but not impossible to do a passable imitation of relaxation. I could not sprawl on the sofa. I could only lean on one elbow and prop my head on my fist. "Zohra will be fine Zeenia, we just need you to increase your security-"

"But why?"

I was not often angry with Zeenia, but the questions brought on a flare of irritation. My heart pounded, though there was no reason to be on alert. This place was crawling with security. There was no imminent threat here.

"Because Ghazafar mentioned of a bigger play. Someone who could harm the company and Taimoor's chances of becoming the CEO," all of our heads whipped to look at Daania, sitting there with her teacup and her reasonable tone, telling Zeenia to tear her life apart at the seams.

"And you think they could harm us?"

"Why risk it?"

Affandi laughed, a short burst of disbelief.

"You're asking us to have an increased security detail? You know that's impossible, right? Our house is in a very crowded community," Affandi unfolded his legs from the armchair and leaned into it.

"Why don't you move in here, with us?" it was my turn to stare at her. So hard it hurt. So hard my eyes burned. "We've got plenty of space. Zeenia can relax, Akbar has the whole place fortified," Affandi perked up, his eyes on his wife."You can also help Taimoor figure out what's happening. It's a win-win."

My sister rubbed her free hand over her face, blinked up at the ceiling, and when she looked back at Daania, her expression was deadly serious. "You make some very good points."

Daania's gaze slipped over my face and down to my hands and then her big, brown eyes came back up to mine and my heart stopped. I held my breath. She had looked at me like this before. When we danced. Before everything went to shit.

"It's not a bad idea," it took me a minute to realize the words coming out of my mouth.

"But-"

"No buts, it's settled. I'll tell Mrs. Khan to get the rooms ready," Daania dismissed all of us, standing up and dropping her gaze away from my face, backing up half a step, then another, at the doorway, she looked back over her shoulder, the air in my room vanished, impossible to take in. I could not read her face, and before I could decipher it, she was gone.

"I'll go get Zohra. Do you need anything from the house, Zee?"

"Just the usual," he nodded and went out, closing the door behind him.

"Who were those people Taimoor? And what did they want from her?" a low, dark laugh tumbled from my mouth.

"That cousin of hers. Apparently, he took my earlier... meeting with him, a little too hard."

"Whatever is going on, I need to know everything Taimoor," Zeenia pressed her lips into a thin line. I could tell she had been scared."I'm not ready to bury another sibling Taimoor. I can't. I won't."

"You won't," I never made promises I could not keep.

༻✺༺

I didn't know if I would have slept. I fucking wanted to. Mainly out of spite. But spite wasn't a particularly good reason, and my bed felt ridiculously oversized without her. Without Daania, who had slept there all of twice. In the emptiness, I climbed out of bed, ran my hands through my hair, and started the oldest and steadiest part of my routine-testing the pain.

The day went downhill from there. My own soul was an ashen husk on the way to the dining room, where I ate food I didn't taste. It was supposed to be a working breakfast. Both Zeenia and Akbar brought their phones and a portfolio with notes. Affandi had already gotten up to take care of Zohra, his parental instincts in full gear. With the two people I was now stuck with, I wish I'd gone with him. After half an hour, Zeenia got up for a small break, her eyes drooping from exhaustion and the toll her body had gone through.

Akbar turned the page in his portfolio, his eyes still on me.

He watched until I stared back. "What?"

"You haven't listened to a word we've said."

"I've heard everything you've said, I just don't care."

"You have to care, sir, I don't condemn the steps you've taken, but we need to decide our next plan of action. Your continued absence has raised many questions and with the gala in January-"

"I have a whole PR team for that," my body was calm at the moment, but my mind was a raging sea of emotions. My life consisted of being on my toes twenty-four-seven, and if I was being honest, it was getting quite exhausting. The higher you climbed to the top, the more you had to watch your step because any little slip made you fall.

"You need to know what you'll be dealing with going forward. There hasn't been anything reported so far, we've discreetly planted a story about the warehouse fire, blaming it on an electrical short circuit."

Akbar poured me a cup when something in the gardens caught my attention. It wasn't the garden that cost thousands to upkeep or the marble statues. My hand gripped the cup tighter while my eyes feasted on the way Daania moved around the landscaped area. There was no word to describe her. She looked magical- like a fairy or an angel just gliding around my home.

"There, you've got it under control," I answered wrenching my eyes away from the window.

"Yahya is coming over in the evening to look at the legal options," Akbar laughed a little, something I hadn't seen him do much in the last few days as we prepared for this. "Not that we'd need them, you destroyed him."

Primal male pride flashed through me."He deserved it."

"No doubt, your time in the ring gave you an advantage," Akbar texted on his phone, a tense smile hardening his lips. "It would also be prudent to have Ms. Mansoor in this meeting."

"It's Mrs. Mughal Akbar."

"Apologies."

"Ask her to attend, we'll meet in my study," the ever-present responsibility of employees weighed heavily on me. People and families who depended on me to make the right choices in every area of my life. This work, this company, paid peoples' houses and sent their kids to college. It bought homes and built retirement savings.

I had a couple of missed calls from board members and a slew of emails. Thank God, my father wasn't in the country. Obediently, a slick layer of anxiety coated my stomach. There was no way he could know about this. My position with the board was already shaky, to say the least. One wrong move and they could remove me from my own company thanks to that stupid ethics clause. When I'd signed it years ago, the idea that I'd do something "unethical and against the interests of the company" had been laughable.

Now, there wasn't a damn thing I could find funny about the situation.

Nodding at his exit, I picked up my phone and answered the call, taking the reins.

"I understand where you're coming from and I can assure you this was an unfortunate misunderstanding that will be rectified," I said, aware that my tone was clipped. My patience had evaporated hours ago. For the first time in my life, I'd canceled every obligation on my calendar and spent my day apologizing. Well, dancing around apologies, if I were being completely honest. The legal briefing had run late. As I'd anticipated. Put several attorneys and in a room together, and they would debate everything and anything. The shitstorm didn't even begin to apply to the magnitude of bad they were predicting at this point.

I was in the privacy of my own home with my wife, my sister, and my closest friend, nearby. My trusted team members- Akbar, my lawyer, and my recently hired publicist, were on the phone while the others sat just a few feet away. Daania hadn't crossed my path after she'd invited my sister and her family into my home. She was doing the absolute most to avoid me.

I should have felt at ease. But I didn't.

"Do you have a minute?" Zeenia asked, letting her impeccable composure slip as soon as we were alone.

Reluctantly, I shifted away from my monitor and all the red flags that were currently demanding my attention."Of course."

"I've got a list of potential risks and the fallouts we might see if-"

"He's not going to say or do anything Zeenia. I made sure of that."

"Your wife thought it was a good idea," she said, tapping her nails - a classic French manicure - on my desk."Besides, she is right, having a general idea can be helpful."

"To whom?" I muttered in a low voice.

"We need to keep the press positive," she said, unfazed. "We can't have that follow you once you take over."

"If I take over," our father had been singing the promises of retirement for the past four years, ever since we fully started working at the company. The longer I stayed though, I understood he was just blowing smoke up our ass. He had no plans of leaving, at least not until he'd made sure I was as miserable as him.

"Have you met with the new PR director I hired?"

"I talked to her yes."

Zeenia blinked, and for a second she seemed stung. Then her expression dropped back into the seriousness she reserved for important Mughal business.

"And?"

"Your wife is worried about this."

"Why do you keep bringing her up?"

"Why shouldn't I? She's the one who's managed everything and has kept this ship from going down."

I glared at her. We'd built a billion-dollar company together. I felt like that monumental achievement was being overshadowed by the potential influx of a scandal.

Sitting through late meetings with Akbar and Yahya and halfheartedly running the business from my phone was an exercise in itself. I was perfectly fucking pleasant. Except for the scowling. I'd been given explicit instructions not to exercise, to let the torn skin heal, so there was only walking.

And not thinking about her.

I walked in loops around the house, opening doors I hadn't thought about in years and scowling at anyone who crossed my way. It was not many people. Word seemed to have gotten out about my mood, which was fucking fine, thank you very much. People stepped out of the way and I stalked past them. Mughal House was a large estate but the walk was over before I could settle my racing heart. I raised my hand to push the door of the den open, but at the last moment, I saw it.

The door was cracked. I put my hand flat against it and pushed it a little more. Daania sat on a low cushion, glowing and luminous in moonlight reflected off the window. I was outlined in the doorframe, silhouetted by the light. The door opened further, letting a thin seam of light into the room. Both Daania and Affandi occupied either side of Zeenia who was sitting with a small bundle in her arms. The bundle in the crook of Zeenia's arm, who had her eyes open and was looking around through squinted eyes. Zohra had a tiny rosebud mouth and not one strand of hair on her perfect head.

The past week had been a roller coaster of trials, but... this was good and pure. Zohra started a clean slate for all of us.

Daania cooed and played with the baby, her head bobbing back and forth as she made small baby noises. My heartbeat twice, and it was the slowest clock on the face of the earth. I stood there desperately trying to keep my composure.

It was a beautiful sight.

And it was that feeling which should have sent me running. But I didn't. I let myself bask in it-in the warmth as it seeped through my skin. Not wanting to ruin their moment, I took a step back, and then paused. My sight came back in a rush. Zeenia was watching.

She was always watching. It was one of the most unsettling things about her.

But this time I could see in the reflection she was having certain thoughts. Her face was calculative, closed off. I didn't know what she saw on my face just now and I had no desire to know. Some things were better left unsaid.

༻✺༺

Rain poured from the skies, painting the whole city gray, battling down on the depression that hung all around the residents of this house like an infection. There were too many people in the house. I could sense them there while I showered and dressed. Bad weather always made my injury more sensitive for some reason. Putting a shirt on was still an exercise in misery, but I did it nonetheless. My home was never a fully private space. It could not be when I lived with the staff. But now it felt less so. All those people and the only one who mattered was Daania. Her continued absence from my life confirmed that she was in fact, done with me. Letting her ignore me was the most foolish thing I'd ever done. I should have taken action to break Daania out of whatever this was. I should have provoked her. No one was better at provoking people than I was, and instead, I let her get to me. I let her silence get to me.

Mrs. Khan sent up trays of simple food and I made a point of eating all of it while I pretended to work. I was still being fucking pathetic when quick, soft footsteps sounded on the other side of my study. The door jerked open and swung wide. Daania was already halfway across her room before she saw me and then planted her feet in front of the armchair.

"Sorry, I had no idea you'd be here."

"Just finishing some work," she nodded, glancing around surreptitiously.

"Well, I should go-" my jaw crumbled under the pressure of grinding my teeth. Her body reacted first. Her shoulders went up. It took work to undo it. To speak.

"Why are you avoiding me?" she waited, silent and still. I couldn't help but feel a little pride under a cascade of sadness. I knew this trick. Her eyes finally met mine, and they were flat. Unemotional. She had looked at me many ways before but never like this.

"I don't know what you mean."

"God Daania, we are not strangers," she blinked at her name, turning her face an inch to the side. She didn't react beyond that, but I knew the non-reaction was its own tell. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

I took a step towards her, hating myself, hating that she was ignoring me, and above all hating Mansoor Khan for starting this in the first place and then royally fucking it up for me. Despite all I'd done to her, what her father had done to me, she was still innocent. An innocent who would hate me when she realized what I'd done, that I was not going to set her free, even if it was for her own sanity. Daania held the key to getting my revenge, but she hadn't been party to her father's crimes. She had already been through too much; it would kill me if I did that to her. But I had to. She had to know. In these moments, I felt like shit because if she was an angel, then I was the devil, and I should have felt guilty for keeping her trapped in my hell, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of her.

One more step. Another. If she took one step I'd be within her reach. "You can't hide in your room forever," she strangled a laugh in her throat.

"I'm not hiding."

"We both know you can't lie," I made my way across the room until I was at her side. "So try again."

"How's your back?"

"Don't try and change the subject."

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"We just had dinner together."

"You had dinner with my sister, her husband, and their daughter. There was no we in that equation."

"What do you want from me Taimoor? What's the point of this discussion?"

"I want the truth," the honesty in my voice urged her to confide in me. "I want to hear why you've decided to become a recluse. You refused to leave my side when I was sick and now you can't wait to get away from me."

"I'm done with this discussion."

"It's over when I say it's over."

"What do you want me to say Taimoor? That I feel guilty? That I can't stand to see you because it reminds me of what my father has done? That there are so many things I need to fix? Which part do you want to hear?"

"All of it."

"That's all of it."

"That's not all of it," I saw the same desperate need I'd kept bottled up for days and nights now. "Why are you running away? Don't bother denying it Daania."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm tired. It's late."

"Don't. Don't bullshit your way out of this," I grabbed her tiny wrist in my hand. She fought and understanding sank into my bones. Tears weren't enough of a release for all she'd gone through. She was filled with pent-up anger, fear, and panic.

"Let go."

"No."

"Let go Taimoor," the chill of surprise vanished from her voice and was replaced with explosive indignation.

"Not until you tell me."

"How do you expect me to meet your eyes after everything you've been through? After what you think my father has done to you? How do you expect me to stand here and look at you, while my mind focuses on a hundred different ways to fix this!" her eyes were the only point of focus, shining with tears and want. They were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. "You have no idea what I'm going through right now, the guilt, the wrongdoing that has been done, the secrecy that plagues you and the White Rose," she looked up at me with doe eyes full of hurt and questions."Everywhere I turn, there's something new to knock me off balance, to make me realize that I know nothing and that everything is against me."

There had never been a doubt in my mind she was unraveling, but I just didn't know what to do about it. She stopped in front of me, close enough for the tension to feel like a rubber band about to snap. I looked down at her, unmoving. Unflinching. Unwilling to back down.

"What, you've got nothing to say? This is what you wanted to hear right? Why I was upset? Why I was avoiding you?"

"Your father has a long history of doing what he thought was right, and mostly it had to do with his inventions," I needed to wipe away the fear and guilt I saw reflected in Daania's eyes, to let her know that it wasn't her fault.

"That's it? We're such a mess..." my nerves slammed out against the cage of my skin as her palm pressed flat against my chest over my heart. Connection. That's what I craved. That's what she needed. I could be wrong about a lot of things, but I could never be wrong about her. "We're in such a messed up twisted relationship."

The volley of our words, the ebb and flow of our proximity, it was a crescendo - each rise higher than the last, each dip not quite as harsh as before - the melody carried by conversation and the bass thudding with want, weaved with the subtle notes of companionship."It was always like this."

"I know. I know it was like this, but I just never expected that from my father. Why do you blame Baba? You have no proof. It could have been anyone," I sucked in a breath as her nails curled into my chest and dragged five streaks of lightning down over it, crossing onto the ridges of my abdomen. Her fingers squeezed into the fabric, serving to pull me ever so slightly closer to her and her mesmerizing wrath.

I jolted. Every muscle - every cell - underneath my skin revolted against the thought of being placed within her ire. I couldn't argue that it wasn't true. He'd told her the truth. Or she'd found out most likely. Daania wasn't someone who just sat idle. She had to know.

"I don't blame your father, I know it was him because no one else had access to that lab. He was the last person to come into the lab, he can be seen in the security footage," my answer calmed her a little bit. Not enough, but it eased her. "Even if it was an accident, which I find hard to believe because your father doesn't make such mistakes, he ruined my life."

"Is that why you married me? To make him suffer? You already have his life's work, what else could you possibly want?"

"What else could I possibly want?" I tapped my index finger on my chin, the repetition of her words making her pause."What do you think?"

"Enough Taimoor. I don't want to play games. I gave you my word that I would help you get that seat. I'm not going to back out."

"But you would protect your father from me?" no reply. Interesting. "What are you thinking little dragon? What scared you?"

"We nearly died. Someone tried to kill me," I forced myself to bite my words back. Like the mere thought of anyone putting their hands on Daania didn't make me go apeshit. "My own cousin tried to burn me alive. He was driven insane by my refusal to marry him and he decided that I was better off dead."

"He won't be a problem for you anymore," not after I'd beaten him into a plump.

"I know he won't. Akbar told me that he was in the hospital, with a significant amount of bone and muscle damage," if she expected me to be sorry about that, she was riding the wrong train.

"If you want me to apologize-"

She slashed her hand through the air. "I don't want you to apologize. I want him to suffer. I want Bibi to suffer. I want them both out of my life and away from me and my family so they can never hurt me or you ever again," and I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her that purpose was a poor companion in life, and that, for the first time in years, she'd managed to make me feel not so alone even though that's all I could ever be.

"I'm a part of your family?"

"This is not the time to joke. We don't know who Ghazanfar was working with. How did he manage to get those men? Who's aiding him?" my stomach felt uneasy as I remembered the way he looked at Daania - my Daania. Now that we were in this mess, I wondered how much this would change all the aspects of our lives. "He mentioned that he had support, people who're holding grudges."

What was new about that?

"That's a long list little dragon," I breathed softly in her ear, my arm locked like a steel bar around her waist as I held her to me. Her words died the moment my lips brushed against her neck. I could feel her deep inhale with the palm that rested on her back. There was always this subtle play for control between us. For secrets. For answers. And for pleasure.

"Aren't you a little bit worried? Worried that someone is blindsiding you?"

"I've been playing a very dangerous game Daania, I've made a lot of enemies."

"I'm scared," there it was. The crux of the problem. Our eyes met, and it was like I could read her mind. Could feel her desperation mingling within mine. The need to fight. The need to live. In spite of the strange dynamic, we wove. In spite of the strange situation we found ourselves in, there was a comfort, a familiarity. There was something about being able to open up to someone who was equally broken.

"You have no reason to be. I won't let them hurt you."

"I'm not scared for myself, I'm scared for you," wariness shadowed her brown eyes."We don't know who we're fighting against. Who's buying the company shares? Who's creating those fake accounts?"

"As long as we fight, it doesn't matter who it's against."

"What happened with Ghazanfar-" my fist tightened at her sharp inhale of breath.

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

"That's not what I'm concerned about." 

"It'll be fine," the intensity in her stare, the way she lived to try and please whoever was around her, it was beauty all on its own. She was like a string - one that I'd tugged on and began to unravel and now I couldn't stop myself from pulling, unveiling more of her secrets, and more of her life. I wanted it all.

"I need you to start going to the office," I said, my face getting closer, my lips hovering over hers. Her pupils dilated and every cell of my body became alive at that moment, the trail of electricity migrating down my spine.

"What?"

"You're the de facto CEO now."

"You're insane, I can't just take charge!"

"You'll have to," closing her eyes, she sagged against me, letting me hold her, comfort her. Without hesitation, the beast inside me longed to be set free to remind her that she was mine - and in my arms. The beast roared to tell her I'd kill the next man who looked at her like he wanted her and touched her as if he could have her."Unless you want me or Zeenia to go back into the office..."

"No," complete confidence. That was how she said it. With conviction. She really didn't want to hurt either one of us. Entranced by her warmth and generosity, I wondered how I could have seen the passion of her heart yet doubted its motives in the same moment.

"It's done then. I'm here if you need any help."

"I-" she shook her head and her tongue darted out over her lips.

"Good night Daania," my hand curved around her wrist, and I bent to drop a kiss on the inside, my breath ghosting over the delicate flesh."I'll see you at breakfast."

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I don't know if what I've written is good, but I felt Daania's pain and confusion. I don't have much to say today.

Thoughts? Feedback? Comments?

The next update will be on Sunday 😄

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