Chapter 5: No Escape

Rain streaked down the large restaurant windows, blurring the lights of the city into liquid gold and silver. Inside, Zayd sat back in his chair, tall and composed, hazel eyes scanning every movement at the entrance. His men stood discreetly outside, shadows in the storm.

A car screeched to a stop at the curb. Through the rain-streaked glass, a nod passed between a man in the reflection and Zayd. He smirked, reading the signal perfectly.

The car door opened. An umbrella shielded her briefly from the rain. She stepped out—heels clicking confidently against the wet pavement. Amber eyes met his through the blur of raindrops.

She looked different now. No satin, no delicate gowns. Black jeans, a tulip shirt, and a long coat framed her like a storm herself. She scanned the perimeter, aware of her father’s strict security instructions, her gaze softening slightly when she caught sight of her men waiting nearby. She let herself relax, taking a slow step forward toward him.

Zayd rose smoothly, pulling out the chair for her.

“Hello… wife,” he whispered as she settled in, leaning close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath.

Aliyana closed her eyes for a heartbeat, letting herself absorb it, trying to steady the storm in her chest.

“Zayd,” she murmured.

Hearing her voice after all these years, something inside him softened. A genuine smile touched his lips—quickly hidden behind the mask of control—as he returned to his seat.

“Why are you doing all this?” Aliyana asked, curiosity laced with caution.

“Why?” Zayd countered, his smirk sharp, teasing, dangerous.

“No, I mean… why?” she pressed.

He leaned back, eyes dark, burning with intensity. “I want to ask that from you. Why you did it, Aliyana?”

The fire in his gaze was almost tangible, as if he could consume her in a single glance. Her breath hitched. Her mind flashed back to eighteen months ago—the night when they met first time.

The hotel doors swung open with a slam, rain slicking the pavement beneath her sneakers. Aliyana stormed out, fists clenched, storm written across her face. She wore joggers and a loose white t-shirt paired with wide blue jeans—comfortable, unassuming, yet still radiating the kind of confidence that drew attention.

She barely noticed the figure blocking her path until she collided with it.

Her balance wavered, hands stretching instinctively to grip anything—and found nothing but the edge of a coat.

A sharp intake of breath. Hazel eyes, like blades, met hers.

For a heartbeat, the world froze.

Aliyana straightened herself, chin high, eyes blazing. “Are you blind?” she snapped.

Zayd didn’t answer. His hand moved slowly, deliberate, and he tossed the coat onto the rain-slick road.

“DIRTY!” he spat the word as if the garment itself had committed a crime.

Aliyana froze, staring at the coat, then at the man in front of her. Shock struck her for a fleeting second. A perfectly carved face, hazel eyes sharp and unflinching, standing like iron in the pouring rain. The weight of his gaze pressed down like a physical force.

Then her anger erupted. She spat onto the wet road, the droplets scattering like sparks. “Ughhh… my tongue gets dirty talking to a filthy man.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and stormed toward her car.

Zayd’s body went rigid. His men, standing just behind him, froze as if the world had shifted on its axis. The sound of her words echoed in the rain-soaked street, leaving them all paralyzed. No one dared breathe.

Aliyana yanked open the car door, sliding inside without a backward glance. The door slammed, shutting her away from him, The driver pulled forward, tires splashing through puddles as the car disappeared into the blur of the storm.

Silence fell.

Zayd hadn’t moved. His hazel eyes stayed locked on the place where she had stood just seconds ago, his jaw tight, his fists coiled. His chest rose and fell in steady, deliberate breaths—as if restraining the wildfire clawing to break free inside him.

His men shifted nervously, the rain dripping down their collars, mixing with the weight of dread in their throats. One of them dared to whisper, voice trembling, “Boss… she….she just—”

The man’s words broke off with a gasp as Zayd’s head turned. Slowly. Sharply. His gaze sliced through him, and that was enough to freeze the words on his tongue.

For a long moment, the storm outside raged louder than anyone dared breathe. Then, finally, Zayd moved.

The smirk returned. Slow. Dangerous. A curve of lips that promised fire and ruin.

“She spat on the ground…” His voice was low, almost amused, though his eyes burned with hunger and fury alike. “My ground.”

The men stiffened, eyes widening. They knew what that smirk meant. What that tone promised.

Zayd stepped forward, rain soaking through his shirt, clinging to the lines of his body. He looked down at the coat lying abandoned in the street, water pooling around it, and let out a soft chuckle.

“Dirty?” His tongue clicked against his teeth, and his gaze lifted to the road where Aliyana’s car had vanished.

“Boss…” one of his men started cautiously, “should we—”

“Find out who she is.”

The command cut through the air like a blade, quiet but lethal. His men stiffened instantly.

eyes glinting like a predator who had just scented prey. “I’ll show her what happens to those who spit on me.”

The rain hammered down harder, echoing the promise in his voice.

And though he didn’t know her name yet, Zayd already knew one thing.

The girl with amber eyes wasn’t walking away from him.

Not now.

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