Marrying The Billionaire Was Never Her Dream | Book 1

Chapter 41

When Ayyan came back into the room, his shoulders were tensed and the way he walked was too rigid. "What happened?" I asked, concern dripping in my voice, my tension was long gone as I focused my eyes on my husband's.

"I need to go, there's an emergency. You stay here, I'll get Aysha to come stay with you and I'll order more guards outside the room."

I stood and quickly wrapped my hijab around me. "There's no way you're leaving me here alone while there's an emergency." Ayyan opened his mouth, probably going to protest when I continued, "If you truly want me to be the queen of this country, then you will have to let me help."

He ignored me and left the room. I followed him out, rushing my steps because he was walking fast. He knew I was following him, yet ignored it and called someone. I couldn't make out what he was saying in the conversation because I was too busy trying not to fall on the staircase. It wasn't until we reached the grand entrance, where a convoy of cars was waiting for us, that he talked.

He turned around abruptly, and I walked right into him. He placed his hands on my shoulders, steadying me. After I took a huge gulp of breath, he placed one of his hands on my chin and lifted my head. His eyes bored into mine as he spoke, "Zarah, baby." He caressed my cheeks. "It's not safe out there. You should stay at home, safe."

I gently removed his hands from my cheeks, inwardly cursing myself because of how much I instantly missed his touch. "No, Ayyan, you said they need their queen. If you don't allow me to do this, then I don't think they ever needed a queen, to begin with." And the staring contest began. I stared at him with as much fierceness as I could.

His phone rang, and he broke it. He murmured a few "yes," and an "I'm coming." He ended the call and looked at me. "Fine, let's go," he said and entered the middle car. The poor driver and the guards meant for the rest of the cars had been bowing since we got there. I muttered an apology as he opened my door. It must have hurt.

Throughout the car ride, I suppressed the feeling of blatantly asking Ayyan what was happening as he answered dozens of calls. I tried to make sense of what he was saying on the calls, but I couldn't. There was too much going on in my mind that I just turned off from reality. After all, I would eventually know what was happening when we reach wherever we were going.

The car eventually stopped in a crowded place. There appeared to be something going on as many people stood watching something in the distance. Police cars, ambulances, and fire service trucks were part of the crowd. "What's going on?" I turned to Ayyan.

"Come on," he said, as the driver opened his door. A guard opened my door. Ayyan's hands quickly found mine as the guards made a pathway for us through the humongous crowd. It was late afternoon, and the sky was a perfect blend of orange, red, and pink. I was still confused as to what was happening until I looked up and stared at a burning building.

A gasp escaped my throat.

The fire mixed with the sky to create a hypnotizing hue. It was as if the sky and the fire were the same. As deadly as it were, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. They were trying desperately to become one. The sky that brought down rain and the fire that ate everything in its way blended most gorgeously. And then the switch was turned off as they sprayed water on the part I was looking at.

"Zarah, what are you doing? Let's go," Ayyan gritted into my ear. I hadn't realized I stopped walking to look at the building. I regained my composure and followed my husband. My hand tightly holding his as people's gaze and phone cameras followed our every move despite the shield the guards were providing.

Ayyan finally stopped close to the front of the building. A few people were standing there. They were separated from the rest by a line of police officers. The small group comprised the council members, one other woman, and two men. They were in deep conversation but stopped when we approached them.