Emerald St. Clair's POV

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

I stirred from my dreamless sleep. When I opened my heavy eyes, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the familiar cobalt eyes smiling down at me. My face was only inches away from his!

I suddenly moved my head away from his shoulder. How did I fall asleep in such a position? I swear the last thing I remember was him comfortably sleeping in my lap...

"In case you were wondering, habibti..." he said, breaking the silence as if reading my thoughts. I could hear rich laughter in his voice. "...how you ended up sleeping on my shoulder? Simple. You also fell asleep during our flight."

"Why didn't you wake me up then?" I asked, slightly conscious that he saw me sleeping. How long since I fall asleep without realizing it?

"I didn't bother to wake you up because you were soundly asleep," he replied, his eyes twinkling with delight. "You didn't spill drool on my shoulder if that's what's bothering you."

Now that he mentioned it, I became more conscious of my appearance. I purposefully wiped the side of my mouth just to be sure.

He grinned at me breezily. "Don't worry, you're still beautiful in my eyes even if you drool in your sleep."

I could feel my cheeks heated at his teasing words. I was about to hit him with my fist when he jumped lightning-fast away from the couch.

He chuckled at my glowering face. "I told you. You will not catch me off guard again, my love. I learned my lesson from the last time you kicked my shins." He stretched his limbs while smiling at me. "I woke you up to tell you we finally arrived in New York. Welcome home, darling."

My eyes widened at his announcement. I stood from my seat and stared outside the plane window. I noticed that the plane was already standstill on the tarmac and two black SUVs were waiting nearby.

"Do you want to freshen up before we go out?" Al-Farsi inquired lightly.

I touched my hair gently to make sure that my ponytail was still in place. It's been a long fourteen-hour flight, after all. But I was assured that it's still perfectly in place. I shook my head in his direction. "No need. Let's go."

"Excited to see your grandfather, are you?"

I threw an acid glare in his direction. "Shut up, Al-Farsi." I moved away from the plane window and started walking at the exit when I let out a cry as I was abruptly swept off my feet. The damned bastard was carrying me bridal style again. He was getting used to carrying me like this. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He smiled down at me. "Making sure that you will not fall from the iron steps of this plane because of your ridiculous shoes."

"Oh, for God's sake!" I glared at him darkly while struggling to be free from his hold. "I can slay a runway show right now wearing such heels with my injury."

"Not in my care."

"The fuck?!"

He looked down at me, the corner of his mouth twitching with a smile while descending from the aircraft. "I noticed that you keep on throwing that curse word at me." Amusement entered his eyes. "Why, my love? Do you want to fuck?"

I didn't care that he was a king or that there were other people on the tarmac patiently waiting for us when I hit his chest with my fist.

I thought I gave him a solid blow, but I guess it wasn't hard enough because he just laughed at me. "Did I hit a nerve, baby?"

"Shut up!" I spit at him. "Shut up and keep your unfiltered thoughts to yourself before I lose my patience and end your existence with my hands."

"You will be prosecuted in Saqr if you do that." He reminded me casually. "Killing the ruling monarch is a heavy offense."

"I don't care." I glared at him. "As long as I will have the satisfaction of ending your life with my bare hands. And will you please put me down? People are already gawking at us!"

"I like carrying you like this."

"I am not invalid. I can walk." I reminded him acidly.

He looked at me dryly. "You know, love. Maybe you should gain some weight. It feels like you do not weigh anything at all in my arms."

"I'm a model," I reminded him. "I need to watch my weight."

"That's bullshit."

I rolled my eyes at him. "That's the reality of my work. And why do you care in the first place?"

He looked down at me with hard eyes. "Because I don't like it when you're depriving yourself of food just to maintain your body weight."

I sighed deeply, looking away from his forceful eyes. "Look, I am not depriving myself of food, as you put it always. I only put myself on a diet when I have photoshoots or runway shows."

He cursed under his breath and put me down. I could see that he was still annoyed.

I looked at him exasperatingly while placing my hand on each side of my waist. We were now standing next to the second SUV. "Are we going to argue about everything? Maybe this is not a good idea after all. My family will immediately figure it out that we're just pretending to be a couple in less than a second."

"Habibti," the corner of his mouth curved with a sexy smile. "We're not bickering. We are just having our normal conversation. Relax, your family will not suspect anything from us if you play your part as a loving girlfriend."

I nearly snorted at the thought, but I have to admit that he has a point. If I want to convince my family about this charade, then I need to do my part too. "Okay, fine," I answered after some internal debate.

My eyes narrowed in his direction when I thought I saw some unholy satisfaction in the depth of his mesmerizing eyes before blinking them away. "Perfect," he said jovially, opening the passenger's door at the back of the SUV for me. "Let's go, my Emerald."

"Don't get used to it," I reminded him sweetly.

"Of course," He answered with a straight face, but I could not miss the elation lurking in his eyes.

I exhaled a deep breath as I climbed inside the car. I waited in silence as he sat beside me at the back of the SUV, and the cars started to pull away from the tarmac.

"What's with the tight security thing today?" I couldn't help but ask when I saw his security team riding the first car.

"What do you mean?" he looked at me with a frown on his forehead.

I gestured to the first car in front of us as we traveled. "Is that necessary now since you are a king?"

He smiled at me, taking my hand and examining the almost faded henna. At first, I stiffened. I wanted to snatch back my hand, but then I remembered that I had to be nice and soften up a little if I wanted this to work.

He is my 'boyfriend' after all.

It seems that he was also expecting that I would pull away from his touch, and when I didn't smile, his face grew wider. "I always travel like this, ya amar."

"What? Even in New York?" I could not help but think about the number of times that I saw him here in the past. I cannot remember the time I saw such security with him. "I don't think—"

He intertwined our fingers together. It felt like my hand molded perfectly with his. I scowled at the wayward thought. Where the hell did that crap come from?

Al-Farsi grinned at me, unaware of my silly thoughts. "Just because you don't notice them, that doesn't mean there's no security team following me discreetly."

My eyes widened. "You mean, even the time—" I trailed off my words since I could not bring myself to say it out loud.

It seemed that he knew what I was talking about. "Yes, I had my security team when we had our coffee date and our date on Coney Island."

"Oh..."

He grimaced, "As much as I hate being followed by them, the security team is part of the deal I made with my father to let me study here in America." His mouth twisted with distaste. "The same reason why councils and the people of Saqr are not so keen to have me as their king is because they think I became too westernized to lead Saqr."

My eyebrows drew together. "Why would they think something like that?"

"Because I am pushing our country towards modernization, and they want to remain true to the old traditions, which are very outdated."

"Outdated? What do you mean?"

He glanced at me briefly before answering. He let out a loud sigh. "For example, a king can only marry a pure-blooded princess. We're already in the twenty-first century. Why can't a ruling monarch marry a commoner or a foreigner, for that matter?"

My heart suddenly jumped in my chest. "You are willing to marry a commoner?"

He looked at me. He looked at me deep into my eyes. His piercing gaze could penetrate through my soul. He tightened his grip on my hand. "Why not?"

I didn't bother to answer, but there was something inside me that flipped with his words. Silence filled the car when I chose to look out of the window and stare at the familiar streets of New York City to end our conversation.

After almost an hour of driving, we finally arrived at Carnegie Hill in front of the building where my penthouse was located.

I slid out of the SUV the same as him. "We'll manage from here," Al-Farsi said to his driver, who got my luggage from the car's trunk. He took my luggage in his hand and guided me inside the penthouse building. "Shall we?"

I was fully aware of the curious eyes thrown in our direction from the concierge to the people inside the lobby. I glanced at him and he seemed to not care about the inquisitive looks we received from this crowd. His hand possessively laced with mine and the other hand pulled my luggage behind him. Looking at him now, he was the epitome of a perfect boyfriend.

We rode the elevator in silence. Once the metal door closed behind us, I managed to exhale the breath I didn't know I was holding. I was used to the stares people gave me in the past since it's part of my job as a model, but it was an entirely different thing when they looked at you curiously because of the man with you.

I took a steadying breath before punching the code of my penthouse. I was aware of the painful silence inside the lift. After a few moments, the elevator door finally opened up to reveal my white-themed receiving room.

I stepped out of the elevator and breathed the familiar scent of the modern, state-of-the-art apartment. I looked over my shoulder to see Al-Farsi still standing on the open elevator. "What?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" There was a small smile playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes. "Come in."

That's the only time he stepped inside my penthouse. I watched him look around my floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking New York City. That's when I realized that he's the only man I've invited into my home, apart from my brother-in-law, Roman Vasquez, when he fetched my twin sister here early in January of this year.

I was about to offer him something to break the awkward silence that always gets between us when I heard a distinctive sound of glass breaking on the hardwood flooring.

I turned around to see my mirror image coming out of the kitchen and staring at us with her saucer-wide green eyes. "Holy fucking shit!"

I winced at the filthy curse that rolled off Ruby's tongue. I had imagined the scenario countless times in my head about what my family's reaction would be when I introduced my nemesis as my "boyfriend" to them to counter Daniel's sly matchmaking. I intend to escape the same fate my sisters had suffered at his hands.

But never had I expected to have this encounter with my twin as soon I landed in New York.

"What are you doing here?" It was Ruby who first recovered from the unexpected encounter.

"What are you doing here?" I threw her words back at her. Because, if I remember correctly, this is my house, not hers.

She flashed a reluctant smile in my direction before picking up the broken glasses on the floor. "I've been squatting here for two days now. You know, I ran away from my husband."

"What?!" I stared at her in horror. "Don't tell me you left him for good?"

"Not really," she grinned at me. Her eyes danced with wickedness. "I just didn't want to see his face after our quarrel two days ago."

"Does he know you are here?"

She shrugged, getting back to her feet with the broken glasses in her hand. "Maybe," she looked at me before sliding her curious eyes to Al-Farsi. "I guess this is my cue to go home. After all, I already miss that Spanish bastard. Hi, Khalil."

Al-Farsi smiled back at her. "Hey."

Ruby looked at me with inquisitive eyes. "Aren't you going to tell me what's going on here, Em? Because I swear to God it feels like I stepped into a parallel universe because you and Khalil are not killing each other with harsh remarks and arriving together here at your apartment."

I bit my bottom lip as I didn't know how to answer her. I noticed that the brute king went to my side and lowered his head to whisper something in my ears. "I think this is the best time to step onto the stage for our play, habibti."

I looked at him for a moment before glancing at the expectant face of my twin sister. Talk about this woman's impeccable timing.

"So?" Ruby inquired impatiently.

With a tight smile on my face, I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm as I faced my sister. "Ru, I would like to formally introduce you to my boyfriend, Khalil Al-Farsi. Babe, of course, you already knew my twin sister, Ruby."

The broken glass in Ruby's hand slipped again from her grasp, making a shattering sound on the hardwood floor again. "Motherfucker! I was not expecting this, I swear. You and Khalil, huh? My poor brain cannot grasp the news at the moment." She was about to clean up the glass again but gave up and disappeared from the kitchen.

"Babe, huh?" he taunted when we were left alone.

I glared at him icily. "Shut up."

He smiled at me, his eyes twinkling with deviousness. "I like that endearment, babe."

Before I had the chance to give him a hot retort, Ruby was back with a broom and dustpan in her hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean my reaction a while ago. Your announcement just took me by surprise."

"That's okay. We understand," he supplied with a reassuring smile for my twin.

"Does he already know? Daniel, I mean," Ruby queried after a moment.

I shook my head. I was aware of my deathly squeeze of his muscled arm upon hearing Granddad's name. He covered my hand with him as if to reassure me that everything would be fine. "Not yet," Al-Farsi answered again. "But will inform him as soon as we have the chance."

There was an evil smile that fitted my twin's lips. "Then you don't have to wait much longer to inform him about this very good news. Tomorrow night will do. He is hosting a family dinner. Haven't you heard?"

"No," I shook my head while my heart started to beat wildly in my chest.

"Daniel might think that you're still out of the country. That's why he didn't tell you about the family dinner tomorrow."

Not anymore, I thought silently. I bet my one year of my salary that Ruby will inform him of my arrival after this. Out loud, I asked her, "Will everyone be there?"

"Of course," she replied with a winsome smile on her face. "Sapphire, Loukas, Amethyst, and Franco are all flying here. Daniel's order, of course. Will you guys attend?"

I eyed her dryly. "Do we have a choice?" Maybe we should have stayed a few more days in Saqr to avoid this family gathering.

"You do if Granddad is not aware that you've already arrived."

I snorted at the thought. "As if such information could elude him."

"Yes. You are correct," Ruby agreed in a deadpan voice.

"We will not avoid your grandfather," Al-Farsi announced calmly. I looked at him and saw this unreadable expression in his eyes. "We will attend tomorrow's family dinner."

Ruby clicked her tongue. "This should be another hell of a family dinner. I am getting excited about this."

I sighed deeply. I wish I could share her enthusiasm about this whole damn thing. Because one thing is for sure... tomorrow night, I will be the center of the hot seat. My game with the cunning Daniel will start and I intend to win this game by the end of the year. I will still be single, unlike the rest of my sisters.

Before I had a chance to reply to my twin, the elevator sounded and revealed Roman Vasquez, looking frustrated as hell while looking at his wife.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby demanded to her husband while throwing a disapproving look.

This woman, I thought with disbelief. Moments ago, she just announced that she'd go home since she missed her husband. Now the poor man shows up here and she turns bitchy again. If I didn't know better, I would just assume that she's doing this on purpose to make her husband suffer more.

"I came here to fetch you," my brother-in-law stated with a deep sigh. "Let's stop this stupid fight and let's go home, Red. I miss you."

Something about the desperation I detected in Roman's voice made me somehow envious of their relationship. Ruby is indeed one lucky woman to find such a man who still loves her despite her antics.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he added while my twin remained silent. "Please...?"

"I miss you too, idiot," Ruby admitted with a smile. "I will come home since the owner of this house finally arrived."

That's when Roman managed to drag his eyes away from his wife and slid his gaze on us. His smoky eyes widened in our direction.

"Hi, brother," I greeted with a smile. I could see the question in his eyes with my hands wrapped in Al-Farsi's arm. "I don't believe you have met His Majesty, Khalil Al-Farsi, King of Saqr. My boyfriend. Khalil, this is my brother-in-law, Roman Vasquez."

"B-Boyfriend?" Roman couldn't hide the shock from his face. "Oh, wow."

"How do you do?" my fake boyfriend extended his hand in Roman's direction. "I believe we've met before, remember."

"Yeah." Ruby's husband answered, taking the offered hand. "At the restaurant with my wife. I remember."

"Let's go home, darling," my twin had said with her luggage in hand. "I think we've bothered Emerald and her beau enough. Let's go and leave them in peace."

Roman sighed deeply while shaking his head. "And whose fault is that?"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," he conceded softly, taking the luggage and holding his wife's hand. "Shall we go home now?"

Once they bid goodbye, the elevator doors closed behind them. It didn't take long before the telephone rang, and I had a feeling I knew who the caller was without even answering it. I moved to where the telephone was located and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Good thing I caught you, lass," Daniel said over the phone. I rolled my eyes at his words.

Of course, he knew that I was in New York. My traitor twin had probably reported it to him as soon as she stepped inside the lift.

"What do you want, Granddad?" I asked warily while sending an alerting glance to Al-Farsi.

"Now that you're home, I want to invite you to the family dinner tomorrow night here in the Hamptons," he informed jovially. "Do you remember our agreement before you left for your assignment abroad?"

How could I forget? "Of course, Gran," I replied sanguinely.

"Then I want you to bring your boyfriend with you tomorrow—that is if you have one."

"Of course I do," I nearly snapped at my grandfather. Oh, you are in for a shock tomorrow night, dear Granddad. "Don't worry. I will bring him so you can meet him."

I heard Daniel chuckle on the other line. "Great. See you tomorrow, lass."

I will not lose to you, Granddad.