Emerald St. Clair's POV

I shifted in my position inside the passenger seat of Al-Farsi's car. Since he picked me up in my penthouse to attend Granddad's family dinner, uneasiness settled in my spine.

"You okay?" the man beside me inquired softly.

I glanced at him warily. "Yes, I am fine."

"You look nervous," he commented, weaving his fingers with mine. "Your hands are icy cold. Nervous?"

"Agitated, I think," I confessed, taking several steady breaths. Never in my life had I felt so terrified to attend Daniel's family dinner, not until tonight. Maybe my anxiousness had something to do with the fact that I knew that I would be in the hot seat tonight.

"We'll be fine, habibti."

I sighed deeply and didn't bother to answer him. I looked out my window to see that we were already nearing the Hamptons, where Daniel's fortress was located. The imposing three-story mansion stood proudly in the middle of acres of land. It has a tennis court, a golf course, and an equestrian ground.

Granddad spared nothing in building this stunning mansion for my grandmother in the early years of their marriage.

My self-consciousness intensified when we finally reached the massive iron gate of the St. Clair manor. Once the car pulled into the driveway, I noticed the other cars parked, which meant that my sisters and their husbands were already there.

Great, I thought with a lack of enthusiasm. I intended to arrive earlier than them, but I guess they were excited about this family dinner, that's why they were early.

I gathered all the strength I could muster as I slid out of the car. I can get through this family dinner with flying colors, I reassured myself.

"Smile, love," he urged when he went to my side. He affectionately brushed his knuckles on my cheek while giving me a reassuring smile. "We're a happy couple, remember? Do you want them to suspect anything?"

I gave him a tight smile.

"Can you make it more genuine?"

I glared in his direction. "Shut up, Al-Farsi."

"What happened to 'babe'?"

I gave him a deadpan look. "Hey, don't get greedy. There's no need for that since we are alone. I reserve that for when we have company."

He whistled softly, placing his arm possessively around my waist. I stiffened at the gesture but then let it go after a moment because he's 'my boyfriend' after all. "Then, I plan for us to have a companion always so I can hear that endearment from you."

Despite my uneasiness, a low chuckle escaped me. I shook my head in disbelief. "You are unbelievable, do you know that? I swear that you and your smooth tongue leave me speechless sometimes."

There was wickedness in his cobalt eyes as we ascended the staircase. He leaned down to whisper something in my ear. "Do you want to know how smooth my tongue is against your skin?" His breath tickled me and I shivered slightly. "I can show you tonight if you want."

"Shut up!" I could feel the heat that spread through my cheeks. This shameless man would be the death of me. I sorely regret agreeing to this stupid plan against Granddad. "Keep your nasty thoughts to yourself before I throw you in my grandfather's fireplace and burn you alive."

Al-Farsi threw his head back and laughed heartily. "At least give me an heir before you burn me alive so that Saqr will have a future king and the Al-Farsi's bloodline will continue."

Shock fitted my face as I stared at him. "Are you implying—"

"—Yes," he said to me with a lopsided grin. "If you want to see my demise, then you need to give me an heir first to compensate for the crime of killing me."

"The hell..." How could I have this conversation with him when I've never even spent a night with a man? But there's no way in hell I would tell him that.

So instead of answering, I stabbed the doorbell the way I wanted to poke his eyes with my finger. While waiting for someone to open the door, I glanced at him briefly. Do I have to do this? I asked myself silently. Is it too late to back out of this charade? Suddenly, it felt like I didn't want to do it anymore.

He must have sensed that I was looking at him when he looked at me with amused eyes. "Having cold feet, habibti?"

"Yes."

He let out a deep chuckle while shaking his head. "Your honesty is something else." He tucked some wayward strand of hair at the back of my ear. "Too late for that, my love. You already agreed to be mine."

I scowled vehemently. "I did not agree—"

"Shh..." the conceited man urged me to keep quiet as the door opened. The middle-aged maid gave us a welcoming smile.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my legs to carry me inside the huge receiving room. I immediately spotted Ruby and her husband snuggling together on the long sofa. These two...only yesterday they were behaving like teenagers after a dispute. Now they're back to being stupidly in love.

"Good evening," my pretend boyfriend said to make our presence known.

The annoying couple on the sofa glanced in our direction with knowing smiles on their faces. "Finally, you two are here!" Ruby cried, making me mentally wince at her undisguised enthusiasm.

Then, I noticed my other brother-in-law, Franco Calvetti, Amethyst's husband and the father of her son, sitting in the wing chair, giving us a look of disbelief. "No way!"

I had forgotten that Franco was a good friend of Al-Farsi.

"Hello, Franco. Where are the others?" I asked, giving them a happy smile while looking around the empty receiving room.

As if on cue, the subjects of my inquiry were all coming out of the kitchen. Sapphire and Amethyst were both holding expensive wine bottles in their hands, probably from Granddad's wine collection in the cellar. Loukas was with them.

I smiled at the irony. My pregnant sisters were the ones holding wine bottles. As if they could enjoy even a single drop of Sauvignon Blanc.

I cleared my throat to get their attention since they were busy with their conversation. "Hey, what's up? Long time no see."

Three pairs of eyes swung in our direction, and in slow motion, I saw Amethyst and Sapphire drop the expensive wine bottles onto the floor. Loukas tried to save the bottles from falling from his wife's hand, but he was too late. The shattering sound of four expensive bottles breaking echoed around the silent room. The liquid spread all over the floor like a river.

"Seriously?" it was Roman who broke the silence. "We need to stop breaking glasses at every family gathering. Daniel will need to replace the ruined floor sooner or later."

Almost immediately, two maids were already cleaning the mess my older sisters made.

"No need to worry," Amethyst shrugged to Sapphire. "We can't drink it anyway. We might as well don't let anyone enjoy the good wine without us."

"Right."

"It's a good omen," my idiotic twin quipped, smiling at me, thinking that she was so witty. "When someone breaks something at family dinner, someone will walk down the aisle soon."

Upon mentioning that, several pairs of eyes turned in our direction. What the hell? Walking down the aisle? My twin lost her mind after her marriage. Spending too much time in the hot kitchen made her brain cells shrink.

I don't think I liked the way they stared at us. Hell, Daniel is not even here yet! And they were already talking about weddings.

"Why don't you introduce your date?" Ruby suggested devilishly.

"Oh, we already know him," the very pregnant Sapphire injected.

"Well, I don't," Loukas inserted.

"What's going on here?" Amethyst asked with a frown on her forehead.

I cleared my throat again because it felt like I was about to choke. "Guys, I believe most of you know Khalil. He's with me tonight because..."

"...because Emerald made me the happiest man when she finally agreed to be my girlfriend," Al-Farsi stated smoothly. He looked down at me with a sweet smile. "Right, love?"

With a slightly forced smile, I replied to him. "R-Right."

A collective gasp sounded in the room, except for Ruby and Roman, who had already been aware of the news. I was surprised that they kept the information to themselves and didn't spread the news through the family grapevine.

"Does he know?" Franco inquired, gesturing to the grand staircase leading to the second floor. "I mean, no information escapes him, but..."

"I think he is aware," I confessed, knowing what kinds of connections Daniel St. Clair has. "Where is he, by the way?"

"Still in his study, I believe," Sapphire answered, sitting on the sofa with her husband supporting her.

I snorted. "He should be here greeting his guests. After all, he's the one who arranged for this family dinner. He likes showing up last minute."

"I heard that, lass."

And there he was. Speak of the devil and he will show himself...but no, even the devil himself would be scared to meet my granddad with his cunning nature.

I watched him slowly descend the grand staircase. I automatically moved even closer to Al-Farsi's side, as if leaning for support. I'm dealing with Lucifer's twin brother.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my pretend boyfriend's face break into a pleased smile as he drew me even closer to him. He tightened his grip around my waist as if letting me go was not an option.

I can do this, I reassured myself. I can play this game with Granddad.

A slow smile fitted my face upon having a staring contest with Daniel. He tilted his eyebrow in my direction before breaking into a smug smile of his own.

It was my turn to frown in his direction. Forcing myself to smile, I introduced the man beside me. "Granddad, I don't believe you've met my boyfriend, Khalil. Babe, this is my lovely grandfather, Daniel."

"How do you do, sir?" Al-Farsi asked politely.

There was a secretive smile on my grandfather's face. "I am fine, lad." He threw a goading look in my direction before looking at the staircase. "Now that you are all here. I want you to meet someone. Come on, lad."

I frowned at him. What the hell is going on?

I saw a young man with top-knot in his hair descending the staircase. It felt like my heart just dropped and I had a feeling I knew who this bloody bastard was. Even Al-Farsi went rigid at my side.

"Emerald, lass," there was a devil's satisfaction in Daniel's voice as the man stood beside him on the staircase landing. "I don't believe you have met before. This is Ryker Creed, your fiancé."

I could feel the blood draining out of my face. Daniel was, indeed, one sly grandfather. I thought he was just bluffing with this fiancé thing.

"Nice to meet you, Emerald. What a pretty name you have," the man named Ryker Creed smiled in my direction.

I carefully glanced at Al-Farsi's face. I nearly winced when I saw the way his face darkened, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He must have realized that I was looking at him when he gave me a reassuring smile and slightly squeezed my waist. I tried to return the smile, silently telling him that we could do this. We're not going to lose to my cunning grandfather.

I was busy staring at Al-Farsi's face when I didn't notice that Ryker Creed closed the distance that separated us.

I turned my head to give him a dark scowl. It seemed that he didn't even notice my unwelcoming stare when he extended his hand with a goading smile in my fake boyfriend's direction. "Ryker Creed. I'm her fiancé."

For a moment, I thought that this brute king would ignore the hand, but he surprised me when he accepted it and shook it briefly. But I couldn't miss the way his eyes still had this murderous intent. "Khalil A-Farsi. I'm her boyfriend."

The tension inside the receiving room was thick. I didn't expect such drama when I arrived here. I threw a dirty look at Daniel, who remained silent about the whole thing.

Damn, his family dinner without drama. He lives for this kind of show. Maybe he was bored being the head of St. Clair Diamonds. That's why he started playing with his granddaughters.

I heard someone whistling softly and I didn't know who among my brothers-in-law the culprit was.

"Excuse me, Mr. St. Clair," the housekeeper broke the silence inside the room. "Dinner is ready."

"Shall we, my children?" The patriarch of the St. Clair family invited us gleefully, leading the assembly into the formal dining room. My sisters and their respective husbands followed him, with Mr. Top Knot Guy leading the pack beside Lucifer's twin brother.

"Are you okay?" I asked quizzically as I was left behind with Al-Farsi in the receiving room. There was still a murderous gleam in his cobalt eyes.

He glanced in my direction. His mouth was set in a grim line. "I am preventing myself from killing someone."

"You mean Ryker Creed?"

He sighed a loud breath. "Who else? Did you see the way he looks at you?"

"No. I don't," I answered with a smile. I don't know why I feel slightly elated that he's somewhat annoyed by that guy. "Come on, we can get through this dinner together. We need to convince Granddad that we're very much in love with each other and would not let anyone come between us."

He took several steadying breaths before he laced his fingers with mine and led me to the infamous twenty-seater dinner table of Daniel St. Clair.

When we arrived in the dining room everyone else was already seated. Granddad was, of course, sitting at the head of the table with Roman and Ruby to his right. Daniel's henchmen. I thought acidly. Ryker Creed was sitting on Daniel's left side, followed by Loukas, Sapphire, Amethyst, and Franco.

Al-Farsi pulled me as far as possible from my so-called fiancé. We sat next to Granddad's very personal subordinate at the far end of the table. If he would have his way, we might as well sit on the far end of the dinner table away from the family.

My breath was caught when he pulled his chair very close to me. There was no distance between us. It felt like he was stating his claim for everyone to see.

Light conversation filled the dinner table when the appetizer started to arrive. Al-Farsi placed a good amount of tossed salad on my plate before helping himself. I raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Are you trying to get me full before the main course is served?"

His eyes gleamed in my direction. "You need to gain some weight, remember?"

I rolled my eyes at him. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Granddad looking at us with unveiled interest. He's playing the boyfriend thing to perfection, huh? He must be aware of the stare Granddad was throwing in our direction.

I smiled at him sweetly. If he can play his part flawlessly, so can I. "I might not be able to wear my clothes anymore if this continues."

"Don't worry," he answered, smiling ear to ear in my direction. "I will buy you an entire wardrobe if that happens, habibti."

"Aw, babe," I replied dramatically, placing a light kiss in his mouth for everyone to see. I imagined that I was an actress and we were filming a movie right now. Yeah, that's only the reason why I kissed him out of the blue.

"Can you tame the sweetness overload?" my twin sister suggested. "We don't want to become diabetic before this dinner ends."

I smirked at her. "Envious, are you?"

"Woman," Ruby retorted, rolling her eyes at me. "Been there, done that. Right, darling?"

Roman gave her a devilish grin before clinking their champagne glasses together. "Of course, mi amor."

It was my turn not to gag at their sweetness. I just focused on my salad and started to eat. I was thankful that silence filled the dinner table. After a moment, my heart thundered in my chest when Al-Farsi leaned toward me and whispered something in my ear. "I'm jealous as fuck, my love."

I shot him a questioning look. "What?"

He nodded in Ryker Creed's direction discreetly before whispering something in my ear again. "I will kill him. I will kill him if he doesn't avert his eyes from you right this moment. I don't like the way he stares at you."

I glanced at the man in question and found that he was looking at me with a smile on his handsome face.

"Don't look at him," there was frustration in Al-Farsi's voice. "I have my country's entire military force at my beck and call. I might be tempted to call some snipers to assassinate him for me."

I stared at him in horror. "You will not do that. You're kidding, right?"

His face was set in a grim expression. "I might do that if I can't subdue my jealousy."

I placed my hand on his leg. "Just don't mind him."

"Even if I do not ask someone to assassinate him for me," he said with a deep sigh, "I might as well do it myself after dinner. He will not see the sunrise tomorrow if I have my way."

Before I had the chance to answer, the master manipulator asked us a direct question. "So," he said conversationally. "I haven't seen you in New York as often as before, Khalil. Busy?"

"Yeah, because..." he trailed off his sentence and looked at me as if asking for a little help.

I felt my lips twitch with a smile. Don't tell me he's reluctant to tell them that he ascended the throne of Saqr?

"Because of what?" Daniel prodded.

"Because he's busy in Saqr preparing for his coronation, granddad," I informed Daniel with a smile.

Daniel's eyes widened in our direction. "Really?"

"Yes," I answered. I saw Al-Farsi's cheeks flush. Was he embarrassed?

"Well, congratulations on your upcoming coronation, Your Majesty," my grandfather stated, but his eyes remained blank. "I hope you don't mind me asking then, What's your intention towards my lassie? Don't get me wrong. I mean, if you are about to be crowned king, what will happen to Emerald? Are you going to marry her?"

"Granddad!" I protested indignantly.

Al-Farsi held my hand that was resting above the table and squeezed a little. He smiled at Daniel reassuringly. "My intentions with Emerald are pure and true," he looked at me with a fire burning in his eyes. "And yes, I will marry her if she'll have me."

My silly heart started to pound loudly in my chest. He is just saying that because he's pretending to be your boyfriend, I reminded myself silently. He is just saying that for Daniel's benefit.

"You might hurt her unintentionally," Grandfather added. His eyes were busy roasting the king beside me as if he was not royalty. "What if you need to marry someone else because of your position? What will happen to my granddaughter then?"

"Stop it, Granddad!" I groaned. What's wrong with him tonight? Why is he being an ass to Al-Farsi?

He shook his dark head almost immediately. "I will never do that to Emerald. She's the last person I want to see hurt, especially by me."

Daniel eyed him for a long moment before shaking his head. "I don't know, lad. King or not, right now, I don't think you are the best choice for my granddaughter. I think Ryker here is the best candidate to be Emerald's husband."

Al-Farsi's face darkened. I could see the way his jaw was set. He was getting pissed at this family dinner. I think coming here was not a good idea, after all.

It's time to end this conversation. "That's enough, gran," I said firmly, eyeing everyone at the dinner table. I clutched Al-Farsi's hand tightly. "My relationship with Khalil is none of your business. I don't want you interfering with it." I looked at Ryker Creed. "I'm sorry, I cannot accept you as my fiancé since I am already in love with someone else."

I felt Al-Farsi stiffen beside me. He slowly glanced at me with unholy light in the depth of his mesmerizing cobalt eyes, his mouth gradually forming a big smile. I returned the smile warmly.

He then gave Mr. Top Knot a cold and hard look. He's every inch of a powerful king at this moment. "Emerald is mine. Remember that."

The man merely raised an eyebrow in his direction. "We'll see about that, Your Majesty."