Emerald St. Clair's POV

My life was never so eventful until today, I swear. From the moment I stepped into this foreign country of Saqr, many things have happened in my life. I thought this work would be like the same photoshoots I have abroad. It never occurred to me that this work trip would have us robbed at gunpoint and kidnapped at the same time. 

Then the help we were praying for to save us from these thieves came from my adversary, none other than Khalil Al-Farsi.

I never expected that he would command such power in this country. Even the criminals who kidnapped us were so damn scared of him. But what I didn't expect at all was for him to announce, for everyone to hear, that I am his bride!

His bride!

If I were not in shock, I would have snarled at him for lying with such a straight face. How dare he humiliate me like that?

Before I knew what was happening, I was riding a horse with him as we traveled to the old road and neared the palace side gate.

Jesus, what's going on here? I asked myself silently as we entered the palace gate.

The guards at the palace gate bowed as we passed them, and then a footman was there to help him with the horse as Al-Farsi effortlessly jumped off the horse. My breath caught when he suddenly held me by the waist and plucked me from the stallion as if I weighed nothing.

But before my feet could even touch the ground, he suddenly scooped me in his arms as he started walking inside the magnificent palace.

"Put me down!" I hissed at him, finally coming to my senses after everything that had happened to me.

I struggled to be free from him, but he merely tightened his grip. I didn't like the way my body was pressed against him. I could feel the heat of his body. "Shut up, Emerald."

"I'm warning you, Al-Farsi—"

He looked down at me with annoyance in his mesmerizing cobalt eyes. "I said, shut up. Not a word from your lovely mouth, habibti. If you don't shut your mouth, I will be tempted to kiss you right now."

I could feel my lips form a thin line at his words. He was back to being a brute again. My god, for a moment, I had forgotten what kind of loathsome attitude he has.

"Your Majesty!"

I saw an elderly man dressed in traditional clothing coming from the second floor of the huge palace.

"Prepare a room for this woman, Omar," Al-Farsi commanded from the elderly man while still walking towards the grand staircase with me trapped in his arms.

I could see the naked shock on the man's face while looking at me in this brute's arms. I knew this wasn't the sight he hoped to see when his master arrived with a woman in his arms, but if he had an objection, he kept it to himself.

He bowed before answering. "Of course, sire."

The man named Omar led us towards the south wing of the palace if I am not mistaken, and after a series of corridors, he finally opened a door at the far end of the last hallway we entered.

"You can leave us, Omar."

"But sire..." There was disapproval on the elder man's face. He didn't like the idea of leaving me alone in a room.

"Leave," he instructed again with a firm tone. "And send for a maid here."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The elderly man bowed at him and finally heeded this brute's directive, leaving us alone in this beautiful room.

Al-Farsi finally put me down on my feet. I couldn't help but be in awe at the room's grandeur—a huge four-poster bed with crimson curtains, thick carpet, and detailed artwork on the ceiling. I grew up in the lap of luxury, but this was another level.

"What am I doing here?" I asked haughtily, crossing my arms in the middle of my chest. "I need to go to the police station and ask for their help. I need to be with my crew right now. We need to save them."

He took a deep breath. "Don't worry about them. I already instructed the authorities to bring them here to the palace."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I exhaled a deep breath, feeling better, knowing that my team would also be safe. Once they get here, we should return to New York as soon as possible. From the corner of my eyes, I could feel his eyes were focused on me.

I cleared my throat. Even if I hated the sight of him, I still knew my manners. "Thank you for saving me back there."

The corner of his mouth curved into a sexy smile. "I never thought I would hear those words from you in my life, habibti." He placed his hand on his chest. "Damn, it feels like my heart is quivering."

My eyes narrowed in his direction instantly. "I am not as heartless as you think, Al-Farsi. I know how to say 'thank you' when I owe one."

"Not in my company," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

I could feel the annoyance bubbling inside me as seconds passed by. I should have known that a simple conversation with him would end up in an argument. However, I tried to have a civilized talk with this man. "Are you back insulting me again?"

"I am not, he answered without a heartbeat. His eyes bore at me. "But I think you are."

"I am?" I scoffed at him while throwing a cold glare in his direction. How dare he accuse me of such a thing when I was being nice to him for once?

"Yes, you are," he answered with a small smile playing on his lips.

"What are you doing?" My eyes widened when I saw him start to close the distance that separated us. "Back off. I'm warning you."

He smirked devilishly at me as he continued to walk in my direction. The more he stepped forward, the more I walked backward to keep a good distance. "Why? Are you afraid of me, darling?"

I threw a deathly glare in his direction. "You wish! Don't you dare call me such endearments? I don't like it. And for the love of God, stay away from me."

Thank goodness he stopped walking when standing toe to toe with me because I was now trapped between him and the wall behind me. I could almost smell his perfume. "Does my presence bother you?"

"No...I mean, yes!" I answered while fully aware of the loud pounding of my chest. I wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it too. "You're standing far too close for my comfort zone. You will put some distance between us if you are a gentleman."

"I never claim to be a gentleman, eini," he said, lowering his head until our lips were only inches away from each other.

Shit. I felt my heart just stop beating.

"Then again," he added with a devilish glint in his dark blue eyes. "I'd like to be in your danger zone, Emerald."

I blinked at him. "What?"

He pointedly looked at my lips hungrily for a moment before putting some distance between us. I slowly exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding.

Thank goodness.

Al-Farsi shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms in the middle of his chest. An annoying smile played on his lips while he looked at me from head to toe. "I think I like to ruffle your feathers, my love."

My temper flared inside me at his words. The nerve of this guy! I mimicked his stance, tucking my arms in my chest and giving him a haughty look. "Just who you do think you are?"

He smiled serenely in my direction and gave me the same arrogant look. "Let me formally introduce myself then. Khalil Al-Farsi, the sovereign lord of this country. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Emerald St. Clair."

My mouth hung open at his announcement. I could feel the blood start to drain from my face. "H-How...how did that happen?"

"For once, I render you to be speechless." He was happy that I stammered at his declaration. Damn, this arrogant brute.

"I thought you're just a prince?"

"I was." The nerve of this man. He was enjoying my stunned reaction more than he should have. The amusement on his face says it all. "My father died months ago, so now I am the king of this land."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss."

He shrugged again. "He had been sick for years, and we were already expecting it to happen sooner or later. It wasn't painful when he passed away."

"That must be the reason I haven't seen your face in New York lately," I commented before I could even stop myself.

His lips twitched with a knowing smile. "Why? Miss me, did you?"

I blinked when I heard the teasing in his voice. He was back to being an ass again. "Why would I miss you?"

There was a wolfish smile on his face that I didn't trust. It was like he was eyeing his prey and ready to pounce at it at any moment. "Because admit it or not, I am the only man who can make your heart skip a beat."

I laughed at his assumptions. This guy was something else. "My God, you are impossible, Your Highness."

A small smile fitted his lips. His compulsive cobalt gaze was fixed on me. I don't think I liked the way he stared at me with such intensity. "Drop the formalities. Don't 'Your Highness' me when we both know you mean the opposite, Emerald."

I remained silent and didn't bother to answer him. I also looked away from his intense gaze. Being this close to him makes me uncomfortable. Besides, my eyes kept wandering back to his annoying face to appreciate how sinfully handsome he was in his traditional clothes.

He was every inch a powerful king, and his clothing today was way different from the Western clothes that he wore in New York.

"If you wake up something with your lustful stare, habibti," he warned me sweetly, dragging me out of my reverie as I stared at his smiling face, "I am not liable for what will happen next."

I felt my cheeks flame when I realized what he meant by his statement. "A-Are...you out of your mind?! I am not looking at you that way, moron!"

Instead of feeling insulted by my choice of words, he chuckled in my direction as if he had found me amusing. "You're stammering again," he looked at me attentively. "Am I making you nervous again, sweetheart?"

"You wish!"

He was about to reply when a knock sounded on the doorway. "Come in," he said after a moment of distance from me.

A young woman entered the bedroom with her eyes looking down at the carpeted floor. "Your Majesty, I am Naima, the maid you sent for..."

Al-Farsi looked at the woman briefly before focusing his gaze back on me. He gestured to me with his head. "Help this lady with her bath."

"As you wish, sire." The woman looked at me briefly with a smile. "My lady? Come this way, please."

I looked at the man in front of me, confused. "What? Are you crazy? I can take a bath without any help."

There was irritation in his eyes at this moment. "Don't be stubborn, Emerald. Let her help with your bath. If you don't want her help, I will gladly help you myself."

I stared at him in disbelief while my cheeks felt so hot at the moment. The maid with us instantly covered her shock and continued to look down at the carpeted floor. How dare he say such a word so casually? What if this woman thinks that...?

Oh, damn this man! I thought furiously.

Before I could say another word that would result in me being carted to the nearest police station for offending the king of this country, I marched towards the bathroom.

Once I was inside the lavish bathroom, my mouth hung open. White marble with gold detailing and a huge bathtub on the far end. Goodness, I am really inside a palace, not a freaking high-end hotel.

I noticed that the maid started filling the bathtub with water and putting an essential oils bath in the water. The smell floated inside the bathroom. Suddenly, I couldn't wait to take a dip in the water.

Naima went to my side and started to help me with my clothes. I took several steps backward. "I can remove my clothes on my own. Thanks for the help, but I can manage."

"Of course, my lady."

"Can you drop the 'my lady' thing?" I asked. I was slightly uncomfortable when she called me that. "My name is Emerald."

The woman nodded, still looking down at the floor. "As you wish, Lady Emerald."

I sighed deeply while shaking my head in resignation. I stripped my clothes before dipping in the bathtub. I nearly groaned when my body hit the water. I missed this.

"Shall I wash your hair for you, Lady Emerald?"

I looked at her. "You don't have to do that. I can bathe myself. Thanks for the offer, but I can manage. You don't have to wait for me here."

Naima shook her head almost immediately. "I cannot do that, my lady. His Majesty will be furious."

"Tell me," I said to the woman hovering near the bathtub. "Does His Majesty often bring women here in the palace?"

Naima's eyes widened in my direction. I could almost feel that my bold question scandalized her. I forgot that this is not America. It's an old-fashioned country.

I chuckled, closing my eyes and enjoying the water around me. "You don't have to answer."

"No, Lady Emerald," the woman said after a moment. "This is the first time the king brings a woman inside the palace."

"Oh..." There was some emotion inside that I could not explain at the moment. And I don't want to explain, for that matter, whatever that was. I am sure it's only because of the stress I felt while being captured by those bandits in the desert. It had nothing to do with what Naima had told me.

Naima cleared her throat. "Now will you let me help you wash your hair, Lady Emerald?" She asked me hopefully.

I shook my head in acquiescence. "If you insist."

And that's what happened. She helped throughout my bath as if I were a queen. After I was done bathing, I slipped into a robe and went outside the bathroom, where I found Al-Farsi sitting at the bottom of the bed.

"You're still here?" I asked disapprovingly.

His lips were filled with a sexy smile. "I am not going anywhere, darling."

I glared at him darkly. "Told you quit the endearment. It makes me nauseous."

Al-Farsi's eyes twinkled with delight. He tapped the space next to him on the bed. "Come. Let's put some ointment in your wrists while waiting for your companion here in the palace. They are on their way here."

I reluctantly did as he told me, which was a rare occurrence for us because, normally, I would do the opposite of his request. He realized it when he started putting ointment on my slightly swollen wrist. A mocking smile played on his lips while administering the balm to my wrists.

"So you've done this before?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence in the room.

"What do you mean?" he countered without lifting his eyes on his work.

"You know, bringing your woman here and putting salve on their swollen wrist." I blurted out before I had the chance to stop my loose mouth.

Al-Farsi stiffened and stared at me with gleaming eyes. "If yes. Does that mean you are my woman too?"

"What?!" My eyes widened in his direction. "No! Of course not. I am not one of your women. Let me remind you that."

There was a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

"Oh my God!" I said in disbelief. "You're full of yourself. It reminds me why I hate you in the first place."