~~~~~Walid~~~~~
The view in front of me was starting to look better. The rage I had felt a few days ago standing in this exact spot, watching my buildings burn down to the ground, felt unbearable.
I wanted to rip Mikael's head off but I knew that his time would come too. After the bullet I had received from him, the closest I could get to him was his cousin brother. Pasha had ended his life and I didn't have any regrets at all. Eye for an eye it was.
The explosions were just a small warning from Mikael. But he was stupid enough because that only gave me a heads up. It made me realize we had more informers around us than I could imagine.
There was no way he could make that happen without the help of someone very close to me. I had to figure out who it was before it was too late.
I shifted and turned when I heard footsteps entering the terrace. Jasmin stepped inside, taking tiny steps towards me.
She had calmed down some moments ago and I had asked her to rest, but she obviously liked to do the exact opposite of what I told her.
"Walid." The way she dragged out my name, sounding like an innocent little soul, made me lean back against the railing. She only did that when she wanted something.
She had already asked for the impossible a while ago. She wanted the war to end, but she didn't know it was not possible. She didn't know Mikael. He would never agree with peace. Or he would, but he would ask for something I would not even give him over my dead body.
"When you said I can't go out, did you mean I can't even go out with you? Like you let me do before, go with you to the bazar?" She asked, her big hopeful eyes staring at me.
She had spent ten minutes thinking about it in her pretty little head and now she came back to ask me...
"You can't go with me to the bazar." I said with a straight face.
Her shoulders slumped. "But why?"
"I told you already. It's not safe for you. I don't want to risk it." I explained again.
"You mean to say you can't protect me?" Her eyebrows raised as she tested me.
I knew what she was doing. She was trying to make me change my mind by trying to manipulate me but she didn't know I invented that move.
"I can protect you, but I need to stay alive to do that. I would take a bullet for you, but once I've take that bullet...who's gonna protect you then?" I asked, giving her a serious look. Her face changed and she fell right into the trap.
"You're right, we shouldn't risk it. You won't get hurt because of me again." She nodded, her eyes filling with sadness and she phased out like she was recalling a memory.
I stayed still and watched her beautiful face turn dull. I hated seeing that look on her face. I loathed myself for making her life hell but I had promised myself I would fix everything soon.
She turned around and was about to walk back inside when I called out for her. She waited for me to speak and I debated whether I should say it or not.
I hated how she could always make me do things I had strictly decided against. Just one sad look of her's could make me turn everything upside down just to give her back the smile she deserved.
"We can't go to the bazar, but I can surely take you out now and then when you want to go out." I finally said, mentally cursing at myself for giving in.
Her eyes immediately lit up and she smiled. But her smile dropped just as quick. "No, let's just not risk it." She backed out.
"It's fine, I'll arrange tons of security if you don't feel safe with me." I shrugged, making her frown at me.
"I only feel safe with you." It seemed like she accidentally blurted that out because she looked away and started playing with her fingers nervously.
I watched her for a moment, enjoying the view in front of me.
I had realized a while ago how obsessed I was with her. Or the one month I spent without her to be specific. It was like getting a taste of hell because it felt impossible to go on another day without her.
At one point, I even decided to leave all the work and come home to her. But I stopped myself because I couldn't be a weak bitch. I never left unfinished business like that if not an emergency happened.
I wasn't familiar with someone occupying my mind that much. I had never felt like that for a girl. In the beginning, I hated myself and her for making me care so much about her.
Now, I was just trying to accept the fact that I was whipped.
"I love that." I finally spoke, her eyes dropping to the floor.
"You don't love a lot of things." The way she was sulking like a little creature made me want to kill her. Why did she have to be so f*cking innocently sweet? She just made it harder for me to keep my eyes and hands off her.
"You know me well." I nodded, making her bite her lower lip as she caught my eyes. "I could count with my fingers."
"Really? With one hand or both?" A hint of hope was heard in her voice as she spoke.
I made her believe I was thinking before telling her. "One."
"So you love only five things in this big word?" She asked and I nodded. "What are the five things you love?"
I smiled at her curiosity and knew what she was trying to say or hear. But I loved annoying her and didn't miss any opportunity of doing so.
"Hmm...I love our guard dog, he's very loyal." It didn't even take seconds before she subtly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I love cars, I love sour sweets...and I can't think of any more or wait...the most important, I love myself."
"That's only four." She huffed, her almost pouting lips made me wanna do things to her.
"I told you I can count on my fingers." I shrugged.
"Well, thanks for sharing them with me...I guess." I could tell she forced herself to say that just like she forced the smile on her face.
"You're welcome, it's your turn now."
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it before." She was quick to say.
"Think now."
"Hmm, I love my parents, I love Sammy, I love baking and I love traveling." She finally said and I stopped myself from showing the amusement I was feeling upon realizing what she was doing.
"You didn't have a fifth one either?" I raised my eyebrow.
"Nope." She smugly said. Little minx.
"Where do you wanna travel to on our honeymoon." I asked, her eyes squinting at my question.
"Honeymoon? What honeymoon?"
"You said you love traveling, where do you wanna go?" I asked again.
"Yes but we've been married for more than three months, our honeymoon phase is over baby." Even though she said it sarcastically, it did things to me.
"Baby huh? That's what you're gonna call me when we go on our romantic getaway and we-"
"Stop it!" She screeched, knowing my next words were going to send her into another dimension. "And what romantic getaway? Since when are you into romance?"
"I'm not, it just sounded better than f-"
"I said stop!" She reacted the same way again, making me laugh as I shook my head.
"You can't even listen to me saying it how will we ever make any babies?" Her face reddened even more as her eyes opened wide. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, lost for words.
"I already have one big baby to take care of we don't need more." She spoke quickly, the stress clearly showing on her face.
"You're right...I have one big-" She cut me off by pressing her palm over my mouth roughly. I took her hand and bit her finger lightly.
"Ouch, Walid!" She pulled her hand away from me. "You're so annoying!"
"That's what you get for being a scared little cat."
"I'm not a scared cat stop saying that!" She stomped her foot, just like a cat.
"Okay. Now tell me where you want to travel to."
"I don't know." She started to calm down. "Anywhere tropical with good weather and clear water." She sighed, as if she was imagining the perfect vacation in her mind. "But that's not gonna happen, we will stay here and not risk stepping out of town. That includes you too, no more leaving the town thing."
I nodded at her orders but made up my mind to find the best tropical city to visit and book it as soon as possible. She deserved more than just a few days away from this hellhole I had put her in but that would come too.
~
Time was going torturously slow. That's how it always felt lately. A few months ago, the thought of wanting to go home after finishing the work for the day never ever occurred to me. I would always stay out late drenching myself with work.
But lately, the only thing I was doing was wanting to get all the work for the day finished and go back home.
The reason to that was obvious and I had of course noticed it but the people around me started taking notes as well.
"Instead of sitting there and sulking like a teenager go home and we'll finish the rest." Isak barked like a dog.
We were at my office in the bazar and going through the files consisting tax information of the city and some other files of the economic situation. I usually went through all that myself once a month but I had asked the boys to help me get it over and done with.
"I just have a headache." I dismissed, making all four of them eye me. I glared at them. "What? Can't I have a f*cking headache in peace?"
"You can, but it's offensive you still think we don't know when you tell lies." Isak shrugged. "And I can also read you like an open book so I know the only thing you want right know is go home. I don't know the reason to that though, do you know Pasha?"
"No, do you know?" Pasha turned to Zaid who shook his head.
"Nope." Zaid replied. "Do you?" He turned to Rashid.
Rashid being the sensible one and the one who always tried to stop any situation that ended with me smacking the shit out of them, told them to shut up before turning to me.
"Go home man, we'll take care of this." He reassured but I shook my head and straightened. I picked up the bottle put in front of me and gulped down the cold water.
"It's not much left, let's get it over with." We got back to work and half an hour later we were all done.
Zaid's phone rang and he eyed me before picking it up. "Yes, Jasmin what's up?"
Upon hearing him say her name, a fire of jealousy rushed through me. Not because he was talking to her, but because he could hear her voice. The voice I wanted to hear..
Was I officially a psychopath?
I pretended like I wasn't listening to him talking while I went through some emails on the laptop in front of me.
"Yes exactly. I'll take care of everything you don't have to worry, I'll update you now and then of everything." They talked some more before he cut the call.
"It was Jasmin, she was informing me that she won't be coming to the bazar anymore and she was worried for the people but I promised her I will take care of all her work here." He explained and I nodded. There was a silence in the room until he broke it. "It's pretty safe here in the bazar..."
"Pretty safe is not enough. I told you we have more leaks and we have to find those bastards. We have to be cautious of everyone around us. When I say everyone, I mean everyone." I ordered and they nodded in agreement. "Also, I will take Jasmin out of country this weekend, Rashid and Isak will follow us to shadow us and Pasha, Zaid...you two will stay here and take care of things. I won't be taking any security with us and no one will know we're out of country not even my family."
They nodded once again and we parted ways after that. I left for home and parked the car before strolling inside.
I heard a familiar laugh coming from the kitchen and my steps quickly changed route. I stopped at the doorway and saw Jasmin together with Asiya and Ariana. They were making some dessert and I decided not to disturb them.
"Walid!" Asiya called just when I turned to leave. "Jasmin is teaching us how to make red velvet cake." She beamed looking back down at the counter.
"That's great Doll." I stepped inside and left a kiss at the top of my little cousin's head before turning to the other two girls.
Ariana gave me a half smile and diverted her eyes from me. She was still angry with me and was claiming I was treating Jasmin unfairly. I knew that, but the only reply I had given Ariana was that I was just trying to protect Jasmin.
No one understood, so it was best to just keep quiet.
My eyes locked with the one person I had been waiting to see for the past hours. She was wearing an apron, her hair put messily away from her face.
The aggressive look with a hint of approval I was giving her made her shyly look away from me.
"Why don't you stay and see the cake it's gonna turn out so beautiful. We're almost done." Asiya said and I agreed before opening random cupboards to look for something to eat.
Nothing caught my attention so I turned to go back to the girls when I almost bumped into Jasmin. "Sorry." She muttered before taking a step to the left to walk past me. I followed her move and blocked her way.
Looking at her, I realized I was looking in the wrong cupboards.
She tried to walk past me again but I blocked her way. She looked back nervously at my cousins who had their back towards us before turning back to me. She tried to warn me through her eyes but it just amused me more to see her like that.
I let her go when she tried to round me again, her panicked eyes made me feel bad for her.
They were done with the cake a while later and I was leaning on the island doing nothing other than watching Jasmin.
My eyes were stuck on her like a prey and I knew she had noticed because she was being clumsier than usual.
She abruptly turned to me and smiled. I hadn't even noticed Ariana and Asiya had left and we were the only two left in the kitchen.
"It turned out so pretty, didn't it?" She asked, referring to the cake.
I went up to her and looked at the cake then back at her. "Yes...it's beautiful." She's beautiful.
"You wanna taste it? Or no it needs to cool we'll eat it tomorrow. I'll just put it in the fridge." She put the cake in the fridge and pulled the apron over her head. "Walid, why are you so quiet, what's wrong?" She asked suddenly, approaching me.
"I'm just wondering where you will sleep today." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly until she noticed what I was talking about.
"I don't want to disturb Ariana anymore so I'll come back to bed." She shrugged, her answer making me feel more relaxed than necessary. "Let's go sleep it's late."
She walked ahead of me and I followed her closely. As we passed the last hallway, my phone rang. "Go inside I'll just answer this." She nodded and stepped into the room.
"Like expected, they've messed with all the camera footage of all three warehouse. But, the camera footage you had installed in the trucks there gave us something. We'll look through it together tomorrow." Rashid said.
I let out a heavy sigh at the good news. "Good." I cut the call and stepped inside the room.
Rashid would not call me for nothing at this time. If he said he had found something, then it was something good.
I sent a few quick messages to the boys about a meeting in my office at the bazar early in the morning before tossing my phone and dropping on the couch.
I was sleep deprived and had barely slept the past couple days. Just when I was about to fall asleep, I heard the person who I was going to choke and kiss the hell out of if she didn't shut up.
"Walid. Why are you sleeping there? And you're still dressed? Get changed and sleep on the bed. Walid? I'm talking to you!" Opening my eyes, I stared up at her as she stood there firmly waiting for me to get up.
My hands raised abruptly and I clenched her waist from each side before pulling her down on top of me. Her damp hair falling on my face. My eyes closed but I couldn't help but inhale her scent. A scent I was obsessed with.
"Walid." I heard hear warning as she tried to sit up but I held her tightly making her fall back on my chest.
"Goodnight." I heard myself say as I pulled her even closer, her face disappearing into my neck and I immediately fell asleep with her glued to my chest.
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