Zameer was quick to act and dodged the flying glass that was thrown his way. He knew that what he had to say would surely get a reaction out of Shehryaar and he was right.

"What?!" Shehryaar shouted, his fists rolled at his sides and shoulders quaking in anger.

"Calm down Boss," Zameer raised his hands but Shehryaar wasn't having it, his face showing his fury and his rigid body was exuding his anger in waves.

"You are not fucking this up!" He growled as he strode towards Zameer and took him by the scruff of his collar.

"You will not fuck up my alliance with the Khwarizmis." He growled on Zameer's face.

"And I won't." Zameer replied calmly.

"And how the fuck will you do that?" Shehryaar released his collar and pushed him away. Zameer kept his composure and faced Shehryaar head on.

"For the time being, I'm only concerned about Bhabi's condition. And Dr. Sadia, she's the best you've got. You kill her and you lose Bhabi forever." Zameer reasoned.

Shehryaar turned away. Zameer knew that he couldn't deny these facts.

"As for my marriage with Sarah Khwarizmi, you don't need to worry. She'll be my official wife. Our alliance with them wont be jeopardised in the least."

Shehryaar sighed heavily, raking his hand through his already disheveled hair. Zameer knew that Shehryaar was desperate to bring back Anissa, He went so far as to bring an officially recognised figure into his service then what was stopping him from sparing her life? Zameer knew that Shehryaar wouldn't risk his position but he also knew that Shehryaar cared more for his wife's health.

"You've got nothing to lose in this boss. Spare the good doctor and keep her in your service."

"What the hell makes you think that she'll be of any use now?"

"She will be. I'll make sure of that, that's why I'm taking responsibility for that girl."

"Oh really?" Shehryaar turned to face Zameer, his eyes narrowed and his expression hard. Zameer knew instantly that Shehryaar was trying to figure him out.

"Trust me, that's all there is to it. There are no feelings involved."

He knew, that was a lie. He held massive respect for her. But he didn't want Shehryaar knowing that and thankfully, because of Shehryaar's own dilemma, he wasn't being his usual self otherwise he would've noticed it by now.

""Boss, she can still be useful."

Shehryaar was quiet. He contemplated on it and his guilt was so great, he couldn't help but consider all that Zameer had said. Up until Dr. Sadia, no one was able to tell him what had become of Anissa.

"Consider bhabhi's conditon. You still don't know what's wrong with her. And Dr. Sadia is the best you've got. She's the best in her line of work. You can keep her alive as one of your doctors." Zameer proposed once again.

"Are you fucking kidding me? She's the enemy!" Shehryaar was getting angry now. His frustration was getting out of hand. If he didn't have Sadia killed then he knew that sooner or later, his identity at the Mafia boss of the MMM would be put in jeopardy. Sadia was not only the daughter of his enemy but she was also a well known public figure in the medical board of the country. She was a huge liability.

"She's not the enemy. She just happens to be the enemy's daughter. It's true that we couldn't make use of her but trust me, you'll need her for Bhabhi later. Better to have a familiar look at her then let strangers do it." Zameer said.

"It's still not good enough."

"I know," Zameer paused as he contemplates his next words. But he knew that he must say them, no matter how much he didn't want it, but it wasn't a matter of what he wanted.

It was a matter of life and death. He wanted Sadia to live.

"I'll marry her to ensure her silence and compliance. That should be enough to assure you."

Shehryaar was again silent.

Zameer knew from Shehryaar's weak argument that he had won. He knew that convincing his boss right now wouldn't be a problem.

"Make it public." Shehryaar said, his voice holding its usual cold authority as he looked t Zameer.

"Fake her death and make it public. Make sure that the world knows that she's dead."

Zameer nodded, resisting the urge to sigh in relief. He had won. And he knew why Shehryaar made that demand. It was all a show of Power.

And his boss was a powerful man. But he was glad that his boss was also like a brother to him and he could never refuse his brother.

***********

Sadia was almost stable now. Her fever had gone down after a whole three days of being put on treatment. But she had been unconscious. And Zameer was grateful for that. It made things easier for him.

What am I doing? He thought to himself as he stood by the bed, his eyes staring at Sadia's sleeping relaxed face. And her eyes were closed. He wanted to see them again.

And again, he was amazed at what the thought. Why was he feeling this way?

All he knew was that this wasn't just mere respect that he felt for her.

It was something more deep. Something more.......real.

It was an urge.

An urge, deep within him rose then and there when he saw her eyes. And all he knew was that he wanted those eyes.

He wanted her.

Even now, as he stood beside her and gaze at her face, he started to note her features.

He had seen her so many times, but never this close for a good observation.

Her face was plain yet pretty; a cute button nose, kissable mouth and those eyes, one a warm chocolate and the other a crystal clear lake. He could easily get lost in those eyes if he gazed into them again. They were full of innocence yet they had a promise of sin.

He was mesmerised.

For the first time in his life, he was captivated. He had never let a woman's beauty effect him. And he was someone who had had a good share of beautiful women. Being a hot blooded male, he knew beauty when he saw it. And Sadia wasn't just beautiful on the outside, she also had a beautiful soul. And the only reason he thought about her that way was because her actions for the past few days had proved that. The way that she was willing to lay her life for the sake of her country, it was something incredible. It was a type of bravery he had never seen before and that made her look so much more desirable.

Wait, what? His eyes almost popped out when he realised what he was thinking about.

He desired her? This little girl? Is that why he wanted her? Is that why he was attracted to her? Is that the reason why he was going so far as to marry her in order to protect her?

Protect her?

That urge he felt, it was protective in nature.

But why? Why did he want to protect her? Why couldn't he just kill her and be done with it? It would save him so much trouble.

But it was not only troublesome, it was also wrong.

On so many levels, that was wrong.

She was his target. He was suppose to kill her.

But then again, when did he care about what was right or wrong?

So, for the time being, until he could figure out the answers or at least get rid of the confusion that he was facing, accepting an excuse was enough.

But this much he was sure about, even now, she was still a job.

Anissa needed her skills. Anissa needed to be treated.

And if that was reason enough to keep Dr. Sadia alive then it was acceptable.

Of course, she was to be his wife only in name. He would not allow himself to touch her or ask for his rights from her. This was all going to be an act; for her to stay alive and for him to have her skills be used when they would be required. He wasn't about to allow himself to indulge too much into it.

It wasn't a marriage.

It was more of a job. Another compromise on his part.

With that, he turned on his heels and left.

************

After another whole day, Sadia finally became conscious. Zameer was there. He sat on a chair and at quite a distance from her side.

He noticed her browns knit slightly and he knew that she was coming to.

Sadia breathed in deeply as she came into consciousness. Her body was stiff and all her limbs were locked in. Zameer saw her frown as she stirred and he found it so cute. And he wasn't about to stop himself from admiring her anymore. She was beautiful and she deserved to be praised for it. And after all, she was about to become his ward so he thought it better to get comfortable with the idea of being with her.

Sadia's eyes slightly opened and an uncomfortable sounding groan came from her throat.

Zameer just sat back and watched.

Sadia willed her eyes to open. Her head felt so heavy. She had never felt like this before. She moved her hand to rub her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that the back of her hand had a white cannula attached to it.

And that's when Sadia quickly recalled what had happened. Her hand went to her forehead and sure enough, it wasn't hot anymore.

"I'm glad that you're finally up." Zameer's voice made her flinch.

She turned her neck to the side, fighting the stiffening ache and saw him sitting comfortably, his dark eyes observing her closely. And it wasn't dark. Actually, the place was bright and she saw Zameer clearly. Her eyes went to his face and she couldn't help but study the seriousness of his expression. His dark eyes were set and before she could dwell more, she quickly averted her gaze down, realising that she was looking at him with her bare eyes.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Sadia didn't answer. She was confused.

Wasn't he going to kill her? Why was she alive? And why was he, her potential killer, here sitting by her side?

She cleared her throat but ended up coughing hard since her throat was parched. Zameer quickly got up and grabbed a cup of water. Gently, he placed his hand behind her neck and raised her head up as he placed the rim of the cup on her dried lips. Sadia looked at him with bewilderment but quickly looked away. She knew that he was looking at her eyes and she didn't want him to but she had no choice so she decided not to look at him at all.

But Zameer.....He was touching her so freely. He's always done that. Whenever he wanted to and that always made her feel uncomfortable.

"Drink." He said, his tone low and gentle when he noticed her discomfort.

Sadia hesitated but her thirst was dominant so she obeyed and drank. When she was done, Zameer went on to fill it but Sadia's question stopped him.

"Why-" her hoarse voice cracked and coughed a little bit resumed. "Why am......I alive?"

Zameer resisted the urge to smirk but he didn't. Now was the time for some serious talk. Putting the cup away, he stood by the bed, dipping his hands in his pant pockets. Sadia was grateful for the distance but she felt a shift in Zameer's aura and that made her feel all the more uneasy. she didn't dare look at him.

"You are alive because I want you to be alive."

Sadia's brows knit in confusion. "No, you're.......suppose to kill me." She whispered.

"And now, I'm not going to kill you."

That made Sadia's head snap in his direction. She forgot all about her queasiness and looked at him right in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" She murmured.

Zameer gave her a small smirk. "I still have some use for you, Dr. Sadia so that's why, you're going to live."

Anger flared inside Sadia. "I would rather die then be of any use to you." She spat venomously.

Zameer's smirk widened. "Well my dear Doctor, you have no choice in the matter. Your life is in my hands and when I decide that you no longer have any use, that's when I'll decide to end it."

"Then end it now!" She demanded, her voice strong. Zameer saw the conviction in her eyes.

"Do you want to die that badly?"

Sadia didn't reply as she pursed her lips together. Her emotions were starting to overwhelm her.

Of course she didn't want to die. But it was inevitable. She would much rather die then be used by these criminals to further their agenda against her country.

"Yes, I do."

Sadia almost jumped when she felt Zameer's hand on her skin, his fingers firmly yet gently clasping around her jaw and moving her chin up to make her look at him.

"Now say it, when you're looking at me," Zameer's voice was very soft yet his eyes were hard. "Look at me in the eyes and say that you want to die."

Sadia felt brave and she fixed her gaze with his. "Yes, I would rather die then stay alive and be used by the likes of scum like you." She seethed. Sadia brought her hand up and slapped his hand away.

Zameer looked at her, his face hard. Sadia didn't dare look away.

Zameer moved a little, his head turning away. Something flashed in his dark eyes and he took the IV lines in his hand. Sadia was confused However, her confusion went away when she saw him pull out a blade from his inner coat pocket and cut off the lines.

She paled when she realised what he had done.

"There," He looked at Sadia coldly. "Now die."

Sadia's breath hitched in her throat.

***********