CHAPTER 5- Unexpected revelations

MALIK'S POV

I watched her closely as the colour drained from her face. I didn't know why, but I hated hurting her feelings like this. But I also didn't have the luxury of entertaining those feelings right now. We still had so much work to do. I shook the thought from my head and pulled out a briefcase. I slapped it open with a click and laid it on the table. Ruby glanced down at it and sat. I reached into the case and produced a thick document. "Rafiq wrote us a backstory." I put down the document on the table with a thud.

"Where we met, how I proposed etc. memorize it. We don't want to make any mistakes. There's also information about my country and the history of my family, also …" I pulled out a gold-plated pen. 

"Half your salary upfront, the rest will be paid when you end our relationship. There's also a non-disclosure agreement I need you to sign. You are prohibited from speaking about this job to anyone once it's over. Not a word about me, who you met, what my family and home are like. If you do, legal action will be taken and we don't want that happening, do we?

"I wouldn't want anyone to know about this anyway. Trust me." She said and signed the papers and tossed them back at me with such rage. For some reason, I really hated seeing her like this

"There's one more thing." I dug into my pocket and pulled out a small purple ring box. "It belonged to my great, great grandmother, and it's been in my family for over a hundred years."

I opened the box and pulled out a large heart-shaped ruby ring, bound by rows of pink diamonds, all set in rose gold.

It was an old ring and it had been privy to so many wonderful love stories over the decades but this was clearly not one of them.

"I guess, will you marry me?" I took her hand and slipped the ring on I was fascinated by how perfect the fit was and how much it suited her. The pinks and reds matched her skin so beautifully. It was perfect as if it had been made for her.

Suddenly the air felt hot and thick and it became hard to breathe. Even though this engagement was nothing more than an empty promise, there was something so intimate about putting a ring on someone's finger, and I could see she felt it too. It was physically tangible and spellbinding.

"I...I… need to work." She stuttered, pulled back her hand and picked up the document. She stood up and walked to the other side of the plane. I watched her closely, but something was bothering me.

She thought I was a despicable liar I didn't know why it bothered me so much I never really cared what people thought of me, but with her, it was different. She was driving me crazy.

I didn't feel like myself at all and called for a strong martini from one of the hostesses... she smiled at me dreamily as I took it and gave me one of those 'looks'. The kind of look that usually ended in one thing; me bending her over something. Only I didn't want to. That desire totally eluded me, instead, my thoughts were consumed by Ruby. What was it about her? I finished the martini in two sips, before putting my head down and closing my eyes I was tired, which allowed the alcohol to take hold and drag me under

'Suddenly, I was standing on the cliff outside my palace, but I wasn't alone. I was surrounded by my father and other relatives. I looked down and realized I was wearing a traditional wedding garment. But who was I marrying?

The wedding march filled the air with rows of people who materialized out of nowhere I recognized them; my mother and sister sat in the front row, and my oldest childhood friend Yusuf, as well as politicians, dignitaries and members of other royal families. In the distance, I saw a figure coming towards me.

I knew who it was immediately. Ruby. She was smiling and she was so beautiful. But she wasn't wearing a wedding dress, instead, she was wearing a beautiful, delicate white lingerie. A white corset that accentuated her curves and breasts while barely there panties showed off her incredible hips and ass. This was what I would buy for her I thought, as my heart started beating in my ears. The closer she came, the more consumed I was by a feeling of total bliss. The feeling washed over me in a slow rhythmic wave that built up as we came face-to-face. Nose-to-nose.

I froze in awe. And then kissed her. The kiss was delicate, soft and slow. My tongue gently parted her lips and I entered her mouth. Her hot, wet mouth. When our tongues met for the first time, we both let out breathy, eager whimpers. The people disappeared as I cupped her face in my hands and pulled her closer. I buried my tongue deep inside her mouth and my body quivered, I'd never experienced something so sensual before. Our tongues engaged in an erotic dance and I lost myself in that moment.

"Say it." She begged me breathlessly. "Say it."

"I love you, Ruby. I love you."

"Ahhh!" I woke up with a loud jolt, my body was shaking and I was breathing very fast and heavily. I clenched my clammy hands into a fist and bit down hard on my lip. It took me a couple of moments, and a good few deep breaths to begin calming down and realizing where I was.

What the hell was that? I was officially shaken up. Big time! It was a dream, I rationalized. Just a dream. Just my cruel subconscious toying with me in light of this crazy situation one which I had to pretend I was in love with and engaged to a woman that my body secretly ached for. Of course, a situation so physically charged would impact my dreams and the rather strong martini I had gulped down earlier probably didn't help much either.

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and called for a strong coffee. The caffeine cut through the thick heavy haze in my brain and I felt slightly more normal it also took an impossible amount of restraint not to look over at Ruby, so instead, I focused all my attention on the window the sun started to rise and the small island Kingdom I called home came into view. it had been years since I'd been home.

Whenever I saw my country from a vantage point, I couldn't help but admire its beauty. Floating in the warm, tropical Persian Gulf. it was one of the world's most beautiful beaches. My country was made up of 50 natural islands and 33 artificial islands. It is a fierce contributor to the world's economy, boasting abundant oil and gas reserves. This made it one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

I loved my country and its people and I knew that one day I would be king, but my father was only in his fifties, and it wouldn't be for quite some time. My family has ruled over the peaceful country for over 400 years now. But unfortunately, I also knew what being king meant. That my freedom, my wants and my needs would take second place to that of the welfare of the kingdom. I had experienced this first-hand, and it had been one of my life's painful lessons. I hadn't been borne the heir to the throne; instead, I'd been propelled into the role reluctantly by a series of very unfortunate events. My uncle had been King and since he had three sons, I and my father were only 4th and 5th in line for the throne, and the likelihood of either of us ever becoming king was almost zero.

Those early years had been the best of my life. I'd lived with all the perks of being royal but without any of the responsibility. Most importantly, I had both of his parents actively involved in my life and I wanted for nothing.

But then everything changed when my uncle tragically died in a plane crash, along with my aunt and my beloved cousins. Not only did he lose my best friends that day, but my family was suddenly catapulted into roles that none of us were prepared for. My entire life changed, and I was only 12 years old.

I was immediately pulled out of the school I loved for security and logistical reasons and was home-schooled. I no longer interacted with my friends and enjoyed the unencumbered freedom of being a normal child. We moved into the palace, which was built on its own island away from the mainland, and I was isolated from everything he knew and loved. But worse than that, I felt alone and abandoned by my parents. Their new royal duties kept them permanently busy. For many years my only companion had been my baby sister, whom I'd practically raised, along with Rafiq who'd come to feel more like a father to me than my own flesh and blood did. That's why at the age of 18, having never had a girlfriend or have never experienced any of the normal things a teenage boy is supposed to, I left home for university. I turned my back on royal duties and decided to live a life of freedom while I still could. It had been very painful leaving my sister, but I knew I needed to get away. He also took Rafiq with him that day. I wasn't in complete denial, though, I knew that one day I would be king and that he would need to provide my people with a Queen and heir, but that was not in the near future. My dad had a good fifteen years left in me, which meant I had fifteen more years of freedom.

So why had my father's ultimatum troubled me so much when I didn't even want to be king? It was the idea of Amir taking his place surely it would have been a relief? But I was also a man who didn't like to lose, and certainly not to Amir. Amir had always been bitter about being 7th in line for the throne, but with his uncle and cousins dead, he was now 2nd after me and this made him very ambitious and manipulative. Over the years I'd watched Amir as Amir worked his way into my parent's good graces, taking my place as the 'respectable son' even though he was ten years older than me. I was sure my father secretly would prefer Amir to be king. But he refused to let that happen. I also didn't trust Amir, there was something dark about him I'd never liked. The sudden and severe turning of the jet ripped him from his thoughts, and he looked through the window to see the pilot lining up for landing. The plane touched down smoothly and I was surprised at how eager I was to feel the soil under his feet. I glanced back at Ruby quickly and I could see that she was nervous, the way she was biting on the end of her pen made her even more endearing. I wanted her in ways I'd never wanted anyone before… And it wasn't like me to hold back. But before getting off the plane, there was something I needed to do first.