Chapter 1
Chapter 1 — The Night Everything Changed
The night was supposed to end quietly.
But for Saahira, it became the night her entire world collapsed.
She ran through the dark streets of New York, her heart pounding violently against her chest. A group of men had been following her for several minutes. She didn't know who they were or what they wanted.
She only knew one thing.
She had to hide.
She turned into a narrow alley and found an old iron gate standing beside an abandoned building. Without thinking twice, she slipped behind it and covered her mouth with both hands.
Footsteps approached.
"She couldn't have gone far."
"Search everywhere."
Saahira held her breath.
The footsteps came closer.
Then, slowly, they faded into the distance.
She waited.
One minute.
Then another.
Still, she didn't move.
She was too frightened to leave her hiding place.
The cold night air made her shiver as she wrapped her arms around herself.
She wished she had listened to her father.
He had always warned her about going outside alone.
"The world isn't safe, Saahira. Stay close to home."
She had never understood why he was so protective of her.
Her father had always told her that he worked as a driver. As far as Saahira knew, he was nothing more than an ordinary man trying to provide for his daughter.
She didn't know the truth.
She didn't know that her father had been working for dangerous people for years.
And she certainly didn't know that one terrible mistake had already sealed his fate.
---
Inside the old building, several men stood silently.
The door opened.
A tall man walked inside.
Everyone immediately became quiet.
Zayan.
His name alone was enough to make powerful men nervous.
He was one of New York's most feared mafia leaders.
Cold.
Powerful.
Ruthless.
His dark clothes and emotionless expression made him look even more intimidating.
He stopped in front of Saahira's father.
"You knew what would happen if you failed."
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
Saahira's father lowered his head.
"Zayan... I made a mistake."
"A mistake?"
Zayan's eyes hardened.
"Your mistake put my people at risk."
"I never meant for that to happen."
Silence filled the room.
Zayan stared at him for several seconds.
There was no anger on his face.
That was what made him frightening.
His decision had already been made.
---
Outside, Saahira was still hiding.
Then she heard more footsteps.
Her eyes widened.
More people were coming.
She pressed herself against the wall and tried not to make a sound.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
"Please... forgive me."
Saahira froze.
That voice.
She knew it.
"Abu?"
Her father's voice.
Her heart dropped.
Without thinking, she stepped out from behind the gate.
And then she saw him.
Her father.
Standing in front of a group of dangerous men.
"Abu!"
Her father's head snapped toward her.
His eyes widened.
"Saahira?"
She ran toward him.
But before she could reach him, Zayan raised one hand.
"Nobody touches her."
Everyone stopped.
Saahira looked at him.
For the first time, their eyes met.
And something inside Zayan changed.
He had seen countless beautiful women in his life.
But Saahira was different.
Her beauty wasn't loud or artificial.
It was innocent.
Her large eyes were filled with tears and fear. Her long black hair had fallen loosely around her face, and her trembling expression made her look even more fragile.
For a man who had always believed emotions were a weakness, Zayan couldn't understand why seeing her cry bothered him so much.
He couldn't look away.
Saahira finally reached her father.
"Abu! What happened to you?"
Her voice broke.
Her father looked at her with pain in his eyes.
"Saahira... you shouldn't be here."
"I was scared. They were following me."
She looked around.
Then her eyes returned to Zayan.
"Who is he?"
Her father didn't answer.
"Abu?"
He closed his eyes.
"Go home, Saahira."
"No!"
She shook her head.
"I'm not leaving you."
Her father tried to speak again, but his voice was weak.
Saahira's tears continued falling.
Zayan watched her silently.
He had never seen anyone cry in front of him without making him feel anything.
But her tears were different.
They disturbed him.
They made him want to make the entire world disappear just so she wouldn't have to be afraid again.
He didn't understand it.
He had only seen her for a few moments.
Yet somehow, those moments had been enough.
---
The room became silent.
Saahira stared at her father in disbelief.
"Abu..."
But there was no response.
Her world shattered.
She slowly sank to the floor.
Tears blurred her vision.
She couldn't understand how everything had changed so quickly.
A few minutes ago, she had been worried about getting home safely.
Now she had lost the person who had been her entire world.
Then she looked up.
Her eyes met Zayan's.
"You..."
Her voice trembled.
"You killed my father."
Zayan said nothing.
Saahira's tears turned into anger.
"I hate you."
The words echoed through the room.
No one dared to speak.
Zayan's expression remained cold, but something inside him tightened.
He knew she hated him.
He deserved her hatred.
But he couldn't walk away and leave her alone.
Not tonight.
Not after what had happened.
He turned toward his men.
"Prepare the car."
Saahira immediately stood up.
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Zayan looked at her.
"You can't stay here."
"I don't care."
"You don't have anywhere safe to go."
"I said I'm not coming with you!"
Her voice shook.
For a moment, Zayan simply stared at her.
Then his expression softened.
Just slightly.
"You don't have to be afraid of me."
Saahira looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"You're the person I'm most afraid of."
Zayan fell silent.
Those words hurt more than he expected.
He was feared by almost everyone.
He had never cared.
But hearing fear in Saahira's voice made something inside him ache.
He turned away.
"Bring the car."
---
A few minutes later, Saahira was sitting inside Zayan's black car.
She kept as much distance between them as possible.
Zayan noticed.
He didn't move closer.
He simply sat quietly beside her.
The city lights passed through the windows.
Saahira stared outside, tears still running silently down her cheeks.
Zayan looked at her.
For the first time in his life, the man who could make an entire room fall silent didn't know what to say.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a clean handkerchief.
He held it toward her.
"Here."
Saahira looked at it.
She didn't take it.
Zayan waited.
When she still refused, he lowered his hand.
He didn't force her.
Instead, he quietly placed it on the seat between them.
"Whenever you're ready."
Saahira looked away.
She hated him.
He had killed her father.
How could she ever forgive him?
She didn't know the truth.
She didn't know that her father hadn't been the innocent driver she believed him to be.
She didn't know about the dangerous world he had secretly been involved in.
And Zayan wasn't ready to tell her.
Not yet.
---
The car eventually stopped in front of an enormous mansion.
Saahira stared through the window.
The gates opened slowly.
The mansion stood behind them, surrounded by tall walls and security guards.
Her fear returned.
"Where are we?"
"My house."
"I don't want to stay here."
Zayan looked at her.
"You'll stay here tonight."
"Why?"
"Because it's safe."
Saahira shook her head.
"I don't trust you."
"I know."
His answer surprised her.
He opened the car door.
Saahira hesitated.
Then she stepped outside.
Several guards immediately lowered their heads when they saw Zayan.
"Good evening, sir."
Zayan ignored them.
His attention remained on Saahira.
She stood nervously near the car, looking at the huge mansion.
Zayan noticed how frightened she was.
His voice became softer.
"You'll have your own room."
Saahira looked at him suspiciously.
"No one will enter without your permission."
She said nothing.
"And no one will hurt you."
Her eyes met his.
"Why do you care?"
Zayan paused.
He didn't have an answer.
At least not one he could say aloud.
Because from the moment he had seen her, something had changed.
Because her tears bothered him.
Because her fear mattered to him.
Because he couldn't understand how someone he had known for only a few minutes had already become so important.
Instead, he simply said:
"Because you're under my protection now."
Saahira looked away.
She didn't know it yet, but those words would change both their lives.
---
Twist
Inside the mansion, Zayan watched Saahira disappear upstairs with one of the female staff members.
His expression became cold again.
"Find out who was following her tonight."
One of his men nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"And nobody tells her anything about her father's past."
The man hesitated.
"Sir, but—"
Zayan's gaze stopped him.
"I said nobody."
"Understood."
Zayan turned toward the staircase.
He had killed Saahira's father because of a betrayal that could have destroyed everything he had built.
But there was another truth.
A truth Saahira knew nothing about.
Her father hadn't simply been a driver.
He had been carrying a secret for years.
And that secret could put Saahira in even greater danger than Zayan ever could.
---
Cliffhanger
Saahira entered the room given to her and quietly closed the door.
She leaned against it, trying to control her trembling.
Then she noticed something on the bedside table.
A small photograph.
Her father was standing beside a much younger Zayan.
Saahira's breath caught.
She picked up the photograph with shaking hands.
"Why were you with him, Abu?"
Outside the door, Zayan stopped when he heard her voice.
His eyes darkened.
Would Saahira discover the truth about her father's secret before Zayan could protect her from it?
