The Desert Prince and The Dreamer

Chapter 12

Zayn gave his tie a last glance, passed his fingers through his thick midnight silk hair and smirked in the mirror. Today the board will be having a meeting with a reknown diamond trader from Ivory Coast, their company wanted to invest in his company back home so they can improve on the quality of the diamonds brought in. He dreaded meeting Lailah but he had no choice. Good enough she has also tried her best to stay out of his way since last week by taking different projects from what he's taking on. Yesterday though, She was selected as the interpretor. The man in question spoke only French. He knew he had kind of over reacted at the reception of the news of her working with them. All his life he had tried to keep his distance and here She was being thrown in his face. He was mad at the unfairness of life, mad at himself and also mad at his Father.

He regarded women as weak and defenseless. His mother couldn't manage to stay alive just after the birth of her second child while other women had more than five children and stayed healthy. He was mad at women for being selfish. He blamed his mother for dying knowing fully well the other woman will not raise a child of another woman and leaving him with a baby sister he had to feel responsible for. The women he had met so far had confirmed his assumptions. They wanted money, power and would do anything to get that. His step Mother would go to all length to get rid of him for example. When he had just turned fifteen, he had been looking for his sister when he had overheard his step Mother talking to her son. "You will be the only King. You are the only son and the only one who will rule this Kingdom then your children." Zayn had been confused with what he had heard, his teenage mind thought hard about those words and realised that even if he was the first born, it didn't mean he would be King, so since then he had decided to be determined and to avoid anything that would taint his image as a King. As time went by and he grew up, he was never seen in public in the company of anyone questionable. 'Better sad than Sorry.' He would always say to himself, short time pain was better than long time suffering. When he is crowned King, all his struggle will be worth it.

He smiled as the driver parked at the entrance of the company building. His door was opened, he got out and straightened his suit Jacket then walked with large determined strides towards to door using the evolving doors, he entered and headed for the lift. As soon as he reached, it opened and he entered, he was turning around to press the button when he saw her. His heart without fair warning thumped so hard against his ribcage, What was it about her? he wondered;

"Please hold." Lailah said as she approached the lift, She was right on time and if this lift goes up without her She would be a few minutes late. She watched as the doors closed in horror and Zayn didn't do anything about it. He just continued looking at her like she was some strange creature. By the time she reached, She frantically pressed the button but it was too late. The elevator had started it's ascend. Lailah huffed in anger and stomped her foot. To hell with royalty, She was going to have it out with him today.

Zayn didn't mean for the elevator to close Lailah out. He just didn't know what happened. One minute She was calling for him to hold the doors the next he was shipped off to another world. He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Her hair was out in the open and it bounced all around her oval shaped face as she hurried. His eyes scanned her delicate features, going down from her big round eyes to her straight button nose to her red lips. She was putting on a perfectly fitting silk red blouse tucked into long grey suit pants. Zayn was enjoying the view and all of a sudden the elevator doors were closing. Why were they closing? He wondered to himself but couldn't let his hands move to press the open button. His mind was too occupied to give him that instruction. By the time the elevator started ascending, his eyes widened and he realised what had happened. She was sure going to think something else. Zayn cursed and and shook his head. No matter how much he tried to avoid or not think about her, he couldn't help himself. It was her fault though today, why had She let her hair out? All he had thought about was how he wanted to pass his fingers through it and watch it flow through them.

The elevator dinged and he got out and headed straight to the boardroom. Lailah's elderly secretary was waiting by the elevator, 'How Loyal,' he noted. She frowned when She saw him, "You are not Ms. Nazzir." the elderly woman accused him and looked at her watch.

"Are you sure? Look again Ailah." he liked to tease her. She muttered as he continued to the boardroom. They just had twenty minutes to the meeting. Everything looked set and in place, he went to sit down as his secretary Sophia brought for him coffee.

"Good morning Zayn." She greeted him. She always called him by his name because he had asked her to do that, She was almost the same age as Lailah's secretary Ailah and also both were friends.

He nodded his head at her as she told him about the day's program. After a minute Zayn dismissed her and She went out as a pissed off Lailah entered through the door. He looked at her calmly, women were all bark and no bite. Her face looked flushed and her eyes smaller.

"You did that intentionally." She started.

"Are you talking to me?" Zayn asked calmly making Lailah look around the room.

"Apart from me, there is only one other person in this room. You wanted me to arrive late for the meeting, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." he answered calmly enjoying himself.

"You're so annoying." She huffed, "I've tried all means to stay out of your way, and it's not my fault that we had a meeting together this morning."

"You've avoided me all week and yet there you were wanting to get into the same elevator with me this morning." Zayn said and stood up approaching her. She suddenly moved back creating more distance.

"Well I had no option, I had a meeting to get to."

"Which hasnt started as you can see." Zayn waved his hand around the room, "So what was the hurry really all about? Just admit it, you wanted to be in that elevator with me." he smirked.

Lailah couldn't believe her ears, was Zayn flirting with her? No, that was not possible. She opened her mouth to talk but no words came out. She glared at him, "Don't put impossible ideas in your head Zayn." She said through clenched teeth.

"It's fine, I know you like me, Lailah. We can stop fighting." he said coming even closer. Lailah panicked, he knew? Her heart was thumping even faster, How did he know? Did Sapphire tell him?

"I..."

"Bonjour." She was interrupted by Mr. Muhammed Saif. Lailah sighed in gratefulness and turned to their visitor.