Chapter 2 - Sayid
When I finally make myself step back into the elevator, I am still unable to turn away from her perfection. I watch her walk away, and my eyes stay on her til the very last possible moment when the doors finally close in front of me. Nora. Nora was just standing before me, completely unaware of who I am, but I already know so much about her.
As I inhale the last traces of her scent left behind in the elevator, an unfamiliar sensation coils deep in my chest. Her scent is a warm vanilla, delicate, and perhaps a hint of strawberry, or something undeniably her. I had memorized her from not only social media pictures shared by Zahir, but also the security footage from my yacht that had been burned into my memory.
None of that compares to seeing her bright green eyes, and the flush of her freckled cheeks in person. She is even more breathtaking than I anticipated. It takes all the control I have to not go right back up to her room, just so I can merely be near her some more.
When the elevator opens, I have already forgotten where I am heading. But, my team is there waiting to escort me. Ah yes, another dinner, alone. I take my usual seat in the restaurant, and sip on the glass of scotch already waiting for me. And while I wait for my food to arrive, I let myself reflect on how I have come to this point in my life. Heading into my late thirties, and still having dinners alone.
Born into a lineage of power and prestige, I was raised with the weight of an empire on my shoulders. Wealth that extended beyond imagination, built on centuries of trade, investments, and royal influence. As the sole heir to my family’s dynasty, I was trained from childhood to be the perfect leader—calculating, composed, and unyielding.
Mastering the art of diplomacy, I negotiated business deals that men twice my age failed at. I was accustomed to moving through life with a presence that made people respect, and fear me. Years of military training sharpened my mind and body into a weapon, though I concealed my physique under business suits. I constantly subjected both my mind, and my body, to restraint and control.
But beneath the perfection, there is the one undeniable truth—I have never truly connected with anyone. No one that I was able to be my true self around. In my twenties, I welcomed women into my bed that threw themselves at me—daughters of politicians, models, heiresses, and women reaching for status. None of them interested me more than just a night’s worth of pleasure.
As I entered my thirties, their beauty became predictable, their minds dull, and their affections nothing more than transactional. Women were either wanting too much power, or lacking in depth and intelligence. And a night’s worth of pleasure wasn’t worth it anymore.
I had never met someone who stirred something real inside of me. That was until I saw Nora. Her bright green eyes captivated me from the very first photo I saw of her standing next to Zahir. And something completely foreign to me began to stir inside. Then I would hear Liam or Zahir talk about her, and that feeling continued to linger.
The sudden feeling of jealousy that I felt towards Zahir, was completely foreign to me. I wasn’t jealous of anyone else, ever. But yet, he got to be near her, spending time with her, even though I knew he wasn’t interested in her in the same manner I had become.
I tried to shake off the pull I felt towards her. But every few months I would see another picture of her, or hear another story about her, and the feelings would stir again. I continued to push them down, that was until I saw the footage from my yacht.
From the way she had shrunk back when Tyson grabbed her, to the look of pure terror that sucked the light out of her eyes when Tyson pushed her up against the wall, I saw it all. Then after Liam tackled Tyson to the floor, I saw the silent plea in her eyes as she returned to her room.
I had watched every second, studied every angle, seeing what others might have missed. I went further back and watched the way Tyson looked at her from the moment he boarded the yacht. The way her shoulders trembled when he was near her.
I could not push my feelings down any longer after this incident. I had already decided that Tyson would pay for what he did to her. And since I let those feelings take hold of me, I haven’t been able to think about or even look at another woman. When I even attempted to be intimate with someone, I could only picture Nora, and I couldn’t bear the touch of any other woman at all.
I knew Nora was dedicated to her career, and I didn’t want to interfere with her life. But I couldn’t keep away any longer, I would just observe her from afar. Not stalking her, just making sure I could be present in her life if she needed me for anything, especially to keep Tyson away from her.
And when she moved to Boston, I also took up a new residency there as well. I still kept my business going world wide, but I made a point of spending any free time I had closer to her. I continued to wait patiently, I wanted our meeting to be as natural as possible. I would not interfere with her own dreams just to quench my own desires.
Then, when Liam announced his engagement, I made sure to have my hand in the wedding plans. This was my chance to finally meet Nora. And now that I have actually seen her in person, I am certain of something else. I am not just here to meet her, and protect her—I am here to claim her as mine.