"She asked me to protect you," Zain said quietly. "Her cute little Lara—the one she worried about all the time."
A faint, almost bitter smile crossed his lips.
"She hated it whenever I bad-mouthed you back then. I used to get annoyed… wondered how she could love you so much—sometimes even more than her own cousin."
His gaze stayed locked on Lara's eyes, now brimming with tears. In them, he didn't see the woman standing in front of him—he saw the child she once was. Small. Vulnerable.
"But now," he continued, his voice lower, steadier, "I understand why. You cared about people without thinking twice. You still do. Even now."
He paused.
"That goodness pulled her toward you. It pulled me too. She told me about the orphanages you helped—even when you were just a kid yourself. How you played with those children, made sure they were educated, made sure they had a future."
He touched the pendant lightly.
"When she died, I picked this up. And I swore something stupid… that I'd keep teasing you, keep bad-mouthing you—" his lips twitched, "but I'd protect you. Always. No matter how old we got."
The tears Lara had been holding back finally spilled over, rolling down her cheeks. She missed Lisa. She was the reason Lara had become an agent in the first place.
Lara clutched the pendant and cried.
Zain wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in gently, consoling her without words. He kissed her forehead and held her close—like she was that child again, the one Lisa had wanted protected.
Wrapped in Zain's arms, Lara felt safe. Protected in a way that felt familiar. Like Lisa's love had come back to her through him—through the quiet steadiness of his presence. The tension slowly left her body.
She fell asleep there, curled against him, the same way she used to as a child.
In her sleep, she dreamed.
She met Lisa again.
This time, Lara wasn't little. She was twenty-five. Lisa stood in front of her at twenty-five too—the age she died—stronger, wearing her uniform. They stood side by side, not as guardian and child, but as equals.
Both serving their country.Both proud.
Lara smiled in her sleep—soft and peaceful—like, for once, everything was exactly where it was meant to be.
----------------------
The next morning,
Lara woke up in Zain's arms, startled by the realization of where she was—and by how uncomfortable the position should have been.
And yet, she'd slept through the night.
On him.
Zain was still asleep.
She noticed how his arm was wrapped around her, protective and warm, like he hadn't moved even once. As if his body had decided—silently—that this was where she belonged. His words from the night before echoed in her head.
I'd protect you. Always. No matter how old we got.
Her cheeks flushed instantly.
She studied his face while he slept—dark eyebrows, thick black hair falling carelessly, long lashes resting against his skin, a sharp nose, wheatish complexion, full lips, a strong jawline—
"Juicy?!" she whispered to herself."Lara. Control."
She looked again, forcing herself to see him differently. Not as the man from last night. Not as the one who kissed her like he owned the moment.
Calmer. Softer.
He treats me like his woman, she thought—all possessive, all fire…And then, when I fall apart, he holds me like a child.
Her stomach twisted.
Shit, Lara. Are you falling for this man?
She sat there, frozen in his arms, trapped between comfort and fear—between what she felt and what she knew she shouldn't.
Zain's eyes opened.