Chapter 1

Even if they said I'd be safe here, working as a secretary for a faceless man. I had watched so many die before me—parents, children, teachers, and tradesmen. No one was safe, including me. I lived every day in fear, in pure acceptance of a death that might come to me.

I will, however, admit that the only reason I'm here in the first place is because I…

"Here," Aliyan said, placing a file on my desk. "I must rush out. Something urgent came up; when you give him his coffee this morning, also hand him the file."

I smiled, picking the file up. I've been working here for two months now—making coffee, creating schedules, handling dry cleaning—everything but fulfilling my marketing duties.

The coffee machine beeped, pulling me from my thoughts as usual. I added milk and headed towards his office, but an explosion rocked the building. A bomb? A missile? There was no telling.

The screams, however, never disappeared, no matter how many times it happened. Decade after decade, we all screamed, cried, and prayed our last prayers as we watched limbs fly apart. More buildings were demolished than built. More children were killed than born.

Coffee spilled over me as I rushed toward the commotion. However, I was pulled into Adam's office instead.

Adam, the elusive CEO, placed his phone down, removed his mask, and lifted me onto his shoulder.

There was no beep to wake me up, so I pinched myself. It was real. My boss was carrying me above his shoulder and rushing towards the chaos.

I don't know if he realized we were running in the wrong direction. And I certainly didn't know that dying was part of my job description.

No words were spoken, and I didn't fight back. How could I? When he took off his mask, I was too stunned to react as he carried us away from safety.

After the spies arrived, we boarded a helicopter. Adam and I remained silent, tension thick in the air.

"Salama…" he began.

"Ara," I corrected. "My name is Ara."

"We both know it isn't," he retorted. "But that's beside the point. Your grandmother needs to see you."

"Sir, may I ask how that involves you in any way?"

"If it didn't, I wouldn't have saved your life."

"I didn't ask to be saved," I replied.

He was seated beside me in the helicopter, his shirt rumpled, hair disheveled.

"Well, it's not too late for you to jump and end the misery I've caused you."

"Woah, save it for the bedroom," the pilot said as he steered towards a nearby landing. "The last thing I need while landing is two yapping adults."

Adam smiled. Handsome, but infuriatingly enigmatic. With a soft jawline, pretty black eyes hidden by a sleepy gaze, and a beautiful smile.

How does a man look so beautiful and stupid at the same time?

I was torn between annoyance and something else. Not charm, surely. He took me by the arm again, pulling me towards the helicopter door, where we both jumped off into an open area.

I hoped it was all a dream, but then again, this is Agran—the island of war.

Adam and I were quiet, and so were the surrounding crowds. People calmed down after the spies arrived.

"Sir," I said, tapping his shoulder.

"It's Adam."

"Your mask, sir… Adam. Put on your mask?"

"We aren't near the city. We are both safe. Don't worry about it," he replied, walking away from the landing area. It had been an intense day at work.

I had no idea where we were, so I had no choice but to follow him. He didn't talk much until we arrived outside a building where his men were waiting.

They handed him a mask and opened the car door. As I was about to get in, one of his guards stopped me. He turned towards me with a grimace, mouth set in a hard line, arms folded.

I smiled politely. "Let me come in, please."

He smiled back, stepping aside. "My apologies. After you."

I entered the car, confused. What could I do to make sense of this man speaking to me like an equal? Adam entered after me, and then his men left to their cars. Windows slid up, doors locked, and the ignition's hum snapped me out of my daze.

"Where are we headed?"

"To your grandmother."

"She's not home, cancer," I replied uncertainly.

He seemed to know more about my grandmother's whereabouts than I did.

"She doesn't need to be home for what I need. Besides, you wouldn't know where she is."

"Sir…"

"Call me Adam."

"Well then. Adam, please refrain from talking to me like we're close; this is a professional relationship."

"Not for long, it isn't," he replied before conversing with the driver about the route and its safety.

It was a shabby area, a village where few walls survived the impacts of stormy guns. But where else could we run?

It was either a dilapidated building or a tent. Driving past the area, I'm forced to come to every night after work made my heart ache. No love lived among the bullet holes forced into the walls; no child played outside.

Nothing remained. Only a few stubborn places filled with stubborn people. Stubborn like my grandmother, whose love for her land kept her sane yet insane enough to risk her life to live on it.

My only family was scared of our lineage and the parts of ourselves that we were slowly losing to the spies. But… a coward like myself has no say in all of this.

I am, after all, a runaway soldier.

"Are you married?"

"Excuse me?"

"Secretly married," he replied.

"You have my file, so you're well aware of my marital status."

"I'm just checking if my future wife is available to be wifed."

Before I could reply, we arrived at my grandmother's home, mine too. It's wrong of me to disconnect myself from her. My only family. I've known her for most of my life but felt like I haven't. She kept much to herself, just as I unknowingly do. Adam and I left the car and his men arrived five minutes later.

"Now tell me, Adam, what do you need at my residence?"

"Your hand in marriage," he replied, pulling a diamond ring from his pocket.

Marriage?

"Are you out of your mind?" I asked, my voice rising in disbelief.

"No," he replied calmly, "I'm perfectly sane. This is the best solution for both of us."

"Solution to what, exactly?" I demanded, struggling to process what was happening.

"To keep you safe," he said simply. "And to give me legitimacy in the eyes of certain people who matter."

I stared at him, speechless. "You can't be serious," I finally managed.

"I am. And so are the people after you. They won't stop until they find you. Marrying me would offer you protection."

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of confusion and fear. "This is crazy. I don't even know you."

"And yet, you trust me enough to follow me," he pointed out.

"Trust?" I scoffed. "This is about survival."

He stepped closer, his gaze intense. "Then survive with me."