Chapter 1- First Meeting

She had been sitting in the restaurant, patiently waiting for the past half hour. The soft murmur of conversations and clinking of cutlery filled the air, creating a cozy ambiance. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling dishes wafted through the room, teasing her senses. She glanced at her watch, the hands ticking slowly, amplifying her impatience.

"Where did Zarqa trap me? I won't leave her.” Frustration surged through her as she slammed her hand on the table, her anger boiling over. In this attempt a glass of water fell on her skirt.

"One More Disaster." Cleaning the soaked frock with a tissue, she got up and walked to the washroom. Zarqa had arranged a blind date for her today and she had been waiting for half an hour for the man Zarqa had chosen for her.

Cursing her, when she reached the door of the washroom, she heard strange noises from inside. She shrugged and opened the door but looking inside, her eyes boiled with surprise.

In the center of the room, a man and a woman stood entwined in an embrace that defied societal norms. Their bodies pressed together, their souls intertwining. The man, tall and sturdy, leaned gently onto the woman, ki**ing her wildly. His hand was lost in the thighs of woman.

Anna was stuck in her place, frozen with disbelief. The man's back was turned towards her, oblivious to her presence. Anna's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to comprehend the scene unfolding before her eyes.

In an instant, the tall man pulled out a small revolver from his pants pocket, his actions swift and calculated. He placed the cold metal against the woman's stomach, and without hesitation, the deafening sound of a gunshot filled the air. Time seemed to stand still as Anna watched in shock, unable to comprehend the reality of what had just happened.

The piercing scream that erupted from Anna's mouth shattered the silence, reverberating through the room. Her voice echoed with a mixture of terror and despair, a raw expression of the horror she had just witnessed. The man, startled by her sudden outburst, slowly turned his face towards her.

As his eyes met hers in the reflection of the mirror, Anna's heart sank. She realized that he had seen her all along, aware of her presence as he committed the unthinkable act. The realization sent chills down her spine, intensifying her instinctive need to escape from this nightmare.

Without a second thought, Anna turned and ran, her legs carrying her as fast as they could away from the scene of the crime.

The man threw away the dead woman wrapped around him as if she were an untouchable disease. He refreshed himself and came out of the washroom as if nothing had happened inside.

Now his intention was to find and kill that girl. But before that, he had to get out of the mess that his sister had gotten him into.

He took a long step and reached the table where his blind date was today. The girl's back was to Xavier so he couldn't see her face.

"Hello Miss Jaffrey," he said, his voice steady and self-assured.  As soon as she turned, he was shocked.

Anna’s P.O.V.

I hurried from the washroom and reached the table again. Taking a moment to compose myself, I took a deep breath, attempting to regain my composure. The thought of running away briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it, if i did, the police investigation would certainly cast doubt on me.

As I focused on normalizing myself, trying to appear calm and collected, a deep and masculine voice suddenly addressed me. The unexpected interruption startled me, causing my heart to skip a beat. I turned towards the source of the voice, my eyes widening in shock.

"Hello Miss Jaffrey," he said confidently, and a small drop of sweat began to accumulate on my forehead, but i overcame myself. I did not want the person in front of me to have any doubts about me.

"Hi," I replied, restoring confidence.

"I am Xavier, Zarqa's brother. So you are the one she wanted to introduce me to.” Xavier spoke in a heavy tone and sat down in front of me. He was a handsome man, with a strong jawline and piercing blue eyes. His dark hair was neatly styled, adding to his overall charm. As he settled into the chair, his presence commanded attention. Xavier's voice held a hint of authority, and his facial expressions conveyed a sense of seriousness. His posture was upright, exuding confidence and determination.

''Ana.... Anna Jaffrey. "I introduced myself, without looking at his face.

"Will you order something?" He asked, glancing at the menu card.

"No," I nodded. After what i had seen, there was no question of food.

"All right, let's talk about work," Xavier wrote down his order.

"Which work?" I asked in surprise.

"Neither are you so childish nor am I so stupid. Now tell me, what did you see in the washroom?" He held my hand so lovingly that the viewer thought we were a happy couple. For a moment, I was fearful about this situation. The uncertainty and unknown outcome made me apprehensive. But, in the very next moment, I regained my composure and exhibited a strong sense of resilience.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Xavier. Let me clear one thing, don’t try to touch me again.” I  freed my hand from his grip and said in a harsh tone.

"Attitude?" Xavier looked at me carefully. I looked around, not wanting to see him. He shrugged his shoulder and start eating. How heartless he was? Few minutes ago, he killed a woman but there was no expression on his face.

 Suddenly, a police siren sounded and the whole restaurant was filled with the noise of a murder in a washroom.

Within fifteen minutes, the entire restaurant was sealed. Since the murder was the niece of the minister, strict action had to be taken.

The interrogation had begun. A police officer came to our table.

"Excuse me Miss?" The police officer addressed me.

"Anna Jaffrey." I looked at him and said with a light smile of confidence. Xavier stopped his dinner in the middle and now he started looking at me. He must be curious what would I say.

"So, according to a waiter, Miss Jaffrey was the one who went to the washroom before Miss Sheila’s death. Would you like to say something?”

"I went to the washroom and I talked to her for a minute or two. But then someone called on her mobile and he came. I think maybe he was her boyfriend.” I replied, glancing at Xavier.

"And how did you feel?"

"She wants me to leave as she wants some privacy.” I shrugged and replied. Xavier smiled at me.

"Maybe she will have a boyfriend because she was working so hard on her make-up.” I replied, and the police nodded.

"So you lied and saved me?" Xavier asked me as the police went back.

"I have not saved you, I have done a favor. You are my friend's brother.” I replied carelessly.

"You did me no favors. The police here knew that I had committed this murder.” When Xavier spoke calmly, my eyes widened. Xavier smiled at me.

"How long do you think our police have been so active and secondly, how was that police officer talking to you so well? Isn't that something to think about?” Xavier said jokingly.

"If the minister knows, he will not leave you." My tone hardened this time.

"First of all, the minister can't do me anything because it was all his idea. Secondly, I don’t like this tone.” he warned me.

"Why would the minister want to kill his niece?" I was still in shock of what he said.

"Money makes a man do everything, my dear princess.” Xavier paid the bill and patted my cheek.

"Hopefully next weekend together we can make up for the time lost today," he said while getting up.

"We will never meet again. I have no interest in meeting you and as far as Zarqa is concerned, I will forbid her myself.” I was back in my tone. Without looking at his face, I picked up my purse and left the restaurant.