Zain froze.
The hoe in his grip slid slowly from his calloused hands and fell to the ground with a soft thud against the dry soil. His eyes widened, unsure if he had misheard. He blinked at David, standing before him with that calm, commanding presence, as though he had just asked Zain to pass him a glass of water — not to drive around his cold, spoiled daughter.
"You want me to be her driver?" Zain asked, his voice low, confused, still half-laughing in disbelief. "You must be joking."
David smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He stepped a little closer, resting a hand on Zain's shoulder like a father would to a son.
"I'm not joking, Zain. I need someone I can trust," he said, lowering his voice into a whisper so Elena couldn't hear. "She's about to be handed a major project — from one of our former rivals. You remember Tarsen Holdings?" His eyes flickered. "Yes… those people. They play dirty. If anything happens to her—"
David paused, glancing briefly at the black car where Elena still sat, arms folded and brows furrowed in visible annoyance.
"I just... I need you to be near her. Watch her back. Quietly. Like how we used to."
Zain looked down, thinking. His fingers curled slightly, still dusty from tilling the earth. He wasn't ready for this. Not mentally. Not emotionally. But something in David's tone tugged at his conscience.
He looked up again. "Fine. I'll do it. But... I'll name my condition later."
David gave a small nod, relieved. "Thank you."
Inside the car, Elena sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Great. A farmer," she muttered under her breath.
Qis elbowed her gently. "He's… not bad-looking though," she whispered with a grin. "Even with all that sweat and dirt."
"Ew, Qis. Please."
Still, when David opened the door and gestured for them to step out, Elena hesitated.
"I'm not stepping into that dump," she hissed. "It smells like—"
"Don't make him angry," Qis muttered quickly, grabbing her wrist. "Let's just go."
Both women stepped out slowly, Elena clearly repulsed by the surroundings — her nose wrinkled, her heels clicking awkwardly against the uneven ground. She barely looked at Zain, who now stood straight, wiping his hands on a faded towel. The sun cast sharp shadows across his defined jawline, sweat still gleaming on his temples. Despite his worn clothes, there was something undeniably striking about his posture, the sharpness of his eyes, the stillness in his strength.
David clapped his hands together once, firmly.
"Elena," he said, with a quiet smile that masked his tension."This... is your new personal driver."
Elena's eyes narrowed.
She said nothing. Not a nod. Not a word.
Zain folded his arms and glanced at her briefly before turning to David."When do I start?"
"Tomorrow," David replied quickly. "Pick her up from the house. Drive her to work. Stay with her — wherever she goes. Including the office."
Zain nodded once, without expression. Elena's face was frozen in disbelief.
The sun had begun to dip behind the trees, casting gold over the broken fence and dust-ridden yard. The silence was heavy, broken only by the soft crunch of pebbles under their shoes.
As the black car drove away with Elena and Qis inside, Zain stood under the sky that had watched him live in peace for so long — now wondering what storm he had just agreed to walk into.
That night, Elena collapsed onto her plush bed with a groan, her arms splayed like she had survived a war. Her hair was a mess, her mind in chaos. For the first time in a while, she didn't scroll her phone. She didn't check her email.
She just… slept.
And somewhere deep in her mind, the image of a man with sweat on his brow and fire in his eyes lingered like an echo.