Chapter 5 Bound by power, touched by fore

Alina stood by the window, clutching the inheritance file in her trembling hands. The city lights of Dubai glittered beneath her like a sea of temptation and danger. Somewhere out there, men were hunting her-not for love, not for money, but for blood and legacy.

Her father's legacy.

A man she never knew had built an empire of shadows, crowned her his heir, then vanished behind death's door.

The floor beneath her felt less and less real.

She turned sharply when the door clicked open.

Zayd entered-no guards, no warning. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled, showing the tattoos inked across his forearms-Arabic script, lions, and a date that meant nothing to her. Yet.

"You knew," Alina said coldly. "You knew I was next in line."

"Yes."

"And you brought me here to... what? Groom me into a queen of crime?"

"No." He walked slowly toward her. "I brought you here so you wouldn't die."

"Convenient." Her voice was bitter. "The girl inherits the empire, so let's lock her up and call it protection."

Zayd stopped a foot away. "You think this is a game, Alina? You think I'm doing this for fun?"

"I don't know what you're doing," she snapped. "One moment you're soft. Next, you're cold as death. I can't tell if you want to kiss me or kill me."

His jaw tensed.

"I haven't kissed you because if I do, I won't stop."

Her pulse skipped. A dangerous kind of silence stretched between them, charged like lightning. She felt the edge of something raw pulling her in, and she hated that a part of her wanted to fall.

But she took a step back.

"You work for my father."

"I owe your father. I don't work for the dead."

Alina studied him. "Then what do you want from me?"

Zayd didn't blink. "I want to see if you're strong enough to take back what's yours."

---

An hour later, Alina stood in a narrow room lit by a single overhead bulb. The walls were padded, the floor lined with mats. Two men stood at the far end-Amir and a woman with short black hair, covered in tattoos. She looked like she'd break bones for fun.

"This is Noura," Zayd said from behind. "She'll train you."

Alina turned to him. "Train me to do what?"

"To stay alive."

Noura tossed her a pair of gloves. "Put them on, princess."

---

The next two hours were pain, sweat, bruises, and words that stung more than punches.

"Your stance is trash."

"Stop flinching."

"Again. Again. AGAIN."

By the end, Alina's arms ached. Her lungs were on fire. Her pride was dust.

But she stood.

Chest heaving. Eyes burning.

And for the first time in days, she felt real.

Noura looked at Zayd and gave a small nod. "She's got a fight."

Zayd didn't smile. But his gaze lingered.

That night, as Alina showered off the blood and adrenaline, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

This girl was different.

Not the quiet waitress in Cairo.

Not the scared girl in a stranger's car.

This girl had fire.

And she wasn't going down easily.

---

Meanwhile, across the city...

In a darkened high-rise in Jumeirah, Yusuf Rahman lit a cigar.

On the table before him were surveillance photos. Alina is in Zayd's mansion. Alina is leaving the training room. Alina is holding a gun.

"She's becoming him," Rahman muttered.

"Orders, sir?" his man asked.

Rahman blew out smoke. "We wait. Then we take her."

---

Back at the mansion, Alina found herself in the rooftop garden. The Dubai skyline shimmered with fire and neon. Zayd was already there, drink in hand, watching the world like he ruled it.

"You always watch from above?" she asked softly.

Zayd didn't turn. "Only when the world below disgusts me."

She stepped beside him.

"Why me?" she asked. "You could've delivered the file and walked away. Let me die in Cairo. Let Rahman finish the job."

He looked at her now.

"You want the truth?"

She nodded.

"I see myself in you. Before I killed my first man. Before I lost my brother. Before power drowned me."

Alina blinked. "You had a brother?"

Zayd's face darkened. "He was sixteen. Got caught in a crossfire. My fault. My deal. My enemies."

He drank slowly, then added, "I buried him next to my mother."

Alina's chest tightened. "So this is guilt?"

"No," he said. "This is fate."

---

Later, in her room, Alina lay in bed, but sleep didn't come.

Instead, she picked up the gun Noura had given her earlier.

Hold it.

Weighing it.

Felt its cold truth.

Then she whispered, "If I'm going to survive this world, I need to become someone else."

She placed the gun under her pillow.

Tomorrow, she will become the shadow they never saw coming.