Chapter Text
Zafira shifted in the uncomfortable chair, eyeing her father’s lawyer with a frown. He had prattled on and on about the terms of her father's contract and along the way, Zafira had tuned out the jargon spilling from his lips. It had been a month since Baba had died, a month before Zafira had finally contacted his lawyer and settled a date to discuss her inheritance. He was a wiry man that resembled a mouse and flinched at every little noise and right now, he was glaring daggers at her and the offending item in her hand. A cigarette burned between her fingers, wisps of smoke drifting lazily from its tip. She took a slow drag of the cylinder and released a puff of smoke.
“How much, Haytham?” Zafira leaned forward and the man frowned, pushing a crystal ashtray towards her. Carefully, she tapped the butt of the cigarette, watching the black ashes drift.
"Your late father stated that you are to inherit twenty million after his passing."
Zafira inhaled sharply, sitting back with a huff of surprise. Twenty million. Where had her father even acquired that much money? She knew they were rich but twenty million?
She noticed Haytham mindlessly rifling through the papers scattered across his chipped desk and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "What is it? Spit it out."
She watched him gulp, before he looked into her blue eyes. “I’m sorry Zafira, but it looks like you won’t be getting your inheritance very soon. Your father had one very specific condition that I just can’t see a way around.”
Zafira waited for him to continue, but when it didn’t seem like he would, she dropped her gaze to her Gucci watch, the gold hands twinkling up at her. “And that is?”
“You have to be legally married.”
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IceIceBaby
I have a problem.
GoldenBoi
I think you have the wrong person, darling
We make business deals, not discuss emotions
IceIceBaby
Don’t worry, if everything goes well you can wipe your tears with a million dollars.
GoldenBoi
Keep talking
IceIceBaby
I need you to legalize some documents and get me in contact with a certain someone.
GoldenBoi
Can I have a name?
IceIceBaby
Nasir Ghameq
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“Absolutely not.” Nasir stood, already making for the door. He scowled at the balding man guarding the gilded door, arms crossed. “Step aside.”
“We’re not finished, Nasir,” Altair sighed from behind his desk, fingers thrumming against the oak table.
“I am,” Nasir gritted out, not wanting to hear another word. There was an easy understanding between them: when Altair needed to win a difficult case, Nasir did the dirty work for a price. Creating evidence, destroying evidence, silencing witnesses— they were all jobs Nasir specialized in.
"Sit or be sitten on." Altair waved a hand at the man by the door. Nasir frowned before sinking back into the chair, not even bothering to question the lawyer’s statement.
“Let me get this straight.” Nasir crossed his legs at the ankle, the leather chair warm. “You want me to marry Zafira Iskandar?”
“On paper, yes. And in public, well, you’d have to put on a nice show. It shouldn’t be a problem, of course, since there’s never any feelings involved with you. And behind closed doors—” Altair leaned forward “—you can be the bore you always are.”
“How much?” Nasir asked and Altair laughed, standing up without another glance at him.
“I’ll leave that discussion for you two.”
And before Nasir could protest, the bastard was leaving the room with his crony and someone else was stepping into the room. She was dressed in an open cream coat, revealing a black turtleneck and washed jeans beneath. Rings adorned her fingers, and a gold watch winked from her wrist.
“Zafira.” Nasir tipped his head in acknowledgement, her name a heavy weight on his tongue. They had only met once before and in that brief encounter, Nasir had found himself heavily indebted to the girl.
“Nasir.” She smiled down at him with mock sweetness before lowering herself into Altair’s chair, dark blue fingernails glinting in the yellow light. She wasted no time reaching into the breast pocket of her coat, pulling a half empty pack of cigarettes out and placing one carefully between her lips.
She held one out to him and he shook his head, lip curling. “How kind of you to share your poison.”
She shrugged at that and fished out a gold lighter, flicking it open with one manicured nail.
Nasir hated cigarettes.
When the silence stretched on long enough to go past awkward and straight up uncomfortable, Nasir cleared his throat. “How much?”
A dry laugh echoed through the room. “Always about the money.”
“The only reason I’m in this chair.” Nasir shrugged, he would never admit that he had been played by his partner in his last job, and now he needed to scrounge up half a million dollars in less than a month. To put it simply, he was screwed.
But with this deal he could pay back the man he owed and be set for a good while.
“Five million.” Zafira sat back, sharp eyes boring into him. She took a long drag of her poison.
Nasir scoffed. “ Five million? You’re getting twenty million and if you didn’t want that information getting out, you should’ve told a certain someone to keep his mouth shut. I get half, ten.”
“Half?” Zafira sneered. “I could find a much simpler man to marry.”
“Be my guest.”
"You owe me."
Nasir froze, but got to his feet without another sound. They were empty words, he knew she wouldn't go through with her threats. Do you though ? He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and turned for the door. Half of a con was based on luck. On maybes and false actions. Nasir might have been on receiving end of the universe's wrath lately but it didn't make him a fool.
“Seven.” Zafira bit out, and a smug smile took over his features. Seven million was more than enough and he was only testing the girl’s patience, but Nasir took another step forward, and the moment his hand landed on the door’s gold knob she let out a slow breath. “Seven and a half, and that’s final.”
“Are you sure you feel like making a deal with the devil?”