I was warned. Not once or twice but many times to stay away from Sarah but my damned selfishness put her life in trouble. I knew something would happened to her if I so much as look at her way but I was the damned fool who believe I can pull it off.

Well, I would do anything but I wouldn't let any harm come to the love of my life who looks quite angry right now. I over reacted but she has no idea what went through my head from the time I got her call to the time I saw her. Kissing her partly helped but if not anything, that only turned me on and I am struggling mentally and physically control myself.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere we can talk babe"

And I silently drove another 10 minutes. And I took her one of my favorite places in the city. It's a lake front small restaurant.

"Let's talk and then grab something to eat" I told her and she nodded. And we walked further down the lake.

"Do you know this is one of my favorite places in the city?" I asked while wrapping an arm around her. I know she is angry with me for the momentary outburst of anger. I don't lose my temper at all, but when I do, there is a reason. I fear my own anger because I can become very cruel and ruthless when provoked. Despite her anger, she snuggled closer to me but didn't answer me yet.

"Sweetheart, I am sorry I shouted at you. Your safety at that time was more important to me than your feelings. Please"

"Why is it you should be the one who have to make decisions for me? If we can be together or not, you decided. If I am willing risk things for you, you decide. Why?" she asked quite stubbornly.

"Because I am f*cking madly in love with you" and I turned her towards me and kissed her on her lips, this time not so gently as I would like to but to just satisfy that hallo feeling I am having right now knowing she is angry with me.

I don't know how long we stayed there in each others arms. And finally she relaxed in my embrace.

"Come, we need to sit and talk" finally I manage to say. This intimacy with Sarah can itself drive me to insanity. I know I am crossing a line. Normally she wouldn't be happy to let me kiss her thoroughly like I manage to do twice today. But I think she needed me at this moment as much as I do her. When we sat, I put my arm around her again so she could snuggle in. And she rested her head on my shoulders.

"The fire is planned" I told her.

"No Steve, it isn't. I am sure it is either a electric or gas leak"

"No, I know it. It is meant to kill you"

"How do you know?" she asked me.

"Because if I don't marry Sophia, De Bourbon empire will go to her father. Henry had mortgaged some assets of the company 40 years ago to her father, which hasn't been recovered even after the company start making profit. Initially they wanted either Arthur or Harry to marry her, but now I am the only hope. If I don't marry her, De Bourbon will lose everything they have. Sophia's father have significant interest in the companies I manage but I didn't thin it was to this extend"

Sarah stiffened in my arms and looked up to my face.

"So you want to end with me and go back to your Russian prince?" she asked me. Her eyes sparkling with jealousy, anger, doubts and love. I would never forget that look until the day I die, and I vowed at that moment to remind Sarah about this as much as I can in the future too. Yes, I can be a little manipulative.

"Well, not a bad idea you know. I mean, only thing Sophia doesn't have is a brain. Other stuff, she has in ample including money" I told her, keeping my hold still strong.

"I am going. You can go to hell with your rag queen" and she tried to get up, but I pulled her down.

"You do have a bad temper, you know. You know my feelings for you. So chill. I went through torcher just to make sure you are safe. Now I am risking everything both of us have to be with you. That should say loud and clear about my feelings for you. and I don't have a fiancé" I told her. I hated that man Farhan.

"Well, I had to let my mother forced me to in to marriage because I couldn't wait until you man up and come to me"

"Okay Okay babe. Now listen without distracting me" I said placing another kiss on her forehead before she settled again on my shoulders. It feels so damned good to have her just like that, where she belongs which is in my arms.

****************************************************

"How do you know about this business arrangement?" I asked him.

"Nana told me today. Everything the company has is mine, and all I should do is marry Sophia. I knew she had a plan for me. She is never the one to do things without a plan. But this is too much even for me to comprehend" he told me.

"So, if you don't marry Sophia, her father would eventually demand his stake in the company, which will make the de Bourbons the minority shareholders in their own company. Is that right?"

"Yes. Nana and Philip has the internal power struggle as well. She doesn't trust him and rightly so. But none of those bother me. Everyone wants you out of the picture. They know you have the hold on me, which they don't. Even Philip wouldn't mind me in family as long as he has his shares to keep and you are the only thing that stopping it according to them. But for me, it is you or no one" he told me. My heart did a flip flop when I heard the last part.

"But we just got back a day or so. I don't think they will try to kill me within a day. They hardly know your feelings for me"

"I never touched a woman, let alone dated all these years. When I say no, I take Sophia to functions. But that's it. No one was good enough for me after you. Philip didn't know this but nana does. she knows how deep my feelings are for you. Sophia believes she is in love with me. Her wishes are holy commands for her crazy father. So yes, people want you dead because of me and I am not feeling good about it right now" he said.

"What are we going to do?"

"Ideally I should leave you alone, so I can spare you all trouble and keep you safe" with that reply I panicked. Is he really thinking of leaving me, when I am willing to go through anything in life just to be with him?

"But you wont, right?" I asked him without lifting my head from his shoulders.

"Not that I wont love, I cant. Good or bad, we will make it or go down together. But you have to decide if I am worth all that trouble. Everyone around me are ruthless. They will kill either of us without any hesitant if that fit their agenda. For a while, I will be safe as they need me. But you will not be. So I want you to decide if it is worth the trouble for yourself" he replied. I could feel the tremor in his body when he spoke those words and I kind of knew by instincts those words are really hurting him.

From the very first day I saw Steve, I knew my life wouldn't be the same. I lift my head and kissed his cheek before resting my head on his shoulders again. And we stayed like that for I don't know how long. Steve is the one to break the silence.

"Is that a, yes you are worth is kiss or no, you are not worth it kiss?" I can hear the teasing note.

"You are not worth it kiss. I am starving, lets go and eat something" and we had dinner and by the time I reached home it was midnight.

Steve made is crystal clear I am to stay at home until he sort out the clinic. If I want to go out, I have to go out with him, and only him. I am not to meet Farhan, which I made clear not happening. I have to call him immediately if I feel anything amiss. And rather than asking me if I'd like to marry him, he informed me, when he sorts out everything, we are going to get married either me kicking and screaming or gracefully walking by his side.