13 – Qaya’s Thoughts

Qaya and Hamir chatted amicably for some time (about neutral topics, to disperse the tension in the air) and then retired for the day.

Hamir was still tired and a bit jetlagged, so he fell asleep pretty quickly.

Qaya, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. She lay awake on her bed, thinking over and over about the events of the last two days. Hamir's arrival here in J Country, the President's proposal, the high esteem both men seemed to hold her in…

…and the completely involuntary and yet persistent attraction that she herself felt for Hamir, even though she barely knew him.

Qaya had no relationship experience at all. She had never even imagined herself to be in one in the future. From a very young age, she had been determined to focus on her career, to be successful, and she had been prepared to spend the rest of her life alone.

But now…

Now the President, the one person she admired above all, had asked her to marry his son. His gentle and extremely attractive son, the sight of whose face made Qaya's heart feel strange.

Qaya understood enough to ascertain that she was truly attracted to Hamir.

But what she had said to the two men earlier in the evening was true, too. She didn't think that she deserved a man as good as Hamir Goldstein, no matter whether she liked him or not.

However, if the President's intention was to protect his eldest child's passion and his successful career as a cardiologist…

Then Qaya could certainly understand why they would want her.

For a family as rich, powerful and prominent as the Goldsteins, the control of the business empire must necessarily stay within the family. Hamir, no matter how smart he may be, had never been trained for business, unlike Qaya. He had studied medicine, and his talents lay in his field. He was brilliant, so he would learn quickly – but he had to be given that much time.

That's why the President suggested a year as a trial period for contract marriage. That would give Hamir enough time to learn everything, while ensuring that their business empire didn't suffer, since Qaya would be at the helm.

It was an excellent deal – whether from a business perspective or a personal one. And the President had even been kind enough to suggest that if Hamir and Qaya ended up liking each other, they would remain married as a real couple… well, his words were different, but Qaya knew that this is what he meant. Qaya knew that the President was genuinely fond of her, and he had always treated her very well, like a favourite niece or a goddaughter.

Qaya rubbed her temples to ward off an incoming headache.

Her saviour and mentor needed her help – shouldn't she help him out? It was just one year. Surely she could postpone her troubles for a year? It wasn't all that urgent anyway, was it? She could always throw money and shut them up for a year. Qaya would die rather than let Colossus come to harm, but she was neither self destructive nor in a hurry to meet her maker. She was just very tired and wanted to wrap things up fully and finally so that no one could use her to cause any adverse effect on Colossus…

But that could be postponed. Right now, Qaya thought, it was more important to help President Goldstein and Hamir, wasn't it? After all, Qaya owed everything – her life, her sanity, her career, her success, all of it – to President Goldstein, didn't she? How could she bear to refuse him?

Especially when countless men and women dreamt of being a spouse to one of the Goldstein children…

The only reason for Qaya's hesitation was Hamir and his thoughts on the matter. While she had noticed that he wasn't as opposed to the idea as she would have expected, she really didn't want to force the man into anything. There was already enough on his plate to deal with without adding a contract marriage with a troublesome icewoman… even if it was just a contract marriage – a fake relationship for the sake of Colossus…

After almost two hours of thinking (and overthinking), Qaya decided that she needed to speak separately with the President to gather his true thoughts on the matter. After all, it was merely Qaya's conjecture that he wanted her to help with Colossus and ease the way for Hamir. It was also possible that she was thinking too highly of herself, and the President simply wanted to help her instead, because he thought that she was in trouble… no, that would be even more ridiculous.

With a sigh, Qaya sat up and picked up her phone. It was day time in Z Country, so she could easily contact the President right now. She typed out a text message carefully, then deleted it and typed out another, more neutral one, and sent it across.

Her phone rang almost immediately – it was the President.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" the President demanded crossly, as soon as Qaya answered the call.

Qaya couldn't help her fond chuckle. "I had a few questions for you, President." She said lightly.

She could hear the heavy sigh on the other end of the phone, at the other side of the world. A string of worry tangled around Qaya's heart. When Hamir woke up, she would ask him to review the President's medical reports again, and if required, have Thomas get the tests done again.

Whatever else happened, she wanted the President to recover properly and stay safe.

"Fire away, then, little Qaya," the President said to her in a gentle voice.

Qaya was lost for a moment, not knowing how to broach the subject.

However, President Goldstein was not her mentor for nothing. "You want to ask for the biggest reason why I want you and Hamir to get married, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, President," Qaya replied, her voice equally quiet.