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The old drunkard fell back into the water, as the lifeguards seemed to have finally noticed the commotion happening around us. They jumped into the pool to save him and his friend who I... um... injured.

"So you are the two guests we have been receiving complains about since the morning. Harassment is against the resort's policy, I must ask you to leave, both of you." One of the lifeguards spoke as he dragged the drunkards out of the pool. 

I sighed, phew. 

Looking back towards the pool, I eyed as Sarah's savior meanwhile reached out for her upper waist, as he swam to the side of the pool, dragging her behind. She seemed frozen on the other hand, not really registering what's going on with her. 

Pulling her up to the side, he climbed up as well, and helped her stand up. 

I stood up as well, approaching them. 

Sarah was staring blankly at the guy, as her entire figure shook. 

Reaching them, I got the chance to look at him more properly. 

Okay wow... 

He was tall, darkly tanned, full lips, curly black hair, slight beard, and sculpted muscular body. His orbs were the hazel greenish shiny type, and he was eyeing Sarah in what resembled worry.

The latter was just panting, as she directly laid on me as soon as I stepped beside her. 

"Ugh, Thank you so much..." I muttered, "You saved us." 

He finally averted his gaze from her, as he grinned boyishly at me. "Sure!" 

He had good English, way better than the old men, reflecting really good education, and yet, he still had the heaviness of an Arabian accent. 

I nodded at him, as I started walking back with Sarah towards our tanning chairs. 

I wrapped her with her towel, and she just shook in fear, "Dude honestly, fuck rich drunk old men!" She snapped, "He dragged me into the water thinking I was being coy, the fuck?" 

I sighed, "I know, love. I'm sorry for not being much of help." I mumbled in a sigh. 

She shook her head, tightening her towel around her further, as she signaled to one of the waiters to help open the umbrella above us. 

He did, and we both laid on our chairs at that seeking some rest. I placed the hat atop of my head, and shut my eyes in an attempt to sleep a bit. 

As I was drifting towards some sleep, I felt Sarah shift to the side of my chair, as she straightened in hers. 

A silhouette appeared beside her.

Blinking, I eyed her savior from earlier as he stood before her chair, a lemonade glass in his hand, clearly having brought it for her.

I pretended to be asleep, as I eyed the series of events before me unfold. 

Sarah eyed him as she arced her brow at him carefully. 

He fidgeted awkwardly, as he placed a hand over his neck, extending the lemonade towards her. "Um, I just wanted to check if you're okay after, uh, um, your unintentional dive?" He mouthed hesitantly, as though he didn't know what to say. 

At this, the oriental beauty blinked a few times, before she giggled at him, "That's actually so nice of you." She smiled, making space for him beside her to sit.

He moved to sit, but then paused, turning slightly towards me. 

I made no movement, as I could tell my straw hat covered my eyes, causing a confusion of whether I was asleep or not. 

"Ugh, are you sure I wouldn't be bothering your friend?" He inquired, politely. 

Sarah chuckled, as she glanced into my direction, "Well, she seems asleep. And anyways, if she knows you're with me, she surely won't mind. She's adorable." Aw!!!! I almost cried at how cute she spoke of me!

He took a seat beside her, and she took the lemonade from him, sipping from the straw. "Bleh!" She cringed slightly, and he shifted uncomfortably, eyeing her regarding what's up. 

"Why's the straw paper-made?!" She pursed her lips in displease. 

Eyeing her for some long surprised moments, the young guy chuckled slightly, "You're saving a sea turtle with this. Don't complain." 

She blinked, pouting at him, "Sorry? You got this intentionally?!" 

He kept his smile, and his white teeth glowed, as his dark skin glinted under the sun. "Of course! A paper straw serves the purpose of a plastic one, while also saving a sea turtle. What's there not to like?" 

Sarah frowned in pondering, but then her features glowed, "Now that you mention it, you're right." She smiled at him in excitement, "Maybe the sea turtle I am saving is a mom! That means I get to keep her beside her kids! That's awesome!" She giggled in genuine happiness.

I couldn't help the slight smile creeping against my lips, as I saw the young handsome dude fix her with his deep hazels, as he smiled at her smile. "Mhm. See? It takes one sometimes a small compromise of his personal comfort, for the greater good. Don't you think?" His voice was deep and peaceful. His tone seemed slightly haughty, as though he was trying to hide that but it was an inborn thing. 

Nodding, Sarah sighed, as she gazed into him deeply with her warm greens. "That was some nice things you just said, do you realize that?" She spoke in a low yet warm voice. 

He smiled gently, eyeing her beauteous features. Now that I looked at her, she looked really pretty despite her wet hair. She was such a natural beauty. 

"Well I guess they've always been on my mind, and I was waiting for the chance to voice them out I guess." He kept his boyish grin. 

Sarah took a sip from her lemonade, nodding in a smile, "So would you like to continue your thoughts on this matter you've apparently wanted to talk about for a long time?" 

He chuckled, laying slightly back on his elbows as he flexed his six abs, keeping his deep gaze on her. 

"Well it seems like a silly thing but, you know, I've always thought that almost half of the world's wealth is owned by less than one percent of the human population." He spoke, smoothly, "And that pisses me off, because you have an entire continent like Africa with so much poverty and people dying from hunger." He turned to gaze at the horizon distantly. "Also discrimination, racism and inequality, so many people die fighting for their rights to live peacefully." 

Sarah blinked at him, and so did I at the thought that wow, this did take a dark turn.

I mean a complete stranger goes from joking with you about a straw to talking to you about world hunger and discrimination... that's a bit unusual.

He didn't seem to mind her, as he remained lost in the horizon, as though he was talking to no one... just venting out. 

"I mean, imagine if those one percent compromised a bit of their wealth to feed the hungry. What a better place would the world become..." He murmured, lost for some seconds. 

A few seconds of silence passed, and Sarah just stared at him, taking his features in. 

He felt that, as he stiffened slightly, and turned towards her in surprise, chuckling in discomfort. "Damn, my bad. Must've bored you with my weird thoughts," He chuckled again, "Uhm, I-" 

Being Sarah Dowell, she was not the type to allow a situation to go awkward, and so she simply cut him off thoughtlessly. 

"Oh cut the bullshit!" She frowned softly, then smiled, "What you said was amazing! It blew my mind off and that's why I went silent!" She grinned, "Hey, I'm Sarah by the way!" 

He blinked before he smiled back, taken aback by her randomness. "Call me Khaled." 

She smiled then nodded, taking a sip from her lemonade. 

It didn't escape me that this Khaled though was clearly giving her the smitten looks, wow Sarah!

"Now that was some nice snap you had at that old drunkard, even though you got thrown into the waters!" He laughed, "You don't seem Arabian." He eyed her in interest. 

Sarah Dowell frowned in memory, "Well first, the dick deserved it!" She clenched her fingers over the cold lemonade, "And also, I'm half-Lebanese, half-British, so yeah, I know some Arabic."  

Khaled blinked at her for some moments, "Oh, now that you mention it, you have the mix..."  

She grinned, "I've been told." 

And a few moments of comfortable silence followed. 

It was just them staring into one another. You know, that kind of silence, where two people are just letting it sink in that they have bumped into that person. 

She shifted, as though she was hesitant about what she was about to say. "So, you're Emirati?" 

He fixed his eyes into hers for some long moments, before he shook his head, his eyes slightly darkening, "Not fully. I'm half-Ethiopian." 

I blinked, I see, now that I look at his features, they're not completely oriental... They do give off an African vibe as well.

Sarah blinked, as she fixed him with something like a sympathetic look... as though she related to him. "And, what is it like here?" 

He blinked at her, apparently not getting her wave. 

She turned to look before her, clutching her hands slightly at the towel around her, and her gaze traveled into somewhere else, as though she was eyeing a memory. "Was it as hard for you to blend in as it was for me?" She murmured, "I remained friendless until university." She smiled bitterly, "Always called a half-breed." 

Looking at her more carefully, I saw Sarah Dowell's beauteous, huge green orbs slightly tear up. 

From beside her, Khaled eyed her bitterly, a sad smile crossing his lips, "Ah, don't ask about it. I'm still trying to escape it." He murmured hoarsely, "I have no recollection what my mother looks like, because she was sent back to Ethiopia after I was born." He muttered, and my heart ached at him. Wow, what the hell...

Sarah gasped softly, as a silent tear strolled down her face, but she didn't turn for Khaled to see it. "You know," she maintained her voice, sad yet not tear-stained, "My mother was killed, and she was not yet a citizen, so her case was not pursued properly, leaving her killer free for around twenty years." She whispered, "Twenty years of me believing my father hated me. Thirteen years of me just living on memories of her love for me." She muttered, more tears cascading down her face, "Discrimination sucks." 

Tears fell down my face silently at their stories. Good God... 

He hummed, as he sighed, "We're such a depressing duo, huh?" 

A loud giggle escaped Sarah Dowell despite her tears, as she wiped them quickly, "Well! Guess I needed the cry, as her memorial is coming soon!" 

He chuckled throatily as well, "I won't judge, let it out if you need it." 

She'd wiped her tears by that, as she turned towards him shooting him a warm smile. "Nope, tell me about you. I knew what my mother looked like, but you didn't. I want to hear out about you."  

A small smile crossed my lips at that, and I honestly felt my heart warm up at how kind of a human being this woman was. 

Nothing is kinder than asking someone to talk to you. To show them you care to listen. And that was what Sarah Dowell was doing to this stranger who weirdly saved her life today and related to her on such a weird and deep level.

Khaled crossed his hands behind his head at that, laying back. "Well, I was rejected by my own siblings, to start with, because I was born as a result of an affair." He spoke, his voice composed, yet somehow carrying concealed bitterness, "Even though I should be among the high-classed kids of my class, I was always treated like an inferior, because everyone knew the story and because they thought I was too dark skinned." 

Sarah gasped, "What the hell?!" 

He nodded, "The most prevalent memory of school in my mind is me looking around the playground during recess, and seeing myself all alone, with everyone giving me disgusted looks." He eyed the sky above, and his hazel greens glowed. "My father's wife despised me, and so she used to bribe teachers at my school to make me feel even more left out. She did not want to admit that me being born, was not my mistake but that of my father's." 

Sarah straightened at that, as she turned towards him, towering him and taking him off guard.

"You're so good-looking, Khaled!"

Her voice had come thoughtless, like that of a kid complimenting someone randomly. It was too sincere, and genuine.

He gasped from beneath her, eyes wide. "Huh?" 

Her curls bounced as she fixed him with her huge jades, "Like, I swear! You were talking and I was just staring at how handsome your features are!" She spoke, her voice like that of an excited child's, "So honestly, fuck whoever treated you like that! Because they were so mistaken!" 

From beneath her, the huge Adam's eyes slowly went back to normal, as he smiled widely, and his expression mellowed, "You think so?" 

She blinked, realizing the position they were in. She flushed, as she straightened back, "Yes, I really do think so!" 

He straightened as well, "Well, then I wanna tell you a secret, just for you." 

She blinked, eyeing him in confusion. "J-Just for me?" 

He kept his warm smile, "Well, because you found me good-looking unconditionally, I believe you are worth sharing such a private thing about me with you, Sarah, even if we might never meet again." 

She frowned, "I... I was gonna mention that... I mean, I'm going back to London, and maybe you... work here and are committed to a job here, and-"

"I am the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rajeh, as in I belong to the Royal bloodline."

A few moments passed, before realization sank in to Sarah, and to me.

My eyes went wide, and I really had to do an effort to conceal a loud 'WHAT THE HELL' from escaping me.

Sarah stood up, "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!? YOU ARE THE FOURTH SON!?!?" 

Khaled jumped slightly, eyes wide, "What? You know me?" 

She shifted left and right, letting out uneven breaths, "No way! The hell!"

He just eyed her with wide eyes, in confusion. 

Seconds as she started to calm down, Sarah let out a composed breath, as she grinned at him, "I just heard the story of your father while coming here! So yeah, couldn't believe it was you!" She chuckled.

Well she was actually saying the truth, although I did notice that she was purposely hiding the truth about the business. 

Possibly to check with Mr. Ellington first. 

"So," Khaled started after some seconds, breaking the silence in a teasing, yet darkly grudging tone, "Am I more handsome now?" He had a dark smile, clearly reflecting how... scarred he was from past experiences.

Sarah frowned, huffing as she fixed him with her shiny glinting greens, "Seriously?!" 

He chuckled loudly, pinching her nose playfully, as his look at her gentled a bit, "I'm messing with you." 

She flushed, as she pouted at him and sighed, shaking her head, "Money never made personalities, Khaled." 

He blinked, and so did I. 

"My father was way poorer than Alfred Fiore, the man who desired my mother to the point of... killing her, and yet, she chose my dad for his sweet heart and kind personality, even though they were going to start together from zero!" She spoke, sadness and pride intermixed in her voice, as her eyes teared up a bit, "So honestly, don't say such things again, ya ahbal!"

**Ya Ahbal: you stupid** 

He chuckled, "Well! You have some purely Lebanese expressions out there don't you?!" 

Her frown mellowed a bit, as she smiled softly, "Ma hek?" 

**Ma hek: literally means 'not so' -Sarah here uses it to indicate an answer like: 'I do, no?' in a teasing manner** 

Khaled chuckled again, "You're quite attached to your father, or at least I infer so from the way you talk about him, no?" 

Sarah fixed him with a deep look, as a tender nostalgic smile crossed her lips, and her entire expression warmed up, "I remained on bad terms with my father for so many years, blaming him for what happened with mom, only to discover he loves her more than I do by miles." She whispered, a tear or two coming down her face as she eyed the young sheikh, "And so now, I feel like I have missed out so much of my time with him. He's amazing, Khaled. I'd love for you to... to meet him." 

Khaled just blinked, as he eyed her with his deep hazel greens, devouring every detail of her beauteous features.

She smiled as she unlocked her phone, showing him a picture of her hugging her father tightly with a wide smile. "And he's all what is left of family to me." She smiled at the phone, as she wiped her tears, "Ah, I don't know what's with all my crying today, but maybe because it's been months since I've last seen him. The bachelor had a business trip around the world and comes back to London in two days!" 

Hesitantly and deliberately, Khaled reached out for Sarah's head, as he caressed it gently.  

I couldn't help but smile at how gentle he was.

Despite that she was in a vulnerable state and in a bikini, he was still very careful.

As though wishing to shrug off the gloomy aura from around her, Khaled shifted. 

"So who did you come here to Dubai with, aside from the lady?" He asked, gesturing at me towards the end of the question.

Sarah smiled, "Well, I came with two other friends." Her eyes warmed further, as something deep glinted within their green, while she eyed the ocean view far away, as though it reminded her of someone.

"One of them is among the most cherished people in my life. I'd literally die for him."

I concealed a gasp, and felt my heartbeat rate pick up painfully. 

Wow, so she harbors such a deep loyalty to Mr. Ellington...

Khaled's touch over her head stiffened slightly, as he removed his hand, as though he'd gotten... you know... the vibe. "Oh, excuse me if I am disrespecting him in any wa-"

"He's a friend, Khaled." She smiled warmly, and her eyes teared at the vast ocean, "But one that had showed me care after thirteen years of me thinking no one will care for me after my mom." 

She reached out at that, nudging me as though to 'wake me up'. Oh, little do you know, Sarah! 

I kept my act, getting up lazily, as I pretended to be dazed by my surroundings and such. 

I had barely nodded at the guy, and Sarah stood up at that, "I promise you'll meet him, Khaled." She smiled warmly, in determination, "I'll make sure you do." She grinned, and we started walking away. 

As we descended through the elevator, I eyed as Sarah pressed the 27th floor button. 

"Wait, that's not where our rooms ar-" I started but she cut me off.

"We need to find Rickard," She announced in determination, as she dialed his majesty's number, "I found the shareholder he's looking for!" 

I pretended to be surprised, "What the hell?!" 

She grinned in my direction, as excitement broke to her face, "AH CHARLOTTE! I HAVE SO MUCH TEA!"

Tell me something new. I mentally high-fived.

I smiled back at her, as we reached the floor targeted. 

Descending, I followed Sarah through the bar. 

Different smells from smoke, to possibly drugs, to drinks, and other... substances invaded my nostrils, and I tried holding my