Engagement

ALANA

Turns out, Knight really, really liked Hanie. I thought, after that day, that he might have developed teensy tiny feelings for me. Clearly, I was delusional. So, here we were again. Drowning in sadness and jealousy and anger. It had been over a week since that incident; six days since he'd told me he wanted to marry her. 

I minded my own business now that Rees and his Dad were happy with the job I'd been assigned to. I kept my nose only in the kitchens, avoided Knight at all costs and barely went anywhere out of my apartment other than the hotel. 

Whoever said living in the city was a dream was—sorry to say—wrong as heck.

I would've run six days ago, except, hello, hello, I had lots of money to earn in order to live. So, I guess you could say these days were pretty damn bad. And that's something, considering the kind of bull I'd been through in my childhood.

At nights, I usually ate ramen or something equally unhealthy and cried while listening to the recitation of the Qur'an. My tears were mostly dried crumbles when I woke up in the morning. 

I think you get the hint here. I was miserable.

If only I could get this internship done and over with and return back home without any more pain, it would be very much appreciated, thanks. Still, I'd learned early on in life that everything happened for a reason. Every scar, every bit of pain only made us stronger. 

You see, the thing with going back home was that my dearest mother had selected some far-off cousin for me to marry. He wasn't half-bad. Some would even call him good-looking with that fair complexion, dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes and that grin that had aunties tumbling all over themselves. There might've been a time I found him cute too. Now that I thought about him . . . eh. He wasn't that special.

I groaned loudly and people from around the corridor stared at me as if I might be crazy. If only they knew how much I actually was. Offering a polite, apologetic smile, I passed by them, rounding the corner and heading for the elevator. It was six in the evening and I was okay-ish excited to head home, cook up more spices than I could handle and cry to Esra about Knight being engaged.

Did I mention he was getting engaged today?

Oh, well, hi. I am Alana Deniz and the guy I'm madly in love with is getting engaged today. To the girl I picked for him. Wow, our story should be made into a whole TV show. 

There was a banquet today for the engagement ceremony on the mezzanine. All workers had left almost half an hour ago. The only people present were guests. Billionaire guests, mind you. Which was why I was the last one to be leaving. Had to snag a billionaire for my bestie. 

Shrug.

Ooh. I sneaked a picture of a young lad, looking barely over twenty-three and sent it to Esra. She sent me billions of emojis that had hearts in their eyes and I chuckled. I was so immersed in the conversation with her and the instructions she was giving me regarding how to talk to him about her that I didn't realise I was passing through a big crowd. Lowering my phone to my bag, I slipped it inside and when I tried zipping it, two large men slammed into me.

Sighing, I gave up. 

"Are you invited, miss?" A bodyguard asked, his burly arms breaking apart the crowd.

Did I look so bad that he knew already I wasn't a guest here? I shook my head at him. "I was working till late. Could you guide me to the elevators?"

He said, "They're straight through that corridor," he pointed to the right. I nodded my gratitude and pushed my way through. 

Seriously, was this a concert or an engagement party?

When I got to the elevators, the doors were closing. And then I made the worst mistake of my life. I stopped the lift and got in. 

And it was only when the doors had completely closed that I looked up and saw who was with me.

Hell. No.