His, Timelessly

CEYLAN

I wasn’t surprised to find only a small crowd in the ballroom. The event was yet to begin, and more people were still on their way. However, knowing my father, this wasn’t going to be a large event.

He always preferred intimate parties.

Everything was beautiful, from the lighting and the decor to the relaxing music played by the small orchestra at the front of the ballroom.

“Prensesim!” A familiar voice called out from the cluster of tuxedos up ahead.

Stepping away from the high-top table, my father charged toward me.

“Baba,” I smiled, urging my feet to take quick steps.

As I drew near, he opened his arms and I sunk in, pressing myself tightly against his solid body.

“After our conversation, I thought I would have to fight Selim to get you back,” he said once we pulled away.

His palm moved to cup my cheek, and he added, “But I’m glad you are here, prenses.”

I almost didn’t make it. I had to talk myself into getting on the plane several times.

“I still think you shouldn’t retire. You’re still energetic.”

“I think you should,” Savvy interjected from behind me.

“How have you been, Dacey?” She held out her hand.

“Good, Savannah,” he replied, taking her hand.

“You should definitely retire if it means I get to have my best friend here.”

I gave her a side glance.

“Whose side are you on?”

She pointed at him.

“Right now, I’m on Dacey’s.”

Giving me an apologetic smile, she added, “I’m sorry.”

“I doubt you are,” I retorted.

Shifting my attention to my father, I asked, “Where is Annem?”

He scanned the room.

“There she is,” he replied once he found his wife.

“We’ll go say hi.”

He nodded.

A tuxedoed man who had been waiting to talk to my father closed in as we stepped away.

My mother’s back was facing in our direction so she didn’t notice us approaching until the woman she was chatting with gestured toward me.

She turned and immediately, her entire face lit up.

Her feet ate up the remaining distance between us.

“There is my beautiful kizim.” She planted a kiss on both my cheeks.

“Savvy dear.” She gave my best friend the same treatment. “It’s been a while. I’m happy to see you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Ruya.”

Lifting her hand, she reached out to stroke a piece of my long, deep-copper-colored wavy hair.

“You look gorgeous. Green is your color.”

Savvy thrust her jaw forward.

“It was all me.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You did a great job, dear.”

“Thank you.” A prideful smile spread across her face.

“Excuse me.” We all turned to glare at the curly-haired, pretty pecan brown-skinned intruder.

She extended her hand to me and introduced herself. “Chloe Johnson.”

“Ceylan Aslan.” I searched my mind to remember if I knew her from somewhere.

She beamed.

“I know who you are. Your dad talks about you all the time.”

I frowned.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I–”

“I see you’ve already met.” My father joined us.

His hand casually rested on the woman’s shoulder.

“Chloe is my assistant,” he paused before carrying on. “And now I would like her to be yours.”

“I’ll be at the bar,” Savvy whispered before taking off.

“I-umm…” So much for hoping he would change his mind about retirement.

“She is amazing at her job so I would hate to see her move on to another company.”

“W-What happened to Nicole?”

“Her family moved away after her husband got a promotion.”

I inclined my head toward Chloe.

I could feel her holding her breath, waiting for my answer.

Instead of easing the lady’s tension, I said, “Can we continue this conversation later? I need a drink.”

I walked away before anyone could get a chance to protest.

I practically raced across the room, pausing only in front of the almost empty open bar.

“Champagne please.” The bartender nodded at my request.

“I can’t believe he just did that.”

“Daddy dearest trying to make sure you have a smooth transition? Totally saw that coming.”

I couldn’t tell if Savvy was mocking or sympathizing with me.

“I can choose my own assistant, you know? What if I have one right now.”

Her brows pulled together.

“Do you?”

The bartender slid the order to me.

“No.” I wrung my fingers around the glass.

“Uncle Selim’s PA served the both of us in Harika Hudut. But that’s not the point. He is springing something major on me again and expects me to accept it graciously.”

“You could always say no.”

“There are certain times I prefer to let Baba have his way and avoid unnecessary arguments. He already gets a lot of those from Baris.”

She shook her head.

“Not ‘certain times’, all the time. One can even say you don’t have the guts to stand up against your dad.”

I frowned.

“I do have guts. I have done it before.”

“When,” she challenged me.

I tapped my chin, thinking of one single moment.

“Here is one,” I smiled. “When I joined Baris’s college in Miami despite Baba being against it.”

“You left Seal Coast one year later and came to Oakford, where he wanted you to be in the first place.” She smirked.

“You caved.”

I took the first sip of my drink.

“Y-Yeah, I did.” Savvy didn’t know the real reason behind me leaving Seal Coast. And I wasn’t ready to tell her. I wished I’d listened to my father then. I could have avoided the biggest trauma of my life.

“I’m glad you caved. Otherwise, we would never have met.”

I nodded.

“I’ll take the PA. Heaven knows I need someone currently familiar with the company to help me ease in smoothly. And if Baba says she is good then she is. Besides, I can’t be the reason the poor lady ends up jobless.”

“True.”

I brought the champagne glass to my lips.

“You won’t believe who just walked in with your brother,” Savvy exclaimed, her gaze magnetically pulled toward the entrance.

“He’s so much hotter in person.”

“Who?” I tilted my head to the side. Maximo Gonzalo, the tech billionaire, was a perfect gentleman with the body of a model and the face of a movie star. If I hadn’t been so obsessed with Liam back in Seal Coast, Max would have been my next choice.

However, I only liked him as Baris’s other best friend and nothing more. “You can claim him. I can confirm one hundred percent that Max is single. The guy never dates.”

Her gaze remained steady as she shook her head. “Not Max. Liam Chase. Now I understand why all the ladies in New York are going crazy over him.”

My stomach dropped. Blood drained from my veins and I lost control of every part of my body. I wanted to run and hide.

After all these years, I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Yet, it was happening, whether I liked it or not.

Liam’s gray eyes locked with mine and I was momentarily transported back to a time when I thought their angelic nature indicated he was hiding a different side of him, someone sweet and vulnerable. But I’d been wrong.

He was still brutally handsome and it infuriated me that he was using his “super power” to render everyone blind to who he really was.

He’d taken so much from me already; I wasn’t going to let him ruin my evening. Living in the same city was already hard enough, I couldn’t have him at my event.

He needed to leave. I felt Savvy watching me. “Sweetheart, are you–”

I didn’t give her time to voice her concerns. Slamming the champagne glass on the counter, I took off.

I walked quickly, hardly feeling my feet touch the ground. I heard someone say my name along the way but I didn’t turn to acknowledge them.

I was focused on one task. One task I was adamant to complete.

As I drew near, his perfect lips, framed by a short stubble beard, curved into a smile and that infuriated me even more.

“Ela,” Baris looked me up and down. “You look amazing!”

“What in the world is he doing here?” I flashed Liam a quick glance before pinning my brother with a hard frown.

“Glad to see you too,” Baris said, sarcastically.

“I made it clear, Baris. I don’t want him here.”

“I gave you a heads up. When you didn’t reply to my text, I assumed you were okay with it. Besides, Liam told me everything that happened and the reason you’ve been avoiding him all these years.”

“He did?” My voice lowered. Several emotions washed over me; pain, shame, relief, and most of all, betrayal. What was Baris doing with him after learning the truth?

“Yeah, he did. And you need to get over it.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “Get over it?!” It took everything inside me to keep my voice down. More than a dozen heads were already looking our way.

“You can’t hold a grudge against someone for rejecting you.”

“Is that what he said?” I shifted my attention to Liam. “Is that all you told him?”

“Was there anything else to say?” Was he daring me to talk? In public, of all places? How cruel was this guy?

I wanted to lash out. I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit something, mostly Liam. But this wasn’t the place. I couldn’t make a scene in front of all these people.

My voice was quiet but firm when I spoke to Baris again. “I didn’t see the text. So kindly ask your friend to leave.” With that, I walked away.