I hadn't slept properly due to the effects of what happened during the night; my head felt strange. First, I went into the bathroom and stayed under the hot water for a while. After I felt completely relaxed, I got out. I put on a black pleated skirt and a black bolero. I dried and combed my long hair and left it down. No matter what, I wouldn't let it get to me today. We were going to move my mom and dad into their new house, so I was happy.
I left my room and ran down the stairs, even at the risk of running into the witch Zerrin. If she was the lady of the house, I was the daughter. I smiled at my thoughts. How quickly I had claimed this place, even though my dad had brought me here by force on the first day. Just as I was about to go to the living room, wonderful smells came from the kitchen. Instead of the living room, I went into the kitchen. Hatice abla and another female employee were preparing breakfast. "Good morning," I said, smiling. "Good morning, young lady." I looked at the woman whose name I didn't know, waiting for her to respond. "Please don't call me 'young lady.' Just use my name. What was your name, by the way?" I said. Smiling, she said, "Kader." "Kader, did you bake a cake? It smells amazing. Can I have some?" "You'll spoil your appetite, my girl. We'll set the table right now," Hatice abla said. I looked at her. "It's okay, Hatice abla. It smells so good; I can't resist, please." When I spoke like an innocent child, she couldn't resist my insistence. She put three slices of cake on a plate and placed it on the table. I sat on a chair, pulled the plate closer, and picked up a slice. First, I breathed in its scent with my eyes closed, then took a bite of the cake and started eating, savoring the taste. I had just finished one slice when I heard footsteps behind me. "What is this disrespect? What does it mean to eat in the kitchen before the table is set?" I knew who the voice belonged to. Without even turning around, I laughed and answered her. "I felt like eating cake in the kitchen. I'm not going to ask your permission for that."
"I told you you were rude. Such behavior is expected from you, unfortunately. No matter what you do, you don't belong here." I didn't let her speak further. Turning to her casually, I said, "And you are not the boss of my mood." She looked at me, her eyes wide as if she'd gone crazy, breathing in short bursts. Then she turned and shouted at Hatice abla, "Why isn't this breakfast ready yet?" Hatice abla said, "We'll have it ready immediately, Mrs. Zerrin." And the witch Zerrin stomped out of the kitchen in her high heels. As the employees hurriedly prepared the breakfast items, I asked, "How do you put up with this witch?" They both turned and looked at me. "Actually, she wasn't this irritable before lately," Kader said when she spoke. I replied to her. "Since I arrived?" "So she doesn't want me. I'm her whole problem." "Don't rush so much; it's still early. She's taking her anger out on you because she's mad at me," I said. Kader said, "I have to hand it to you; you're not afraid of her and you don't hold back your replies." "Why should I be afraid of that witch without a broom?" I said. When they both laughed, I couldn't help but laugh too. They went out to set the table in the living room, and I took the second slice of cake and started eating it, closing my eyes like before. While the bite was still in my mouth, I opened my eyes at the sound of a crunch. When I suddenly saw the man opposite me, the bite got stuck in my throat, and I started coughing. He came to my side, patted my back with his hand, and asked, "Here, Miss Ceyda, are you okay?" When my coughing stopped, I drank the water he offered me.
"You've been suddenly appearing and scaring me for a while now. If there's a third time, I won't forgive you, you know," I said, looking at him. Embarrassed, he said, "I'm sorry, Miss Ceyda. I didn't mean to scare you. I came in through the kitchen door to get some water; I didn't know you were here." "Never mind. What was your name again?" I said. "Cem," he said. "Cem, come on, get your water and come sit. You have this slice of cake too," I said. "How can I do that, Miss Ceyda?" "Why not? And don't talk so formally; it's not for me at all. Just 'Ceyda' is enough," I said. He got his water and sat opposite me. I pushed the plate towards him. "What if I hadn't taken it?" he said. "Take it, take it. Anyway, just you and that stepmother witch have ruined my appetite." Smiling, he said, "Witch?" "Yes, and the kind without a broom." "I've been a thorn in her side since I arrived. I don't know what she wants from me." "Normally, she's an unpleasant person, but she's become even more irritable since you arrived. I think you shouldn't mess with her," he said. "Hmm, so the witch without a broom is afraid of me," I said. Cem laughed. "Ceyda, the table is ready, dear. You can go to the living room." Hatice abla called out as she entered. As I stood up, I looked at Cem. "Your conversation is nice. Come by sometimes, and we can chat. I won't be bored, and we can gossip," I said. Smiling, he nodded and said, "Okay." When I went to the living room, everyone was at the table. Saying "Good morning," I sat in my place. Since I had filled my stomach with cake, my appetite was gone, so I couldn't eat much. "My daughter, why aren't you eating?" Before I could answer my dad, Zerrin beat me to it.
"Of course she won't eat; she just filled her stomach with cake in the kitchen," she said. Before I could say anything, I looked at Zerrin sitting opposite me. She was laughing mockingly. "Enjoy your meal, my daughter. Everything is free for you. Eat whatever you want, act however you want," he said. I smiled and turned to my dad. "Thank you," I said. When I looked at Zerrin again, the mocking smile was gone, and she was looking at me angrily. After breakfast, my dad, my brother, and I got into the car and left the house to go to the company. When we arrived at the company, I first looked at the building; it was huge. When we entered, the employees greeted us respectfully, bowing. If I had come here for a job application before, I'm sure they wouldn't even have let me in. A woman in a black miniskirt, holding a file, smiled and said, "Welcome, Mr. Aziz." My dad just nodded. We got into the elevator together and stopped on the tenth floor. When we got out of the elevator, we entered a large room with 'Aziz Doğanlar' written on the door. "Leyla hanım, let me introduce you to my daughter, Ceyda," he said, pointing to me. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ceyda," she said, smiling and extending her hand. I also extended my hand and smiled like her. "Nice to meet you too, Leyla hanım," I said. My dad looked at Leyla and said, "Are the files ready?" "They are ready, sir," she said, placing the files on the desk. "Come on, my children, sign these documents," my dad said, looking at us. He pushed the file towards us. My brother and I looked at each other. Smiling at me, he said, "Come on, princess," and we approached the desk and signed the documents. "Okay, children, may it be blessed. From now on, you are my partners," he said, laughing. "Thank you, Dad, but I don't understand these kinds of things at all," I said. Smiling, he answered me. "You don't have to work, my daughter. You can come to the company or not; it's yours." "Now go; let your brother show you around the company. Then you can handle your other business."
My brother stood up, put his arm around my neck, and said, "Come on, partner, let's go." We toured all the floors of the company together. He introduced me to some employees. All the female employees were watching us in surprise. "Can I ask you something?" I said, looking at him. "Have you possibly hooked up with and given hope to all the girls working here?" With his arm around my neck, he looked at me in surprise. "Why do you say that?" "Because when they see us so close like this, they all look like they've seen a ghost," I said. He laughed heartily. "I have no business with them, peanut. What can I do? They can't resist the charm of a handsome guy like me." "Brother... Do you have a girlfriend?" "No, beautiful. There are girls I hang out with, but unfortunately, I haven't met anyone I could fall in love with yet," he said. "I can suggest someone to you." "Who is it?" "My friend Yasemin," I said, smiling. "But only if you're thinking seriously." "That girl who keeps tossing her hair and flirting with me?" he said, looking at me thoughtfully. Then he continued, "Why not? She's a beautiful girl. She has all the qualities I'm looking for. Blonde hair, green eyes, great body... You're setting her up with me right away," he said, laughing. Finally, we had arrived at the house where I had lived for years. Since I had called and explained the situation to my parents beforehand, they knew everything. At first, they didn't want to accept the house bought for them, but I managed to convince them in the end. We only took two suitcases of personal belongings and nothing else, locked the door, and left. They could come and stay here whenever they wanted. We all got into my brother's car and set off. The kids in the neighborhood were playing football again. "Brother, can you stop?" I said with great excitement. He looked at me in surprise.
"What's wrong, Ceyda?" he said. "Park the car and wait for me a bit." "Where are you going?" he said as I was opening the car door. I heard my dad's laughing voice. "She's going to play football with the kids." My brother was also surprised. "Football?" he said. Leaving them, I ran to the kids. When Anıl saw me, he shouted and came to me. "Ceyda, big sister is here!" he said, hugging me. Then the others came and hugged me too. "We haven't seen you in ages, Ceyda, big sister! Where have you been?" said Mustafa. "I was with my new family." "Your new family?" "Yes, it turns out I have another family. I was with them," I said. "What do you mean?" said Mustafa. "Never mind, son. Are we going to talk about my new family now? Come on, let's play some football." For some reason, I really loved these kids. We started the match, but while I was trying to play on the field, the kids were preventing me again. As always, they dragged me by force and put me in goal. I was falling left and right trying to catch the balls coming into the goal. The kids were deliberately kicking the ball hard. When the ball came hard again, it hit my head, and I fell to the ground. Groaning, I held my head. At that moment, someone offered me a hand to help me up. I looked up; as I expected, it was my brother. I took his hand and stood up. Laughing, he said, "Wow, look at my sister playing football like a guy." "Only guys play football?" I said.
"Of course, my girl. I've never seen a girl playing football around me." "Who is this, Ceyda, big sister?" I answered Anıl's question. "My brother." "Hmm... The new family," he said. Smiling, I introduced the kids to my brother. Then we left them, got back in the car, and continued on our way. When we arrived at our new house, I couldn't believe my eyes. My dad had bought a beautiful two- story house for my family. When we entered, I saw that the inside was very nice too. My mom said, "The house is very nice, but it's too big. How will I clean this place?" I immediately replied. "Don't worry, Mom. From now on, you don't need to work," I said and turned to my brother. "Can you arrange for a woman to work here tomorrow?" I said. "Of course, princess. If you ask, I'll arrange not one but two women," he said. Together, we unpacked the belongings and looked around. We ordered food from outside, ate, drank our tea, and spent time together. Now that we were close, I could see them whenever I wanted. When it was time to say goodbye, my spirits fell, and my eyes filled with tears. My mom tried to cheer me up. "My daughter, if you got married, you would leave us one day anyway. One day, you'll get married and live with your husband. You need to get used to this." For some reason, my mom's words reminded me of Sarp. What was happening to me? Was it normal for him to come to my mind so often? We said goodbye and left there. When we got home, the large garden gate opened for us. When I got out of the car, I saw Cem. We greeted each other and went inside. Just as I was about to go upstairs to my room, I heard Zerrin's voice, whispering. Giving in to my curiosity, I walked quietly towards the sound. Her door was ajar; I think she was talking on the phone. "What should I do then? The money you've been eating isn't enough anymore, I guess?" she said and fell silent, listening to the other person. "Don't make me deal with that madman. Handle your own problems," she said and hung up angrily.
What was that now? Who was she talking to? And who was this 'madman' she mentioned? I walked backwards quietly. I needed to get to my room before this witch saw me. Just as I was about to turn around, I bumped into someone. I closed my eyes. "Princess, what's wrong? Why do you look so flustered?" When I realized it was my brother, I opened my eyes and turned to him. "Nothing... I just thought I heard a sound. I was going to my room now," I said. "Okay, beautiful. Go rest; you're tired today," he said. As I passed by him, I turned and looked back. Zerrin was standing in front of her door, frowning at me. Had she realized I was listening to her? I went into my room and lay on my bed. For a while, I kept thinking about who the witch was talking to. There was something about this woman that made me suspicious. Of course, one day her true colors would show. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my brother shouting. Why was he shouting like that? When I left my room, I saw him quickly going down the stairs. "This time, he won't escape me. I'll kill that ......!" he was cursing as he hurried down. Just as I was about to follow him, I heard Zerrin's voice. "It's all because of you! If anything happens to my son, I'll make you pay dearly for it." I turned and looked at her face. She was as angry as always. Without paying attention, I went down the stairs; I couldn't waste time with her. I needed to find out what was happening. When I went outside, there was chaos in the garden. Men were getting into cars. I saw my brother among them. I ran to him and grabbed his arm. "Brother, what's wrong? Where are you going?" "Ceyda, you go inside." "Brother, please! Where are you going?" I said, panicked again. "I heard you inside. You said, 'This time I'll kill you.' Who, brother?" "Please don't go," I said.
"Little sister, I told you to go inside. I have important business; I'll be back soon," he said, gesturing to someone standing behind me. "Take Ceyda," he said. I looked at the person grabbing and pulling my arm; it was Cem. When I turned back to my brother, he had gotten into his car and was leaving the garden. "Miss Ceyda, let me take you inside," Cem said. I turned to him and pulled my arm away. "Where did they go? Tell me right now!" "I don't know." "So you would tell me if you knew." He smiled and looked at my face. I could read in his eyes that he knew everything. "I don't want to go inside. Let's sit in the garden for a bit," I said and walked towards the pergola. I saw Zerrin watching me from the balcony. Ignoring her, I went and sat down. I gestured for Cem to sit too. "Now tell me, where did they go?" "I'm not sure how right it is for me to tell you that." "You tell me, and I'll decide." "Okay. While your father was at the company, Sarp's father, Mr. Aslan, came to see him." I was surprised. They were enemies; why would he have come? "Did he come to make peace?" I said. "Something like that." "What do you mean, 'something like that'? Can you explain more clearly?" "He said that if your father gives you to his son Sarp, he will forget everything that has happened until now and they will be friends." My eyes widened in shock at what I heard. I was frozen. "What did my dad say?" "He said, 'I have no daughter to give you. Besides, our enmity will never end.'"
"Cem, how many years have you been working here?" "It's been three years." "Then you must have heard what happened between them in the past?" I said. "You could have learned these things from your father or your brother," he said. "I asked, but they brushed it off and didn't tell me," I said. When Cem lit a cigarette, "Give me one too," I said. Surprised, he held out the cigarette. As I lit the cigarette I took from the pack, "Did you smoke?" he said. I shrugged. "Sometimes," I said. I inhaled my cigarette and said, "Tell me, I'm listening. But first, tell me where my brother went." "To Sarp's place." "What? To Sarp's place?" "Yes," he said. I started to panic. "What if they hurt each other?" I said, standing up. "I need to tell my dad. Is my dad inside?" "Wait, calm down. Your father hasn't come back yet." "He hasn't come back yet?" I said, panicked. Cem looked at me and grinned. "Why are you grinning? I don't see anything funny here," I said. "I was just curious about one thing. It seems like you're panicking not just for your brother but also for Sarp?" "That's none of your business. Answer my second question," I said. "Okay, I'll tell you. Years ago, Sarp's grandfather and your grandfather had a disagreement in their hometown. Your grandfather shot Sarp's grandfather." "What do you mean? That's hard to believe. The cotton-soft man inside couldn't hurt a fly." "Unfortunately, he killed the man." I shuddered. How could he talk about it so calmly? "So what happened after that?" I asked curiously. "After a while, his wife died of grief. They have been enemies ever since those years." "That's sad, but so much time has passed. Besides, my grandfather must have served his sentence. I also need to hear about these events from my grandfather." "Your grandfather didn't serve any sentence. He deserved the heaviest punishment." Cem had said his last words with a frown. Why was he getting angry now? I guess this conversation was enough for now.
"I think I should go inside now," I said, getting up and going into the house. I needed to talk to my grandfather about this as soon as possible. While waiting in the living room with everyone at home, my grandmother had my head on her lap and was stroking my hair. I was looking at the photos of my biological mother that my grandmother had just given me. I really did look a lot like my mother, but my mother was very beautiful. She had light brown, long hair just like me, and hazel eyes. I got emotional; my eyes filled with tears. They had ended her life at a young age. If she had lived, we would never have been separated. Who knows how much she would have loved me? A thought came to me, and I sat up straight. "Grandpa, did you find the person who poisoned my mother?" He paused in surprise at my question, then began to speak. "Of course. Aslan Soykan ordered it. He also had you kidnapped," he said. "Why would he do such a thing? He caused the death of a young woman and the disappearance of her baby." Actually, I had heard the reason from Cem, but I needed to hear it from his mouth too. I was very curious about what he would say. First, he took a deep breath, then continued to explain. "Actually, he also gave the order for your death, but the man who was supposed to kill you couldn't bring himself to do it and instead gave you to a family for adoption. Years later, when Aslan learned that you weren't dead, he poisoned and killed that man, just like he did your mother." I shuddered at what I heard. This was so heinous. Now I was completely sure that Sarp was after me for revenge. "How did you find me, Grandpa?" I said. "The man Aslan hired worked in this house. One night, your father and I were sitting together when the man came in holding your photos. As soon as he entered, he collapsed. While we were trying to understand what was wrong with him, in a strained voice, he said, 'Your daughter Ceyda is alive.' No matter how much we pressed him, he couldn't speak much. He just said, 'She's living in Istanbul. Forgive me. He told me to kill her, but I couldn't. I gave her to someone,' and then he took his last breath." It couldn't get more heinous than this. Was he going to take his unfinished revenge from years ago by marrying me to his son? Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door; we could continue later. When my brother entered the living room, I quickly went to him. His hair was disheveled, and he was breathing angrily through his nose.
"Brother, are you okay?" I asked. Then my dad entered the living room. When my brother didn't answer, I turned to my dad and asked. "Dad, what happened? Are you okay?" Before he could answer, my brother shouted. "What do you think happened? That bastard wants to marry you! Now they've chosen this path to take revenge." He said, frowning. His already dark eyes darkened even more as he looked into mine. For a moment, I started to get scared of him. What was happening now? "I asked you if there was anything between you and him, and you said no. If you have any such thought, you will erase it from your mind. Furthermore, you will not set foot outside this door." When he shouted like that, I couldn't answer. My dad intervened. "Atlas, that's enough. Don't take it out on the girl; it's not her fault," he said. With the same anger, my brother left the living room. I just stood there and watched him go.