Chapter 2
That's when something caught my eye. At the counter, a young woman sat with slumped shoulders and eyes brimming with tears, crying silently.
Her face was hidden behind her hands, and her light brown hair fell like a silk curtain, concealing her sadness.
I couldn't help being curious—after all, it wasn't common to see young women crying in a place like this.
“Murat, do you know what happened?” I asked my cousin and right-hand man, who had been waiting for me and approached as soon as he saw me walk in. “Why is that young woman crying so much?”
“I've been here a while and saw her come in like that. Looks like she needs help, but I didn't dare ask.”
“We don't have anything important tonight. Go in and take care of whatever needs handling,” I told him haughtily. “I'll see if Ahmet knows anything, and I'll be there shortly.”
My cousin did as I ordered, and I approached my longest-serving bar employee, a middle-aged man with a thick mustache and keen eyes.
“Ahmet, did you see that young woman at the counter?” I kept my voice low so as not to disturb her.
“Yes, Mr. Ayaz, I saw her. I served her when she first came in.” He glanced toward the girl before turning back to me. “She arrived a while ago, seems very distressed. But I couldn't figure out what brought her here.”
“Do you know her?” I asked, my curiosity growing.
“No, first time I've seen her.” He shook his head. “Seems like she's looking for a drink to soothe her troubles. She came in like that, sat down, and started crying again.”
I stared at Ahmet for a moment, pondering what to do next. Though I didn't do this often, I felt it was my duty as a good host to look after the bar's customers, and this young woman needed help—or at least someone to talk to.
“I'll talk to her,” I declared, determined. “Maybe I can find out what's going on and how to help her.”
“Go ahead, but be careful, Mr. Ayaz,” he said, his tone mixing approval with concern. “We don't know who she is or what's going on. Could be a trap.”
I thanked Ahmet for his concern and approached the young woman with soft, cautious steps, observing her for a moment before saying anything. She was lost in her own sadness, tears streaming silently down her face.
She looked up at me in surprise. Her green eyes, reddened from crying, met mine, and she sobbed a few inaudible words.
In those eyes, I saw a mixture of emotions: sadness, surprise, and a touch of embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable moment.
Her beauty, despite the tears, was undeniable.
She had fine features and an aura of mystery that intrigued me instantly.
A chill ran down my spine as I moved behind the counter to face her. She looked at me with curiosity, and a small smile appeared on her lips, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds.
When our eyes met, I realized I couldn't leave her alone in her suffering.
Something told me her presence in our bar was more than mere coincidence—that our meeting that day was destined to set something special in motion, something that would change our lives in ways we couldn't even imagine.
Little did I know that night, my family's bar in Istanbul would become the setting for a new chapter in our lives, where fate brought us together in an unexpected and magical encounter.