THARA AZZAHRA
The blaring music was deafening. But this was part of my daily life whenever I came here—to unwind and escape whenever stress got to me. Alcohol was my favorite choice. I could even finish an entire bottle and still stay conscious. I was a skilled heavy drinker.
Today was a special day for me—the day I was born. And the most enjoyable way to celebrate it was right here, with my friends and my boyfriend, who was currently hugging me from behind.
His name was Viki Aryan. Loaded. Handsome, and definitely hot.
“NIGHT LIKE THIS SHOULD BE ENJOYED TO THE FULLEST...!!” I shouted, holding a bottle of whisky in my hand. The cheers and applause from my friends made me even more excited. I danced on the dance floor in a way that was definitely very seductive.
Sexy clothes and an enviable figure. Perfect! That was how people often described my appearance. And I was sure that was also what drove Viki crazy about me.
“You’re so wild tonight, baby,” Viki whispered behind my ear. I immediately turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling our bodies closer together. I gave him a teasing smile.
“And you like it...”
Viki flashed a mischievous grin. I didn’t know why, but I thought he looked even more handsome when he smiled like that.
We partied the night away, enjoying a beautiful evening without caring about what would happen tomorrow. Because to me, there was no tomorrow when it came to having fun.
AUTHOR’S POV
Elsewhere, a man was rolling up his shirt sleeves after working all day. He took the time to stop by the mosque, perform wudu, and call the Adhan as usual.
His voice was melodious. Very melodious.
Anyone who heard it would be captivated and feel even more eager to come to the mosque, streaming in to find out who possessed such a beautiful voice.
They admired the handsome and successful man. But no one knew that he was a CEO. He was wealthy, yet his wealth had not blinded him to the world. A graduate of Al-Azhar, he had chosen to continue running his late father’s company because of his father’s final will.
His name was Ayaz Mahendra.
After calling the Adhan with such devotion, he also led the prayer there. The recitation of the Quran that flowed from his lips was no less beautiful.
After the congregational Isha prayer ended, Ayaz left the mosque and headed straight home. But as he opened his car door, a woman in a long hijab approached him. She was sweet and graceful.
“Ayaz!”
“Fatma, you’re still here? Didn’t you say you were on your period? I thought you’d gone home already.”
“Fatma was going to go home first, but I was scared... It’s already late. Can I get a ride with you again?” The woman smiled shyly. Anyone could see that she liked this man. With an excuse like that, Ayaz couldn’t possibly refuse her.
“All right. Come on in.”
Sure enough, Fatma cheered happily inside.
They went home together. Ayaz was very quiet, speaking only when necessary. But he wasn’t the cold type. He could be friendly with anyone, especially the poor and orphans. Ayaz was always happy to give them charity.
Fatma was used to his behavior. She had known this man—and even his mother—for years. Fatma thought Ayaz was the perfect match for her. Unfortunately, Ayaz took all of Fatma’s attention and kindness as nothing special. To Ayaz, Fatma was merely a childhood friend. They weren’t even that close; Fatma was the only one who secretly liked him and hoped Ayaz would propose to her soon.
“Um... Ayaz. Tomorrow, Fatma is going back to Turky for a while. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be finished there. Could you please take me to the airport?” she asked in a small voice.
“I don’t think I can. My former professor is sick, and I want to visit him tomorrow. How about Mom takes you instead?” Ayaz said gently. His words disappointed Fatma, but she still smiled at him.
“Okay, then, if you can’t.”
They finally arrived. Fatma immediately got out of the car before entering her grandmother’s house. Her parents were both gone. That was why Fatma relied more heavily on Ayaz’s family. Fortunately, Ayaz’s mother also liked Fatma, whom she considered a devout woman.
THARA’S POV
I yawned widely. My eyes felt impossible to open. My head was spinning like crazy. I had no idea how much alcohol I’d consumed. All I knew was that I’d ended up in bed, as usual. When I turned my head, Viki was still sleeping soundly on his stomach.
Huh, I remembered that we’d spent another hot night together. Viki was wild every time we were in bed, but he rarely gave me any satisfaction. He only cared about his own pleasure. Luckily, I loved the guy. Otherwise, I would’ve dumped him already.
“Baby. Baby, wake up!”
This guy slept like a log. He was impossible to wake up. I’d already shaken and even jostled his body. Exasperated, I finally screamed.
“BABY!!”
Viki immediately woke up, his eyes red.
“Can’t you wake someone up properly?!”
Ugh, I hated situations like this. He got angry just because I woke him up.
“I woke you up properly before. You’re the one who sleeps like a log! You’re impossible to wake up.”
What shocked me was...
Viki shoved me until I fell to the floor. And it hurt like hell. Not just physically, but emotionally too!
Guys like him were always like this—hot-tempered and sometimes enough to make me sick of them.
“Can’t you not be so rough?! Do you think it didn’t hurt when you shoved me like that?!”
“Your fault for waking me up however you wanted. There, now you can enjoy the pain!”
Far from feeling guilty, the guy casually went back to sleep. And this was what always happened whenever we met. After having fun together, from drinking at parties to having sex, we ended up fighting like cats and dogs.
What an asshole!
He got what he wanted. As if he’d ever take me home.
I got out of bed, then cleaned myself up in the hotel bathroom. After that, I went home. There was no point staying close to a hot-tempered guy like Viki for too long. If he missed me, he’d come looking for me himself anyway.
On the way home, I mentally prepared myself to face Dad. I was obviously going to get yelled at. But hey, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be Thara. Listening to Dad’s sermons was part of my daily routine.
“Wow...
There’s a guest here. Looks like I might get out of Dad’s sermon this time.” I cheered happily. Dad couldn’t possibly yell at me in front of his guest.
Score!
I had barely taken one step inside the house when Dad’s voice thundered.
“Where have you been?!”
I jumped in surprise and looked at Dad, who was glaring at me. Wow... Dad usually didn’t get angry when guests were around. So why was he...
Wait a second...
Who was that guy?
How had I never seen him before? Wow... He was incredibly handsome. His body was hot. It was obvious from the shirt he was wearing that he had abs all over the place. And what made me wonder was, how could a guy have such fresh-colored lips? Even thick lips were usually dark. But his...
Arrrggghhh.....
Unfortunately, I didn’t like the glasses he was wearing. They made him look kind of old-fashioned. But other than that, I was definitely interested!
“Thara, I’m talking to you!”