THARA'S POV
Seriously, you should've seen Ayaz's expression earlier. It was so adorable!
He just gave a stiff nod. Silent, but still incredibly cool. After all this time, I finally found out who the guy named Ayaz Mahendra really was—the guy Dad was so proud of and claimed was worthy of becoming my husband. Hmph! No way am I marrying him. Dorky. Old-fashioned. But if he took off his glasses, I might reconsider.
By the way... where's Viki? Why didn't he call me right away when he left me alone? Is that guy dead or something?!
Whatever. I'd better get ready for work. I needed to make money so I could have fun tonight.
I had just stepped out of my room when—oh, Dad was already standing in front of the door, staring at me coldly. Hmm... He was definitely about to lecture me again!
"Dad wants to talk to you!"
"About what, Dad? Thara's almost late. What will the other employees say if I keep showing up late?"
Ugh. I was really putting on an act. The truth was, I showed up late every day. Whatever. I could come in at whatever time I wanted.
"Dad wants you to marry Ayaz. I'm afraid that when I'm gone, there won't be anyone to look after you."
"Oh, Dad. Viki's here. Thara's going to marry Viki soon, you know. Where are you going, anyway?"
"A man like that will never be able to take good care of you, sweetheart. Believe me, he won't be capable of guiding you properly. I want to do what's best for you by having you marry Ayaz, so I can leave this world in peace."
Why was I suddenly feeling sad? It was true that Viki had never given me any certainty about when he planned to marry me. But why was Dad talking as if he were going to leave me forever...?
That was terrifying.
"Would Ayaz even want to marry Thara? If he knew who Thara really was, I'm sure he'd run away, Dad. No one would accept Thara except Viki. And please respect Thara's choice. Thara's only happy with Viki."
"That's only temporary happiness. You don't know that man's character completely. Ayaz, on the other hand... Dad has known that boy well since he was studying at Al-Azhar. He—"
"Oh, Dad. Thara's already late!"
As an escape, I took off running so I could get away from Dad's lecture. I used being late as an excuse—but I really was late this time.
When I arrived at the office, the first thing I saw was Viki shamelessly flirting with another woman. Good grief... That guy! He was practically begging to get smacked in the head.
We worked at the same company. Viki was the CEO's assistant, while I was... just an ordinary secretary.
"What a shameless flirt! You hit on every woman you see. Why don't you go flirt with a baby goat too, you creep?!"
I went straight into my office and slammed my bag onto the desk, ignoring Viki as he chased after me. I really never understood that guy's personality. How could he act like that without considering my feelings? Did he think I couldn't do the same thing to him?
"You just got here and you're already angry. You'll lose your pretty looks, you know." I snorted at that. And this guy had the nerve to casually put his arms around me. Annoyed, I roughly pushed his hands away.
"You never change, do you? You act like that right in front of me—what are you like when I'm not around?! Have you ever thought, just once, about how I feel?!"
"Tsk, I was only kidding, babe. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
"Then go ahead and keep playing around! My head's already about to split because of Dad. And now you too...?"
"What happened with your dad? You usually never pay attention to what he says. Why is it giving you a headache now?"
"Just so you know... Dad wants to arrange my marriage to another guy."