“Mom, are you serious about this?” I asked. After an hour, our guest left. We’re sitting on the living room couch, Mom sipping her tea.

“Honey, Uncle Abraham’s family was your papa’s best friend when we lived in Thailand; maybe you’ve forgotten when your father died; Uncle Abraham promised to be part of our family by being with us,” said My mom; I was stunned to hear that. Hell yeah! Since I wasn’t even born, arranged Marriage isn’t fair, isn’t it??!

“But, Mom, isn’t it too rushed? I just got my career.” I’m trying to negotiate here, but I want to refuse. In this day and age, I don’t want to be matched??!

“Mom is sure this is the right time for you and Reyhan to get married. It would be better that way; Mom will be calm if you marry Reyhan ,” said my mom, and I didn’t have the ammunition to argue with her; I lost badly.

“Where are they from, Ma?” I asked curiously.

“They’re from Dubai, honey. Uncle Abraham is the owner of one of the oil and gold mining companies, Jahar Enterprise Holding,” answered my mother, who was trying to be patient with my curiosity, and at that moment, my mouth fell open.

“You mean that was Abraham Al-Abbas?” I asked again, making sure. My mom chuckled lightly; I knew my current expression must be ridiculous. My mom nodded.

“And the man sitting across from me is Reyhan Al Jariz?!” I added, and My mom nodded again, but I was unfamiliar with the name; I tried to remember it, but nothing. I only knew them as one of the most famous business people with a series of successes in the business world.

“And Rani?” Still, I heard Aunt Ramia mention that name about the Abraham family.

“Rani is Reyhan ’s older sister; tomorrow is her birthday, and she is celebrating her wedding anniversary.”

My mom put her empty cup on the table. I still can’t believe this; I’m getting engaged to a man in the world’s top 10 most desirable single men.

“You have a schedule tomorrow?”

I shook my head at my mom’s question.

“Be ready at 5 pm tomorrow; Reyhan will pick you up,” Mom said. I nodded weakly, then said goodbye to my room.

Again, I thought about Reyhan ’s figure; I pressed my chest, which seemed to want to explode because of my beating heart.

What is wrong with me? Why does remembering his gaze make me feel like someone had a heart attack?

I exhaled regularly to neutralize the strange feeling that came over me when I remembered Reyhan ’s handsome face. I rolled over to change my lying position, then hugged my favourite bolster pillow. I still can’t believe what I experienced a moment ago. I haven’t even thought about Marriage; it’s too soon.

As I kept thinking about what happened a few hours ago in the living room of my house, I fell asleep. And that night, my dreams were filled with Reyhan Al Jariz’s face.

**

I was staring at my reflection in the mirror once more and felt everything was perfect. I was wearing a pink sleeveless dress that was slightly puffy at the bottom, with prominent floral embellishments.

In dress, I don’t like sexy clothes and too many open parts here and there. My mom smiled with a gleam on her face. I looked at her with a cheerful smile, but I was extremely nervous.

“Mama can’t wait to see you get married; put on a wedding dress and be the prettiest,” she said, and the melancholy started to come out. I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes, seeing her teary eyes. I got up from my seat and then turned around to face her; I hugged her affectionately.

“Mama will surely see that day and be happy, too,” I comforted, but my heart suddenly became restless. Marriage is not on my list right now. Unravelling my embrace, then we both went to the living room.

“Reyhan, sorry for taking so long; take good care of my daughter, huh?!” Mama ordered with a smile; Reyhan smiled reverently, and I, standing next to Mama, was stunned by the beautiful scenery that I presented at this time. Mama nudged me in awe, then nervously walked over to Reyhan ; as we were about to pass through the door, her hand touched my waist.

I felt like that touch electrocuted me, so we headed to his Mercedes Benz. As I sat in the car, I pressed my chest as if it was about to explode from my pounding heart; then Reyhan appeared and sat in the driver’s seat.

Silence fell over us, but I didn’t want to start a conversation either because I didn’t know what to say.

“Sorry to surprise you with this engagement.” He opened the conversation between us by apologizing; I looked down at my fingers that I was slowly twisting.

“I-I don’t want to rush things,” I stammered nervously.

“Me too,” he said, the silence taking over us again until we reached our destination. Instantly, I stiffened in my current seat, crowding in front of the entrance. I don’t want to bring up news that shocks everyone; I’m not ready.

“W-what!? There’s no other entrance??” I asked nervously, mixed with panic. Oh, my God! Please save me; I bit my inner lip from nervousness and worry. If the media manages to see me with Reyhan , nothing will be able to save me from the news that will spread, and I don’t want that to happen.