Chapter Three

Since he saw that girl teach Munaiya, belly dancing, he had fallen completely for her.

He knew that he had betrayed the love of my life's trust. But he had no idea if she was still alive; after all, it's been 17 years since he last saw her.

Her gesture to him on her birthday; was priceless and had remained indelible in his mind.

He had dreamt of those beautiful crystal blue orbs every night. He knew that he loved her since he saw her. But he didn't think he deserved her.

But when Maryam introduced Layla to us; he knew she was the one. She was my first love. She was a beautiful baby; he fell in love with that night.

She didn't seem to recognise me, but he would make her.

She looked at him as tho' she knew that he was up to some no good.

She had grown to become a beautiful diva. Her flawless skin and her beautiful sexy figure.

Her eye colour had changed tho'. She attracted the attention of everyone around with her doll-like outlines.

He sat down in a corner staring at her being antisocial amongst my extrovert cousins.

She suddenly got up and walked outside of the Mansion. She walked gracefully. He followed behind her.

She walked outside of the Mansion towards a dark alleyway.

'What was she doing over there ?' He asked himself.

She walked for a while before she got to a wretched house. A little girl came out of the house and hugged her.

She carried her and pecked her on the cheek.

"How are you Salssbila?" She asked the little girl with her soft voice.

Mika'il hid behind a dirty shed a little far away from where she stood, but close enough to hear what she was saying and studied what she was doing.

"Where is your mother?" She asked the little girl.

"She's in the room cooking" the little girl replied.

"Go and call her for me " she instructed the girl.

The little girl rushed into the wretched house and came back with an elderly looking woman behind her.

The woman hugged Layla and she piped up

"Aunt Salima, I got something to give you" she let out.

She picked up a bundle of money from her bag and gave it to the woman.

The woman looked very surprised.

"I've been saving this money for you and little Salsabila, for some months now. It's the least I can do for you " she said.

The woman broke down in tears and hugged her.

"Thank you so much, Layla. I don't know what I would do if I hadn't met you"

"It's alright Aunt, giving is a must you know? Anyways, I have to go now. My mom is going to be worried sick" she told the woman.

The woman nodded and drew away slowly while Layla picked up the baby and gave her a peck before waving her goodbye.

She walked away from the shed and walked past him.

When she was moderately far away from him, he walked behind her.

She stopped beside a beggar and gave him a few Pakistani rupees.

She was very nice to poor people.

She suddenly halted by a bridge and stood there staring at the water flowing below her.

That's when he got his chance.

He paced behind her and in a husky voice, he said ;

"What do we have here? Such a doll-like yourself, shouldn't be sauntering around by herself at this time of the night"

He heard her gulp.

He smirked as she turned around to face the whisky voice.

And Lo and Behold; it was Him.

He locked eyes with her for a long while.

"W-what do you want? " she asked him.

He smirked at her and whispered

"You!".

His voice was terrifying. She looked at him with perplexed eyes and backed away from him.

He continued to pace towards her. She was scared of him and he loved it.

She was now trapped between a wall and this muscular man. He lowered his face to her ears and whispered seductively

" You're going to be my doll very soon"

She gulped and screeched when he pulled her to his chest and swept her off the ground like she weighed nothing.

He walked briskly back to the Mansion with her in his arms.

"Put me down!Please!" She implored, but he disregarded her requisition.

When they got to the Mansion, he held her hand possessively and marched to the party venue.

Her eyes looked like she wanted to cry.

"What's wrong Layla?" Mika'il asked her deliberately.

She gawked at him shockingly. He was pretending to be succumbing in front of everyone else.

She tried to speak up but she was cut off by him when he called the Sheikh family members and friends together.

Everyone gathered around as he snaked his hand around her.

She wanted to speak up but her mouth was void of words.

"I'll like everyone present to know the motive behind my coming back to Pakistan.

Well, one of my business partners back in Russia, passed away recently. He left behind his will, that had my name in it as the beneficiary of his properties; since he had no offspring.

It was stated that; I wouldn't be able to inherit what he left behind if I wasn't married by the second month after his death.

I had to get married fast, but the women in Russia we're all gold diggers so I couldn't risk it.

That's why I came down to Pakistan to find a respectable woman to marry; so that I can inherit the properties.

And lucky enough for me, I found Layla. She's not only respectable, but she's also very beautiful too.

And she has gladly accepted this contract. So all I need now is your approval and her signature " he casually said

Everyone looked dumbstruck at what he just revealed.

"But Mika'il, marriage is not a plaything. It's very important." His mother mumbled.

He nodded and said, "Mom, this is a marriage that's going to benefit us all"

Everyone smiled including Layla's mother.

Everyone was happy except for the future bride who stood still as a rock, while her future was being decided by her family.

She knew perfectly that she hated him completely now.

He let go of her and whispered in her ear

"Don't be a stubborn doll, your friends in that house at the alley may get hurt"

She looked at him with teary-eyes.

Her eyesight begun failing her. She suddenly couldn't see anything. She almost fell but was caught by some strong arms early enough.

"What's wrong with her?" She heard Mikail ask.

"Her eyesight is failing her again," her mother said in a panicking voice.

Her body was carried to God knows where, but by the time she could realise, she was laying on a comfy bed.

It was her bed. She knew because she knew the smell of her bed.

It smelt like roses and champagne.

The other side of her bed dipped in slowly, as another body laid in it.

"You have a very small bed; just like yourself." She heard his voice.

She cried a scream. It was a bit too loud for her broken voice box.

She covered her face with her palms as she began crying in it.

"P-please don't touch me. I beg you" she pleaded.

He only cackled and said

"I'm not going to touch you...yet.."

She was scared of this and the way he spoke with an immoral tone.

"Y-yet?..so you'll t-touch me b-but n-not now?"

He chuckled once more and said

"I wanted to wait after the wedding, but I can start now if you want"

She shook her head aggressively and protested,

"This is not a real wedding and I'm not even in favour of this marriage. You can't touch me. You won't touch me!"

She hit a hard spot there.

He was angry

"Are you trying to tell me what to do?!!" He squawked at her.

She was trembling ad this point.

He held her aggressively and spat at her ;

"This wedding is a wedding whether real or fake! I'm the man here, so I decide what to do yo you and your body! Get that?! "

She began crying and it hurt his heart.

He tried to hold her but she swats his hand away aggressively and continued crying.

He slapped her hard against the face, sending her tumbling off the bed.

She held unto her slapped cheek while crying.

He couldn't hold his temper any longer, he carried her viciously unto the bed amidst screams,

"I never wanted to hit you, baby, just be a good girl and submit to me" he spat at her.

She trembled and shook her head.

He hugged her tightly to his chest and she surprisingly fell asleep on him.

He smiled at her sleeping figure and said a small

"I'm sorry"

He never apologised, not until now.

His world and hers were two different places altogether.

His world was a world of pain and danger, no flowers and rainbows were floating around.

It was a world of guns and illegal weapons. The Mafia world was a dangerous world for innocent souls like this one...

He didn't deserve her, but he wanted what he didn't deserve.

He was going to protect her with every ounce of strength in his body.

He was going to make sure that she returned his love.

By hook or crook. But for now, he had to make sure that, all of Ali Gaza's property became his and the only way of making that happen was by getting Layla to be his.

He gave her a peck on her cheek before leaving her on her bed and walking away...

His 17-year-old diva was going to be his, one day.

He would make sure of it.

But for now, he had to be done with the whole wedding thing and get his hands on Ali Gaza's property.

"I'm using you, not only for my selfish gain but to get you to know me and trust me and my love"