Chapter one: A bit suspicious

The weather was cool and at the same time bright. It was one of those days that sitting on a chair at the balcony and sipping a glass of your favorite red wine while enjoying the beautiful sunset scenario was a heart warming experience.

As I was doing that, I remembered that the previous night I could hardly sleep. I kept on thinking about the events that took place with him that night. From the dance steps that rhymed so perfectly with mine to the gentle way he held my hands. I could feel butterflies in my tummy.

The music, chilled wines, my flowing ball gown and a pair of purple flat designer shoes I was putting on all came flashing into my memory. It was an almost prefect night that I could never forget.

A slight but loud enough knock on my door interrupted me from my thoughts. "You can come in" I said simply as I watched the strongly but wooden door open wide and two maids came in from it. "Your father requests your presence at this meeting room downstairs" one of them spoke.

He has visitors there with him and he requested we help you get ready to meet them. I gently stood up from the chair I was at in the balcony inside my bedroom and moved to sit on my bed in a rather more comfortable position than that of the balcony chair.

I enquired about the visitors from them and why they seek my presence but, none of the maids gave me the answer I assumed. I sent them to let my dad know I would be down with him shortly and watched them as they exited the room.

I went into my closet filled with outfits, shoes, make ups and other things necessary for a woman's complete dressing. I saw the purple evening gown I wore the previous night hanged carefully at a section and I smiled for I had memories from the previous night attached to it.

I took out a light green gown that it's length seemed to stop just before my knee. It was one of the newly selected clothes that was ordered for me. The dress was of a flay nature with the back covered with stripes with a handmade flower design attached to the off-shoulder dress. It matched my slim waist and elegant body after I wore the dress.

Quickly, I arranged my hair put on some hair pins with a pair of shoe that matched my outfit and headed down the grand staircase. I was about to enter the meeting room when I saw man in a vintage black suit with a thick black hair in nature.

It looked like he was on a very serious phone call with the AirPods connected and talking in almost whispers to the person on the other line. He didn't seem to notice my presence as I walked past behind him into the meeting room. Something about that man seemed a lot different and alarming.

I graciously walked into the room and my eyes fell on a group of about six people which my parents were a part of, talking humorously round a table surrounded with food. It seemed they were having a good time catching up on old times.

When my father noticed my presence he immediately called out my name, Zara and gestured me to sit on a chair right beside my mother. I greeted the guests and sat down. I did not know any of those people but they acted like they were so familiar with me. I began eating and after a while, the man I saw earlier at the entrance of the meeting room came in.

He smiled and took his sitting position and then whispered something to a woman who sat beside him. His etiquette was appealing to me though but it did not change the a bit suspicious feeling I had.

I glanced away when he noticed I was looking at him and continued to eat my dessert quietly as I listened to my father and a man who seemed to be in his late 60's converse until the following words of my father made me almost choke on the dessert I was having.