"GÜNAYDIN, BABAM!" Leyla kissed her father's cheek as she sat down beside him at the dining table.

An assortment of breakfast food was laid out in front of her, each different item luring Leyla in as she darted her eyes around the table, "You guys never fail to impress."

"Of course, this is after all the great Aydın brunch." Yusef aggrandized as he fluffed his sister's hair. 

Leyla loved Sunday brunches with her family, it served as the perfect excuse to loosen up and rollick.

Her routine precluded the idea of moving in with her father and brother, however, internally even she knew that it was simply a mere excuse. The reality of finally accepting a life without her mother's joy and liveliness was difficult to grasp

The Aydın's had moved from Victoria to New York two years after Beren passed away. The decision was made keeping in mind the company's benefit as it would truly prosper where their reach was greater. Their justification seemed legitimate to everyone around them but Leyla, she knew that it was a coping mechanism of some sort, where they throw themselves in work, disregarding everything and everyone around them.

Yusef broke off his engagement with his girlfriend of five years, Madison who was caught in the arms of a married man at his mother's funeral.

Mehmet saw glimpses and faint smiles of his late wife wherever he turned. Victoria held great significance for the couple and the only way the wound would begin heal was to leave.

To say that the family had a rocky time after Beren's death would be an understatement as it was much more than that but together they picked up after each other and became whole, almost like a child trying to rebuild his Lego building after it being knocked over.

The sound of spoons clanking against the sides of cups yanked Leyla out of her thoughts as her eyes met Yusef's in some sort of wordless agreement before she gazed at her father, "Baba? You're planning to retire?"

He glanced disapprovingly at his eldest child before looking at his daughter, "And who told you this? I didn't tell you yet because you worry too much as it is, kızım. I doubt Yusef would set the building on fire that soon."

With a cheeky smile she retorted, "Not that soon maybe after a week?"

Her father shook his head with a chuckle and flicked both his children on their heads before shifting his focus back on the newspaper that rested on his lap.

Leyla's eyes were pulled to the screen of her phone as it pinged, she had received a presumptuous text from Ayşe.

'i need to know mystery man's last name to start with the wedding preparations'

With her lips set in a straight line, she placed her phone face down beside her plate and smiled at her father who continued to read the paper. A breathless sigh grasped her attention as she trained her eyes on her brother who had a stressed expression painted across his features, upon looking above, he coincidentally met her gaze.

Leyla parted her lips, ready to ask about whatever had him so tense but an alarmed Yusef subtly held his hand up.

Reluctantly, she pulled her gaze away from him. "So Baba, what have you been up to?"

Her father set the newspaper aside and folded his hands atop his stomach as he gave her a re-cap of his week. Leyla pitched in here and there about hers too.

"You remember Theodore's wife, Erin, right? I met her brother. Wonderful guy." Her father appraised his best friend's brother-in-law.

"Of course, we know Erin and her ways, don't we Leyla?" Yusef swirled the spoon in his porcelain cup as he shot his sister a look.

Stifling a chortle, she nodded in agreement while their father reproved them.

"So what does he do?" Leyla inquired, curious about this new character in their lives.

After placing his cup on the matching saucer, he sat back in his chair and folded his hands again. "Hudson? I don't know for sure because we just met a few days prior, but probably in the same line of work as me or perhaps Theodore."

"He knows a lot about Aydın and Associates Holding though," Her brother commented with subtle traces of suspicion laced into his voice.

Leyla tilted her head in skepticism as her father looked at Yusef with an expression of mock interest, "Of course you know everything right? Aptal çoçuk."

"You're too naive to see beyond him! He screams fraud!" Yusef exclaimed, clearly displeased.

"I know better than you boy, You see here while I see there." Her father concluded, calming himself before excusing himself to go get his morning medication.

Looking at her father through the French windows, she saw him sitting down on the midnight blue settee to take his medicine. "Don't do this Yusef, you know how easily agitated he can get now, it's not his fault he developed a heart condition nor ours, but we can try to keep it a little pleasant despite all the chaos that has surrounded us."

Yusef looked at his sister who sat across him with a sympathetic smile on her face in disbelief, "Leyla, you don't know half of the things that go on, you left alright? Instead of staying, you went ahead and left. You could have stayed at the company, at least for a little longer. Don't make any comments if you're unaware."

Her brother walked off, infuriated. Leyla shut her eyes and rubbed her temples, dragging her fingers down to her soft, plump lips and then interlocked them, placing her manicured hands under her chin.

Her calculated gaze brushed over the vast garden before glancing back to see her father looking at Yusef's rushed angry figure in confusion.

Leyla's father joined her at the table again where they continued to talk but the impact and tone of Yusef's comments weighed on her mind, maybe the reason behind his outburst was all the stress he was under? Shaking her head slightly, she sighed before smiling at her father.

"I met Matthew a few days go."

Surprised, her father cocked his head, "The Matthew Fitzgerald from Victoria?"

Leyla hummed and the two started their walk down a very nostalgic road.

━━━━ ☆ ━━━━

"His outburst was quite sudden and very out of the blue, I feel like there's way more than what meets the eye."

Ayşe smiled at her cousin softly and held her hand across the table, "It's okay, whatever it is we'll get to the bottom of it. And Yusef's outburst was probably him having his stress level to the max, so it'll be alright, trust me I know." She smiled secretly as her eyes traveled to the left before she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Blake!"

Tittering, the girls continued to snack on hot cheetos, their kryptonite.

"So how's this new boy of yours? Matthew right?" Ayşe looked over the tall glass that sat in front of her.

Leyla nodded happily, "The plus side is that I've known him for about as long as I can remember and he's the most understanding guy ever too."

"Remember Blake's cousin? His name's Matthew too, you know the date you ditched."

"Ayşe! I said I was sorry!"

Nodding and shooing her cousin away, Ayşe dismissively replied, "Okay okay, anyways Blake's cousin was engaged before, to this really successful surgeon, Celine, I think? Yeah."

Leyla smirked victoriously, "Exactly, and my Matthew was never."

The two girls continued to bicker among themselves as they went through packs of unhealthy treats, it was like they were their teen-selves again, where none of what mattered now ran circles around their brain.

🤭🤭🤭

can't wait for you all to read on!! also do let me know your thoughts in the comments <33

looveee what you guys say always!! also thank you for 500 reads on this book, i am so so grateful  x