The lost sunshine

Chapter 7

Sarwa’s POV

The following days remained sweet and joyful. We slept together, but nothing happened between us again. I truly appreciated how he respected me and restrained himself.

At school, we bickered as usual. At home, we acted like a couple living together.

Everything was perfect.

We were lounging on the sofa and playing games when I suddenly remembered that his grandfather’s birthday banquet was tomorrow.

“Hey! Do you have an outfit for tomorrow?” I asked casually.

He shook his head. “I’ll look invisible anyway,” he said sarcastically.

“Hmph!” I sneered. “How about you accompany me later so we can get yours, too?” I suggested enthusiastically.

“Whatever you say,” he replied. “But for now, focus on the game. You’re holding me back too much, dumbbell.” He laughed.

“Duh!” I kicked him.

He simply laughed.

Zeyan’s POV

I wasn’t interested in attending the banquet, but since she had suggested shopping for outfits together, here I was—waiting for her to decide which dress to wear.

“Are girls really this picky?” I muttered to myself. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even bother waiting this long.”

“I think this red dress suits me, but I’ve never worn such a bold color before,” she murmured. “This champagne-colored one looks good, too. It looks elegantly decent. Zi, which one should I choose?”

“Why don’t you try them on first?” I suggested.

“Yeah, great idea!” she replied enthusiastically before hurrying into the fitting room.

I waited for a while.

“Zi, look!” she called.

She stepped out wearing the champagne-colored dress.

For a moment, I could only stare at her. She looked like an angel in that dress. If we ever got married, her wedding dress should be this color. She looked incredibly elegant—like a Greek goddess.

“Passable,” I said teasingly.

She pouted and returned to the fitting room.

While waiting for her to try on the other dress, I picked up a wedding magazine and began flipping through it.

“How about this one?” she asked.

I slowly lifted my head.

Damn.

She was wearing a strapless, fitted mermaid dress with a high slit along her right thigh. It revealed her beautiful curves and smooth, pale skin. Earlier, she had looked like an angel. Now, she looked like a temptress.

I swallowed hard, suddenly unable to find a single word.

I couldn’t let other people see her like this. Call me possessive, but this appearance should belong exclusively to me.

“Hey, wipe the drool from your mouth,” she teased.

“No! You look even uglier in that dress. Like a sea urchin,” I said, flustered.

“What? No way. I think this suits me—”

“No, you can’t wear that!” I cut her off.

“Okay,” she replied with a pout before returning to the fitting room.

Damn. I shouldn’t have let her see how strongly I had reacted. I had almost failed to suppress the urge to keep staring at her.

When she came out again, she handed me a champagne-colored suit.

“This one looks good on you, too. Besides, I think it will fit you well.”

“A matching outfit?” I teased, winking at her. “It feels like you’ve memorized my measurements.”

“Hmph! If you don’t want to wear it, I’ll just choose the red dress,” she replied.

“No way!” I answered quickly. “I’ll take this one.”

Sarwa's POV

After choosing our outfits, we strolled around the mall for a while before heading to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

“Are we going together tomorrow?” he asked.

“My mom will pick me up,” I answered.

He simply nodded.

My phone rang.

“Yes, Juls?” I answered.

“Have you got an outfit?” Julian asked.

“Um, yes. What about you?” I asked.

“I was going to shop with you, but since you already have yours, I think I’ll just wear whatever Mom chooses,” he replied.

He really was a mama’s boy.

“Do you want me to pick you up?” he asked.

“I’m going with Mom,” I replied.

“Okay. See you there, then."

“Okay.” I ended the call.

Only then did I realize that Zeyan was staring at me intensely.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he replied.

We continued eating.

At the Birthday Banquet

Sarwa’s POV

The venue was packed with elite socialites, all busy networking for connections and business opportunities. It was less a birthday celebration than a business banquet disguised as one.

I had come with Mom and my older sister, forcing myself to mingle and interact with everyone. While trying to fit in, I spotted Zeyan on the second floor.

He appeared to be getting scolded by his grandfather.

I decided to approach them.

Zeyan’s POV

“When are you finally going to share the burden of running the company with your older brother?” Grandpa demanded.

“You’re already this old, yet you’ve accomplished nothing! When your brother was your age, he had already established a global business. But you’re still fooling around and living off his hard work. You’re useless!”

He was scolding me because I had refused to manage my mother’s family business, leaving my older brother to run both of our parents’ companies.

I was expected to inherit my mother’s family business, while my older brother would manage our father’s. It wasn’t that I truly didn’t want the responsibility. I simply knew that, in their eyes, no matter what I did, I would never be as good as him.

“Then merge the companies,” I replied sarcastically. “You’re all unwilling to hand the business over to me anyway, so stop lying to yourselves.”

Grandpa slapped me.

“You ungrateful brat!” he shouted. “You should have been the one to die instead of Tyrone!”

Tyrone was my twin brother. He died in a car accident involving me and our older brother. He had been the family’s favorite—just like our older brother—and, in many ways, the most promising of us all.

My family blamed me for his death because they believed I had insisted that we go out that night. No matter how many times we explained that Tyrone had been the one who wanted to go, they refused to listen.

So, I took the blame.

My older brother had tried to defend me, but they wouldn’t listen to a single word he said.

“I guess so,” I replied sarcastically.

Mom slapped me next.

“If you came here to ruin this night, you shouldn’t have come at all,” she said angrily.

I was about to answer when someone took my hand and cupped my face.

“Are you all right?” Niamh asked worriedly.

I didn’t want her to see me like this.

“Grandpa, Aunt, do you always have to bring up the past?” she demanded. “Was he the one who told the truck driver to hit the car? Was he the one who intentionally took his own life? It was an accident. No one wanted it to happen. So why do you keep blaming him?”

She took a breath, her voice trembling with anger.

“He was your son, too! He’s hurting, too! Must you always be this cruel?”

Then she dragged me away.

It was the first time I had ever seen her confront the elders—and she had done it for me.

I stopped, and she halted as well.

Then I hugged her from behind.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “Don’t turn around. Just let me hold you like this.”

I tightened my arms around her, and she did as I asked.

For the first time in a long while, I felt valued and protected.

"Did you bring your car?" she asked "The night is still young, how about we go sky gazing by the beach?" I know it's her way to console me so I hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead.

She smile...

At this point I'm certain that she'll be the one I swear to treasure and protect.