Stuck with you

Chapter 4 - Robot Bolat

We stare at each other. Serkan is so robotic that I can never tell what he's thinking or feeling.

"Come with me." He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the party. Once we're away from the crowd, he spins me around to face him. "What was that?"

"I... I acted on impulse."

"You do that a lot, don't you?"

"Listen—" I start, my temper rising, ready to snap back at him, but then Ozan appears.

"Hande? What the hell was that?" Ozan looks furious. The girl from before is standing a few paces behind him, looking awkward.

"Seriously, Ozan? You're actually asking me about a kiss? You're supposed to be in Italy!" I yell. Serkan pulls me closer to his side, a possessive gesture that screams intimacy, clearly fueling Ozan's jealousy.

"I didn't think you'd stoop to being with this kind of person." Ozan looks Serkan up and down with pure disdain.

"And I didn't think I was engaged to a traitor, but life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"I can explain." He looks desperate, but the woman behind him—the one who just received a kiss on the cheek—pulls at his arm. "Please, Hande."

"It's already loud and clear. Goodbye, Ozan." He says nothing.

"Please," he takes a deep breath. "I did something wrong, yes. But if you let me explain, you'll at least hate me for the right reason and not the wrong one."

I turn my face away, staring at Serkan's chest and ignoring Ozan entirely. I close my eyes, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill. I am devastated; my heart is in pieces. We had so many dreams together, and Ozan just threw them all away. I don't want to hear his excuses. He betrayed me. He lied.

"I see that being near you is always an explosion of emotions." Serkan looks down at me. He's much taller, and I still have both hands on his chest, using him as a shield to hide from reality.

"Usually, it's not. You just happen to bring out the worst in me." I pull away, avoiding his gaze.

"I imagine. I'm sure it has nothing to do with you being impulsive."

"You don't know me," I cross my arms. "And you never will."

"Probably not." He gives a small, calculated smile and steps closer—every movement measured, like a cold, calculating machine.

"Anyway, why did you bring me here and introduce me as your fiancée?" I demand. Serkan rubs his chin, looking frustrated as he searches for a logical explanation.

"My ex is here with her new fiancé. I wanted to make her jealous."

"Hah! So we aren't that different after all." I step into his space, challenging him. "Selim, right?" He nods.

"I planned it, Hande. That's different from you kissing me right in front of a photographer."

"I just brought 'veracity' to your lie. And why lie to the Divits?" Serkan sighs, annoyed.

"You really do ask too many questions, for Allah's sake. Jan Divit is a major partner of mine and extremely family-oriented. Having a fiancée aligns me with his values. I killed two birds with one stone."

"Of course. Everything boils down to business and Machiavellian plans."

"Unlike you, I don't make scenes, I don't handcuff people, and I'm not impulsive. I play life like a game. Besides, I gained some serious points with Jan for future deals."

"Like a robot," I smirk. "A cold calculator in both love and work. Now that you've explained, I'm going to change, and I hope I never see you again, Serkan Bolat."

"Keep the dress." Serkan catches my hand before I can turn away, pulling me back into the tension we shared seconds ago.

"I don't want anything from you."

Serkan nods, accepting it. "Goodbye then, Hande Yildiz. The feeling is mutual."

I hop on my bike—which Defne brought for me—and tuck the long dress to the side so it won't get caught while I drive. My mind is racing. If I hadn't gone with Serkan, would Ozan still be lying to me? Did he ever love me? And then there's my father—showing up after years of silence with a proposal I still don't fully understand. I only accepted to help my aunt.

I get home exhausted and collapse onto my bed. For some reason, the memory of Serkan's kiss won't leave my mind.

"I'm going crazy, that's it. I handcuff the man, go to a party pretending to be his fiancée, and then kiss him. And I hate him." I laugh to myself. It was a completely surreal day. "Goodbye forever, Serkan Bolat," I mutter to the ceiling, wishing it were true, before finally drifting off.

A shrill ringing at the door wakes me up.

"Allah, Allah... who could that be?" I ignore it, hoping Defne or Aunt Jansu will answer. I press a pillow over my head to drown out the sound, but it's no use. Aylin is shaking me.

"What is it?" I ask, half-asleep.

"Serkan Bolat is at the door." I bolt upright in shock, nearly colliding with Aylin.

"What?!"

"You're all over the news, Hande! Look." Defne shows me her phone. Aylin looks delighted, clearly imagining some epic romance. I grab my own phone and see dozens of missed calls and urgent messages from my father. I don't know who to prioritize: the man I hate waiting in my kitchen or the father I have a broken relationship with.

"What about Ozan, Hande?" Defne asks, sounding confused and a bit annoyed.

"Obviously, it was love at first sight, and now two men are fighting for her heart!" Aylin squeals.

"I... just..." I stutter. "Okay, okay, Allah, Allah! Let me think!" I start pacing the room. "Fine. Aylin, go stall him. Offer him coffee or whatever it is robots eat. Oil, maybe? To lubricate his heart."

Aylin laughs and heads out. I call my father.

"Are you going to explain yourself?" Defne asks impatiently, still in my room.

"I promise I'll explain everything later, but not now!"

"As usual, Hurricane Hande acts first and thinks later," Defne mutters. Her comment stings.

"Hello? You called?" I say as my father answers.

"What part of 'closing a deal' do you not understand? You get engaged to the man?"

"It's a misunderstanding, and I'll never see him again!" I say—ignoring the fact that he's currently in my kitchen.

"No. I want you on that project."

"No. Absolutely not. You wanted a partnership, I got it. I'm not working with him."

"I don't care. It's the condition for you to finish your degree and get your shares. You will work with him. And I don't want you involved with him, do you hear me? With anyone, for that matter." I stare at the phone in disbelief.

"Since when do you care who I date? I was engaged, remember?"

"I don't want to hear it, Hande Yildiz," my father says, sounding dangerously angry. "You won't get mixed up with people like that. Ozan betrayed you, didn't he?" I go silent. How did he know? "What kind of people is he, Dad? How different is he from you? If he's so bad, why do business with him?"

"You ask too many questions and do too little. Obey me. And I expect you at dinner next week. Your brother will be there. It will be good for us."

I hang up. I don't know my father well, but I can feel he's plotting something. I pull on a pair of distressed, slightly worn-out jeans and keep my oversized old band t-shirt on as a pajama top.

"You know what?" I whisper to myself. "I'm not talking to him." I grab my uni supplies, shove them in my backpack, and toss it out the window. I climb out right after it. As I'm dropping down, Aylin appears at the window.

"What are you doing?!"

"I never want to see him again, so tell him that! Bye!"

I drive to a café to get some breakfast. "Günaydın. A coffee and a cupcake, please," I tell the cashier.

"Just a cupcake? Those aren't exactly healthy." A smug voice says behind me. I spin around to see Serkan, dressed in a perfectly tailored business suit.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Has anyone told you that you ask too many questions? Your friend told me you'd be here. Can we talk?"

"What part of 'I never want to see you again' do you not understand?"

"The part where photos of you kissing me are in every newspaper and all over social media."

"As far as I recall, you didn't hate it that much last night," I smirk, grabbing my food and paying. I ignore him and start walking toward my class.

"Hande, can you just stop and talk?" I stop abruptly, and Serkan bumps into me. I glare at him.

"Fine. Why are you here?" I demand, being as blunt as possible so I can get away from "Robot Bolat."

"I think we need to talk."

"You keep saying that, but you aren't saying anything!"

"In private." I look around. People are staring. I sigh and nod. "Fine. Let's go to your car."

Serkan's car is a brand-new, top-of-the-line BMW convertible. Of course. He loves to show off, just like my brother. Allah, Allah... why didn't my father give him this job?

"Well? What do you want? I thought I made 'goodbye' very clear."

"Because of that kiss, the press is obsessed with our 'relationship'."

"Just tell them it was a one-night stand. I'm sure you're used to those."

"And Jan?"

"Tell him we broke up."

"Do you want to ruin me?" Serkan looks dead serious. Reputation clearly matters to him—it's something I've never cared about, unless it hurts the people I love. "What do you want from me, Serkan?"

"An agreement. A formal contract."

"WHAT?" I scream. "You have to be joking. Goodbye, Serkan!"

"You owe me, Hande."

I give him a defiant look and walk away, refusing to entertain his threats.