THE BILLIONAIRE'S SNOWBOUND RESORT

Chapter 1 Deodar Crest Resort, built on the snowy slopes of Patriata in Murree, had only thirty days left before its auction. Hooria stood beside the executive office window, holding the court notice in her hands. Her eyes were fixed on the words printed in black ink. Suddenly, the sound of brakes came from outside the main entrance. A black luxury car stopped near the gate. A security guard quickly stepped out and opened the back door with his gloved hands. He stepped back and lowered his head. A tall, handsome young man stepped out of the car. He was dressed in a black bespoke suit and a woollen overcoat. The watch on his wrist caught the light. Hooria stared at him through the window. Never before had a visitor arrived at Deodar Crest Resort with so many security guards. He walked with such confidence that the two guards at the gate didn't even dare to question him. One of his security guards handed him a briefcase. Another guard, holding a gun, started walking behind him, but the man stopped him with a hand gesture. The guard stayed where he was. Once inside, he walked straight towards the executive office without stopping at the reception. The receptionist, who had been busy typing, stopped the moment she saw him. Her fingers remained on the keyboard. "Sir... Sir, you can't go inside like this." She had just picked up the intercom when the executive office door clicked open. Hooria stepped out, still holding the court notice. She raised her head and stood straight in front of him. "Who gave you permission to walk right in here?" The moment he heard her voice, his eyes settled on her face. He stopped walking. Hooria looked back at him without blinking. For a few seconds, nobody spoke. The only sound came from the heater. He took off his black sunglasses with two fingers and held them in his hand. "You know very well why I am here." There was nothing but arrogance in his eyes. His voice carried no warmth. "My manager spoke to you two days ago." Hooria frowned, her voice became strict. "I already told your manager that day that I didn't want to discuss this matter." He took two steps towards her, bringing himself closer. "You will have to discuss it, Miss Hooria. I won't leave this resort without settling this matter today." Hooria's frown deepened. She folded her arms across her chest. "This is my resort, not your personal property where you can do whatever you want." He looked away from her and turned his wrist to check the time on his watch. "If you agree to settle this peacefully..." After a brief pause, he looked straight into her eyes and finished his sentence. "This resort could become my property, and your problems could be solved too." Hooria clenched her teeth to control her anger, but kept her voice low. "That dream of yours will never come true, Mister. You're only wasting your time." The man glanced at the notice in her hand. His voice turned slightly bitter. "I sent you three notices, but you didn't reply to any of them. That's why I had no choice but to apply to the court for an auction." His tone became serious again. "The court has given you thirty days. So make your decision with your head, not your emotions." This time, there was no anger in Hooria's eyes, only deep hatred. "Do you think you can make me agree to whatever you want by threatening me with an auction?" Their voices grew louder. The staff stopped working and turned towards them, whispering among themselves. The man gave them a cold look. They quickly returned to their work. "We'll discuss the rest in the office." Without waiting for her answer, he picked up his briefcase and headed towards the executive office. Hooria blinked in surprise. She tightened her grip on the crumpled notice and quickly followed him inside. She shut the door behind her with a bang. "How can you enter my office without my permission?" He ignored her question and sat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. His leather boots shone under the office lights. "Let's get down to business." After a brief pause, he placed his briefcase on the glass table. "If I wanted to, I could wait for the auction, place a bid on this resort and recover my money. But you would be the only one to suffer." Hooria sat in the executive chair. It made a slight creaking sound as she settled into it. "My father built this resort through his own hard work. And I can say with complete confidence that he never borrowed money from anyone." The man raised one eyebrow and looked at her carefully. "Courts don't send notices based on fake evidence, Miss Hooria." Hooria placed both hands firmly on the table. "An arrogant man like you can arrange any papers just to get his way. How am I supposed to believe that you're telling the truth?" A frown appeared on the man's forehead. He looked at her with annoyance. "You know everything, yet you're pretending to be unaware." Hooria closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her gaze had sharpened. "If there's any truth in what you're saying, then show me the proof. I want evidence." Hooria still suspected that he had come to her resort as part of some conspiracy. She was sure he wouldn't have any solid proof. A victorious smile spread across the man's lips. He struck the handle of his briefcase with his hand. The lock clicked open. He took out a file and slid it across the glass table towards Hooria. It stopped right in front of her. "Read this file carefully, Miss Hooria." Hooria leaned forward and opened it. At first, she thought there was nothing important inside. But as soon as she began turning the pages and reading them one by one, her eyes widened. Her gaze stopped at a name printed in bold black letters on the first page. Arham Sikandar, Son of Late Sikandar Ahmed, Holder of Succession Certificate, Now Registered Mortgagee of the Said Property. She read the last page carefully. Her fingers stopped on one of the signatures, and her lips parted slightly. "This... how did these signatures get here?"