3] From The Grinch To Her Knight In Shining Armour.

Two Years Earlier...  

"Crap.." Mercedes blew out.

Large droplets of water fell from the sky as it beat down on her car. The clouds soon darkened, obstructing the sun's rays from reaching the horizon. The squeaky sound of her windshield wipers echoed horribly in her ears as condensation gradually coated her windscreen. She lowered her headlights and narrowed her eyes, attempting to see through her fogged windshield.

She quickly looked away from the road as she struggled to switch on the air conditioner. 

When she raised her eyes. She screamed,  slamming on her brakes and collided with the vehicle in front of her. 

"No..no, no, no, no, ..." She chanted as she quickly stepped out of her car to assess the damage she caused.

"Bok!" (Shit) Sedar cursed as the SUV jerked forward.

He shifted in his seat, enthralled by the idiot who had hit into the back of the car he was in. His driver exited the vehicle and stood in the pouring rain, conversing with the young woman who had caused the crash. Her long black hair soaked up the rain, making her look like a drowned rat, and he could hardly see her face.

He looked at his wrist that exhibited a gold watch and sighed. 

Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath in. He couldn't afford to miss his flight back home to Istanbul, Turkey. He had no intentions of coming here in the first place. His büyük baba, (grandfather) on the other hand, demanded he flies out and oversees the progress of the new Hotel they were helping to design. 

Ozturk Legacy Construction LTD was expanding their business across the globe.

They teamed up with the Manson Brothers to get the ball rolling in New Zealand. It was their foreman that was letting the team down. If things don't progress by the time he returns in two months. He will fire everyone on site and handpick his team personally.  

He stepped out of the SUV and opened his umbrella, walking to the back of the car to look at the damage. 

"I'm sorry. I only took my eyes off the road for a split second." She confessed.

"A SPLIT second too long by the looks of it." Sedar grounded out as he turned to face her. 

Through the rain, Cedes looked up at him scowling, vigorously blinking her eyes. 

She was drenched, and she was furious at the man who stood in front of her, staring down from the tip of his nose at her.

"You don't have to be an ass about it." She sneered.  

She looked him up and down as he stood there in his overpriced suit judging her. He obviously lacked in the manners department as he continued to stand there under his umbrella without offering her some sanctuary from the rain. 

Chivalry's a rare trait to come across these days... Her inner goddess tittered.

Mercedes watched his lips form into a smirk that was masked behind his umbrella.

"Being an ass is one of my best features. You don't get anywhere in life being nice, prenses." He said charmingly.

"I find it very hard to believe that you get anywhere by being an ass at all, prenses." She retorted with annoyance.

Sedar threw his head back and laughed at the beauty in front of him. He laughed a little harder when she called him a prenses.

He wasn't even close to being anyone's princess. He could tell she didn't know what the word meant, and he had a feeling if she did...

She would still use it against him. 

"You'll be amazed how being an ass will get you places in life. Maybe you should try it sometime." Amusement heavily coated his words.

"Not all of us have the luxury to look down at people and get away with it." Her voice held a seldom note of irritation that was heavily laced with disgust.  

She couldn't bear to believe this was his usual way of communicating. Especially when he's in the presence of a woman. 

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Looking down at you prenses" His voice turned husky.  

"I don't care if you looked down, up, sideways or backwards. We're strangers who'll never cross paths again." She sighed.

They stood there in silence. Staring at one another in the middle of the street with the warm rain showering down on them. Their eyes slowly drinking each other in, taking notice of every curve and flaw their body displayed.

Sedars breathing became short and fierce with the possession of lust. The corner of his mouth twitched as his fingers trembled when he couldn't take his eyes off her deep red lips. 

He was captivated by their fullness and played with the thought of kissing her. He soon found himself reaching out to wipe her hair out of her face. She glanced back at him, stepping out of his proximity, screaming as she lost her footing and stumbled back towards the ongoing traffic. 

He cursed, dropping his umbrella, he rushed forward and pulled her body flush up against his. As a freight truck flew past them. She trembled in his embrace, clinging to the jacket of his suit for dear life and panting. 

He looked down at her as she gazed up into his sky blue eyes, then took a step back to ensure she was standing on solid ground.

"Th..thank you." She said, looking away, suddenly embarrassed. 

In a heartbeat, she morphed into a damsel in distress, and in a matter of seconds, he evolved from the Grinch to her Knight in Shining Armour, and she was enchanted by him.

He looked towards the sky letting the rain caress his face, bending down he picked up his umbrella and placed it in her hands, offering her some shelter. 

She looked back up at him, with a smile on her face,

"Oh, no... I couldn't. She attempted to pass it back to him. 

"Lütfen,(please) you'll catch a cold and I don't want that on my conscious." 

Having a change of heart he took pity on her and nodded to his driver, telling him to get back behind the wheel

"Damages will be paid for by me. Request that it be billed to Auckland Chaperone Services." He strode back to the SUV, turning on his heel.

"Wait...." She watched as he came to a halt, but did not turn to face her. 

"What's your name?" She called out, intrigued to know the man who saved her life.

He considered telling her who he was but decided against it, preferring to leave an imprint of himself in her mind.

She remained standing there, watching as he walked away, his body disappearing between the raindrops.

While she did not have a name or a face to remember her saviour by, she noted. That there will always be a special place in her heart for the mysterious man.