Aslan MurabakI run desperately through the corridors of the palace, my mind filled with worry for Diana. My parents are already safe in the safe house, thanks to Said, my trusted man, who took them there. Now, my only goal is to find Diana and ensure her safety.As I climb the stairs, I see the damage caused by the fighting with the rebels trying to take over the palace. Broken glass and debris scattered everywhere show the violence that is ravaging the place. The state-of-the-art security we relied on seems ineffective against the relentless onslaught of the invaders.When I meet Said in the corridor, his tense face reveals the concern we share. He looks me in the eye and says."Aslan, I found Diana, and I took her to the safe house, but before she could go in, someone hit me and I fell unconscious and she wasn't there anymore.""We have to find my wife, Said. My son in her belly could harm us both."We advanced cautiously through the dark corridors, surprised by three men who inter
The crowded bus reminds me every day how hard it is to be poor - of course I'm being ironic. Today, luckily, I got a seat, which doesn't always happen, especially on a Friday. I am happy and grateful for that, looking at the scenery and praying that no one needs my seat, because I am exhausted. I've worked all week and my day off won't be until Wednesday. When we are born poor, it feels like we live at work and visit home.José usually takes the bus two stops after mine, and I am saving a seat for him next to me. Anyone who takes the bus knows how hard it is to hold a seat without getting into trouble. José, my best friend, whom I love very much, enters through the door and waves to me, and I smile, showing that his place is saved. But a woman, who looks about thirty-five years old, enters before him and looks intently at the seat beside me. We have a battle of eyes between me, the woman, José and the bench. She is in front, she will probably arrive before him, and José seems to be in
Diana Rodrigues*Looking at the tall, thick-legged man in front of me, I blurted out the dumbest comment I could have made to the hotel owner where I work."Beautiful," I said."What are you talking about? Do you think it's nice to have broken my collection watch?" he snapped at me."I'm sorry, sir. Please don't fire me. I need this job.""I don't usually give second chances to employees like you.""Please reconsider. My family depends on me, and I need this job. If necessary, I'll apologize and kneel in front of you." He huffed and said:"Take some of my suits to be ironed, they are wrinkled, and then bring them back. I have some appointments and I'm running late. In the meantime, I'll think about what to do with you." He walked away from me, grabbed three suits, and handed them to me."Yes, sir." I took the suits, the broom, and the rag. "Thank you, sir."The rag fell to the floor. It had to be like that. It wouldn't be me if I didn't drop something. I bent down, but not in the corr
"Aslan Murabak*The trip to Brazil was something that left me irritated. My father made me visit all the hotels I bought, and that wasn't in my plans. I wanted to go to New York; that was my plan. I am Arabic and do not follow all the "rules." Since I was young, I had to learn how to deal with our business since my father is not a good manager. They say we are a people who know how to negotiate, but my father is terrible with business. In fact, he lost all our money when I was only fifteen years old, and our country was going through a crisis. And I had to help; otherwise, we would lose everything.I went to college and left my country. I needed to fly and expand my business, import my products, and many opportunities arose, such as my uncle's hotel chain that was having financial problems after his son started taking over everything, and I bought it. I came to Brazil to see how things are going here, and my father forced me to see all the hotels in the chain, and to avoid conflicts b
Diana Rodrigues*I was leaning against the wall and my tears were falling down my face in anger. And now I owe my whole life to him, and how am I going to pay? Work for free for so long? How am I going to support my family? And even more with my brainless brother, who only thinks about parties and buying things for his motorcycle, forgetting about basic needs, and my mother, who is a good woman but likes excessive luxuries that don't match our financial situation. A hand is on my shoulder and I startle."What's going on? Why are you crying?" The man's accent was the same as my boss's; he must have been one of his employees. "Can I help you?""It's nothing, just some things happened to me. They always happen.""Can I help you?""No, unfortunately, you can't," I took a deep breath. "Thank you.""I'll be in town until the end of the week. Take my card, contact me by message if you need to, say that you're the crying girl from the hotel, and I'll know who you are.""Thank you. The world n
Diana Rodrigues"I want to talk to you," the hotel owner tells me, but Sonia shouts at me."Diana! Are you already causing trouble with the boss again?" - already comes the cow manager - "I'm sorry sir, I'll take this incompetent girl away before she causes more trouble.""Look Sonia, I'm not causing any trouble," he watches me being taken away by her."Don't make any more fuss," was all he said, so I went on my way with my manager."Since your debt to the hotel is so large, you are scheduled to work overtime. When I call, you should be ready.""Okay Sonia, I'll do the overtime," I agreed."And today, in addition to the suites, you will be cleaning the staff bathroom after your shift.""But it will be at the staff's check-in and check-out time, it will be full of people, it will be wasted service, I can finish cleaning.""Diana, do as I say, dear."Cleaning the bathroom at staff in and out was a punishment when one of us did something wrong. If you had an enemy and she knew about your
Diana Rodrigues"Mom, I'm still at my job, I'm working overtime."There, my child, don't you know what your brother did?" - she was crying."What did this irresponsible man do?"Don't talk about your brother like that, my child, you know he has little sense, but he is responsible.""Where from that Alex is responsible, mother? He is a madman who only does shit and only thinks about himself.""Daughter, your brother is in the hospital. And our neighbour is taking us.""Hospital?" - she cries and answers."Yes, at the hospital. I'm on my way there, they just called me. He had an accident and I don't know anything else, they just told me he was in the hospital and I'm so nervous, daughter.""What hospital is he in, Mum?"He's at São Vicente, it looks like it was near there."Mum, São Vicente is a private hospital, why did they take him there? Mercy of God, how are we going to pay?"I don't know either. Daughter, think about your brother's health now."Okay, mum. I'll ask to be excused fr
Diana Rodrigues"Diana, what are you talking about?" asked Juninho Bad Boy."Juninho." He kissed my hand.Juninho, who had always been as poor as us, suddenly started living a luxurious life. He used to be a scrawny boy with blond hair and eyes of an indecipherable colour, maybe green or maybe blue. But now, he has become a strong and muscular boy, and women adore him. Recently, he showed up with a very expensive car, though I don't know how he got the money. My brother and he became close friends, although I warned Alex to be careful.People in the neighbourhood said Juninho was dealing drugs, but I never knew for sure where his money comes from. I hope he's here at the hospital to visit my brother and that this payment story is just a joke."Hello, Juninho," I greeted him."You got married?" He pointed at Zyan."He works at the same hotel as me and when he heard about my brother's accident, he came to bring me here.""So you're single?" My body froze. "I want to talk to you, Diana."
Aslan MurabakI run desperately through the corridors of the palace, my mind filled with worry for Diana. My parents are already safe in the safe house, thanks to Said, my trusted man, who took them there. Now, my only goal is to find Diana and ensure her safety.As I climb the stairs, I see the damage caused by the fighting with the rebels trying to take over the palace. Broken glass and debris scattered everywhere show the violence that is ravaging the place. The state-of-the-art security we relied on seems ineffective against the relentless onslaught of the invaders.When I meet Said in the corridor, his tense face reveals the concern we share. He looks me in the eye and says."Aslan, I found Diana, and I took her to the safe house, but before she could go in, someone hit me and I fell unconscious and she wasn't there anymore.""We have to find my wife, Said. My son in her belly could harm us both."We advanced cautiously through the dark corridors, surprised by three men who inter
Diana Rodrigues"I thought it would be harder to catch you.""I knew you were behind all this, Aly.""Only my idiot cousin didn't realize it. And he left his princess and the bastard alone. I thought I'd have a harder time killing you.""You're a madman," I shout at him and try to hit him, but he holds me back."Stop it, girl," he grabs my arm and tries to pull me out of the room, but I don't let him and he pulls a gun out of his waistband "I think now you'll understand what I'm talking about, I really want to kill you, not now" I then stop trying to get away from him "I want to put on a show for my cousin, but if you don't obey me I'm going to finish you off right now, you understand," his gun pressed against my neck.As I walked through the palace, my heart was beating fast in my chest. I knew that Aly had no limits and would do anything to seize power. It was dangerous to be near him, but I needed to know what he was planning.I spotted some rebels bowing to Aly as he passed them.
Diana RodriguesI sat on the edge of the bed, observing the empty room in which Aslan had left me. The day was strange, the atmosphere seemed heavy, as if the very air was charged with tension. That strange atmosphere hung over the entire palace, enveloping us all in a sense of apprehension.José, my friend and brother, was by my side, trying to calm my restless thoughts. Renata, our recently arrived friend, was also there, offering her support in the midst of this bewildering scenario. My family, my mother and brother were also seeking safety. But as the hours passed, the feeling of dread in my chest only grew.The rebels, those opposed to Aslan's rule, were approaching the palace. Their intentions were unknown, but the rumors circulating around the city were far from reassuring. They were planning to invade our lands, challenging the authority and peace that Aslan had established.As darkness began to engulf the sky, I watched through the bedroom windows. The lights of the fire shon
slan MurabakI took a quick shower and left Diana still in bed. I went down to the office to meet my brother. The matter seemed to be serious, as it has been for the last few weeks. In the hallway, I spotted my cousin Aly entering the room where Berna is staying."What has Aly been doing in Berna's room?"A feeling of curiosity dawned on me, and although I knew it wasn't right, I decided to approach the door and try to hear what they were talking about and why Aly was entering the room.Unfortunately, the voices were too muffled and I couldn't clearly make out the words exchanged between them. It was strange to see my cousin so close to Bern, especially considering that they hadn't had a particularly close relationship before. This sudden closeness left me intrigued and a little worried about Aly's intentions.Realizing that my attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation was proving fruitless, I decided to move away from the door. Perhaps it's best to keep an eye on these two and that's
I woke up next to Diana and immediately felt a wave of happiness invade my being. It was as if I were the richest man in the world, possessing the greatest treasure anyone could wish for: the love of this incredible woman. As my eyes opened to the new day, I realized that the world outside had disappeared. At that moment, there were only the two of us, and all the problems that had previously plagued me had dissipated. Diana smiled when she realized I was awake. Her eyes shone with a mixture of tenderness and love. "Good morning, my love," she said softly, and her tone of voice was music to my ears. I hugged her affectionately, feeling the warmth of her body next to mine. "Good morning, my princess," I replied, knowing that every word that left my lips was filled with truth and devotion.As we lost ourselves in that intimate and comforting atmosphere, Diana began to tell me about her dreams and desires. She expressed her desire to explore the world together, without fear of the unkn
Aslan MurabakI couldn't believe what Bern was doing. From the start, she had shown herself to be an ambiguous and fickle figure, incapable of inspiring genuine trust. Now, in the midst of the whirlwind of emotions that was sweeping over me, I was absolutely certain that the story of her supposed pregnancy was nothing more than a calculated lie.As I left the hospital, my heart squeezing, my eyes took in the bleak scenery. Kudsi, my country, was in a deplorable state. The rebels had consumed the structures of power, leaving the citizens helpless and hopeless.As I watched the decay around me, a mixture of anguish and determination came over me. I could no longer remain passive in the face of this destruction. The time had come to confront the men who were doing this to my country and bring justice to my people.As soon as I entered the palace, I was enveloped by an atmosphere of joy and celebration. Everyone was happy to see me there, and my heart was filled with gratitude for having
Diana RodriguesI couldn't hold back the tears that fell with such joy when I saw Aslan awake after so many days of uncertainty and worry. The hospital room was filled with a mixture of feelings, from joy to sadness, as the pregnancy was visible in my belly, which was growing every day.When I looked into Aslan's eyes, I immediately realized that something had changed in him. His eyes revealed a mixture of happiness and sadness, his expression was one of bewilderment and emotion. He focused on a point on my body, on my stomach..."Aslan, is it good to see you awake?" I asked, my voice trembling.He smiled tenderly and slowly nodded. The words seemed to escape me at that moment, but a wave of emotion flooded my heart. I couldn't believe he was there, conscious and present."You... you've been awake for how long?" I asked, trying to control my tear-streaked voice."It's only been a few hours," he replied, his voice sounding like a whisper. "I woke up and everything is still confused...
Diana RodriguesI was distraught, desperately waiting to hear from my friend Renata. I had asked Lemi to look for her in Brazil, but so far I hadn't received a single message. Every minute that passed increased my anxiety, and the uncertainty about Renata's fate consumed my thoughts.That morning, while I was impatiently waiting for news, we received word from Aslan's doctor. He reported that Aslan was beginning to wake up from his coma, but was still disoriented. This was to be expected, considering the time he had spent in an unconscious state. My heart filled with gratitude to know that Aslan was recovering, but I also worried about how he would react to me. Whether he would send me away or keep me here because of my son. Aslan is like a hurricane in my life.The lack of news about Renata was driving me to the brink of madness. I just wanted to know if she was safe, if the rescue had been successful. Every second that passed felt like an eternity, and the uncertainty was eating me
Lemi MurabakI walked cautiously through the luxurious corridors of the mansion, my gun in hand and my senses sharp. John followed at my side, his gaze also alert to any sign of danger. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, knowing that Renata's life depended on us.Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from one of the rooms. I signaled John to stay alert and we sneaked closer, trying not to make any sound that might alert the men who were keeping us there. With my muscles tense and my heart racing, I entered the room.The moment I opened the door, I was quickly attacked by a robust, well-trained man. With my reflexes sharp, I managed to dodge his punch and counterattack with a sharp kick to his leg. The guy fell to the ground, groggy, but soon got back on his feet and came at me again.I exchanged quick blows with him, using precise and efficient movements, trying to incapacitate him without killing him. Meanwhile, John was engaged in an intense fight with another man in the next room.The