5. The 20 Minutes

Her feet paused. Cyra felt like her heart had come to her mouth by seeing him right in front of her again. His predacious gaze told her that he had been waiting for her and this alerted her. 

Cyra clenched her palms and attempted to walk away from there because she couldn’t make that dare to stay alone with this man, even for a single second. Cyra just took a step of her but her body forced her to stand still as her eyes witnessed him coming closer to her.

She knew she should be running away from him but seeing him coming closer to her, her feet refused to get away from him. Was it because of the fear of getting chased by him or was it something more deep and dark?

Her blood ran cold, seeing him eliminating the distance between their bodies. His eyes dared her to look away from him and like a compliant slave, her eyes submitted to his unsaid warning without even trying to fight. What had happened to her?

Suddenly his phone started ringing which he was holding in his hand and Cyra saw him finally looking away from her to pick up his phone. She felt extremely grateful to that person who had called him.

Taking the opportunity, Cyra hurriedly tried to walk past him.

“Meet me at the terrace in 20 minutes,” his throaty voice halted her steps. She snapped her head in his direction and found his eyes forward. He pressed his phone against his ear and tried to walk away but his words and his behaviour made her clench her jaw. How dared he?

“I will not do any such thing,” Cyra finally opened her mouth which stopped him in his tracks. Turning around, he looked at her and her heart shuddered, seeing the corner of his lips slightly tugging upward.

“You will, mi amor,” his voice turned more gentle but something inside her shook aggressively by hearing him addressing her by that name. It was like that name held some kind of power over her which was capable of controlling her very existence.

She continued to peer at him and then saw his gaze wandering all over her face before he twirled around and walked away from there while talking on his phone. What had just happened here? Did he order her or requested her? And most importantly, how was he so sure that she would definitely listen to him? 

“Cyra…..” Keana’s voice snapped Cyra out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Keana coming closer to her.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Keana asked her. Gulping, Cyra wagged her head.

“No, your face looks like you have just seen a ghost,” her words made Cyra shrug herself. How could she tell her that it was not a ghost but that she had just encountered the devil himself who had invited her to meet him in the terrace all alone?

“No, I am fine,” Cyra passed her a forced smile which made Keana beam too. 

“Okay, now come with me. Our parents are busy conversing and we would definitely get bored there, so let's go. We will enjoy our girly time,” hearing Keana, Cyra maintained her smile and nodded.

Keana was almost a decade older than Cyra but they both had developed a very good bond with each other since Cyra's childhood.

“Yes, my brother also brought this for me from there,” Cyra heard Keana telling her while showing her a beautiful diamond pendant and some other gifts which her brother had brought for her from abroad and Cyra didn't even know why she was staring at all those presents with so much curiosity. Probably because she was eager to know what kind of thoughts he had for objects rather than humans and she must say, his taste was really good and eye-catching. Each and everything which he had gifted Keana was beautiful.

“And this.?” Suddenly her eyes fell on a silver bracelet on Keana's bed as they both were present inside her bedroom. That bracelet looked ordinary as compared to the rest of the other luxury gifts. 

“Oh…this. Zaiden gifted me this almost 5 years ago and you know, this is my most favourite gift from my brother,” her words confused Cyra. Why was she considering this simple bracelet favourite when the other presents were looking so beautiful and expensive as compared to them?

“Why?” Cyra couldn't help but ask her.

“Because he bought this for me with his very first salary which he earned on his own,” Keana told her with an affectionate smile on her face and that warmth gleaming in Keana’s grey eyes told her about how much she loved her brother and by looking at those dozens of gifts, she could guess it that he loved his sister a lot too.

“He loves you a lot, right?” She questioned Keana, widening her smile. 

“Well, I am 4 years older than him but he always treats me like I am the younger one,” Keana uttered with a chuckle and from her words, she calculated his age. Four years older? It meant, he was 27 years old as Keana was 31.

“So what kind of person is he?” Before Cyra could even mould her question, it slipped out of her mouth. Keana gave her a stunned look.

“Why? Don't tell me, you are interested in becoming my sister-in-law?” Keana sent her teasing smirk which immediately widened Cyra's eyes. She hurriedly shook her head.

“No, I….I was just curious,” her words stuttered.

“Relax. I was kidding,” Keana said, grinning.

“And about Zaiden? He has been very calm and composed since his childhood,” Cyra keenly heard every word of Keana's regarding him.

“He used to be a very intelligent and sharp minded kid and he always used to top his every class and that's why, our dad decided to send him abroad for future studies when he was just eight,” Keana said.

“Eight? Don't mind me but don't you think it was a very tender age?” Cyra asked and in return, saw Keana sighing.

“It was my dad's decision and his decision is the final decision for all of us,” Keana uttered. Cyra clearly caught that look of helplessness in Keana's eyes.

“Our father wanted him to be perfect in everything, so that he would not have to face any problem while taking our father's place in the business and see, it worked,” Keana smiled.

“And he seems to speak very less,” Cyra tried to tackle out more information about him. Keana chortled, hearing her.

“Agreed. Zaiden speaks very little and he has always been like this since his childhood. Sometimes, people around him even starts believing that he can't speak but Zaiden believes the language of actions rather than words,” 

No one knew it better than Cyra that how bad he was with talking and how worse he was with his actions.

“And the most appreciative thing about him is that he never loses his patience. He never argues. I have barely seen him getting angry over something,” that information startled Cyra. He was not aggressive? Really? Were they really talking about the same person?

“I have never seen him crying and I pray I never have to. Even in his childhood, he used to be very introverted. He didn't like making friends because he enjoys his own company a lot and you know he has a weird habit or you can call it an addiction or maybe obsession,” Cyra keenly listened to her.

“What?” 

“Don't tell him that I told you about this but Zaiden has been obsessed with the sound of anklets since he was a tiny kid,” hearing Keana, Cyra's brows wiggled in confusion.

“Anklets?” She asked, untidy and Keana nodded at her with a chuckle.

“He loves hearing the sound of anklets’ tinkles more than anything and anyone probably,” 

Cyra frowned at her words. He loved the tinkling of anklets? Now what kind of liking was this? He was a crazy maniac or why would he love something like this? But only if she knew why he was obsessed with the tinkling of anklets.

“Let's go now. I think our parents must be waiting for us,” Cyra heard Keana. She nodded and stood up on her feet when suddenly her eyes travelled towards her phone and she got that urge to check the time. Only two minutes left for the completion of that twenty minute deadline he had given her. Should she go there to meet him alone? No, it was a terrible idea.

“Let's go,” Keana said and Cyra nodded at her. Both the girls walked out of Keana's room but Cyra's eyes remained fixed at her phone's time and when only a minute left for the completion of his twenty minutes, her feet automatically paused.

“What happened?” Keana asked her, seeing her still in her place.

“I…I need to make an important call. I will be in the terrace and will be back in a few minutes,” she uttered to Cyra and without even waiting for her response, Cyra turned around and stormed away from there where Keana just continued to gaze at her disappearing figure.

 Clutching her phone tightly in her hands, she reached the terrace while panting heavily because she came here running and she didn't even know why? Why was she so afraid of breaking that timeline he had given her? 

Cyra stepped inside the terrace and a cold blow of air immediately hitted her, making her body quiver. Cyra gulped and roamed her eyes everywhere where she could not find anything except for the darkness of the night which had been ignited by the light of the moon and the lamps of the mansion.

She took a few more steps towards one of the railings of that terrace when suddenly she heard those heavy yet familiar footsteps coming closer to her which froze her body.

“I am impressed with your obedience, Ms. Merciez,” his deeply hoarse voice caused a chill to run down her spine. Cyra didn't dare to turn around but it was until she heard his next words.

“As much as I am displeased with your curiosity to know about me from my sister, mi amor,” and those words of his widened her eyes in pure shock. 

Cyra instantly spun around and looked into his imperious cerulean eyes which numbed her soul. He knew everything? But how? 

Cyra's heartbeat dropped, seeing his feet eliminating the distance between their bodies. 

His eyes gazed so keenly at her that it made Cyra feel like he knew everything about her. Even those things which had been hidden deep inside her soul but she was not even aware that they were breathing inside her very existence.