Lamia Shah didn't have the light in her life.
Being told that her father was no more and spending her childhood in pain from her abusive mother was enough to shatter any hopes for a better life. The sudden marriage of her mother to a man unknown to...
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Parking the car and killing the engine, Assaf turned to his stepsister with a curl of his lips upward, eyes curious for her reaction.
"We're here," he said with a release of breath, watching her intently.
Lamia blinked, registering herself to reality. The house before her looked nothing like the place she had been living at before.
The first thing that caught her eye was a huge chandelier of sparkling crystals above the porch. It reflected beams of light as it slowly rotated. Lamia wondered how elegant it would look at night with the yellow lamp above it turned on.
The marble porch steps were of a cream colour, the railings on either side a soft grey. There was even a small porch swing at the corner, enough space for two people to sit on it.
She even noticed the small maroon tent in the corner, knowing straight away that it was a majlis.
Green grass looked fresh on either side of the path to the porch steps. Flowers of various colours adorned the sides by the fence. The garden swing caught her eye. She knew that would be her favourite thing out of all.
"Wow," was all she said breathlessly, her eyes mesmerised. Her hands stuck to the window as her lips parted at the view in to her side.
"Come on," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, before fetching his phone and wallet from between them.
Lamia grabbed her bag and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. She walked behind her stepbrother who gestured her to follow him as he twirled the keys on his forefinger of one hand, the other buried in his pant pocket.
Twisting the key twice, he entered and called her in to which she hesitated, shifting her weight to either side of her again and again.
"Ta'ali," he said with a million-dollar smile, his pearl white teeth lustrous. He must've had some dental work done, Lamia thought once she noticed his teeth were perfectly aligned, unlike her one canine which was slightly crooked.
Nonetheless, she took the first step in, followed by another as her stormy eyes drank in the view in front of her.
The place looked modern and homey, a faint Arab touch to the decor. A Persian carpet was laid in the lounge, the maroon patterns urging her to trace them with her fingers. A mahogany wood table was at the center, four beige two-seater sofas by the walls; two by one and the other two by the wall next to it. Each set of sofas had a mahogany side table between them with a lantern-shaped lamp on them.
And then the same large chandelier hung by the ceiling right above the center table.
"Like it?" he voiced eagerly, a hopeful look in his eyes as he looked down to the side at her.
"Yeah," she said with a small sigh, her gaze still lingering around.
They walked further until the only thing seen wasn't the lounge. A kitchen was joined to it as well.
