LOVE & REVENGE

Chapter 2:Mysterious Woman

She was a very beautiful woman, tall with straight black hair, but as she stood by the seat, Charles felt a cold and stinging breeze hit him for a moment, the same breeze that blew in the high and cold mountains of Afghanistan. Charles was scared for a moment. He raised his head and stared at the young woman's face.

At this moment, the woman was trying to put her small black suitcase in the cabin above, but she couldn't reach it and the suitcase was about to fall, but Charles immediately got up and caught the suitcase in the air. Then he asked the young woman to sit down while he put the suitcase in the cabin for her. The woman thanked him and sat down in the empty seat next to him. The woman checked her ticket again and her seat number.

The Indian guy who was sitting by the window took a quick look at the woman before he resumed looking outside the window. Apparently, the young woman caught his attention.

The young woman stared at the Indian guy for a moment, before she turned to Charles. She then unzipped her small handbag without saying a word and placed the ticket inside. Charles saw the ticket number. Her seat was by the window. Now Charles understood why the Indian guy looked at him like that.

In the woman's purse, Charles noticed a picture of a young man. It must be her fiancé or boyfriend, he presumed, who would definitely want to spend the holidays with this young, lovely, and beautiful woman. After a few minutes, the plane took off.

Albert and Mark, who were sitting a few rows back, were recalling about the war in Afghanistan. In the meantime, John took a magazine and was reading it.

The young woman turned to Charles as he was silently looking out front and introduced herself "I am Sophia from India. I am glad to have a charming and handsome gentleman as my companion. May I ask your name?"

Charles politely replied, "Of course. Charles here, and my buddies and I are going to India for the holidays."

On board the plane were mostly Indians. All of them had different faces but recognizable but the young woman had an American face with very dark black hair and green eyes and with an American accent. Because of this, Charles turned to the young woman in surprise and said, "You look like an American, not an Indian at all."

Sophia replied with a smile, "You're right. My face looks like an American because my father was an American, but my mother is Indian and I'm going to visit her."

"Was it? You mean your father is gone?" Charles asked in surprise. Sofia looked at Charles's face and stared into his eyes for a moment.

Charles didn't explain why the young woman's look made him feel unsettled and frightened. He did not understand why such a beautiful woman made him feel so bad.

Sofia thought for a while and her brows furrowed. It was obvious that she remembered a bad incident. After a short pause, she said, "My father is dead and gone. He was killed by a savage mob, but my mother lives alone in India, and I also have to travel to different countries for my work." Then she turned to Charles and said, "I'm a journalist."

Charles first expressed his sorrow upon hearing of her father's demise saying, "All those who murdered your father must be punished one by one." And then he said with a smile, "You have a challenging yet exciting job."

Sofia smiled back while looking into his eyes and said nothing more. She turned away from Charles and leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. She looked very tired. Charles thought that perhaps she had come from work and was tired, especially since she had boarded the plane at the last minute and in a hurry.

After a while, his friends Albert and Mark came over to him. Albert complimented "Charles, you've got a beautiful companion. Look how fortunate are you while I endure the company of Mark, rather than being accompanied by a truly enchanting lady, throughout the entire duration of our flight. I'm on the verge of swapping seats with you."

After this remark, all three friends burst into laughter. Albert and Mark persistently inquired about the young woman, her name, and the purpose of her journey to India, along with speculations about her relationship status. But Charles evaded their questions, stating that he had no knowledge about her and that she was not particularly conversant.

Mark, who didn't believe that Charles didn't know anything about the gorgeous woman, retorted: Don't lie, I observed that the two of you were engaged in constant conversation, and she checked you out. Are you worried that she might abandon you and you are drawn to our company of attractive men? Please don't forget to obtain her contact information and share it with us. She is exceptionally attractive, and we were fortunate to have her join us as our companion. Alternatively, it seems that the other women on this plane from India are not very attractive. Now tell me why she is going to India, her husband is there?

Mark looked at the young woman lustily. They assumed that she was asleep, but she wasn't. She heard everything said by those three pals because she was awake and attentive the entire time.

Charles looked at Mark with a smile and said, "Believe me, I don't know anything. She didn't say anything about herself, but I think she's traveling to India to see her family."

Mark asked, "Is she Indian? She doesn't look Indian. She's a very warm and lovely woman, I wish she didn't have a husband. We could be good friends." And then he elbowed Albert in the side and said, "Wouldn't you?"

And then both friends laughed, but Charles said nothing. Sophia closed her eyes trying to recall what they had said.

During the long flight from New York to New Delhi, the young woman repeatedly used the restroom and spent a considerable amount of time there.

Charles thought she might be sick and had to go to the bathroom a lot. Charles offered to swap seats with her so she could easily go to the bathroom without disturbing anyone. But Sophia thanked him for being accommodating and told him that there was no need for her to change her seat.

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