Forever His

Chapter 39: Villa

Mahnoor's POV:

The moment I stepped out of the car and into the villa, it was like I'd walked into another world. Greece already felt unreal—the endless blue skies, the warm breeze carrying the scent of the sea—but this villa... this was something out of a dream. I'd seen luxury before, sure, but this was on a different level entirely.

The white stone walls gleamed under the fading sunlight, and the open courtyard led to an infinity pool that melted into the horizon, blurring where the ocean began. The architecture was a flawless balance of modern lines and classic touches—elegant and effortless, the kind of place you only see in glossy travel magazines or hear about in conversations between people who've never had to think about money.

I couldn't help it; my breath caught as I took it all in. The view, the space, the luxury of it all. I knew he had money—ridiculous amounts of it—but seeing it so casually laid out in front of me like this... it hit differently. I wandered further in, my fingers brushing against the smooth marble surfaces, almost like I needed to touch it, to remind myself that this was real.

The sun was setting, casting everything in a warm, golden light, and as I stood at the balcony, looking out over the Aegean Sea, I felt something stir inside me—something unfamiliar. A kind of wonder, maybe. Or maybe just the strangeness of standing in the middle of a life I'd always been kept at arm's length from. I'd grown up around wealth, sure, but never like this. My father never let me have this. It was always just out of reach, like he was reminding me that I didn't quite belong to it.

But here... I felt different. Like for the first time, I could just breathe. I could take it in and pretend that this was mine, that this was normal, even if just for a little while.

I glanced back over my shoulder at him, still standing near the entrance, watching me with that same unreadable expression he always had. His arms were loose at his sides, his posture casual, but something about the way he was looking at me made the memory of earlier flash in my mind. When I'd nearly tripped over that stupid table and, in a blur of motion, he caught me—his hands gripping my arms, steadying me before I even knew what was happening.

For a second, I had felt his touch linger, the warmth of his hands holding me upright. I hadn't expected him to move so fast, to be that close. And for a second—just a split second—our eyes met. I wasn't sure what I saw in his eyes, but it had unsettled me, the way his grip was firm but careful, almost... protective.

I shook the thought away. It didn't matter. He was just being practical, that's all. He wasn't the type to let things slip out of control, and I wasn't someone who needed saving. It had just caught me off guard, that's all.

But now, standing here in this place—this villa that he'd probably rented without even thinking twice about the cost—I couldn't help but wonder why he'd gone to such lengths. Why this place, so beautiful it didn't seem real? He didn't even seem impressed by it, standing there like this was just another luxury he could buy and discard.

"This place is... incredible," I said, turning back to the view, my voice a little softer than I intended. The ocean stretched endlessly in front of me, and for a moment, I forgot about everything else. How he had caught me. How his eyes seemed to linger on me a little longer than usual now. I wanted to ask him how he found this place, how long he'd searched to rent a villa like this, but the words stayed stuck in my throat.

I wasn't sure why I cared. It was just a place, after all. A gorgeous, sprawling place I'd never have been able to stay in before. But still... there was something about it. About him. The way he didn't say much, but when he looked at me, it felt like he was noticing things I hadn't even noticed about myself.