Don't give up on me.

TWENTY FOURTH

When Johum was out of the campus, her driver stood there waiting for her. Since she had no phone, she couldn't tell her father that she was meeting with Zayan for a short time and needed to talk to him. So she instructed the driver to drop her off at his location and then inform her father about her whereabouts.

It was much later when she found herself standing at his doorstep facing his daughter's nanny. Sierra told her that he was not at home and had went on a meeting for a few days. That was surprising and Johum did ask where he had gone and when he would return to which she gave her the address on a small piece of paper.

Johum looked at the address of a penthouse and frowned as confusion was the only thing she could feel. Why would he take Rüya with him if he was going on a meeting? Sierra did tell her that he had taken Rüya with him and it was unusual for him. According to her, he had never taken her to meetings before except when she was a toddler.

Now looking down at the address, she decided to hire a taxi and find out for herself what he was up to. Not that she cared anyway, she needed to talk to him that's why she was going. She needed to ask him so many questions and also tell him about Za'ir. She had learned her lesson that she needed to tell him if she met Za'ir every time. She did not want to anger him, he looked much better with a blank face than a scowling one.

Hiring a taxi, she told him the address and he informed her that it was hardly twenty minutes away. She hoped that she won't be disturbing him. She really needed to talk to him and then go back home. Because her father would kick her out if she behaved recklessly again. Johum didn't realize that she had dozed off which was stupid of her given she was sitting inside a taxi, but when she opened her eyes she found herself in front of a tall skyscraper.

She paid the driver, thanked him and then got out of the taxi. Getting in penthouses had always been difficult. She didn't even know if they'd let her in and if her name wasn't on list — Zayan wouldn't let her in easily. He was a jerk for a reason.

Johum walked towards the desk and told the receptionist his name. The whole procedure took close to ten minutes because obviously they had to call Zayan who in return told them to let her in which was surprising. Johum walked to the twentieth floor and had her jaw hanging open when the elevator opened. It— it opened inside the freaking penthouse. She didn't even realize that she had been guided towards a private elevator.

The suite was modern with floor to ceiling glass windows. The furniture was not much in the sitting area but she felt like she would ruin the tiles by just walking on them. Her eyes moved up and found elegant silver chandeliers hanging from the three holes in the ceilings. It must be his designing, she thought.

She had almost forgotten the reason for which she came until she heard a voice that made her flinch out of surprise.

"Why are you here?" Johum's head whipped towards the staircase and on top of that, he was standing like a king. He just lacked a crown otherwise he sure did act like he owned the world. Maybe because she was standing below him—but Johum's eyes trailed up from his black shining shoes to his pitch black suit along with his silver tie. He had his hair sleeked back with hair gel and had a light stubble on his jaw. His hands were inside his pockets and he looked like a picture out of a magazine.

Her eyes widened when she realized that she was checking him out and her mouth gaped open. She gasped lightly and moved her eyes elsewhere. She wondered why she had chosen to wear a turtleneck sweater today when it was so hot. She tugged at her neckline and cleared her throat, her skin was heating up. Was there no air conditioning there?

"Er— I needed to t-talk..." she cleared her throat, wanting to slap herself for acting like a young girl crushing over a schoolboy. Not that she had a crush on him — bah!— of course not. Crush on Zayan Helmy? Hah! She wasn't that kind of girl. It was a ridiculous thought that her mind conjured. It was never ever gonna happen and besides, he was not even her type. He had eyes so sharp that it felt like he stared right through your soul and when he glared, she could physically feel the needles piercing her skin. Even when he was sweet sometimes, she felt her stomach churning so no — it definitely wasn't a crush. The only thing she loved— ah, admired about him was his love for his daughter.