It was a calm afternoon—but Ayla's heart was anything but calm.
Nakahiga siya sa malaking kama sa mansion nila, staring at the massive chandelier above her. Sa kamay niya, isang invitation card: eleganteng black and gold, with cursive letters that read:
"The Union of the South & Middle East Mafia: Ayla D. Navarro & Sadiq A. Al-Farouk"Date: In Two Weeks
Two. Freaking. Weeks.
"Ang bilis naman!" she muttered, nauupos sa inis. "Parang fastfood lang ah—order, then wedding."
She threw the invitation card across the room.
Mabilis, lumapit si Tita Luna na parang may radar sa bawat drama niya. Dala nito ang milk tea at gossip.
"Tita, I swear, papatayin ko 'yang lalaking 'yan." Ayla groaned.
"Oo, patayin mo na... pagkatapos ng kasal," Luna grinned. "Sayang ang honeymoon."
"Tita!"
"Anak, kung ayaw mo talaga, you could've said no.""Sabi ni Papa, either magpakasal ako or mawala lahat ng freedom ko. Alam mo naman si Faheem—blackmail king."
"Well then," Tita Luna winked. "If you can't run from it… might as well run towards it in stilettos."
Meanwhile…
Sadiq was in prayer—kneeling, hands resting on his knees, lips murmuring du'as. Calm and collected, like always.
But inside?
He wasn't sure anymore.
Ayla was chaos.
Beautiful chaos.The kind that made a disciplined man falter.The kind that tested his faith and his fire.
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.Two weeks.
Two weeks before she would become his wife.Whether she liked it or not.
The next day…
Ayla walked into a private dining room where Sadiq and Faheem were already seated.
"Late," Sadiq noted without looking at her.
"Ugly," she shot back. "But I didn't say it out loud."
Sadiq finally looked at her.
She wore a sleek black dress—short, tight, mercilessly sexy. Parang sinadyang tuksuhin siya. Pero kahit ang lakas ng dating nito, sa loob-loob niya... may kaba rin si Ayla.
Faheem cleared his throat.
"This is your official engagement lunch. You'll be publicly announced as fiancés tonight. Walang gulo."
Sadiq smiled lazily. "As you wish, Uncle."
Ayla raised a brow. "Uncle? Wow, ang wholesome ng mga term natin. What's next? Kuya?"
Sadiq leaned forward, eyes glinting with mischief."No, baby. Next is 'Habibi.'"
Ayla nearly choked.
"HUH?!"
He simply grinned, calm as ever. "Practice mo na."
Later that night…
Their engagement announcement happened at a luxurious gala, with every mafia family watching.
Ayla wore a crimson red gown with a thigh-high slit, dangerous and divine. Sadiq was in a black suit, rosary on his wrist, aura ng isang mafia prince na holy but deadly.
When the emcee called their names, Sadiq took her hand and kissed it gently.
"Smile," he whispered. "Lahat ng tao nanonood."
Ayla forced a smirk.
But deep down?
Her heart skipped. Just once.
And for the first time… she didn't hate the idea of being kissed again.