slan MurabakI took a quick shower and left Diana still in bed. I went down to the office to meet my brother. The matter seemed to be serious, as it has been for the last few weeks. In the hallway, I spotted my cousin Aly entering the room where Berna is staying."What has Aly been doing in Berna's room?"A feeling of curiosity dawned on me, and although I knew it wasn't right, I decided to approach the door and try to hear what they were talking about and why Aly was entering the room.Unfortunately, the voices were too muffled and I couldn't clearly make out the words exchanged between them. It was strange to see my cousin so close to Bern, especially considering that they hadn't had a particularly close relationship before. This sudden closeness left me intrigued and a little worried about Aly's intentions.Realizing that my attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation was proving fruitless, I decided to move away from the door. Perhaps it's best to keep an eye on these two and that's
Diana RodriguesI sat on the edge of the bed, observing the empty room in which Aslan had left me. The day was strange, the atmosphere seemed heavy, as if the very air was charged with tension. That strange atmosphere hung over the entire palace, enveloping us all in a sense of apprehension.José, my friend and brother, was by my side, trying to calm my restless thoughts. Renata, our recently arrived friend, was also there, offering her support in the midst of this bewildering scenario. My family, my mother and brother were also seeking safety. But as the hours passed, the feeling of dread in my chest only grew.The rebels, those opposed to Aslan's rule, were approaching the palace. Their intentions were unknown, but the rumors circulating around the city were far from reassuring. They were planning to invade our lands, challenging the authority and peace that Aslan had established.As darkness began to engulf the sky, I watched through the bedroom windows. The lights of the fire shon
Diana Rodrigues"I thought it would be harder to catch you.""I knew you were behind all this, Aly.""Only my idiot cousin didn't realize it. And he left his princess and the bastard alone. I thought I'd have a harder time killing you.""You're a madman," I shout at him and try to hit him, but he holds me back."Stop it, girl," he grabs my arm and tries to pull me out of the room, but I don't let him and he pulls a gun out of his waistband "I think now you'll understand what I'm talking about, I really want to kill you, not now" I then stop trying to get away from him "I want to put on a show for my cousin, but if you don't obey me I'm going to finish you off right now, you understand," his gun pressed against my neck.As I walked through the palace, my heart was beating fast in my chest. I knew that Aly had no limits and would do anything to seize power. It was dangerous to be near him, but I needed to know what he was planning.I spotted some rebels bowing to Aly as he passed them.
Aslan MurabakI run desperately through the corridors of the palace, my mind filled with worry for Diana. My parents are already safe in the safe house, thanks to Said, my trusted man, who took them there. Now, my only goal is to find Diana and ensure her safety.As I climb the stairs, I see the damage caused by the fighting with the rebels trying to take over the palace. Broken glass and debris scattered everywhere show the violence that is ravaging the place. The state-of-the-art security we relied on seems ineffective against the relentless onslaught of the invaders.When I meet Said in the corridor, his tense face reveals the concern we share. He looks me in the eye and says."Aslan, I found Diana, and I took her to the safe house, but before she could go in, someone hit me and I fell unconscious and she wasn't there anymore.""We have to find my wife, Said. My son in her belly could harm us both."We advanced cautiously through the dark corridors, surprised by three men who inter
The crowded bus reminds me every day how hard it is to be poor - of course I'm being ironic. Today, luckily, I got a seat, which doesn't always happen, especially on a Friday. I am happy and grateful for that, looking at the scenery and praying that no one needs my seat, because I am exhausted. I've worked all week and my day off won't be until Wednesday. When we are born poor, it feels like we live at work and visit home.José usually takes the bus two stops after mine, and I am saving a seat for him next to me. Anyone who takes the bus knows how hard it is to hold a seat without getting into trouble. José, my best friend, whom I love very much, enters through the door and waves to me, and I smile, showing that his place is saved. But a woman, who looks about thirty-five years old, enters before him and looks intently at the seat beside me. We have a battle of eyes between me, the woman, José and the bench. She is in front, she will probably arrive before him, and José seems to be in
Diana Rodrigues*Looking at the tall, thick-legged man in front of me, I blurted out the dumbest comment I could have made to the hotel owner where I work."Beautiful," I said."What are you talking about? Do you think it's nice to have broken my collection watch?" he snapped at me."I'm sorry, sir. Please don't fire me. I need this job.""I don't usually give second chances to employees like you.""Please reconsider. My family depends on me, and I need this job. If necessary, I'll apologize and kneel in front of you." He huffed and said:"Take some of my suits to be ironed, they are wrinkled, and then bring them back. I have some appointments and I'm running late. In the meantime, I'll think about what to do with you." He walked away from me, grabbed three suits, and handed them to me."Yes, sir." I took the suits, the broom, and the rag. "Thank you, sir."The rag fell to the floor. It had to be like that. It wouldn't be me if I didn't drop something. I bent down, but not in the corr
"Aslan Murabak*The trip to Brazil was something that left me irritated. My father made me visit all the hotels I bought, and that wasn't in my plans. I wanted to go to New York; that was my plan. I am Arabic and do not follow all the "rules." Since I was young, I had to learn how to deal with our business since my father is not a good manager. They say we are a people who know how to negotiate, but my father is terrible with business. In fact, he lost all our money when I was only fifteen years old, and our country was going through a crisis. And I had to help; otherwise, we would lose everything.I went to college and left my country. I needed to fly and expand my business, import my products, and many opportunities arose, such as my uncle's hotel chain that was having financial problems after his son started taking over everything, and I bought it. I came to Brazil to see how things are going here, and my father forced me to see all the hotels in the chain, and to avoid conflicts b
Diana Rodrigues*I was leaning against the wall and my tears were falling down my face in anger. And now I owe my whole life to him, and how am I going to pay? Work for free for so long? How am I going to support my family? And even more with my brainless brother, who only thinks about parties and buying things for his motorcycle, forgetting about basic needs, and my mother, who is a good woman but likes excessive luxuries that don't match our financial situation. A hand is on my shoulder and I startle."What's going on? Why are you crying?" The man's accent was the same as my boss's; he must have been one of his employees. "Can I help you?""It's nothing, just some things happened to me. They always happen.""Can I help you?""No, unfortunately, you can't," I took a deep breath. "Thank you.""I'll be in town until the end of the week. Take my card, contact me by message if you need to, say that you're the crying girl from the hotel, and I'll know who you are.""Thank you. The world n