Chapter 2

Kara Family  

 
Sibel sat before the piano and started to play her favorite piece, "For Eloise's," by Beethoven. Suddenly, she felt sadness in her heart and started to cry, but she didn't stop playing the tune. Her family was sitting in the living room, enchanted by her marvelous gift.

"Ma'am, this envelope came for you!" Neriman, the maid of the family, said to Adalet, the mother of Sibel, Adem, Ismail, and Peri.

Sibel is the youngest and the favorite of them all. She was born when Peri, the elder sister, was 16, Ismail was 13, and Adem was 11.

When she was five years old, she sat in front of a giant piano for the first time and played some notes.

The piano belonged to her aunt, a great pianist who died from a disease when she was 20 years old. Sibel was two years old at that time. No one had touched that piano for a year or more because Sibel's father, Ahmed, forbade it. But seeing Sibel's desire, he let her play and brought a teacher for her. Day by day, she became more talented, surprising the teacher who encouraged her to pursue the Vienna Conservatory. She applied for the first time when she was 12, then again and again until they finally accepted her.

Adalet announced that it was dinner time and everyone gathered around the table. Both she and her husband exchanged glances as they looked towards Sibel, who was unaware of their looks. Her niece and nephew wanted to eat from her hand only, so she took turns feeding them. Ismail was being especially careful towards his wife as she was pregnant again. They had found out while they were with her family in Cyprus. Sibel and Adem didn't miss the opportunity to tease him along with Adem's wife, Hadise.

Hera, Ismail's wife, who is half Oriental and half Cypriot, turned red as she watched the audience glued to them.

"Ismail," her soft voice echoed for his ears only as she pointed to the audience. He glared at them and quickly kissed her lips, making the audience lower their heads.

"Ismail!" Hera raised her voice, blushing like a perfect red rose.

"What, aşkim (love)? Our fans were waiting for that moment, and you know, my love, we don't let them down. We are the perfect couple for the magazine. It's no wonder we're the role models of the Orient."

"Hey, just because you're in a magazine doesn't mean we aren't favorites too," claimed Adem. Without thinking, he kissed his wife, but their little bundle of joy interrupted by slapping his hands away from his mom.

"That's enough!" shouted Ahmed Kara, making all of them shift their glares downward.

"You both have your own room to do whatever you want. If you don't respect us, at least respect your sister's presence and never put your spouse in this position again." Ahmed Kara spoke sternly, never breaking his angry glare.

"Sorry, Dad! It will never happen again," Adem said, bowing his head.

Both of their wives excused themselves and left the dining table, feeling ashamed and with tears in their eyes. Their husbands followed them.

"We're all adults, Dad. It's better for our sister and our children to see us kissing our wives than raising our hands towards them," Ismail said as he was leaving.

Both of their wives were in their children's room. Hadise tried to comfort Hera when they burst inside.

"Hera, aşkım benim (my love)! Stop crying. That was funny. Dad overreacted, okay? Canım benim (my soul)," Ismail said as he held her carefully in his arms, as if she were made of crystal. Meanwhile, his brother dragged his wife to their room, kissing as if there wouldn't be a tomorrow.

Hera was a ballerina, but due to an incident, she can no longer dance. However, during this incident, she met Ismail at the hospital where he was working as orthopedist. Yes, Ismail is well-known in the Orient, but he became even more famous when he started his municipal campaign.

While never giving up his medical job, he tried to do both, and out of the blue, Hera gave him the boost he needed to win the position. Although now he is in his last year and does not want to be a candidate again, as he wants to focus on his medical job and his family.

The opposite is Adem. He was never focused on studying; all he liked was his cars. But then, in his second year of engineering class, Hadise came along. She had just transferred from Italy to Oriental. To say she was smart would be an understatement. She was a force of nature, and he was the only one who could calm her down. At first, it seemed impossible, but now look at them, madly in love with each other. They both own car sales and are working together to build an engine for the next Gear race, representing Oriental.

Adalet Kara has seen it all in her life. You could say she witnessed Hadise and Adem, covered in dirt, talking to each other in their own language of engines. Especially when Hadise was pregnant, she used to tell her to stay home. But Adem, knowing his wife well, never let it be like that. Their son was born inside the service area.

Adalet also saw how her son, Ismail, who never cared about anyone else, changed completely when he fell in love with Hera. He did everything to treat her like a fragile porcelain doll. He swears that every time he sees her, he falls in love all over again. Hera teaches other girls to aspire to be like her one day. Unlike Hadise, when Hera was pregnant, she couldn't move around much due to a previous incident. Pregnancy was difficult, and the whole family was there to support her. The only one who seemed to forget everything else was Ismail. He was always there, by her side, forgetting about his other responsibilities. But you know what? The entire community was behind them, praying for both the mother and the child. And they gave birth to a beautiful girl who inherited Hera's auburn hair and Ismail's hazel green eyes.

Recently, with the notice of the conservatory, Adalet's heart has been weaker. Sibel is her little one, her unexpected rose that has blossomed in their lives. She vividly remembers the pain that her sister-in-law caused, not to mention the  bad luck of her first joy, Peri.

She was lost in her thoughts when Ahmed interrupted her and sat next to her.

Their sons were playing with their children after they had calmed down their wives, who are now staying together. Hadise and Hera may be different, but they have become sisters and best friends. Sibel was studying sheet music, unaware that her mother's eyes were on her.

"Don't worry, wife. She will be fine. I will protect her without her knowing. Stay calm!" Ahmed said soothingly to ease her fears.

"Ahmed, something has happened," she said and showed him some pictures that drained the color from his face when he saw who was in them.

"We need to talk to her!" Ahmed said in a serious tone, and Adalet nodded.

"Neriman, send the kids to their room!" ordered Adalet, and the kids immediately obeyed and followed Neriman.

"Mum, is everything alright?" Ismail asked, sensing the serious tone in his mother's voice.

"Sibel, come here, darling," her mum said softly.

"Yes, Mum!" she replied, setting aside her sheet music and going to her mother's side.

"What did you do last Friday before going to school?"

"Mum, what could I do? I went to school like I do every day, even though these are my last days before going to Vienna!"

"You didn't meet anyone during that time?"

"I see where you're going! Hanife aunt must have told you about me and that soldier boy. Wait, his first name is unique, but his last name is Melekoglu. Let me think... Sinbad is his name. I met him before Friday, he dropped his soldier hat and I gave it back to him, nothing more. By coincidence, we met again. I found out who he was and I gave him a light hug to express my condolences. I swear!" she said, trying to convince them, knowing that a small misunderstanding can lead to marriage if it isn't cleared up. Her friend got married just because she was seen talking to a boy. Just so you know, she ended up marrying an older man, ten years her senior, and not the boy she talked to, just to avoid bringing shame to her family.

"Alright, honey, we believe you!" said her father.

"Wait, is there something more than just rumors from an old lady? Speak up now!" she demanded fearlessly.

"Father, is there something wrong with this soldier?" Adem asked, with Ismail backing him up.

"He came to my office today, asking for permission to court Sibel and to wait until she is 18 for marriage." His declaration surprised everyone.

"What? I do a nice thing for him and he asks for my hand in marriage? How dare he!"

"Sibel, calm down. We believe you, even if they sent these pictures to us!" her mum said, grabbing the pictures and seeing how they had twisted a simple hug into something more.

"Incredible! It was just a hug of condolences! Nothing more! I swear!" her voice sounded broken.

"We believe you," said her mother.

"But not as much as sending me to the conservatory," her tears began to fall.

"Sibel, I told him about your conservatory. He accepted that too and will wait for you! But your decision is final!"

"Where does he live, father?" she asked, wiping away her tears.

"That's not necessary, Sibel!"

"Father, where does he live? I asked!"

"He lives at this address," her father gave her a card, knowing that she wouldn't rest until she found it.

"Good, he wants to get to know me. I will give him an opportunity!"

"Sibel, don't you dare!" her father ordered.

"He will pay for these pictures and his proposal! You all know who I am and how hard it has been to earn this chance. If I don't make things clear now, he will ruin my life, Dad!" she shouted, crying.

"No one will force you to do anything that you don't want, Sibel!" Her father assured her as he held her arms.

"If he damages my reputation, it means your reputation too. I would have to surrender to him, but I will not allow this. Never!" She thought to herself as she went to her room, holding herself higher.

The next day, Sibel was surprised to find out that his address was the same as Melisa's home address. She knocked on the door and Melisa answered.

"Hi Sibel! What are you doing here on Sunday?"

"I am looking for someone named Sinbad Melekoglu. Do you know him? Your last name is Sezen."

"Yes, he is in his room. He's my cousin from my mom's side. He wants to court you."

"Well, we'll see about that! Where is his room?!"

"The last room upstairs! Good luck!"

"He will need it!" Sibel said as Melisa chuckled.

Sibel knocked on the door.

"It's open!" his voice came as she opened it and left it like that. He was half dressed, fixing his hair in front of the mirror. Sibel looked around the messy room and noticed his behavior.

"Aunty, do you want something?!"

"Yes, clean up this pigsty!" she demanded and he turned, listening to that voice. Their dark eyes met.

"You're here?! Sorry, let me put something on!"

"Don't worry, you have nothing that interests me there. I am here for that proposal of yours!" she said while looking around.

"Don't tell me you came here to accept, Miss Sibel?!" he said, standing half-naked in front of her and getting closer.

"First, take a step back, soldier. I am still underage. I can put you in jail for arousing me! Oh, silly me! I came here by my own choice. If you were to rape me, it would still be my fault for coming to your room!" she started, holding her chin up to match his height.

"For someone underage, you have a mouth beyond your years! So, do you accept or not, my proposal?"

"I will say this just once. DON'T GET BETWEEN ME AND MY DREAMS, SOLDIER BOY, OR I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE INTO A LIFETIME OF MISERY! And mark my words, because I am not called SIBEL for nothing!" she said as she turned back to open the door, feeling his body pressing against hers, closing the door as she was leaving.

For just a second, fear captured her whole body as he pressed his body against hers. She took a deep breath and opened her darker eyes to see his sadistic smile.

"Go ahead, do what's on your mind!" she provoked him.

"Are you really so bold, little one? Aren't you afraid I can hurt you?!"

"Have you ever seen a dead body complain of wounds, cold, or heat?"

"What are you trying to say?" he said, removing his body but she was still caged by his arms.

"If you think that raping me here will get you to marry me, you're wrong, soldier boy! Neither you nor anyone else in this life will make me endure that shame. Before you even leave this room, I would rather see my creator, Allah!" she said without closing her eyelashes even once. He let her go from his arms' trap. She left, and he was more fascinated by her than ever.

Sibel wasn't like the others he met. She was exquisitely beautiful, surpassing mere teenage beauty and embodying the essence of womanly beauty.

Ah, this is the twist Allah plays on men's hearts! He stirs their souls with the presence of a girl/woman like Sibel. Will Sinbad triumph or surrender his very humanity in the face of such love?!

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