Chapter 4- Sweet Life

-------------

KAYAN

"Bhai, why are we here?" questioned Yaz staring up at the sign of crystal mall

"We are here to hunt elephants" i sassed and he groaned

"I know its a mall! But what are we doing at one?" he questioned me

"Did you not hear mother and Kulthum when we left home?" i questioned him and he rubbed his face

"No" he replied

"Then you are an idiot! They clearly said they wanted something from here each month- before we forget, lets just buy them something now" i said and he sighed

"First tell your bodyguards to leave us alone" he stated admantly staring at my- clad in black- boys

"Why? They are there for protection! You saw what happened in Singapore two months back, didn't you?" i asked him and he sighed

"Fine" he muttered as we began walking

after some time, he spoke again

"Don't we have to over see the preparations in Toronto too?" he asked me as we made our way into the mall

"We do- and that will be done once we finish the graphics of both the hotels" I replied shoving my hands into my jean pockets

I walked around the mall when i saw a lady in hijab

Immediately i was reminded to Amyrah

When i went for the morning walk with her, my bodyguards were supposed to follow but i had asked them not to.

That was stupid of me. I had put myself in danger as well as her but Alhamdulillah, nothing went wrong

There was something, just something about that girl that intrigued me alot

alot

"hey, you alright?" asked Yaz, snapping me out of my momentary trance and i nodded

I just met her twice for Allah's sake!

"Lets go" i said and he nodded before we began hunting for things for my mother and sister

two hours later, we still had nothing

at all

Who knew finding a gift for your sister and mother would be so hard

"Lets just look for it some other time. For now we need to go to the hotel to take a look at the preparations. Remember bhai, the opening is in three weeks" said Yaz and i nodded

We got into my car and drove to Palms International with my bodyguards to

I got the idea of Palms when i was in Fiji visiting my grandma. She loves the palm trees and one day we were lounging in the sun when she randomly gave me this idea of making a hotel that gives off the summer vibes all through out the year.

I rather liked it and chose Canada for them because well, Canada is usually cold and all so yeah (Or so i was told). Adding onto the fact that the canadian market was high at the moment, i guess we had ourselves a deal.

I drove to the hotel carpark and got off

Fortunately, the carpark was underground so it was not so chilly here

We walked to the elevators and got in

"Why don't we pay Miss. Geet a visit?" asked Yaz and i chuckled

"Of course!" i winked at him as the elevators began moving up

Miss. Geet Chopra was the manager of this hotel at the moment. She was initially the manger of our Sydney hotel but we shifted her here because of the trust we had in her.

The elevators dinged and opened, giving us the view of a crowded hallway and a very pissed off looking Geet

"Good afternoon Miss Geet" said Yaz, giving her a smile

"Oh good evening Mr. Yazdan, Mr. Kayan" she said, her aging face breaking into a large smile

"How are you?" i asked her and she rubbed her cheek slightly

"I am fine, i guess" she muttered and i chuckled

"Miss. C, Why don't you take a break for now? I will oversee the things here for at least two days, yes?" i said and she nodded without hesitation

We have been preparing for this even for three months now, it cannot simply go wrong

I took my time in accessing each room, each corner of the hallway and each balcony. Since it is a big hotel, i know i won't be able to finish today so i gave it a rest and decided to hit the library that was a few blocks down here

"Where you off to?" asked Yaz when he saw me walking towards the main door at the first floor

"Library- Garrad and Mac will be with me" i said and he nodded before i walked out, my guards following me

I shivered as the cold air hit my body but since i was clad in jacket and warm clothes from head to toe, i was alright.

"Sir, may i ask why you are walking in this cold to a mere bookstore?" asked Mac and i shot him a smile

"Its not a mere bookstore, Mac, its a place with the world's knowledge in the form of a library" i said and he nodded

"Do you boys read?" i asked them and they shrugged

"Why not?" i questioned

"Mayhap we never got time" said Mac and i turned to look at him

"No time?" i asked them and they looked at each other before nodding

"Whatever do you mean by that?" I asked them and they sighed

"Sir, you know we come from families with poor background, for me- all the time i had i spent it either training to be part of the Army or i spent it helping in the family apple farm" said Garrad and I rubbed my temple

I knew what they had faced before coming here.

"And you Mac?" i asked him

"I do read, Sir- But i guess i was too busy training and looking after my niece to do so" he muttered and i nodded

"Alright then, lets get moving" I said and they nodded before we continued down a few more meters

The smell of the library was unlike anything else

The smell of books, the scent of utmost knowledge and what not

It used to be my favorite place back in High school days

"Good evening Sir, how may i help you?" asked the lady without looking up

"Evening m'lady, i am just browsing around" i informed her before walking away

I browsed the fiction section but found no book of my liking. Books like Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon or perhaps The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, now those books are my kind. One that gives you a life lesson. One that shows you part of their life and you are able to relate it to yourself

I know, people say those are girl things but thats being gender biased. Not only girls read books, boys do too and surprisingly i was a nerd in high school. A very popular one at that and i still wear glasses

i was walking out of the library when i caught a sight of a very familiar lady

Her hijab flew all about in the cold air but she did nothing to control it

And

i kinda, might have found that.......... cute

Okay so heres the thing about me: I don't lie to myself.

Whats true is true- simple

I express what i feel

And i found her cute at the moment

"You boys go, i will catch up" i said to the guards and they gave me worried looks

I know my mother strictly instructed them to not leave me alone but still

"Go! I will be fine" i said and they nodded

I crossed the road and walked to her

"As salaam Miss. Amyrah"

She turned around and was about to hit me when i stepped back

"Okay lesson learnt my lady- put your hand down" i said looking at her in shock

"Wa alaikum mus salaam- I am so sorry" she said apologitically and i shrugged

"No big deal. How come I see you here?" i asked her and she smiled slightly

"Mr. Kayan, i am a busy lady- i have to be at many places. I was just here to meet a client" she said nodding to the coffee shop ahead of us

"Coffee?" i asked her and she shook her head

"No coffee during the day" she chuckled

"Perhaps hot chocolate then?" i asked her and she shook her head

"I am getting late for yet another meeting with my designers. And surpringly its about Palm International Hotels" she replied checking her watch

"I am glad to see some work is progressing" i replied and she nodded

"Alright then, i guess i will see you later" she said

"Alright then, Allah hafiz" i said waving at her before walking away

"Allah Hafiz, Mr. Kayan" she replied walking away too

I shook my head and smiled

This girl was something

She had so much money to flaunt but she chose not do so

Interesting

I took out my phone and dialled Mac's number

I heard the ring beside me and turned to see both of them standing there with serious expressions like always

"Boys" i nodded at them and they hid their smiles, Mac failing to do so though

"Shall we leave for the hotels, Sir?" asked Garrad and I nodded

"We shall"

with that we strolled up the street to the hotel

and.........back to work

huh sweet life

-----------