Chapter 3: Zeynep Jamal
Elba casually walked down the stairs of the second block out of the four that housed her bedroom,eyes glued to her phone.She was still in her pajamas.She giggled and smiled at a text from Lamar,a snap of his face with a pout still in bed.
The ambassador's official residence,the Huber Villa in Tarabya sitting on eight twenty meter square of land had four main blocks and a central hall uniting all four of them.She walked through the central courtyard and terrace bridging into the empty oval dining room.She went further to the bottom garden storey and walked into the equally silent kitchen.She went straight for the fridge placing her phone on top before she opened it.
The loud silence didn't scare her,the residence was a fortress.Nothing scarry could go through the heavily guarded gates and there were more security personnel in the guesthouse than she needed.Her mother also had a bodyguard following her wherever she went despite her refusal for one.It was always this quiet at home unless her mother,Mrs J,as Ayla called her, was hosting her dignitary friends over wine parties or trying to bore Ayla to death by teaching her to bake and being a saturday,Elba didn't expect her in the house.Ayla hadn't even attended the party last night and saturday's were her days off.
Her father,Emir Jamal,Turkey's ambassador to Dubai was never home unless he had business matters to attend to back home or he was on a sick leave or...he was on a vacation.Elba skimmed through the fridge and her eyes landed on a foil covered white tin.She picked it up and the aroma of heavily spiced chicken soup hit her nostrils when she peeled the cover open,reminding her the rest plan she had before Lamar successfully eloped with her from the party to his Grande Erdogan Hotel penthouse."I made that for when you come home last night..."
Elba sharply turned because she hadn't seen anyone else in the kitchen because she hadn't bothered to look.On the far corner of the kitchen was Zeynep Jamal,her mother seated alone in the mini dining table they used when her father was away instead of the twenty sitter main dining room.
Zeynep was a short woman,and by short means shorter than Elba's five point seven foot model height.Her black hair always kept at a shoulder length's bob.She was beautiful,like the precious stone her name insinuated with big expressive eyes.She was a happy mom and wife,if the crease laugh lines on her corner eyes were any indicator.She was a full time mother and wife and greatly valued her very closely knit family.She would do anything to keep it that way,including having another unnoticed bodyguard following her daughter and reporting what goes on around her.
"You should have atleast told me you'll be home late last night!"Elba noticed her mother wasn't her usual jittery self that was always on the verge of keeping up with her young daughter's love life,she was a fan of Lamar.And the untouched food dishes on the dining table made it look like she had waited there overnight.Had something happened?
"Oh,come here you."Zeynep's face lit up in a smile fresher than dew in the morning and spread her arms out.Elba shoved whatever alarming thoughts she had to the back of her head and joined her mother at the dining table."I'll make you another soup but that is after you tell me everything that happened when Lamar and you left the party and where you went."
Zeynep stood up and served her daughter a full plate of bacon and scrambled eggs then another with toasted sandwich."I made these myself especially for my princess and before you say it...I know your breakfast routine perfectly well.But rules are made to be broken,right?"
She filled a glass with black berry juice and sat back down eagerly waiting to hear from her daughter what she already knew.No one could blame her for being over protective,Elba was her only child.
"How do you know I left with Lamar?You weren't at the party."Elba asked diving into her rich breakfast.Her routine breakfast normally included no proteins,greasy or sugary staff and white coffee.
"Well...you are right I wasn't at the party.Ayla told me."Elba stopped her hand midway to her mouth because she was almost certain Ayla wasn't at the party.
"I didn't see her there."
"You couldn't see her because you only had eyes for Lamar."Zeynep claimed."Now stop trying to change the story and give me something.It's bad enough that I waited overnight to hear your latest sexcapade."
Elba blushed and a little giggle escaping from her lips."That's exactly what I'm talking about,now spill the beans."
"Nothing special, really.He drove me back to his penthouse and we had candlelit dinner and more wine and...then he drove me home.I'm not saying anything else."
Zeynep giggled.
"Whatever part you are leaving out must have been a bliss to put into words."
"Anne...Stop it.Thank you for breakfast but Lamar is waiting for me.We are going to Anatolia."
"Seriously,I thought we could have some quality mother and daughter bonding time today.And your grandmother is also coming."Elba stopped at the mention of her grandmother.She was the one Elba was named after,Rubi and to say they didn't get along was an understatement.They were ironically like oil and water or parallel lines that never meet.
"Tell nene I said hello when she comes and give her a kiss for me."
...
Zeynep Jamal or Mrs J took out her phone immediately her daughter left and dialed Ayla's number.
"Good morning,Mrs J.What can I do for you today?"Came Ayla's sweet voice.
"Ayla...how are you today?I know you are good otherwise you would have told me.If Elba asks if you went to the party last night say yes."
"But I didn't--"
"Just do as I say and you can come by for a free pastry class tomorrow."
"Okaaay."
"Well,that would be all.Bye!"She hurriedly scrolled through her phone after the brief call with Ayla.Her eyes swept over the kitchen and the door before dialing another number."Good morning Mohamed.Sorry to disturb you early this morning.Elba is heading out to Anatolia and I want to know everything she'll do there and who she'll meet.And I don't have to remind you to be discreet."
"Yes ma'am!"The husky voice said through the phone.
After that call,Zeynep seemed to relax a bit.She had taken the extra caution to stalk her daughter...more like looking after her from a distance as soon as she and her husband started receiving letters threatening to take Elba away if the senders didn't get the stated amounts of money.That had been after Elba's debut in the modeling industry.
Zeynep knew very well who the sender's of those letters were.But she wasn't ready to loose her only love child over something as stupid as money.And Mohamed,the extra bodyguard was supposed to report to her if he saw any suspicious people approaching her daughter.Not even the ambassador knew that Zeynep was stalking their daughter.
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