The Chessboard, the Game of Love and Challenge

By amal bukhari

The first time I saw the legendary shiny emerald in your eyes, a fierce war between us began.
My breath interpenetrated into the darkness of your hair, in its mysterious darkness, there myself was lost, I found myself watching your steps which fascinated me, and here I am. After I was fleeing from you, I saw myself coming back to you, my feelings were streaming toward you, I just found them like rain falling lavishly, with true love and true giving, I found my heartbeats screaming I love you, covered with a shiver of a fear of you or a worry about you.
I found my soul shivering like a shiver of mysterious death when you abandoned me, my breath pounced and rushed to you, every breath says I will reach you before the others.
I came to complain about you to you, in my desperate moments I came looking for you,
Despite all the distance, I want to feel your presence, your presence is never to be stopped by my limits or yours.

• Language: English
• Publisher: amal bukhari
• Release date: Feb 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386585084

Book preview

Amal Bukhari

THE BEGINNING

The first time I saw the legendary shiny emerald in your eyes, a fierce war between us began.

My breath interpenetrated into the darkness of your hair, in its mysterious darkness, there myself was lost, I found myself watching your steps which fascinated me, and here I am. After I was fleeing from you, I saw myself coming back to you, my feelings were streaming toward you, I just found them like rain falling lavishly, with true love and true giving, I found my heartbeats screaming I love you, covered with a shiver of a fear of you or a worry about you.

I found my soul shivering like a shiver of mysterious death when you abandoned me, my breath pounced and rushed to you, every breath says I will reach you before the others.

I came to complain about you to you, in my desperate moments I came looking for you,

Despite all the distance, I want to feel your presence, your presence is never to be stopped by my limits or yours.

I want to feel your heart, I want your overwhelming love to embrace me, make me forget my pain,

and here I’m, after I had tried to escape from you, I couldn’t, and I will always come back to you, because I miss you, I’m looking for you in my memories.

I’m looking for you in my past and my future, when you abandoned me... being away from you made me feel death.

I stretched out my hand to touch yours as my bleeding heart has weakened me, your love is my cure and seeing you is my healer.

I came to declare my defeat, my feelings defeated me, and you are my fate in this life...

You are my true love and the meaning of my life.

Because I love you, I will not complain about you to anyone but you.

You taught me that whispers are our communication, your absence is the secret of my sadness; your looks are the secret to my happiness.

For you I write while your image is filling my horizons, I will not write to anyone but you, and your love will always capture me, your immortal memories will always be in my eyes.

YOU ARE THE FIRST MAN who broke into my life and the first whom I declared war upon.

I don’t know why I’m trying to escape from you; maybe I’m afraid of you or worry about you,

I don’t know what makes me attracted to you, I’m trying to be defeated by my feelings, myself, my memories, my presence in your life.

You are the first man who ignited the fire of love within me; you are the first man who played the sweetest love melodies on my hearts strings, you are always in my dreams, you never left my imagination.

How could I forget you while you were quenching me with your tenderness?! Know well that you are kind-hearted, your heart has taken me from the world of forgetfulness; you have washed away my fear, you made me feel safe.

I came here to tell you that I missed you.

and I’m tired of escaping from you... and I’m tired of being away.

Here I’m, today I declare my love to you before the whole world, and I confess before them. No one fascinated my heart except you.

I can’t help leaving you anymore, I will not abandon you until the end of my lifetime, in my imagination, your memories refused to fade away, so I declared my fail to forget you. Because you still capture my heart, and it never beats for anyone else but you.

Despite the thousands of miles between us, my eyes don’t see anyone except you, my heart doesn’t feel for anyone except you, and I do not want anyone except you.

You are a story that was written by my heart and by my yearning, everything begins with you and ends with you,

you are its core and the spring of its seasons,

its pages are your details, you are its star, roaming between its lines, everyone that reads it feels it is a legendary story,

Know very well that my love for you is an imagination, in a time that love becomes impossible.

Chapter 1

DESPOTISM OF GRANDFATHER!

- Seniorita cactus? Your grandfather, Senior Carlo De Ferro is on the phone....

Carla’s secretary voice seemed calm and cold when she was telling Carla about her grandfather’s call. Carla realized that her grandfather’s call is suspicious, and she murmured:

Oh grandpa, what do you want, now?!

She peeped at her silver watch; she found it’s still early. It’s ten past nine; she forced herself to breathe deeply before she said:

- Please... shift my grandfather’s call to my office, Jennifer...

- Ok, Seniorita De Ferro.

She disconnected the inner speaker that connects her with her secretary's office; then she leaned her back on the big leather chair, her heart was beating so fast as she was so tense.

- This situation is silly. No, It’s very silly! What’s wrong with her?

How does she let tension control her while she is Carla Cactus Warta De Ferro the businesswoman who learned through many years how to control herself and get what she wants?!

The phone ring brought her to reality, then she held herself and raised the telephone receiver and answered:

- Carla De Ferro..

Her grandfather’s strict voice came to her and said

- Carla, finally I could find you, why did you switch off your cell phone?

- Oh, I’m sorry grandpa, I was so busy.

Her grandfather immediately scolded her and said

- Bullshit! Do you think I’m a little kid to be fooled?!

As she wasn’t in a good mood to argue with him, and she already had enough things that made her worry and busy as well, so she answered him with impatience:

- Ok grandpa, here I am, what’s wrong? What is the important matter?

He answered in a cold voice:

You know well what I want to speak about.

Carla exhaled her breath slowly, shaking on her chair, tapping her fingers on the desk:

- Oh, not again... Haven’t we finished it yet, grandpa?!

He answered sharply:

- No, Carla... We didn’t even start to finish, you know you are getting old and never thought till now to get married, this means that all my wealth will be a state property if you don’t get married and sire an inheritor, you are my only granddaughter and you know well our family traditions... The girl inherits nothing if she isn’t married!

- Come on grandpa; you repeat these words for a long time.

- I mean what I say Carla, this time I warn you to think seriously about this matter.

She grated her teeth, then murmured:

- Ok, grandpa let's postpone talking on this matter.

- I will leave you now Carla, but you know you’ll never escape from me... Bye.

When grandfather finished the conversation, Carla hung up the phone and put down the telephone receiver harshly expressing her resentment; then she stood up cursing in a low voice:

Shit... Shit! I have got enough work problems even my grandfather makes it worse by calling and talking about my marriage again, what a silly talk!

She started to walk, back and forth in her office, she was nervous like a cat in a cage!

She walked toward the glass window that looks at half of the city of Rome; she stood there while her mind was thinking. Why does her grandfather insist on making her get married? This is absurd, is her grandfather expecting her to leave all that she built in the last years? Woe to this!

Now, she wants to work only, so why must she forsake all her achievements to get married? What a narrow thinking of her grandfather that refers to past centuries!

Carla adjusted the silky blouse that she wore under a beautiful gray suit; the suit covered her body tenderly badged with a famous international brand, the suit showed her clear bronze skin, slim waist, and lofty tall body.

Her green eyes tightened and stopped for a moment thinking of something; then she went forward to her desk, she sat on her chair and took out her mirror to check her appearance. Her hair was combed in a small pigtail over her head in the French style; she looked at her oval face, her small nose, her small mouth with tiny lips painted with soft rosy color, her green eyes with its thick, bent eyelashes that have two slender eyebrows. After she had made sure that her appearance was still intact, she folded her mirror and put it in the drawer. She then sighed and decided to study a project file concerning the setting up a new affiliate and the lands suit for the project; then she decided to press the inner communication button, Jennifer’s calm voice came to her saying:

- Yes, Seniorita De Ferro 

- Jennifer, bring me a cup of coffee, the file for setting up a new affiliate for our company and the newspapers that have land offers so that I can study it.

She hanged up, then she leaned on the edge of her desk thinking of all those years that she spent that made the company as it is now; an international name, remarkable position in the state, to prove that she became a significant and powerful person in the world of business.

She could through the last seven years take charge of the International company of De Ferro for import and export, she is 28 years old now, and the direct responsibility of the most important company for import and export in the state.

She reached this position after exerting a great effort after she had graduated from Stanford University in the USA and got a certificate in economics and business management with an excellent grade, she came back to her motherland Italy to work in the family’s company.

Her style at work was strict and result-oriented; she has a lot of talent and experience, she worked very hard to reach what she is now, she decided to get this matter away from her mind and focused on the important subject which is the land where the new affiliate will be built.

She took a comfortable position on her vast leather chair leaning a little bit backward, she put one leg on another, she looked at her elegant old fashion desk which was made of luxurious mahogany wood, she looked at her elegant, expensive Persian carpet that covers most of the office floor, and the precious paintings that decorate the walls which are painted by the most famous artists like Michael Angelo and Bicaso, then she looked at the elegant couch in ivory color, she determined within herself not to lose all of these, as she is the person who developed the work after she was put in charge by her grandfather, she made the company the best one in the country.

A knock on the door made Carla raise her eyes and said;

Come in, Jean.

Jean came in carrying in one hand a tray of coffee, its aromatic smell spread in the whole office, and another hand carrying a file and a newspaper, she went forward to Carla’s desk and put the coffee, the file and the newspaper on the desk, and said:

- Anything else, Seniorita?

- No, thank you, Jean... 

When Jean went out and closed the door, Carla held the cup of coffee and had a sip then she put it back on the desk, she picked up the newspaper and began to read the info about the suitable and selected lands to build the new affiliate, soon she found an advert that made her eyes glow and a broad smile of consent was drawn on her face.

It was an advert for a land owned by the Curels; it was the same land that was the property of the family of De Ferro. They, however, lost this land, but she is determined to get it back again, it is her happy day...

She murmured to herself:

Oh, now the fun will begin because I found my wish, and I will work on possessing this land which were the source of De Ferro family’s glory, my mother's glory... This is the game I like most, and I use my skills on it, not silly talk about marriage, I will not let any man possess me and throw me like what happened to my mother, how much I hated your weakness and despotism of my grandfather on my mom, and I will never let him do this again!

At that point, she picked up the phone receiver and called a telephone number that was written on the file and started the work!

- SEBASTIAN, COME HERE, look I found it...

Max - an assistant and a friend of Sebastian- came into the architectural company, he was carrying an open newspaper which contains photos and reports for lands.

Sebastian Dela Sira turned his eyes away from the architectural design of a house that he was working on for one of his clients when Max came to his office without knocking, Sebastian was so annoyed because he hates it when his work is being disturbed, he is distracted, and it's hard to regain his concentration.

In a clear tone of anger, he said:

Max, didn’t your mother teach you how to knock on the door! You know you distracted me while I was working on this design. Now explain to me why did you come in like that...?

Max laughed a little then he closed the door and went toward the desk and sat on the chair in front of the desk. In a moment, Max restored his serious face again then he looked at Sebastian who seemed unhappy and impatient and said:

Do you know Sebastian, I found a treasure for you, and you will give me a promotion for this work?

Then, he opened the newspaper in his hand and placed it on the desk toward Sebastian, his eyes were glowing in enthusiasm and added:

Look at it yourself, and you’ll see what I mean!

Sebastian took the newspaper, he looked at the opened page, after a minute he raised his eyes to Max smiling and said:

- Oh my God! You are a genius explorer, Max, it’s really the desired land, as it is advertised in the newspaper; make my dreams come true.

He laughed for a little while and continued:

Ok, I’ll call them now, and I’ll send them a fax with our request...

Immediately, Sebastian picked up the telephone receiver in his office and called the number on the file, after a moment he was answered by a feminine voice:

- Hello, this is Guido Curel office, can I help you...

Sebastian answered her:

- Hello, I’m Sebastian, can I speak to Senior Guedo?

- I’m sorry Senior Sebastian, but Senior Guedo is out now, would you like me to make an appointment for you?

- Yes, as fast as you can...

- Senior Guedo can meet you tomorrow at 3 pm. Is that ok?

Sebastian answered her with his blue eyes glowing:

- Yes, this is good, thanks.

- You are welcome Senior Sebastian; I wish you a happy day...

She hanged up.

Sebastian put the telephone receiver back, he raised his head up, and Max said to him:

- Didn’t I tell you, you’ll like this?

- You were right my friend. Thank you for this, I called their office and made an appointment tomorrow at 3 pm; I’m so excited about this as if I have never been excited for any project of mine before.

Max nodded, he understood Sebastian’s excitement, if they could own this land they would be able to sell it to an important businessman who wants to build mills, and need a land similar to the land of Curel’s family, and Sebastian will be in charge of building these mills, this will improve the company’s income, so Sebastian can use the money to expand his company and build new affiliates in Italy....

Sebastian murmured:

- Wish me luck, my good friend; we really need it.

Max patted Sebastian’s shoulders and encouraged him and said:

- I wish you luck, Sebastian, you're a great man, and you deserve all good things, don’t worry, you own a great mind and a strong will to overcome all hardships and get what you want, you’ll get this land and the whole deal God willing.

- I hope so, Max.

But what Sebastian didn’t know was that he would meet his rival tomorrow afternoon... A cruel icy desert night... If Carla was a desert night, so would Sebastian be a cool spring day to quench the desert’s thirst?!

Chapter 2

The game begins

The hot air in Rome surrounded its high buildings. Crowds are all over the city streets which made travelling a hard mission... Carla looked at the crowd and felt so weary of this view that causes so much distress.

She frowned her eyebrows and moved her fingers on the steering wheel while she was thinking about Curel’s family land, that land was owned by her maternal grandfather, but the crisis that her grandfather Carlo passed through forced him to sell the land, now that she is in charge of all things, she will regain what was once owned by her family for a long time.

There were olives and green grape trees planted on that land at the range of vision; the Tevere river passes through this land, she saw much grief in her mother’s eyes when this land was sold. Damn! This isn’t the right time for emotions to weaken her... the land has a great history to De Ferro’s aristocratic noble family, and she intends to build a mill affiliate of the company, no one can stop her, she is used to possessing what she wants, now she has an appointment with Guedo Curel.

Carla changed the car speed as soon as the traffic lights changed, and she drove her sports car forward using its powerful motor.

The air moved her dark hair and swayed from a knot over her head; she raised her hand to remove her hair away from her face... The sunglasses hid her beautiful eyes. The lineaments on her attractive face often attract many looks of admiration. A mocking smile appeared on her face as she knew how many envious people who saw a woman driving a luxurious red Ferrari! She thought, money isn’t everything, and beauty is proven to be useless at some point, she discovered this early by herself.

The destructive memories stormed her beautiful brain. She took the memories off her head and decided to flip the pages of past over and focus on driving in that horrible jam.

After ten minutes she sighed while she was turning to the parking lot under the huge building where Guedo Curel's office is located. Carefully, she parked her car in the underground parking space.

She took her bag and got off the car, at the same time, a black Lamborghini and two Italian cars arrived and exited in the same place at the same time, it rarely happens... She shrugged her shoulders then she watched the driver interestingly behind his steering wheel; he was a tall young man with broad shoulders wearing a black suit; he has a wide face as if a sculptor chiseled it, and big eyes with two magnificent eyebrows... A fine slope for his beautiful Roman nose, a nice jaw, a sculptured mouth, and well combed brown thick hair, walking gracefully indicates his strength...

He is in mid-thirties, that's what she thought, he is incredibly handsome; he is strict in an arrogant way, his countenance is somewhat familiar, she refreshed her memory to remember where she saw him before, but she didn’t remember any name to identify him, as he felt her staring, he raised his head; she wasn’t ready for this look which attacked her and settled on her face; he stared into her surprised eyes.

She felt angry inside, and that made her eyes glow with a strong green flame... How dare he look at me like this? Oh, how much I hate men. They are just empty heads and perverted eyes! With severe anger, she moved toward her car and closed its door and switched on its burglar alarm; then she walked across the three elevators to elevate her to the twelfth floor.

She was incredibly tense as she was still waiting when he came to join her; she stood silent until she heard the arrival of one of the elevators, once the door was opened she went forward softly and gracefully into the elevator.

She stretched her hand to the keyboard to press the number of the floor where Guedo Curel's office was, at the same time when the man stretched his hand, their fingers touched each other accidentally which made her afraid, and she pulled her hand back quickly as if her fingers were burned. When she did that, the man astonishingly frowned at his forehead, then he shrugged his shoulders carelessly and looked at the floor waiting for the elevator to arrive.

When the elevator moved she stood silently, in fact, she desired to be away from the strong presence of men.

She felt tension controlling her when she saw the careless shrug of his shoulder... This move made her feel as if she was a dumb person and that was what increased her anger. So what does he think of himself? She didn’t even want to look at him, in order not to give him a reason that makes him feel satisfied.

A voice deep inside her informs her that this person knows exactly who she is, and he wants to annoy her somehow, she expected him to use any phrase men are used to saying when they see a pretty woman, but when he didn’t do so, she felt angry more and more; as she didn’t get the chance to give him a mocking and ironic reply.

The man turned around a little bit, so his eyes shocked her, his eyes weren’t blue or gray, they were mix of the two colors, suddenly she realized her appearance and realized that she wore her black suit which was made carefully according to the latest fashion with decent silky white blouse covering practically her perfect body, her dark hair raised over her head in harmony with the countenance of her delicate and soft face which reflects her balance and elegance, her high heeled black shoes gave her additional confidence.

It took ten seconds to reach the twelfth floor, but she felt it was like minutes, she desired to go out, so she went out immediately once the door was opened...

But her sense of relief being away from him didn’t last for a long; she found out that he went out too and he was heading to the same suite that she was going to.

She went to the information office, then she mentioned her name and the name of Guedo who has an appointment with her, she chose a close chair to sit and stretched her hand to pick up a magazine; she felt his presence intensively as he was standing just before her eyes, something in him annoys her, sort of mysterious feeling.

- Señorita De Ferro, follow me, please, Senior Curel is waiting for you.

Carla followed the stylish secretary through the wide silver passage to a modern office which looks at the magnificent view of the city, she replied the greeting of Guedo then she chose a chair opposite the desk to sit, and she said:

- Ok, Senior Guedo, when we talked last week, we almost agreed on the land price and the date of delivery, didn’t we? for sure there is something very important that made you ask to see me.

- Of course, Señorita. 

Guedo extended his hand to take a file flipping his papers then he said:

- These papers were sent to me by a private correspondent yesterday afternoon. Subsequently, a call from a man emphasized on the significance of these papers.

She slightly frowned her forehead and said:

- but what do these papers have to do with our subject?!

- Yes... but showing it was better.

- What do you mean?

His glasses slid over his nose as he bent his head so that he could look at Carla behind the frame.

- I have a customer who wants to buy the land, Señorita De Ferro, and the customer’s offer is better than yours.

He stopped to look carefully at the name that was written before him.

- Dela Sira Architectural Company is presenting this offer, and I’ll accept the best one, this is according to my uncle’s instructions, the owner of the land.

Carla’s countenance shrank out of the shock; her eyes widened like two big emerald reflects anger and disbelief, she said angrily:

- You cannot do that. We almost agreed, you know well that this land was owned by my mother’s family years ago, and I intend to regain it, do understand me?

Her voice choked as she continued:

- Were it not a crisis; the land would never belong to you.

Guedo stopped to clear his throat a little, her anger astonished him, and he said:

- I’m with you Señorita, but I’m only an agent for my uncle, and I have nothing to do with this.

- Do you want me to raise the price to get the land?

- Yes, even more, because the land could be offered in the public auction.

- This is impossible, I will not let anyone possess this land except my family, my mother would never let the land to be sold if she had a title, and what is for De Ferro remains for De Ferro...

Then she remembered the historical and spiritual value for this land which her mother loved very much; she soon put these thoughts aside to focus on work now in a way that would enable her to win the land whatever the cost.

Guedo interrupted her line of thoughts and said:

- I understand your worry Señorita, now you can meet the person who presented another offer, so we