Chapter 5

Samantha receives a message from Zeyd: “I don’t want to bother you, but as a friend, I want to share: I really like her, and she likes me too.” Jealousy stings, but she can’t ignore him. Before work, she replies, “Good for you. What’s her name?”

“Nea,” he replies. Samantha offers congratulations, carefully masking her sadness. Zeyd shares his hopes for a family and his past struggles; his vulnerability touches her. Samantha’s encouragement flatters him. As her shift nears, she ends the conversation. Zeyd, already drunk, falls asleep, his grandfather’s words echoing in the silence: “AND STOP WASTING YOUR TIME CHATTING TO THAT LADY.”

He defied his grandfather this time, for Samantha. His dream begins happily, then descends into a nightmarish vision. He’s a small boy, waiting at a fast-food restaurant in the bitter cold. Esmeralda arrives; she has the same taste in clothes and eyeglasses Samantha once mentioned she likes to wear; they share a meal—a rare treat for him. She leaves, and he’s alone, seeking shelter on a footbridge, chased by a wild dog, losing his shoes in the icy streets. The terror, the cold, the snow—a vivid echo of his past, a chilling reminder of his vulnerability.

Zeyd’s nightmare faded as dawn broke, leaving him exhausted and hungover. Meanwhile, in Asia… Samantha’s shift begins. Hours later, the sun beat down on Bosnia and Herzegovina; it’s 1:00 p.m. At H Summit Holdings, Mateo confronts Haris about Zeyd’s loneliness and Haris’s strict control. Mateo pleads for Zeyd’s right to choose his friends, but Haris is adamant: “He’s not allowed to have a relationship or marry outside our society.”

“They’re just friends,” Mateo insists. Haris’s jaw tightened; his eyes narrowed, his voice tight with suspicion. He challenges Mateo: “How do you know?” Mateo explains seeing their conversation. Haris reveals his suspicion: the woman resembles Esmeralda, triggering painful memories Zeyd must avoid to focus on business. His grip on his pen tightens; his knuckles whiten.

Mateo denies this, saying he saw no resemblance on Samantha’s profile. Haris dares him to check. Mateo finds the account, showing Haris the lack of recent photos. “She changed her profile picture,” Haris suggests, a grim set to his mouth. Unknown to Mateo and Zeyd, Haris had seen a photo of Samantha strongly resembling Esmeralda before it was replaced—a fleeting image that now haunts him. The memory, sharp and clear, burned in his mind.

This fuels his concern because Zeyd isn’t Mateo’s son. He’s Alem’s lost son, the boy who wandered the cold streets, the boy Esmeralda saved. A chilling thought crosses Haris’s mind—will the truth about Samantha shatter Zeyd’s carefully constructed life?

Haris cannot afford to have Zeyd replaced as the successor to the chief executive position at H Summit Holdings, Inc. He has trained Zeyd rigorously to ensure he secures the position he deserves, fulfilling his promise to his best friend, Alem.

Meanwhile, it is 8:00 pm Thursday in Asia. Samantha is at home, eating dinner with her cousin Lena and two friends, Maita and Celina. She rents a room with them. She pushes the food around her plate, her appetite gone. A sigh escapes her lips; exhaustion hangs heavy in the air. She finishes quickly, the untouched portions a testament to her weariness, and retreats to her room.

Feeling exhausted, Samantha lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her phone resting on her chest. Her shoulders slump; a frown creases her brow. The memory of her supervisor’s harsh words and the sting of her failure replays in her mind.

She wants to talk to Zeyd. He always cheers her up with good advice. Samantha decides to send Zeyd a message. She opens her phone, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. The words, “I need to talk” form in her mind, a silent promise before she presses send.

Her cousin and two friends continue their lively dinner conversation. Lena’s voice, sharp and clear, cuts through the air. “Our new supervisor is very strict,” she declares, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, you’re right!” Celina agrees, adding a frown emoticon to her already emphatic tone.

“And she is jealous of Samantha,” Maita exclaims, her voice laced with exasperation.

“I agree. You know why?” Lena asks, her fork momentarily suspended mid-air.

“Of course,” Celina answers, taking a long drink of water. “Her boyfriend is making friends with Samantha.”

“Oh, what’s wrong with that? Samantha isn’t even interested in making friends with that guy,” Lena questions, genuinely confused.

“You don’t get it, Lena? Samantha is more beautiful and kind than our supervisor. That’s why ‘Miss Supervisor’ is afraid that Samantha might replace her in her boyfriend’s life,” Maita explains, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

“You see, your cousin is beautiful, especially if she removes her glasses,” Celina says, her voice full of admiration.

“That’s right. Look, Samantha has long dark brown hair. She is slim, with fair skin and an angelic face. Even though she is not that tall, she looks cute,” Maita adds, describing Samantha with vivid detail.

“But I noticed one thing, Lena,” Celina says, her tone thoughtful.

“What is that?” Lena asks, intrigued.

“Samantha looks like a European woman rather than an Asian woman,” Celina observes.

Lena remains silent, a shadow passing over her face. She knows why Samantha looks that way. It’s a family secret, a burden she carries silently. She can’t tell anyone. Not even Samantha, because their grandmother’s wrath, and the potential return of Samantha’s phobia, are too terrifying to consider. It’s better to keep the truth buried, a silent promise to protect her cousin from the pain of the past.

Samantha has amnesia, according to the doctor, so she cannot remember who she is or where she came from.

Her amnesia explains why, upon waking from her dream, she repeatedly asks herself if she is truly related to Esmeralda and Zeyd. Who is the little boy in the dream—is he Zeyd? Or is the dream meaningless? Her resemblance to Esmeralda is a haunting question that adds to her confusion.