FAMOUS

Zeynep Baysal took a deep breath; her feet ached inside the black shoes, and she cursed herself for following her sister's idea. She could still hear her sister murmuring in her ear.

"You need to look stunning! Do you know how many women dream of touching Emir Ozkurt? He's a star! My dream would be to be his romantic partner, and now your hands will touch him!"

"He's a snob... Some makeup artists told me he doesn't even say good morning."

"Oh, my beautiful Zeynep, you say good morning to him."

"Tuğba, don't bother me. Please."

The girl's thoughts were interrupted by his arrival. Emir Ozkurt entered the makeup room like a king, as was his custom. He looked disdainfully at the girl, who was very beautiful but visibly poor and probably without class. However, she held his gaze.

Emir looked at himself, and she assessed him with her blue eyes. He was quite tall, and yet he knew his walk was pleasant to watch. He then walked, teasing the poor girl.

He stared at her with slightly narrowed blue eyes, sat in the chair, and continued to stare.

"Miss, I know you're not used to seeing a man of my level, and I understand your admiration, but I must remind you that you're here to work."

"Thank goodness you reminded me, Mr. Ozkurt," Zeynep tried to smile; she couldn't miss the opportunity.

"Then do your job. Today, besides the soap opera launch, I have an award ceremony."

Zeynep analyzed Emir's skin, and the secret was to apply the least amount of product possible. He was truly handsome; he only needed a few details, like removing the shine and giving a blush, as he was very pale. She took two concealers and a translucent powder from her extensive palette and, confident, began to clean the star's skin. She used micellar water to remove excess oil, followed by thermal water.

Concealer was applied to the dark circles, probably he hadn't slept, and she finished with a bronzing powder to add some color. He opened his eyes, and Zeynep swallowed hard.

"Ready, Mr. Ozkurt."

"I've never seen you here; you're not going to tell me they left a rookie to fix me up!"

"No, Mr. Ozkurt, I'm an excellent makeup artist. I'm new here, but I'm already known in the industry."

Emir looked at the girl; she was indeed beautiful, with black hair tied in a samurai-style bun and blue eyes adorned with kohl. She seemed to have a well-proportioned body, as far as he could tell through the apron.

"What's your name?"

"Baysal, Zeynep Hazan Baysal."

"Hazan means autumn; it's a beautiful name. But Zeynep is stronger."

"Thank you, Mr. Emir Ozkurt."

"Tonight, if you're not busy, come to my room," Emir held her hand more intimately, which made her pull it away immediately.

"You can't touch me! What do you think I am?" she said indignantly.

"A girl who has the potential to be more than just a makeup artist... If you know how to be nice, of course."

Without thinking twice, Zeynep grabbed a utility knife from the table and struck Emir's left cheek.

"Are you crazy?" the young man's blue eyes sparked with fury.

"Do you think I'm one of those women who spend the night with you to be a headline in gossip news?"

"Of course not! They charge a hundred dollars an hour, and you wouldn't be worth a quarter of that," Emir stood up, and Zeynep huffed before leaving the room. She had barely taken two steps when Emir pulled her back.

"Who do you think you are to ignore me and leave like this? I am Emir Ozkurt!" Zeynep rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Ozkurt, then take advantage of the fact that your name buys women for a hundred dollars and pay for..."

"If I want, you'll be mine for a whole night. And it will be your blood staining my sheets, if you have anything that still stains anything."

"Mr. Ozkurt," Emir looked back and saw Murat; his eyes went from Emir to Zeynep and stopped at his friend's eyes.

"Murat, I..."

"Who is your friend this time? I've told you not to bring these women to the studio."

"Hey! Not these women! First, I'm not his friend; second, I work here. And third, I wouldn't walk with this kind even if he were the last man on Earth!"

"You don't need to lie to me; I don't judge anyone."

Zeynep left grumbling while Emir burst into laughter.

"Now seriously, Emir... Don't bring your flings to the studio; it damages your reputation with the production company, no matter how good an actor you are."

"She's not a fling; she..."

"All of them are..." he said disdainfully. "Now pay attention! Today is the launch of 'Stolen Love,' and you are the protagonist. Please, don't show up with a woman like that today; the protagonist is a lord based on Mr. Darcy. And that's the image you have to sell."

"Mr. Darcy," Emir rolled his eyes as he breathed heavily. "How many episodes again?"

"Fifty-three. Oh, don't start."

"Over a year pretending to be a prince? Featuring in teenage magazines? That's not what I want; I don't want to be just the pretty boy. I want to direct! Show what I know."

"It's not your time yet. You will be a great director, but today you are Alihan Imhotep, the Mr. Darcy of the East."

"So be it."

"Who hurt your face?"

"It was... It was me, accidentally cut myself."

Emir Ozkurt's thoughts sought Miss Baysal.

Zeynep was at the door of Channel 8, thinking she would be fired, but the complaint didn't come. On the contrary, she was given the address of the soap opera launch event, where she had to arrive before the cast.

She went home thinking about Mr. Ozkurt. He was undoubtedly very arrogant, using his fame as ammunition to treat women like garbage.

She couldn't say what people saw in him; a complete jerk who thought he was the last oasis in the deserts.

Zeynep couldn't stand men like him.

She took the bus and went home, her feet still hurting in the shoes.

She arrived in the neighborhood, and upon entering the house, she saw that she was alone. She took a quick shower and threw herself on the bed. She turned on the TV in her room, and the first thing that appeared was Emir Ozkurt on a gossip show.

"Women want to know how you got hurt..."

"Well," he blinked a few times and smiled at the host, "my cat scratched me; she's very feisty."

Zeynep laughed at that.

"What's the name of this wild cat..."

"Autumn."

Zeynep dropped the remote control on the floor just as her mother entered with her sister.

"Emir," Tuğba shouted at the TV, "look, Mom, how handsome he is."

"It's useless to look at men like Emir and sneak around with poor guys... Yasin will only give you this," Fazilet took cucumbers out of the bag while looking with disdain at the house.

"There's nothing wrong with dating Yasin, Mom," Zeynep intervened.

"Don't listen to your sister; look at her... Emir Ozkurt would never look at her, so she's resigned to those types in the neighborhood."

"I got an invitation for Tuğba."

"Great. Go, Tuğba, ask Bilnaz to do your hair, hurry. Hopefully, Emir Ozkurt will notice you."

Zeynep thought about telling her mother who Mr. Ozkurt was and gave up, just observing her sister leaving the house.

Tuğba went down to Bilnaz's house, not without sending a message through Yasin's sister about the party at Channel 8.

Little did she know that it would change the story.

Around seven o'clock in the evening, Tuğba and Zeynep were ready; they took a rental car, and while Tuğba headed to the main entrance, the elder sister entered through the employees' section.

After the entire cast was ready, she was allowed to go to the party.

The cocktail was lively and elegant; unconsciously, she looked for Emir Ozkurt and found him in a corner, flirting with Yasemin Hanım, his scene partner, and photographers took pictures of them. Zeynep went to the bar and ordered a glass of champagne.

While the bartender served her, she observed various drinks, and one of them caught her attention because black, long nails dropped a tablet into it, which quickly effervesced.

Her eyes remained on the glass, intending to warn the owner that something had been put in the drink. To her surprise, she saw Emir pick it up and bring it to his lips.

Zeynep ran to him; he stopped drinking and looked at her body marked in the dress.

"Don't look for me here; go to my room."

"Don't be foolish..."

"Girl, what is it? Do you want an autograph? Not now!" he raised his voice, and everyone looked at her, so she gave up.

"To hell with it!" Zeynep left the hall and went outside.

She spent some time watching the stars, heard applause and murmurs until she stood up to call Tuğba. That's when she saw Mr. Ozkurt standing near the exit; it took him a few minutes to leave the spot, and when he did, he was visibly unsteady. The star was heading to the car, and she noticed that he was visibly drunk.

How did that happen so quickly?

The young woman ran to stop the actor from taking the wheel, but she couldn't.

In less than five minutes, Zeynep heard the sound of squealing tires, followed by a crash.

She ran, as did others.

But it was Tuğba's screams that shook her... She pushed through the crowd, desperate, only to find Tuğba holding Yasin in her lap. Emir Ozkurt had run over her brother-in-law.

Emir felt unwell as soon as he sat behind the wheel; he thought it was a slight dizziness, his eyes closed, and the unconsciousness that seized his body caused his foot to press the accelerator, which responded promptly. The young man only opened his eyes when he felt that he had hit something and blinked several times, grateful that it was just an impression.

Until he saw the brunette knocking on the car door; she was very beautiful, but that didn't make him open his eyes.

He only regained some consciousness when Murat shook him. He saw multicolored sirens flashing and tried to tell his friend that there was no need for an ambulance because he was fine, although his head throbbed, and it was difficult to stand.

"Look what you've done, you monster," a very beautiful young woman with huge blue eyes attacked him.

When Emir looked at the ground, he noticed a young man lying there. Desperation overcame him; after all, he was an excellent driver and took every precaution not to make any mistakes in the rare moments when he drove.

He had only taken two sips of that drink, and he didn't understand how he had gotten drunk so quickly.

Emir tried to explain what happened, but Murat paced back and forth, and it was difficult to keep up with his friend.

Paramedics put the young man on a stretcher, Murat egged him on, the young woman screamed, and he fixed his gaze on her, who embraced herself. What was her name again? Autumn. He liked autumn. He took two steps toward her, and darkness engulfed him.

Zeynep was in shock with what had happened; Yasin had to be rushed to the emergency room, and Tuğba, screaming incessantly beside her, was not helping at all.

A sense of guilt descended upon her. If she had insisted a little more with the "star," her brother-in-law wouldn't have gotten hurt.

She knew that Emir Ozkurt had been drugged; she saw the moment when the woman put the drug in his glass. She detested that man, but she wasn't unfair and didn't know what to do. She looked for Emir and saw him lying on the ground; she ran to him, and at that moment, Murat noticed that his friend was down and stood in front of the young woman, preventing her from reaching him.

Everyone was taken to the same hospital, and destiny would act again.

When Emir regained consciousness, he was in a hospital bed; Murat, standing beside him, was talking to the doctor.

Emir came to his senses; his head was still dizzy, but the malaise had passed. At that moment, he remembered what had happened and, with some difficulty, asked his friend about the young man who had been hit; Murat informed him that the guy was okay and out of danger.

"Now, to avoid what comes next... Look, it's so that you don't have to deal with another type of problem. And this time a very serious problem."

"Avoid?"

"Yes, Emir, you will remain hospitalized indefinitely so that you don't leave here and go straight to the police station. The day has already dawned; they wouldn't think of any reason for you to stay free. I'll find a lawyer to get a habeas corpus, and..."

"Murat, I'm fine. This afternoon, I have a meeting with the producer of that Hollywood film, and I can't just be hospitalized."

"So pray, that's good. You'll learn not to drink before driving."

"Murat, I just touched my lips to that glass; first, because it was a lousy champagne, and then because I..." he stopped the thought, he dropped the drink and had gone after the makeup artist because she seemed more susceptible to him.

"So pray for a miracle! The guy's family will accuse you, and you need a witness to prove that you didn't drink or that your drink was spiked."

From the look on his friend's face, Emir Ozkurt realized that he had gotten into a mess that wouldn't be so easy to resolve.

What he didn't imagine was that Zeynep was at the door, thinking of giving him a piece of her mind, and ended up hearing everything.

The young woman knew he was telling the truth; he had been drugged and wasn't drunk. That the drug had been put in his drink. Even though she detested this man, she wouldn't let him pay for something that was just an accident.

She left without being seen and went to the police station, where she entered with firm steps and went straight to the clerk.

"Good morning! I'm Zeynep Baysal, and I'm here to testify in favor of Mr. Emir. I'm the person who saw the moment a woman put something in his drink and saw the accident. I can affirm that he didn't run over anyone on purpose."

When Murat received the news that there was a witness and that Emir could be released because of her, he entered the room and saw the great actor in a mood that left Murat frightened.

"Good morning, boss! Your night must have been good since you woke up in such a great mood," he said sarcastically.

"Good morning, my dear friend. Yes, I'm in a great mood after spending all this time pretending to be dead."

"I have good news, you'll be discharged soon, and we're going home. Your beautiful makeup artist testified in your favor; she saw everything. Can you believe that the injured guy is the girl's brother-in-law? What a small world..."

"Is she here?"

"No. This afternoon, you go straight to the interview with the producer..."

"Zeynep..."

"What did you say, Emir?"

"I said, let's go home, but on the way, I want to stop at a pet shop; I need to buy two cats."

"Cats? Why?"

"Get out, I need to change."

Emir was in a very good mood; he had not only escaped from a predicament but could proceed with the afternoon plans.

They went down a private exit and went straight to the pet shop, where they ordered a pair of cats.

The girl brought a cat mixed in black and white and an almost golden-toned cat.

"I want a collar that splits, does it exist?"

"A collar that splits? What do you mean?"

"A heart that breaks in two, do you have it?" Murat raised his eyebrow, and Emir ignored.

"I have the collar, but you can find that heart in the jewelry store, and..."

"Thank you. Murat, pay the girl. And put the cats in separate transport boxes."

Emir ran out and went to the jewelry store; the attendant showed a piece the way he wanted it. On one side, he had Outono engraved, and on the other, Spring.

Only then did they go to Ozkurt's penthouse, which left Murat with the cats and went up to the second floor of the duplex to take a long shower.

He needed to get the smell of ether off his body, that nauseating and characteristic odor of the hospital; he picked an outfit rarely used and went downstairs, closing his watch.

Murat was having coffee and widened his eyes at his friend, who was dressed differently than usual.

"Excuse my indiscretion, but is this gift for your new fling?" he asked while Emir opened one of the transport boxes and took a picture of the cat housed there but took the other.

Emir laughed full of intentions, took a piece of bread, took a sip of orange juice, and said goodbye to his friend.

He went down the elevator and headed to the garage, where his reserve Mercedes was; he hated that car, but there was no other way, with the car in repair, he had to go on with that one. He typed an address into the GPS and drove through the streets of Istanbul.

Almost an hour later, he arrived at his destination.

The neighborhood where Zeynep lived was located on one of the poorest sides of the city.

Emir got out of the car, wearing a black cap and sunglasses, sporting a casual look to try to go unnoticed by people.

He walked a bit and found the girl's house, painted in yellow and a bit old; he knocked, and seconds later, the door opened.

When Zeynep appeared, she was in jeans, a white shirt tied around her waist, and a scarf adorning her long hair; she was very laid-back, and yet, she stopped for a moment, appreciating the beauty of that woman.

He took off his sunglasses, and both were lost in each other's eyes for a few minutes.

"Thank you, miss, I..."

"I did nothing more than I should, don't thank me. Yesterday, I wanted to tell you that someone put something in your drink."

"I'm sorry, but tell me, did you miss me?"

"Miss? Sorry, I didn't understand."

"Miss me," Emir approached, more aware of the young woman's beauty and less impressed by what she caused in him.

"Mr. Ozkurt, I have not a single reason to notice your presence, let alone your absence."

"Touché. I brought you a present."

"Mr. Emir, I don't want anything from you; I did it because..." her words died when Emir took Autumn out of the transport box. Her eyes gained a new sparkle.

"This is Autumn; I want you to keep her, Zeynep."

"She's beautiful, oh my God," Zeynep hugged the cat, and Emir approached a little more.

"This is Spring, which means spring. He is mine, and look, the collars complement each other," Emir showed the photo he took a while ago. Zeynep looked at the collar of the cat she was holding.

"Mr. Ozkurt, I..."

"Emir, call me Emir," he took one more step while staring at the young woman's mouth, who responded. The guy even leaned toward her, and he didn't kiss her only because Murat arrived.

"Emir, you forgot the cat food," Mr. Ozkurt looked at her; the moment had passed.

"Leave the food there. Goodbye, Zeynep. My regards. See you soon..." he said goodbye, visibly confused.

He walked away, stepping hard, without looking back.

Zeynep was nervous, after almost being caught kissing that guy.

"Stupid girl, falling for that Casanova's charm. He tells you half a dozen pretty words, and you melt already," she said to herself, closing the door.

Embarrassed about what had happened, she completely forgot about Autumn, who was back in the box. She gave a smile and picked up the kitten; it was so cute, how did he guess that her childhood dream was an animal like that?

The young woman couldn't believe that the same arrogant man from the first encounter was the same one who had been there a few minutes ago.

She wondered if he didn't have a twin brother, and it was him who was there.

Lost in her world where there was only autumn and spring, she didn't notice when her mother and sister arrived home.

"Little sister, whose cute little kitten is this?"

Zeynep, startled, didn't know what to say and made up the first thing that came to her mind.

"Zehra got it from a suitor; well, you know how allergic she is, couldn't keep the kitten. And ended up giving it to me so she can visit."

Fazilet looked suspicious and didn't believe much in that story, but she chose to stay silent.

She only remembered the expensive car that was in the neighborhood. There was something there.

Meanwhile, Emir tried to explain what was going on between him and the makeup artist.

"Murat, I..."

"Just be careful and don't hurt the girl. Let's get to what matters."

Murat provided information about the dinner Emir would have with an American producer, the time, and the location, which would be at his family's hotel restaurant.

This was the first international offer, and Murat was betting all his chips on his friend's stardom.

Emir said goodbye to Murat, saying he would go home to rest a bit until dinner time. On the way, he kept remembering that almost-kiss. How did an almost kiss affect him so much?

He couldn't get that girl out of his mind! He wished he had felt those lips, and he knew she wasn't indifferent to him, how could she be? He didn't know if it was attraction, repressed desire, or if he owed her gratitude for helping him get out of jail. But Zeynep was beautiful, and the jeans marked her body perfectly.

He thought about what she was doing at that moment, picked up Spring, and the cat purred.

"Spring is easier than Autumn, my friend."

Zeynep felt strange, remembering the almost-kiss with the star. Lost in thoughts, with Autumn in her lap, she was startled when her phone rang.

It was Ayşen notifying her that they would need her that night. The shoot would be in a hotel, and her friend informed her that the production van would pick her up at six in the evening.

The young woman had a few hours until then and started organizing her work materials.

Punctually, the van arrived to pick up Zeynep, who, for a long time, would only remember that.

Meanwhile, Emir was heading to the hotel restaurant, but a young attendant explained that the producer was waiting for him in one of the rooms.

He went up with the key card and, upon opening the room, was overcome by darkness. When he opened his eyes, it took him a few minutes to understand where he was. There was a woman sleeping on his chest, he delicately took her off, and he noticed it was Zeynep.

He slid his hand over himself and noticed he was only in his underwear. He didn't have the courage to touch her and called her until she opened her eyes. When the young woman woke up, she was just as or more scared than him.