Tatlı Aşk (Sweet Love) (Can & Ozge)

Chapter Forty-Three: The Restaurant

5 years later.

Ozge Gurel woke up with a start as she heard her phone ring. It was a Monday morning and she usually goes to her office at one o'clock in the afternoon, with her secretary, Rosanna Palazzo usually calls her by twelve, but today, she called her at ten o'clock and Ozge thought it might be urgent.

"Hello?" Ozge asked, her voice dry.

"Ozge? Ozge you better come quick," Rosanna said. "Construction workers are here to demolish your small cafe in downtown Rome!"

"WHAT?" Ozge said, as she got out of bed. "They can't do that!"

"They have documents that say they can," Rosanna said. "Come here quick."

"I'm on my way!" Ozge said, then she hung up, immediately going to the shower.

Ozge parked her car in front of the small cafe and got out of her car, the breeze messing her hair. It was a beautiful morning in Rome and it was windy. She noticed construction workers outside Strawberry Place, her small cafe that Can gave her five years ago, along with an excavator.

Rosanna beamed as soon as she saw Ozge.

"Ozge, thank goodness you're here," Rosanna said. "These people are determined to demolish the restaurant today. I already had the staff and customers leave."

"What's happening here?" Ozge said to the construction workers. "This is my property and you have no right to demolish it."

"We actually do, Signora Ozge," one of the workers said. "This building was just sold to a new owner with the permission of your business partner. And the new owner wants to demolish this building to build a hotel. He also bought the other shops next to you."

"I wasn't informed about this!" Ozge exclaimed. "Look, you have to postpone the demolition. I have to talk to my business partner about this first."

The construction workers all looked at each other before one of them spoke.

"Alright, Signora Ozge," the man said. "But we were told this should be demolished within the week."

The construction workers left as Ozge and Rosanna went inside Strawberry Place, sitting on the couch.

"Did your boyfriend, Timoteo, tell you about this?" Rosanna retorted. "How could he sell the place without telling you?"

"Apparently he will tell me," Ozge said. "We're having a celebration party tonight, he said he just signed with a new billionaire client. I can't believe he wants to sell this place. He can't do that. This is my foundation. My hundreds of branches all around Italy wouldn't exist if it wasn't for this place. This branch of Strawberry Place started it all."

"You know how much he hates this place," Rosanna said, serving Ozge coffee. "Since it was given to you by your ex boyfriend."

Ozge felt a pang of pain as she remembered Can. And how she ran away at their wedding. How she hurt him. It's been five years but it still felt like it was yesterday.

"I wonder how he is," Ozge said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh, Ozge, still in love after all these years," Rosanna laughed. "I wonder where Timoteo's place is in your heart, Ozge? Is he the center of it or just at the side?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Rosanna," Ozge said. "I'm just wondering how Can is. I hurt him. And I will always beat myself up for it."

"Really?" Rosanna grinned. "Can you say you're not in love with him anymore?"