Once upon a time, nestled in the glittery jewels of the financial district, the glass-encased towers piercing the city's skyline, was a tenacious woman named Alia. Highly sought after as a financial advisor, at the tender age of thirty, she was deemed wise beyond her years. But her world revolved strictly around numbers, facts and figures; it was enveloped within the confines of strictly professional relationships.
Alia's small world tumbled upside down when her father tied the knot for her with his dear old friend's jobless son, Michael. Michael was thirty-seven, well-versed in life's harsh realities but rather enigmatic to the world. He was often treated poorly by his family, a tortured soul living under constant torment. Grappling with a decade of this disdainful treatment, he was never allowed any iota of freedom or respect.
Alia's sequestered life was unfurled into Michael's tangled webs of painful servitude, with the marriage kick-starting a period of reflexive introspection. Her heart ached for him, but she remained a bystander. It was an arranged alliance, and she barely knew him personally, let alone harbor any feelings of affection.
However, every dawn brings new rays of sunshine and so did Michael's life as his submissive existence found an advocate in his petite wife. Alia stood up for his rights as his shield against his family's torment. Her threats of stinging retaliation, of ringing the alarm bells of justice, brought forth a new spring of hope for Michael. She was fearless, fierce, and a force to be reckoned with.
With passing days, Alia began noticing the vulnerable calmness that dwelled in Michael's eyes, the kind-hearted innocence that his shy smile hinted at. His rather sweet and gentle demeanor solidified her affection. Emotions she had held in the recesses of her heart began to blossom, feelings unlike she had ever experienced, washing upon her like crashing waves against a hardened shore.
Emotionally starved, yet a vessel of potential love, Michael remained a closed book. Alia dearly hoped the sentiments she fostered were mutual. However, love cannot be shackled. It must be set free to find the object of its affection. Therefore, Alia's love stood poised, ready to let Michael go if he desired freedom instead.
Her desire for his happiness was so profound and pure that it didn't hurt her to picture a life without him. Instead, it filled her with an odd sense of relief. She realized the power of her feelings for him, looking at the depth of selflessness that had always been a part of her character. The barriers of strangerhood started crumbling, as she started unraveling her love for Michael, masked under her concern for him. Alia's soul resonated with this newfound emotion, and she silently prayed for reciprocation from her husband in her solitary spaces.
Thus, bounded in an unlikely union, two blossoming hearts desired the call of destiny to align their stars. Alia had rescued herself from her monotonous life and also rescued Michael from the shackles of belittling. Together, they unfolded the story of love that beautifully defied societal norms, the story of a hedge-fund heroine winning over the heart of her tormented husband. Little did Alia know, she was doing more than igniting freedom; she was blazing the trail of a uniquely beautiful love story.
