A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

For better or worse...

To say that when fate closes one door but opens another, or at least a window, is the same as saying that hope never dies. Especially when it comes to love. That once in a lifetime true kind of love...

Sanem loved Can, and took his rejection very hard. She accepted the fact that he ended their budding relationship, even though she knew her love for him would continue. She felt it in her heart. She felt it deep in her soul. And she hoped. Hoped that the last time he held her in his arms wouldn't be the last. She hoped that the last kiss he laid upon her lips would not have been the last. And she hoped he would still look at her the same way he used to look at her. With love, passion, and desire. She shared the same kind of hope for her work at Fikri Harika. She hoped that Emre's vile actions would not cause the agency to file bancrupcy. She hoped that everyone would continue working, and that she would continue working side by side with Can...

Meeting Fabri on her way to work surprised Sanem. She was surprised that he knew where she lived, but she did not put as much thought into it as she should have. He simply showed up, and that was that. He offered to drive her to work. Moreover, he told Sanem he would handle the crisis at Fikri Harika. Only, in exchange he insisted she sell him her fregnance. Her scent. More precisely, her and Can's -but Fabri did not know that. He suspected there had to be a reason why she guarded it so strongly. He recalled Can's story of how they met in Paris. How Sanem's scent made Can realise it was her. After all, her scent was one of a kind. And although she reaffirmed Fabri that she would not surrender that scent to anyone, she underestimated Fabri's treachery.

Though another day without Can's arms around her felt as painful as the one before, something happened that Sanem never expected. She saw Aylin walk into the office carrying a red dossier. A RED dossier. Whatever she thought about at that moment was replaced with a immediate surge of recognition. And she did not need her photographic memory to help her recognize the dossier. Though she did not possess Can's uncanny gut feeling, all of her being told her that she wasn't mistaken. It was that same kind of dossier that began a chain of events that both played a role in Sanem and Can falling in love and in their break up. Sanem could not believe what she was seeking. Was Aylin the real reason behind Emre's overreacting when she told him she gave the file to Can? That couldn't be it. But, still...

Can called for a meeting. She could see how crushed and lost in his thoughts he was. Her heart hurt for him even though he kept her at a distance, and even though he seemed not to even look at her. But she could not have known that right now was when he needed her most. And he did not know how to deal with that himself. However hurt he felt, he knew that just holding her in his arms would make him feel better. Just having her near, next to him. Because truth be told, he really was lost in his thoughts. He was left in charge by his father. Left in charge and fully expected to keep the agency running at full speed until his father returned. But now, he not only had to deal with his brother's completely irresponsible mismanagement of the agency's finances, he also had to deal with the scandal of Emre's bribes, his illtempered jealousy for Can's taking over the management, and finally with the possibility of the agency having to file for bancrupcy. All of that combined with Sanem's breaking his trust was something he never prepared for...

As much as Sanem wanted to make Can feel better, her attention revolved now around Emre being part of the meeting. Which meant that his office was empty. And that was just what she needed to search through his office for that crucial single red dossier. She asked Ceycey for help. And went straight to Emre's office under the pretense of having to make a phone call. She searched his office. Shelf after shelf, cabinet after cabinet, drawer after drawer. Just as she thought to give up, she found it. Hidden under a file in a drawer behind Emre's chair. She pulled it out. Opened it. And froze. She could not believe it. Could not believe what her eyes saw. What her heart felt.

Emre... partnered... with... Aylin...

She took the contract as proof. She could hardly breathe. Though business law was not something she understood really well, she knew what a contract between partners looked like. A cold sweat surged through her. As much as she was furious at Emre, she felt sorry for him. Because he willingly chose to betray his family. He sided with the woman who already betrayed the agency. He sided with a woman whom Aziz and Deren and the rest of the agency knew as a worst excuse of a woman...

Sanem returned to the meeting only to find that Can made the most painful decision to file for bancrupcy. He had no other choice. There weren't even clients left on the list to even be informed of the bancrupcy. His heart hurt. It felt heavy, weighted down by the burden of what he was about to do. As a last effort of hope Sanem pulled Can aside. She begged him not to file for bancrupcy just yet. Maybe there was something that could be done? One last avenue they haven't tried? Last effort they could make to prevent the agency from closing its doors?

Even though he did not show it, he appreciated that she cared about the agency. About his father's work. That she cared more about it than Emre did. But it was useless. As much as it crushed him to admit to her, he told her there was nothing left to do. It was the end. And she had to accept that. If something ended, it was the end and nothing could change that. He said it about the agency, but somehow it came out in a way as if he spoke directly about their own relationship. And he felt double the pain. He told her that hoping for a miracle would be pointless. It was usless. It wasn't as if a lifeguard would have descended from sky to save them from the fate that awaited...

No sooner did he say those words, Enzo Fabri came down the stairs. Full of life, charm, and happy cheers. He presented an offer all were surprised to hear. Can most of all. He did not trust Fabri. Every fiber of his being told him not to put his trust in Fabri. His gut felt the same way. But Fabri offered a helping hand. Not only that, he offered to buy the agency's shares that no one wanted to buy. He wanted to become the agency's partner. Can felt there must have been something Fabri wasn't telling. Something hidden, an agenda that lay under the seemingly charming smile. Fabri mentioned that the reason behind his offer was the fact that he was still the agency's client, that he did not want to switch agencies mid-season, and after all the agency's prestige shone light on his own brand. So a strong agency only enhanced prestige of Fabri's own prestige.

They signed the contract. Fabri was now part of Fikri Harika. Can and Emre were now linked with Fabri. For better or worse. Just how much worse, Can got a first glimpse when Fabri proudly announced that the main reason he came to the agency's aid was because he was after Sanem and her scent. And since she did not want to leave the agency, he made a beeline to Fikri Harika. To Sanem. For Sanem. And her scent...