And that was why Celia had never bent her rules. It was also why Istanbul, from the first moment she had arrived, had seemed like paradise. Everywhere she walked, there were friendly cats on the street. They were sleeping on vacant chairs at restaurants, enjoying the sunshine next to the Blue Mosque, befriending the fishermen on the Bosphorus in hopes of sharing a fresh catch.
Celia had accepted the contract at Aslanbey Holding in part because the salary was so good—a requirement for every contract she took—but also for the opportunity to spend some time in Istanbul. She had built the city up in her mind to such expectations that the real thing couldn’t possibly compete.
But compete it did. From the moment she spotted the first tiny buildings down below as her airplane neared the airport, the excitement and the romance of it all had been palpable. The blue water of the Bosphorus Strait and the Sea of Marmara, all the minarets popping up on the horizon…and was that the Hagia Sophia? Celia had first read about the historic building that had been a church, a mosque, and a museum in turns back in high school, in a World History course. There was so much to explore here, and she had six glorious months to soak up as much of the city as she could.