𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜... LEYLA DEMIRCI.
full name: leyla defne demirci
nickname(s): ley, ley ley, kırmızı, demolition demirci (don't ask)
gender / pronouns: female / she/her
sexuality: heterosexual
age / date of birth: 32 / may 5, 1994
hometown: ızmir, türkiye
neighborhood: downtown turtle bay
occupation: bartender
trigger warnings: none.
Leyla's life didn't have much room for flexibility or decision-making. She was the only child born to a wealthy couple whose business partners also had an only child, and it was clear from the start that their plan was for the kids to inherit the family business someday. It didn't help that Hamit and Leyla were constantly pushed toward one another over their teenage years, either, because the idea of them someday getting married also didn't feel like one they had much say in. Leyla didn't mind it all so much, really, at least not until they had both graduated and started working in the company. It was clear to Leyla that Hamit's true love was his job, and she was merely a box that he felt the need to check.
After waiting seven years for him to propose to her, Leyla realized it wasn't going to happen. Hamit didn't know how to truly love someone, and he was constantly reaching for the next business venture, the next acquisition, the next successful deal. Leyla ended things with Hamit and, despite her own broken heart over it all, tried her best to move on. There was no shortage of eligible bachelors looking to marry a woman with such powerful business connections, but Leyla's heart was harder to secure. Finally, Leyla found herself engaged to Sedat, a man who knew the weight of carrying a family's expectations on his shoulders. The night of their engagement party, Hamit introduced them to his new partner to whom he'd just gotten engaged.
It was clear to Leyla that the engagement was nothing more than a ploy to win her back, and that made her even more confused than ever. After all, if Hamit truly loved her this much, why wouldn't he have proposed sooner? Sedat, on the other hand, seemed to be more jealous of her ex-partner than ever, and it became a real point of contention in their relationship. She wasn't able to avoid Hamit, not when she managed public relations for their company, and no amount of reassurance seemed enough for Sedat. Additionally, Hamit seemed to be more charming and romantic than ever, and the idea that nearly losing her had shown him her worth made Leyla even more certain they could never really work together without tension and jealousy.
When Sedat demanded they move the wedding up, Leyla finally understood what the rest of her life would look like. No matter who she chose, neither man would ever truly love her for who she was, and she was destined for a life of double-dealing and unfulfilled promises. Instead of supporting her, Leyla's parents pushed her to return to Hamit or marry Sedat immediately, and Leyla got sick of it all. She would no longer live this life. Selling her shares in the company to Hamit, Leyla took off to the one place she never imagined she'd call "home": South Carolina. Her cousins had lived there for years now, and the expat Demircis even had a bar of their own that they ran. Leyla decided she could be a bartender while she debated her next move, knowing that her experience in public relations would help her secure a job whenever she was ready to start over for good.