Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Nine
She swallowed, words caught sowhere between disbelief, fear, and sothing she couldn’t na. "Pregnant?" she whispered, almost to herself.
"Yes," he said, voice low and raw.
"You’re lying," she spat, voice trembling despite herself. "You want to withdraw. You want stop."
"No," he said firmly, stepping closer, the chaos around them irrelevant. "You’re carrying my child."
Asli looked around then, as if it finally dawned on her that they were not alone. They were still fighting and shooting their guns around them.
Pregnant.
That test, she had seen its result. She wasn’t pregnant. She knew she checked it once but was that not enough? How had it even changed? Most importantly, when had it changed?
What did that an for her?
For him?
For them?
Her father’s face flashed through her mind, sharp and condemning, followed by a hundred consequences she did not yet have nas for. But beneath all of it, one truth settled, heavy and unavoidable: the child was innocent. He or she didn’t choose to have parents like them.
It would be hers and though she didn’t get the choice to choose what she wanted to be, she would give the child a choice. A real one. The way she had tried, however imperfectly, with Matilda. In her own broken way, she would do better than what she had been given.
Her thoughts were racing, colliding, and tearing at each other.
She lifted her eyes to et Aht looking down at her, his gaze steady, and unreadable for a breath too long.
Then she saw the smile. There was no triumph there, no edge of victory, none of the sharpness she had braced herself for.
He was just... smiling because he was happy.
That alone unsettled her more than the chaos around her.
"We’re keeping the baby," he said quickly, like he was afraid she would say sothing else first. He wasn’t calculating consequences. He wasn’t weighing losses. He was already sowhere else, so future that existed only in his head.
Her brows drew together. A sharp frown cut across her face. What did he an?
Keeping?
Had she said she wouldn’t?
Did he think that little of her? That she would erase sothing living just because it complicated things?
Well... maybe. But she wasn’t that much of a monster. She could never kill her own child. Or any child.
Her silence must have read louder than words.
As if sensing it, he rushed on, his voice low but intense. "I know you are scared of your father. Let him burn in hell for all I care. Fine, if he is the problem, we can leave. We will elope. Just disappear without a trace. You’ll choose the house, the designs, and decorate it however you want. I’ll handle the overseas businesses. Markus can run things here..."
Fear rose fast and sharp, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Not because he was wrong. But because he sounded so certain.
He had a plan. A neat one. A future where everything inconvenient was swept aside, and she was slotted neatly into it, choosing designs, decorating walls, existing safely inside his vision.
She didn’t let him finish.
Her jaw tightened. No. She wasn’t here to step into soone else’s perfect world.
Asli stepped in and drove her elbow hard into his ribs.
Aht sucked in a sharp breath, body jolting as he staggered half a step back, more shocked than hurt.
"I’m not doing that," she said flatly, eyes blazing up at him.
This wasn’t a dream. And she was not sothing to be moved around inside it.
"Yeah, clearly I can see you are not happy about my plan. Do you have a better one?" he spoke but before any of them could speak, Demir was rushing to their sides.
Took him long enough, she thought.
Demir lunged from the edge of the chaos, gun snapping up, his eyes locked on Aht with raw, desperate intent.
He didn’t get the shot off.
Aht’s n were already on him.
Two of them slamd into Demir from either side, knocking his arm wide, the gun skidding across the ground. Another hit him from behind, wrenching his arms back hard enough to draw a sharp grunt from his throat.
"Let him go!" Asli snapped instantly, stepping forward.
No one moved.
Every one of Aht’s n looked past her and then straight to him, others looking at Markus’ end.
Aht didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t rush it
"Blindfold him," he said calmly. "And take him through the back."
Demir stiffened.
"No..." he barked, struggling violently now, rage flashing across his face as a cloth was yanked over his eyes. "Aht, you bastard!"
The humiliation landed harder than the restraint.
To be caught, then dragged shalessly was more humiliating than getting shot.
Asli saw it then, the look in Demir’s eyes just before the blindfold went on. He was shocked and furious. And sothing uglier.
Bla. He was blaming her. Why?
"Release him," she demanded again, sharper this ti. "Now."
Aht finally turned fully to her.
"If your n don’t stand down," he said evenly, "Demir doesn’t walk out of here."
Sothing flickered in her eyes. It was cold, dark, and dangerous but she didn’t care. This was not even about her pride.
Only that Demir was being taken.
Her jaw clenched.
Behind Aht, his n hauled Demir away. He fought them, teeth bared, shoulders straining, but it didn’t matter. They were stronger and many. Relentless. Professional.
Aht lifted his hand once.
A subtle wave.
And they disappeared with Demir into the corners at the back of the Villa.
Asli watched until he was gone. It was a bad idea to divide her n. It was a wrong move to call the police on the other half. She thought catching them off guard would save them. These n were always ready. She’d applaud them for that.
She exhaled sharply and turned, almost mocking her foolishness.
Markus stood a few feet away, leaning against his car, gun resting casually against his thigh. He wore a smug, and infuriating smile.
Her n were all taken hostage. She could only hope they wouldn’t bla it on her. Who was she kidding, this was her mission. And she failed.
She rolled her eyes. "Of course it’s you."
He dipped his head. "Missed ?"
She ignored him and faced Aht again.
"Hand over your father."
Aht didn’t flinch.
"I told you," he said, firm. "It’s impossible."
"I won’t rest until I end him."
"That’s my father you’re talking about," he said and stepped closer. He then leaned in, voice dropping so low only she could hear. "That’s our baby’s grandfather."
Her jaw tightened.
"Do you know how much I’ll lose if I go back empty‑handed?" she asked, impatience bleeding through now. "What does this cost ? My Villa?"
Aht studied her for a long mont.
Then, quietly... "Then take sothing back to your father instead."
Her eyes narrowed. "Sothing he’d applaud you for."
A beat ca.
"What is that?" she asked.
Aht’s mouth curved.
"Demir."
Reviews
All reviews (0)