Chapter Seventy-Eight
She shot a quick glance at Asli, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly thickened in the air. Asli’s outburst wasn’t sothing she was expecting tonight— not after teasing her so annoyingly.
Matilda sighed inwardly, silently hoping she wouldn’t have to deal with one of Asli’s storms. Not now. Not today.
When Asli had arrived ho earlier, her mood had been unmistakably foul, like a storm cloud hanging over her.
But sothing had shifted after seeing Demir. Even though Markus was beside her when she returned.
The tension in her shoulders had eased, and the grumpiness that usually lingered around her had vanished.
Matilda couldn’t help but notice the change and, with a glimr of hope, she figured she could use the shift to her advantage. So she went ahead to tease her with Demir.
Unfortunately, she had disobeyed one of her directives and she couldn’t believe Cole had reported her.
Just when she thought maybe tonight wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
Asli’s eyes narrowed and her voice sharp. "You an to tell he did not bring you ho after school?" Her words hung in the air, and then a fleeting thought crossed her mind.
’Oops... did she not know?’ Her gaze flickered briefly, realizing the misstep. Had she reported her own self?
Asli’s fingers moved quickly, pulling her phone from her pocket as she dialed Cole’s number. She tapped her foot, the seconds dragging as she waited for him to pick up.
Her impatience grew, her eyes flickering between the screen and Matilda, who now seed to be caught in her foolishness for talking too much.
When the call finally connected, Asli didn’t waste any ti. "Get to my suite this instant!"
"You can clearly notice she wanted to be alone from school. She’s not a prisoner to be escorted." Markus tried to intervene but knew the look in her eyes too well. Matilda was in trouble and nobody could save her.
Asli brushed angrily into the hall and as if on a speed dial, Cole ca darting into the room right after they entered. He bowed slightly as he entered, greeting them.
Asli snapped, her voice tight with frustration. "I told you to make sure she was taken to school and brought back ho... every day. If you were on the shift that was taking their days off, why didn’t you assign another person to ta..."
"Sorry, Boss. She told she was going to be at the library till evening. I ... I didn’t know she was lying." Cole interjected, his voice sincere but tense.
"Matilda!" Asli’s gaze shot back to Matilda, her tone a low growl.
"You heard Markus, I’m not a prisoner." She defended herself.
Asli’s glare sharpened, and she pointed toward Markus. "And do you think he has said anything sensible since I t him?" she spat, her finger jabbing in his direction.
"Ouch. Asli," Markus exaggerated, wincing as if her words had physically hurt him, though the smile tugging at his lips betrayed the act.
Asli shot him a quick, pointed glance, her patience thinning. "See?" she muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm as if to underline how little she valued his input.
Just as Asli opened her mouth to deliver Cole’s punishnt for letting Matilda disregard her orders, the door creaked open, and Demir stepped in, his smile easy and disarming. "Oh, co on, Asli. Just let this slide. I’m sure Cole wanted her to make friends."
Asli froze, the frustration fading from her face as she t Demir’s eyes. She let out a heavy sigh, clearly weighing the situation before she nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips in response. It was a rare sight.
She rarely gave in so easily, especially not in front of the others. But sothing about Demir’s presence seed to soften her resolve, and for the first ti in a long while, she allowed herself to smile back.
Oh, that shocked Markus. Truly Demir ant a lot to her. What about his cousin, Aht?
"No, no. This isn’t happening in front of ," Markus protested, stepping in between them, his arms crossed defiantly.
Demir’s expression shifted in an instant as his smile faded, and a coldness settled in his eyes. It was a look that sent a silent warning through the room, and everyone could feel the change. But Markus didn’t seem to give a fck.
They exchanged glances, all of them silently agreeing that whatever Demir was thinking now, wasn’t good.
However, Markus, standing there as the self-appointed clown, was making things worse.
Asli couldn’t understand what her father saw in him but could understand why Aht’s Villa had rejected him as a leader.
One thing everyone in the room was sure of, though unspoken, was that Markus probably could be suffering from a ntal illness. His behavior was unpredictable and out of sync with the atmosphere. His inability to read the room, his constant need for attention, and the way he seed oblivious to the tension around him... were abnormal for a man in the Mafia world.
Co and have a seat. I’m preparing so snacks," Ruth said, her voice light and soothing as she erged from the kitchen, sensing the tension in the air.
She gave Markus a gentle smile, trying to diffuse the thick atmosphere that had settled in the room. She directed toward the table, hoping a little food would ease the tension.
"Your space hasn’t changed one bit. You still have the lion carpet!" Demir remarked with a grin, bending down to touch the familiar fabric. His smile was back, as effortless as ever. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t changed everything in the room.
Ruth raised an eyebrow, her voice tinged with amusent. "Yeah, I quite rember how she almost shot you for staining it,"
Demir laughed, the sound warm and genuine, filling the room with a lighter atmosphere.
Asli, again dropping her stiff facade, crossed her arms and smirked. "It took days to get rid of the stain. Blood takes a while to clean when it touches sothing heavy." Her tone was playful, but there was no mistaking the hint of defense in her voice, as if the mory of that incident was still fresh enough to warrant a little justification.
"Yes, yes. I rember," Demir said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "She was already angry I didn’t kill the man in my suite but in hers. How ti flies." With that, he followed Ruth into the kitchen, his laughter lingering behind him.
Then, Markus smiled at Asli suddenly, as he suddenly straightened up. His eyebrows bounced up and down in quick succession. He flashed Asli a playful look with an expression full of mischief.
Asli shot him a sharp look, but the corners of her mouth twitched, betraying the tiniest hint of amusent. It was clear that Markus never could resist pushing her buttons, no matter how much she tried to remain unfazed and cold toward him.
Markus, not missing the opportunity, stepped closer to Asli, leaning in to whisper with a teasing glint in his eyes. "You nearly shot your crush for provoking you. How am I still walking around freely and alive?" He paused for dramatic effect, then faked an exaggerated gasp, placing a hand over his chest and the other on his lips. "Don’t tell you’ve fallen for ."
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How many lives do you think Markus has?
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