13. Evren
Evren
N ina’s phone alarm jolts us both awake.
“Fuck,” she mutters. “I’m late.”
She’s out the door saying something about supporting Elodie at her pop-up this morning before I have time to process anything. I slept, truly slept, for longer than an hour or two. Was it because I was exhausted? Or because of Nina?
I stare at the side Nina was sleeping on and press my hand against the still-warm sheets, already missing her.
But I have too much to do today to spend time on that.
After getting ready, I send a message to Zeki and ask him to come over before finding Nate and giving my statement to the police officers.
“What the hell is happening?” Zeki asks, staring at the officers getting into their cars. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but the house was broken into last night. ”
Zeki curses under his breath before pulling me into a strong hug. “Are you sure you’re okay? Nina?”
“We’re not hurt. We’re okay.”
“Thank fuck,” Zeki says, voice thick with emotion. I do a double take and he shrugs. “What? I’m terrified, okay? How are you so calm?”
“I…” I never told Zeki about being robbed at gunpoint all those years ago.
I didn’t want to worry him or anne . It happened right after baba died, and we were all reeling; adding that kind of danger to our lives felt cruel.
None of us were in a good place, and part of me was afraid of how they would react.
What if they didn’t care? What if their response fell short of what I needed?
I guess I’ve been holding it back for so long because I didn’t want to face the disappointment of feeling alone in my fear, of realizing that, in their grief, they might not have room for mine.
Without overthinking it, I blurt out, “I was robbed at gunpoint just after baba died.”
“What the fuck?” Zeki explodes. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? Tell anne ?”
“Someone had to be strong for all of us during that time.”
Zeki frowns, but before he can respond, Nate walks into the kitchen.
“Any updates?” I ask him.
“The intruder got away,” Nate says, “but we’ll get them.”
“We need to make sure something like that never happens again,” I say .
“Agreed,” Nate says. “We need to move our base of operation into the pool house and to turn the main bedroom into a version of a panic room with bulletproof walls, doors, and a complex lock system.”
“And where would Nina stay?” Zeki asks me. “If you take the pool house away.”
“I offered to find her somewhere else to live, but she refused. So, I’ll give her the master bedroom, especially if it’s the safest.” I turn to Nate and ask, “How long will the installation take?”
“A couple days.”
“That won’t do,” I say. “It needs to be finished by the end of today.” I need to make sure Nina is the safest she can be before allowing her to spend the night here again.
“I’ll get a team in and work around the clock,” Nate says. “And I’ll also clear out the damaged room and get a bed delivered for you. We can work on upgrading that room, too, but it won’t be finished today.”
“That’s fine. Did you put security on Nina?”
“Yes,” Nate says. “The team is sending updates every five minutes. Give me your phone and I can connect you to the new system I’ve created.”
I pass him the phone and say, “Thank you.” Nate’s stepping up and not waiting to be told what to do. He’s proactively doing it, and that’s a quality that’s not so easy to come by.
“Do you think it’s Mert?” Zeki asks. “Any updates on his whereabouts recently?”
“There’s a high possibility,” Nate says. “We’ve been combing through all of his movements over the past two months, and it turns out he was in Skyrise right after the Super Bowl win.”
“What the hell was he doing here?” I ask.
“We’re still trying to figure it out. But since then, he has kept to New York City, Istanbul, and Nova.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Why can’t I get rid of him?
” It’s one thing to think it’s Mert based on our history together, but it’s a whole other to have him be a real suspect.
To have him be in my city, so close to me.
Did he meet with Stonehaven? Is he behind everything?
It would make sense. He knows me, knows that targeting my reputation would hurt deeper than anything else.
“Because he’s a snake,” Zeki says. “Always has been and always will be.”
“What do you mean?” I ask in confusion. “He wasn’t always like this.”
“He was.” Zeki spears me with a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry I wasn’t old enough to warn you before you got into business with him.”
“But he was my best friend, like a brother to me…”
“I know…” Zeki places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes, as if in solidarity. As if he feels my pain and hurt over Mert’s betrayal, even if he doesn’t know the full extent to it. I have to tell them both about what really happened with Mert, but I’m terrified about Zeki’s reaction.
Blowing out a long breath, I say, “There’s more to Mert’s betrayal than what I’ve told you… ”
“What do you mean?” Zeki asks.
“Mert didn’t try to kick me out of my own company. He blackmailed me.”
“Did you pay him?” Nate asks.
I nod.
“What did he have on you?” Zeki asks.
“It wasn’t what he had on me. It was what he had on you.”
“What?” Zeki asks, shocked. “What did I do?”
“Accidental insider trading. Do you remember hearing about an acquisition at Mustafa’s party? And then you wrote some friends about the hot tip you got before buying some stocks?”
Zeki’s face pales and he swallows hard. “I thought it was okay. They were talking like it was common knowledge…”
“I know. But Mert got ahold of the messages you sent your friends, photos of you at the party with those executives, and your financial records.” I’ll never forget the day, almost a year and a half ago, when he came over to my house for lunch.
His cruel smile as he delivered his threats that instantly twisted every memory I’ve ever had of him into something dark and unrecognizable, cutting through the trust we’d built over a lifetime.
It wasn’t just the betrayal—it was the revelation of his true nature, the monstrous truth hidden beneath the mask of friendship.
How could I have been so blind? How could someone I called brother try to ruin my real brother? It still haunts me, clawing at my nights and shadowing my days, and I fear it always will.
“What the fuck?” Zeki says. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“Because your future was on the line,” I say, my voice sharp as I drag a hand through my hair. “Because if they made an investigation, you’d be charged and thrown into jail . No one would care if you did it by accident.”
The weight of my words hangs between us, and disbelief twists his face.
But I can’t bear the thought of him facing the system, of being locked away in a place where justice isn’t always the priority and where the walls hold more secrets than truth.
The idea of him trapped and vulnerable in a place where people vanish without a trace isn’t something I’d ever subject him to.
“How much did you pay him?” Nate asks, cutting in.
“Fifty million.”
“Fifty million?!” Zeki exclaims.
“Yes,” I say steadily. “And I would’ve given away every last cent I have to keep you free.”
Zeki’s mouth opens, but nothing comes out. He blinks, stunned, as if the gravity of my words, of the truth, just knocked the air out of him. Doesn’t he understand that I’d do anything for him? How much he means to me?
“Do you think,” Nate says, “that Mert’s messing with you to make you vulnerable before asking for more money?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t put it past him.” After Mert showed me the evidence, I knew I needed to move Mom, Zeki, and me immediately out of Türkiye.
That’s when I tapped into every connection I had, pulling strings and calling in favors to seize the chance to buy the Sentinels from Harold.
It was an exhausting, grueling process—months that felt like years, filled with sleepless nights where I lay rigid in bed, my mind racing with the relentless fear that Mert would expose the truth, regardless.
The crushing weight of uncertainty pressed down on me, becoming my new companion, whispering that I’d gambled everything and might lose no matter what I did.
“I need all the information you have about the incident,” Nate says. “And for you to tell me if there’s anything else you’re keeping from me related to this.”
“There’s nothing else,” I say, “and I only have the bank transfer I made. He has all the evidence.”
“It’s a start,” Nate says. His phone rings and he excuses himself to take it.
Zeki blows out a long breath and sinks into the dining room chair. “I feel like I don’t know you.”
“You do know me.”
“No, I don’t,” he says, frustration lacing through his tone. “You keep so much of yourself hidden. I feel like I only know the parts you choose to show me.”
I settle into the chair beside him. He’s not wrong, and that truth hits harder than I expected.
“For what it’s worth,” I say, softly. “I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark.
It’s just… I’ve carried the weight of being the rock in our family for so long that it feels like my struggles are just a burden for everyone else.
” I take a breath, forcing myself to meet his gaze.
“I guess I didn’t want to disrupt the stability I’ve worked so hard to make in the family after baba died. ”
Zeki blows out a long breath and turns to face me fully. “You know you don’t have to carry everything alone. I get that’s your go-to, but being strong doesn’t mean being silent. Letting me in on what you’re feeling doesn’t disrupt our stability; it strengthens it. I want to help you, too.”
I nod and say, “I’ll work on it.”
“Please tell me you have some good alcohol in this place.”
I snort. “Top shelf on the left.”
Zeki pours us both a couple fingers of whiskey, sits back down next to me, and slides me a glass.
“Is Nina okay?” he asks. “After last night?”
“Maybe? But can anyone really be okay after that?”