25. Nina
Nina
T he sun is blinding just outside of Izmir as Evren opens the car door for me. He helps me out of the car and slides his hand into mine. The textile factory his friend Ozan owns sits before us and it looks like a small city, it’s that big.
“Ozan is someone I went to university with,” Evren says. “We’ve kept in touch over the years, and from what I know, he’s one of the best in the business. But if you don’t like him or his production facility, you just give me a sign and we’ll leave, no questions asked.”
“No questions at all?” I raise an eyebrow, and he grins before stealing a quick kiss.
“Okay, maybe a few, but I promise to only ask them after we leave.”
I chuckle and he guides us into the building.
Yesterday, we spent all day with his mom, who is so clearly in love with her sons it’s adorable.
Every time Evren laughed or smiled, she’d look at him with a mixture of surprise and pride.
Like she couldn’t quite believe he’d do any of that, which makes me hurt imagining the kind of place Evren was in if laughing wasn’t considered normal.
The air is thick with the scent of machinery and raw materials as we meet a tall and thin man wearing well-worn jeans and a crisp linen shirt.
He says something in Turkish to Evren before hugging him. Evren turns to me and says, “Nina, this is my friend Ozan.”
I stick my hand out and say, “Thanks for meeting with us on such short notice.”
“Anything for Evren.” He shakes my hand and says, “I hear you’re looking for a supplier for the Sentinels’ apparel line?”
“Yes,” I say. “The previous supplier was inconsistent with their batch quality.”
“Understandable that you’d want to change suppliers.
” Ozan guides us into the building and down a hallway.
“We have a dedicated quality control team that inspects every roll of fabric before it leaves the factory.We use state-of-the-art equipment to test for things like colorfastness,tensile strength,and fiber content. I’d be happy to show you that toward the end of the tour if you’re interested? ”
“Yes, please,” Evren says.
“We specialize in cotton, polyester, and rayon here.” Ozan gives us each a pair of earplugs and an orange vest to put over our clothes.
Once that’s done, he opens another door, and we step into the factory.
Even with the earplugs, the noise is shocking.
Looms clunk and hum, their rhythmic movements hypnotic.
Rows of workers, their faces etched with concentration, tend to the machines.
Vibrant colors fill the factory, and stacks of fabric in every hue imaginable line the walls.
“We receive bales of cotton,” Ozan says,“and then process the fibers through a series of machines that clean,spin,and weave them into the fabric you see on the shelves.”
After Ozan shows us the production process, he leads us to another building and says, “Here is where we produce polyester and rayon. For polyester, we mix chemicals together and heat them up until they become a liquid.For rayon, we start with wood pulp and treat it with special chemicals to break it down. Then, for both, we push the liquid through tiny holes, and once it cools down, we turn them into thin threads.”
After walking through endless machines and seeing the quality control lab, Ozan leads us to a conference room with samples of each of their fabrics.
The quality is impressive, and I can see now how Ozan has the reputation to be the best in the business.
I’m not sure if it’s possible, but sourcing from him is exactly what is needed.
“Thank you for the informative tour,” Evren says. “May we have a few minutes of privacy to discuss some topics?”
“Of course. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
Once Ozan leaves, Evren asks, “What do you think?”
“I’m impressed. He clearly knows what he’s doing.”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there?”
“No,” I say, “nothing like that. I’m more wondering if we should keep the same garment factory to actually cut and sew the designs, or should we switch to someone local to avoid transporting the fabric to another country.”
“Good question, but I think it’ll depend on the cost at the end of the day.”
“Do you think Ozan knows anyone? Maybe we can see something while we’re here?”
“I’ll ask him, but to be clear, do you want to use him as the supplier?”
“I do. What do you think?”
“It’s worth having a trial run, to make sure they can deliver what they promise. But I have a good feeling about this.”
When Ozan returns, Evren talks to him in Turkish for a bit, as if cementing the deal right then and there. When they finish, Evren says in English that Ozan has a sister-in-law who runs a garment facility and that we can meet her now if we’d like.
“It can’t be that easy, right?” I ask, once we’re back in the car after visiting the garment facility. Nate’s driving with another bodyguard in the passenger seat. “To just come here, meet some people, and make a deal on the spot? ”
“It can be,” Evren says, “and it is. Money talks, and they know this will be lucrative for them.”
“But what about lawyers and contracts and running the numbers on if this will be financially beneficial?”
“I ran the numbers.”
“When?”
“In my head on the car ride over.”
I glance at him. “Why is that so fucking hot?”
“Do you want me to do equations in bed tonight?” he teases.
“Fuck yes.”
He laughs. “To answer your question, lawyers will get involved now to make the contracts, but we have a principal agreement and that’s sufficient to continue.”
“Shit, I guess we should celebrate. This whole thing is really coming together.”
“Yes, because of you.”
“No, because of us .” I grab his hand in mine. “And all that’s missing is for you to get Glam Pop to sign on. Are there any updates there?”
“I’m not going to respond until we get back. Two can play hardball.”
“Why not just give in to him?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Because he shouldn’t be trying to make money off Stella. That’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Stella’s not part of the team, and his request is disgusting.”
The fact that he has lines he won’t cross when it comes to his business is one of the many reasons I respect Evren. Not only that, but he’s protecting my friend, and that means even more to me.
“Thank you,” I say, squeezing his hand.
“But,” Evren says, “I wanted to talk to you about either approaching Ben with the truth about why Mick is doing all this shit, or confronting Mick with the fact that he has it out for you and see what he has to say.”
“First, thank you for asking for my consent and including me in the decision. But I’m tired of hiding, of being the dirty little secret that Miguel likes to pretend doesn’t exist. I say you should confront both of them in your next meeting and see what happens.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want you to feel used if I get into this with them.”
“I’m sure. I know what kind of person Miguel is. But I don’t know anything about Ben. You keep saying he just follows Miguel blindly, but I think how he reacts to this will tell me everything I should know about his character.”
“Fair enough. I’ll set up a meeting with them when we get back.” Evren kisses my knuckles. “Until then, let’s forget about everything except celebrating the win from today.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Waves lapping against the shore lull me into a state of tranquility as I step onto the expansive deck of the house we’re staying at.A gentle breeze carries the salty scent of the sea,and the sun shimmers on the water in a mesmerizing dance.
“This is gorgeous,” I say as Evren hands me a glass of champagne. “What city are we in?” All I know is that we were about an hour’s drive from the factory area in Izmir.
“?esme. It’s a famous vacation area because of the sandy beach and turquoise waters. I used to come here to escape the hustle and bustle of Istanbul.”
“Is this one of your homes?”
He nods and I take in the modern masterpiece behind us.
It’s all sleek lines and floor-to-ceiling windows designed to maximize the breathtaking views.
Inside,the interior is just as luxurious as the exterior.
High-end furnishings, appliances,and a state-of-the-art entertainment system are what I glimpsed when we did a quick walkthrough before changing into our bathing suits.
Apparently, the housekeeper isn’t finished preparing everything, so with drinks in hand, we were basically told to wait by the pool.
But even if the inside is gorgeous, for me, it’s the outdoor living space that truly steals the show.
A private infinity pool seems to blend seamlessly with the sea,creating the illusion of endless water.
Comfortable lounge chairs and a shaded dining area provide the perfect spot to relax and enjoy this slice of paradise.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask, as he stares out into the water.
“Just that I can’t remember the last time I came here. The last few years before I moved to the US were so busy, I was working nonstop.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Well, I guess my question is more why and when did you become a workaholic?”
“I…” He opens and closes his mouth a few times before he settles on, “I don’t know.
It probably started long before I truly realized.
I had this unspoken pressure to do well in life so that I could support the family.
My parents didn’t graduate from university, and when I became the first one to do so, the pressure increased.
Then my grandparents got sick, and we needed extra money to help make the last of their years easier by getting a nurse to come to the apartment to help them.
Anything I made went back to the family.
If a cousin needed extra money, I was the one people came to.
If a friend of a friend needed help, it was on me. ”
I frown, moving closer, so close our shoulders touch. “That sounds an awful lot like people were using you and abusing your kindness.”