31. Evren
Evren
“ W hat’s something you used to do for fun,” Nina asks, “but haven’t done in a long time?”
I pour her a cup of coffee and hand it to her.
“Fishing,” I say. “I used to love it, but I haven’t gone in…ten years? Maybe more?”
“Why did you stop?” she asks, taking a bite of her cereal.
“I don’t know. I guess I got too busy and then forgot about it.”
“Well, that’s unacceptable. Let’s plan a trip somewhere with fishing.”
“Do you even like fishing?” I ask.
She snorts. “Not at all, but that doesn’t matter. I can come along for moral support, as long as I don’t have to touch the actual fish or bait a hook.”
“Really?” I can’t keep the surprise from my tone.
Not one of my so-called friends ever wanted to support or join in on any hobby of mine.
It’s yet another realization that maybe I never had a real friend before, or maybe I did when I was young, but it all got twisted around the more successful I got.
“Really,” Nina says, kissing me on my cheek. “I’d look amazing in some waders and rubber boots.”
“What kind of fishing are you thinking about?” I laugh. “That’s what you’d wear for fly-fishing.”
“Oh, well, even better. I look amazing in a bikini.”
“Now that, I can testify to.”
Our gazes connect, a soft smile blooming on both of our faces. One that’s filled with warmth, contentment, and a shared understanding that runs deeper than words. I lean in, my lips brushing softly across her. I’m lost in her gaze when my phone buzzes.
I glance at it and frown. “It’s my mom.” I press the green video button and say, “ Annem ? Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes. Sorry to call so early, but I knew you’d be up by now.”
Even if it’s before seven a.m., she’s still dressed and ready for the day.
“Is Nina with you?” she asks.
Nina grabs my phone and pans the video to her. “Hi, how are you?”
“I’ll be better once you both accept my invitation to come to Miami for a party I’m having.”
“And what’s the occasion?” I ask .
“Does there need to be an occasion to have a party?” Mom asks, surprised.
“I like your style.” Nina laughs. “When’s the party?”
“The second week of August. Can you come?”
“We’ll be there,” Nina says easily, as if we aren’t busy and need to check the actual date. As if we’re not planning something in the future, months from now, to do together. “And maybe you can come for the first game of the season in September.”
I give Nina a long look. Surely she doesn’t know that Mom hasn’t once made it to one of the games. It’s hurt that she hasn’t come, but I always told myself that she was settling into a new country and city, just like me, and needed time.
“Oh…” Mom says. “I…”
“Will come,” Nina insists. “It’ll be fun. Do you know much about football?”
“Not at all,” Mom says.
“It’s fun to watch, and it’d mean a lot to us if you joined.”
“It would?” Mom asks, and shoots me a look. “I didn’t think you cared about the game, or even liked it.”
“Wait… Is that why you never came before?” I ask.
“Yes, I thought you bought the team because you were having a midlife crisis but that you’d get bored with it after a few months.”
Nina stifles a laugh behind her hand at the words midlife crisis , and I shoot her a glare. She mimes zipping her lips, but she can’t keep the smile off her face.
“I care about the team and the game,” I say. “And I’d love for you to come.”
“If that’s the case,” Mom says, “let me know the exact date and I’ll be there.”
“All right,” I say. “We need to get going, but talk later?”
“Of course, love you.”
“Love you, too,” I say, hanging up. I turn to Nina and ask, “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
She has an innocent look on her face, but I see right through it.
I’m not sure how she knew that I wanted my mom to come to a game, but I’m so grateful that she pushed the issue and made my mom accept her invitation.
I feel like the relationship with my mom is changing for the better. Thanks to Nina.
“Thank you,” I say with meaning. “I… It means a lot that she’ll be there.”
“I know,” she says softly.
The front door opens, and Zeki’s voice cuts through the house. “Are you two decent?”
“What the hell are you doing awake at this hour?” I ask.
Zeki strides into the kitchen, grabs a bowl, and pours himself cereal like he’s got all the time in the world. “I’ve got news,” he says, tone somber, almost heavy.
Nina frowns. “What’s going on?”
“I couldn’t understand Harold’s motivation, so Nate and I dug into his past.” Zeki places the cereal bowl on the table, alongside a thick folder. “Turns out, there’s more to his story than we realized. Were you aware that Harold’s wife forced him to sell the team?”
“No, that’s not right,” I say. “They co-owned it, and when they divorced, they didn’t want to deal with the hassle anymore. They were amicable—friendly, even, every time I met with them.”
“That’s not quite how it went down.” Zeki’s tone hardens. “Harold’s wife knew how much the team meant to him. So much so that when they divorced, she refused to sell him her half. She demanded they sell the entire thing just to spite him.”
“So, what?” I exhale sharply, my frustration rising. “He’s hell-bent on destroying the team now because he lost it? That’s his grand revenge plan?”
“No.” Zeki slides the folder across the table toward me. “It’s worse.”
I glance at Nina, then reach for the folder. As I open it, the weight in Zeki’s voice settles in my chest like a stone.
“These are the transfer documents Harold, his wife, and you signed to finalize the sale,” Zeki explains.
“I know what these are,” I snap, flipping through the pages. “Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Go to the tabbed section.” Zeki points to the yellow sticky note marking one page. “I had to pull some serious strings to get this copy—your lawyers wouldn’t release it to me.”
A fresh surge of unease ripples through me. My lawyers? Why the hell would they withhold my own documents? I flip to the tabbed section and start reading.
My gaze lands on a clause I’ve never seen before. A buyback option at a severely discounted price after twelve months. And it all hinges on the women’s apparel line performance.
Shock freezes me for a moment, then fury roars to life, burning through the disbelief. “What the fuck is this?”
Nina leans closer, her hand brushing my arm. “What is it?”
“This,” I say, voice tight, holding the contract out to her. “This was never in the original agreement. I would never have signed something like this.”
Nina’s eyes scan the page, her expression darkening as she reads. “He snuck it in? How is that even possible?”
The implications hit me like a freight train. My lawyers. They had to be in on this together with Harold. Which means this isn’t just sabotage—it’s a betrayal. One that was meticulously planned and executed from the beginning.
“The twelve months are up in a few weeks.” Zeki’s voice tightens, a note of urgency threading through every word as he leans forward, his gaze locking on mine. “Can you prove that clause wasn’t in the original version?”
I nod, already moving. “Let me grab my computer.”
Every step up the stairs feels like wading through quicksand.
My pulse thrums like a war drum, each beat pounding harder than the last. Upstairs, I snatch my laptop with trembling hands, my breath shallow and sharp, as though the air itself is fighting against me.
Back at the table, my fingers race over the keyboard, desperate, until the original document I signed flashes onto the screen.
I reread the section ten times. There’s no mention of the clause. Thank fuck.
“It’s unaltered.” I turn the screen to face Zeki and Nina.
Relief fills Zeki’s face as Nina asks quietly, “But what about Stonehaven? How are they connected to Harold?”
Zeki’s jaw tightens. “Will—the Stonehaven CEO—and Harold have been best friends since high school. Nate dug into it, and Will has a private team of hackers. They’re officially on his payroll for security systems, but they’ve got dirtier jobs on the side.
Like, say, altering contract files—or even something less subtle, like flooding a house. ”
The room goes silent, the words hanging heavy in the air. A cold realization cuts through me like a blade. They were all in on it. Harold. Will. My lawyers . They played me, and I never saw it.
“Hey.” Nina reaches for me, her voice strong, steady.
“We’re going to bury Harold, Stonehaven, and your lawyers.
Make an example out of them and make their life a living hell.
Then we’ll do it all over again and again just for fun.
And then we’ll throw it back to the fourteenth century and draw and qu?—”
“Slow down there, killer.” The corner of my mouth tugs upward despite the chaos swirling inside my chest. It’s absurd to smile at a time like this, but Nina’s vehemence and her jumping to my defense is like a lifeline in a storm I didn’t see coming. “We’re not going to draw and quarter them.”
“Metaphorically speaking,” Nina says. “Of course, we’re not going to torture them…much.”
“Jesus,” Zeki says. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
Nina smiles and then takes a bite of her cereal as if she didn’t just say what she did.
“It may take a long time,” Zeki says full of conviction, “to go through court, but eventually, they’re all going to pay for what they’ve done.”
“But they should pay for it now in some way,” Nina says. “What if we leak the story to an investigative reporter? Get them to reveal all the dirty details so that everyone involved would be blacklisted while we wait for the courts?”
“Wait, that’s a great idea,” Zeki says. “I know someone who can help out.”
“Perfect,” Nina says. “And let’s reveal Mert’s plan with Quincy so that he can get fired too.”
A lump forms in my throat at their support. I can’t quite bring myself to respond immediately, so I nod, gripping Nina’s hand like it’s the only thing tethering me to reality. Finally, I manage, “Let’s do it.” I turn to Zeki and say, “You’re already an amazing co-owner. Thank you for your help. ”
Zeki’s eyebrows lift in surprise, but there’s a glimmer of hope there too. “Does this mean you agree? That I can help you run the team? That you’re not going to sell?”
“Yes to it all,” I say, and the words settle something in me I hadn’t realized was still restless. “I want to stay in Skyrise. For you, for Nina, and for the team. It’s clear you’re the best person for the job.”
Zeki beams like I’ve handed him a Super Bowl win. “Well, in that case, I need to head into the office to get a start on the day. Send me the original contract, and I’ll take care of everything. See you later?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice lighter than it’s been in months. “See you later.”
As the door shuts behind him, a quiet fills the space, warm and steady. For the first time in a long time, the future doesn’t feel like a weight. It feels like possibility.
“You were planning to leave?” Nina shifts beside me, her gaze steady but questioning. “To sell the team?”
“I was.” I swallow hard, my chest tightening under the weight of what I almost gave up. “But not anymore. Not since meeting you, if I’m honest.”
Her expression softens, a spark of something unspoken passing between us. “And you’re going to let Zeki help run it all? Give up control?”
“Yes.” The words anchor me, solidifying the foundation I didn’t even realize I was building.
“I’m so proud of you.” She places a hand on my chest, right over my heart.
The words are simple, almost casual, but no one’s ever said that to me before—not like this.
With the same softness and understanding that’s in her eyes, like she actually sees me, sees all of me.
I swallow hard, trying to keep it together, but it’s impossible.
She’s looking at me like I’m something more than I’ve ever been, like she’s proud of more than just what I’ve done. She’s proud of me.
Before Nina, so much of my life was carving my way through the darkness.
But with her, it’s like she’s shining a light on me, making everything easier because of her love, her fierceness, and her unwavering belief in me.
She really does embody the word pariltim .
Because of her support, I’m ready to move on.
To stop dwelling on the past. I’m ready to let go of all the bullshit with Harold and Mert.
I cover her hand with my own. “You have no idea what that means to me, pariltim, ” I say, my voice low, steady. “You make me want to be the kind of man you’re proud of, every single day.”
Her smile is like a spark in the dark—undeniable and impossible to ignore. As our gazes collide, the world just…stops.
Nothing else matters but her, right here, with me.