Chapter 27
It was turning out to be a strange day. I felt a shiver run down my spine when I noticed unusual activity in the Yavuz mansion.
I was curious, restless, and something told me this wasn’t just a simple business meeting, so I decided to find out for myself what was going on.
I crept through the dark hallway, holding my breath, and my ears picked up muffled voices coming from my son’s father’s office.
I risked peeking through the half-open door. Inside, Ayaz stood in tense conversation with Farid and Murat. They wore dark clothes and had icy stares that radiated imminent danger. I swallowed hard and focused on their words, echoing in the silence of the night.
What I heard left me shocked. Zeki, Ayaz’s uncle, had been captured by my family’s organization, and they wanted to use him as a bargaining chip for me and my son Can. I was terrified—I didn’t want to be separated from my baby.
“I need to talk to you about something very important. Our informants in enemy territory told me Uncle Zeki was taken by the Aydins, and they want to trade him for Eda and my son Can.”
“What? My father? This is absurd!” Murat exclaimed. “We need to rescue him right away!”
“I know, and I agree with you. But they’re determined to force this trade.”
“And what do you intend to do, Mr. Ayaz?” Farid inquired.
“My uncle is very important to me and to the organization, and I need him back. But I don’t want to make this trade, and I won’t.”
“You know we can’t give in to their demands, Ayaz,” Farid said, his voice low and sinister. “Your uncle is a key figure in the organization, and his health is fragile. We can’t risk losing him.”
“I’m not going to hand over my son and Eda to them, no matter what they do,” he said, his voice firm and his expression determined. “I won’t give in to their demands. No one can force me to do this.”
“So you want your uncle, my father, to rot in their captivity?” Murat demanded, staring at him with piercing eyes. He sighed deeply.
“Of course not, Murat,” Ayaz responded firmly. “We’re going to rescue him without making this absurd trade. We just need to find out where he is.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A chill ran through my body. My son Can and I were the bargaining chips in this cruel negotiation. I knew I had to act to get what I wanted.
I gathered my courage and pushed the office door open. The three men turned, surprised, and I walked in with determined steps.
“Ayaz,” I called out, mustering the firmest voice I could, “we need to talk.”
“Eda, what are you doing here?” He looked at me, surprised and worried.
“I heard your conversation, Ayaz,” I admitted without beating around the bush. “I know where your uncle is.”
Murat and Farid looked at me, confused, but Ayaz seemed shocked.
“How do you know this, Eda?”
“That doesn’t matter now, but I’ll tell you anyway,” I said with determination.
“I’m the only daughter of Hilal Aydin. As you yourself said, there was a time when he tried to train me to be his successor.
When he realized it wasn’t going to work because I wasn’t like him, he sent me to study in Italy and tried to arrange a marriage for me with someone who could take his place.
That’s why I don’t know everything, but I do know where they take hostages from enemy factions.
I’m offering to reveal where your uncle is, in exchange for a few conditions. ”
The other two seemed perplexed, but Ayaz stared at me with a mix of emotions, from surprise to something like devastation.
“What conditions, Eda?”
“I don’t want to be separated from our son Can,” I declared, tears welling in my eyes.
“And I want Leyla, the messenger I sent to ask for your help, to come work at the mansion. She risked a lot for us and needs your protection too. She contacted me the other day, and she’s terrified.
She thinks she’s being followed, and I fear for her life. ”
The men began to protest, but Ayaz silenced them with a gesture. He walked up to me and held my face firmly between his hands.
“How can I trust you, Eda, when you’ve already tried to deceive me before?” He frowned. “This pact is risky. How can I know I’m making a safe deal?”
“There you go insisting on that absurd story again.” I pouted. “I understand you’re suspicious, but I guarantee I’m not lying. I swear on our son.”
“This deal seems very convenient for you. However, one question remains: why would you be willing to betray your family and your baba? What would you gain from this?”
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes not to be separated from my son and to stay by his side forever,” I responded with determination.
“As for my family, my family is now me, you, and Can. Why should I protect the people who intended to kill my baby and left me there, abandoned, alone, hemorrhaging, to die at the first sign of danger?”
Ayaz was surprised by my offer, but he didn’t accept my conditions right away.
“I'll consider your offer, Eda, but I'm not promising anything. I need to think about it.” He fell silent for a few moments, considering. “I don't know if I can trust you. I need to be sure this is safe for all of us.”
“I understand. But you'd better not take too long to decide. My baba is as cruel and ruthless as you are, Ayaz. He can do your uncle a lot of harm. I'll wait for your decision.”