~~
"You know it should happen sooner or later... Our parents won't be able to live with that shame if they find out, Zeynep!" Kemal was towering over Zeynep, trying to persuade her about the marriage with Hakan.
"Is it my child, not a shame!" She defended herself instantly.
"Zeynep! This is serious, you need to marry Hakan as soon as possible. Emir should not come close to this child!"
"I don't want to marry Hakan! I changed my mind!" She told him, turning her head to the other side.
"What did you say?! What? You think you are funny, aren't you?" Kemal was losing his patience little by little.
"I don't love him. I can't marry him." She spoke calmly.
"You will love him! What do you think will happen? Emir is a dirty man, Zeynep! Do you want such a father for your child?"
"I love him!"
"He used you! He used you and manipulated you like he used Nihan!" He started shouting little by little.
"I love him! I wanted to get used! I wanted to! Nihan never looked twice at him, but I did! And I loved him!" Zeynep stood up, raising her voice back to him.
"Don't make me crazy, Zeynep! This child won't be a Kozcuoğlu!" He pointed at her belly furiously.
"It is a Kozcuoğlu! No matter how you deny it, no matter how you hate it, it is! This is a child from the man I love!"
"SHUT UP!" Kemal suddenly yelled, turning his back to her. "You are going to marry Hakan. This child won't ever know another father!"
"So you will do to me what Emir did to you? Huh?! Is this how much you hate me? Is this how much more importance Nihan has over me?! Congratulations, brother!" She smiled sadly, a few tears falling down her cheeks.
"YOU told us you were going to marry him in the first place!"
"I was mad at Emir, okay?! I thought he gave me to the police!" She sat back down on her bed.
"Of course he did! And you know why? Because he doesn't care, Zeynep!" He told her emphatically with a bitter tone.
"He didn't do it!" She insisted, caressing her stomach. She was feeling weird.
"Do you think you know him?! You don't!"
"Brother, just stop this please... I don't feel good." She sighed, trying to take some breaths.
"I will arrange a date for this wedding, Zeynep! Get off your cloud nine and think of our parents! Our honor!"
"I won't marry Hakan!" Zeynep slapped her palms on her sides. "You can't tell me what to do just like I didn't tell you what to do! Did you ask us when you got us in this mess?! Have you ever thought that everything is your fault!?"
"Zeynep!"
"It's all your fault and Nihan's! If she had even loved him, even loved him, a tiny hint of love, this would never have happened and we would all go on with our lives!"
"Enough!" Kemal warned her, raising his finger on her face.
"But you know what? I don't regret it a second! I don't regret that he used me and manipulated me because he woke me up! He taught me how to live! I'd rather die right now than marry anyone else, so please leave my room right now." Her voice was so strong and brave, it made Kemal narrow his eyes at her courage.
"Zeynep, my sister..." His look softened. "Don't disappoint our parents, not again."
"Do you believe you aren't disappointing them? You got a child with a married woman, brother. But of course, I am the problem..." She laughed bitterly, standing up. She leaned on the wall with her back.
"Watch it, Zeynep."
"It's not a lie, is it? What are you trying to do? Play fair with me?" Zeynep crossed her arms full of attitude. She really didn't understand why he was behaving like this. This wasn't the Kemal she knew.
"I am a different case. I love Nihan and she loves me. We want to get rid of him and be a family!"
"How will you get rid of him exactly if I get married to Hakan? It will get even worse! You will take this child from him and he won't give you Deniz, not even in your afterlife!" She rubbed her palms on her face, literally in a dead end.
"What are you saying then?" Kemal thought about her words for a second.
"I am saying that this is wrong. Things won't get better if I marry Hakan. The opposite will happen... You will infuriate him and you're gonna burn us all."
"Do you know him that well?" He looked at her sympathetically.
"I do. And even better than that."
"Well then... We have to throw him a bait." He suggested, puckering his lips as he was thinking about their next move.
"What bait?" Zeynep asked full of curiosity.
"Don't you worry... I will let you know when the time comes. If you don't want to marry, you won't." He assured her, leaving a quick kiss on her forehead. "But don't think for a second that you'll find peace with him. I will support you."
"Okay brother... Let's not talk about this now." She prompted him, already tired of their intense conversation.
"I will go meet Nihan... You go lay down and relax." He held her face in his hands, smiling softly at her.
"Take care, brother." Zeynep nodded her head, smiling back.
The moment he left her room, she placed her palm on her abdomen.
"What's wrong with you, huh? Be quiet..." She talked to the baby. Thank God her mother was out for grocery shopping and didn't hear their discussion with Kemal. Banu was almost never at home in the mornings so that was good too. Everything was messed up enough already, she doesn't need more problems.
Later that day, Emir got back home from the holding. It was quite late actually and all he wanted to do was to check on Deniz and sleep. Her little smile would make his day better anyway.
Approaching her room he heard Nihan talking to someone on the phone.
"Yes, that's what Kemal told me... Zeynep is marrying Hakan in a week, they found a date by accident..."
Emir clenched his fists at once. What the hell is she talking about. They weren't supposed to find a date for two more months.
"Oh, I don't know... I mean, what can Emir do anyway... Zeynep will marry Hakan and the child will be his."
Shutting his eyes tightly and with his fist almost ready to punch the door, he turned around and headed to his room.
"God damn it. God damn it!" He mouthed, throwing his jacket on the sofa.
'The child will be his...' He thought of Nihan's words, getting angrier and angrier.
Like hell it would be his. This child was a Kozcuoğlu. A real one. The only thing he would be able to call his in this life. Nobody could take it away. Nobody. He would tear them down one by one.
He had to think. How he could prevent it from happening?
Next morning he woke up early and left for the company.
"Find me a good reason why I shouldn't make you disappear right now?" He told Tufan who had just entered his office.
"Excuse me?" He asked clueless.
"How did Hakan find a free date?!" Emir raised his eyebrows, looking devilishly at him.
"That's impossible sir, we-"
"Shut up. I have to find a way to stop that nonsense. Come up with something or I will fire you." He stated, pointing at him with his finger.
Tufan nodded his head all scared and left his office.
Emir then unlocked his phone and messaged Zeynep. She should be still sleeping anyway.
['I want to see you this evening. I will message you later about the time.']
Pelin knocked on his door. "Mr Emir, the shareholders are awaiting you at the meeting room."
"I am coming." He nodded his head, picking up some papers.
Zeynep woke up about an hour later. Turning on her phone, she saw his message and smiled. She wanted to see him too anyway.
[Okay.] She simply replied back, raising from the bed.
Kemal had already informed her about letting Nihan know about her fake marriage. Of course Nihan didn't know it was fake, but he would tell her eventually. He just needed to throw a bait to Emir. One way or another Nihan would have rubbed it on his face if he hadn't eavesdropped.
The sun was about to set. Zeynep left her house, ignoring Fehime's rant again. She hates when her mother does that. It's not like she's a little girl who can't go out.
Dressed in a total black look, with skinny jeans and a blouse with lacy details, she walked down the coast.
Emir appeared not even a few metres away, stopping with his car next to her.
"Get in." He eyed her from head to toe as she opened the door and sat inside.
"What happened?" She asked him immediately, meaning the reason of their meeting.
"Are you in a hurry?" Emir turned his head to the side, blinking his eyes.
"No, but I can't be late. My mother will kill me." Zeynep turned her gaze outside the window, taking a look behind them from the side mirror.
Nodding his head, Emir started the car and drove away.
After some time, they reached a luxurious sea side restaurant in one of the most expensive districts in İstanbul.
"Why are we here?" Zeynep asked him when they stopped.
"Shh, get out." He simply said, walking ahead of her.
"Good evening, Mr Kozcuoğlu." A worker bowed his head and ran back to take his car away.
"This way, sir." A kind woman in around her thirties guided them to their table. She moved Zeynep's chair, helping her sit.
Zeynep was looking around both fascinated and uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Emir understood her from one look. "Are you afraid we won't have enough money to pay?" He smirked, fixing a towel on the table.
She scoffed at his comment, trying to hide a smile.
"Bring us two grilled salmons, a green salad and a glass of white wine for me." He added last, handing the menu back at the waiter.
"Wow, thanks for asking what I want." Zeynep shook her head at his bossiness.
"Don't you always want what I want?" He raised his eyebrows at her, a hint of insinuation behind his words.
"It depends. Why did you want to see me?"
"To wish you good luck on your marriage." Emir looked into her eyes attentively.
"Hm... So you found out. Thanks." She smiled softly, looking back at him.
The waiter arrived with the salad and Emir's wine.
"Why are you trying to get on my nerves?" He tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically.
"I am not... But since you aren't planning on doing anything about this situation..." She pointed at her belly. "I need to think about myself. And not only."
"This child is mine." He noted calmly.
"After about a week it won't be." She replied nonchalantly. It was her chance to infuriate him and make him actually do something if he wanted this child so much.
"Ah, my little one... You really are about to call the hell bells..." Emir sighed, taking a sip of his wine.
"I told you you can't have it all." Zeynep followed his moves, sipping some water.
"The day I won't have it all, I won't be Emir Kozcuoğlu anymore..." He reached into his pocket and took out an envelope. "Take this." He handed it over to her.
"What is this?"
"Stop making questions and open it."
Zeynep opened the envelope. It was full of papers. She took one out and proceeded to read.
About an two minutes later she started laughing. "What is this?"
"Money for my child, 20% of my company shares for which you will be in charge for until he/she will reach 18 years." He explained, scanning her face for reactions.
"Poyraz Kozcuoğlu if he's a boy and Gece Kozcuoğlu if she's a girl..." She read out loud, raising her look to him.
"Except for wanting to control my life, you even name my child." Shaking her head in disbelief, she put the paper back in its place.
"There's more." He added.
"I don't care. I don't want it." She pushed the envelope to him.
"I did not ask you if you want it. I am giving it to you. If you don't marry, of course."
"Your grilled salmons." The waiter left the food on table. "Bon Appétit."
"You are trying to buy me off." Zeynep pinpointed with a blank expression.
"If you want to see it like that... I'm just caring for my heir." He licked his bottom lip.
"All you care about is your heir anyway."
"You're wrong. I'm trying to save you from a bad decision that could ruin your life." Emir grabbed the fork and the knife.
"Can we eat first? I'll tell you my decision after." She sighed, too many things on her mind already.
A few minutes later Zeynep had eaten everything. Emir was watching her amused. He could swore her belly has gotten bigger too.
"Do you want to eat me too?" He joked, pointing at the empty plates.
"No, I don't prefer pig meat."
Emir almost choked on his wine, smiling at her smart comeback.
"Have you made up your mind? What is your decision?" He continued, staring at her expectantly.
"My decision is that you need something stronger than this poor attempt to buy me off with your money and power. I don't want your money. I never cared about your money... I'm still getting married in a week. Thank you for dinner." Zeynep wiped the sides of her mouth and stood up to leave.
Emir puckered his lips, moving his eyes around without focus.
What did she just say? Did she just leave him like he was a plain nobody?
"Ah, Zeyneppp." He hit the table with his fist, before standing up to follow her. "Ugh..." A piercing pain shot through his left leg. He had to lean on a wall to support himself. It hasn't bothered him lately, what happened now? Did it come as a reminder of Kemal and his win against him?
He sat back down without anyone noticing. The last thing he wanted was to be pitied. And feeling defeated.
~~
Zeynep has some nerve, right? Let's see where it will take her. 🤷
Thank you for your endless support! Enjoy! 🌹