The Wedding Night...

A night of revelations...

Baran was very well used to this kind of event. They were a necessity in his line of business. He was trying to put on his best face in front of guests. However, in the back of his mind was his wife. Dilan had yet to arrive. He texted once again to Mr. Hikmet. Luckily, his reply was immediate. "We should be there in a few minutes." That was good. He could breathe better now. From the corner of his eyes, Baran saw Kerem approaching. "Okhan is waiting for you in the back." He nodded and entered the venue, shaking hands and greeting diverse people on his way. "Baran, I just wanted to let you know everything is set. If Mr. Hassan dares to show up, we will get him." Baran grabbed Okhan's arm. "I will hold you to that, my friend. And trust me, he will come." Before Baran could say anything else to Okhan, he heard the buzz of the journalists. "Ms. Dilan this way... Ms. Dilan, what do you think of your husband's collection? Could you give us a hint of what we will see?" Baran's heart started racing, just like when he was waiting for her before their wedding. He walked fast towards the voices, passing through the crowd to have a view of his wife. When he finally got close enough, he saw her and was speechless. She was beautiful as usual, but at that moment, she looked different... sexy. Her smokey eye makeup made her emerald eyes stand out. He could tell she wasn't wearing any blush, but having all those people staring at her turned her cheeks pink. Her lips were shining in a nude tone. Her hair was tight back in a high ponytail. When he managed to look further, he saw the most stunning black dress. It was fitted to her body from the top down to her knees, where the cloth fell naturally to the floor.

The dress seemed as if it was painted on her. The black, just like the darkest of skies, came from her shoulder, extending across the better part of her chest to the feet and around the left side of her body. It was made to accentuate her curves. But then there was also the right side—the borders of the right side of her figure, the exposed parts of her chest, and her left arm were covered with a nude fabric decorated in countless black gem-like stones of different shapes. He was transfixed. The call from the journalist took him out of his trance. "Mr. Baran, would you stand next to your wife? Mr. Baran?" Baran shook his head. He needed to focus. She was exquisite, yes. But he didn't know if he needed to be upset because she chose to wear that or to be turned on by it. After the shock, he went to her. He made sure to stand on the side with the nude fabric to cover her body as much as possible. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she leaned beside him. "What do you think of the dress, Mr. Baran? I hope it is to your liking." Oh, he liked it. That was not the issue. The issue was all the men that were now eyeing his wife. "What do I think? I think you are cold, dear wife. I think you will have to wear my jacket for the remainder of the event. That is what I think." She pressed her lips together to suppress her satisfaction. "Don't you dare put that jacket on me, or I will not be held accountable for my actions?" He led her away while thanking the reporters. Baran took her to a dark spot near the stage. He pulled her to him. "Dilan, if you don't want your husband to go to jail for murder, you will wear my jacket." He ensured his tone was stern so she would understand his seriousness.

Dilan loved this Baran. Her husband was struggling to control himself. But she decided to comply. She called for Mr. Hikmet, who brought her a jacket. After putting it on, she kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "There is something about this dress you should know, Mr. Karabey." She pulled back to watch his face. Getting near his lips, she let him know. "There is no room for underwear..." She saw him swallow dry and walk away to reunite with a nervous Ms. Evin. She didn't bother to look back to check whether he was looking at her. She knew he was, and she felt triumphant inside. She examined her surroundings and marveled at the decoration. The ceiling was decorated with different shades of white flowers with pink accents. So were the centerpieces on the tables. There were thousands of lights shining like stars. Baran joined them shortly and exchanged greetings with Ms. Evin. Before any more words could be said, the speaker introduced Baran. Her husband took the stage, and she could not be prouder of him. With everything going on in their lives, he managed to pull together this event in a short time. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, dear guests. We thank you for accepting this invitation to the presentation of our newest collection. Nothing is more beautiful, perfect, and closer to the divine on this earth than a diamond. I give you 'Paragon of Beauty.'" Baran handed over the microphone and walked towards Dilan. The collection comprised different pieces, varying from necklaces to bracelets and rings. However, after watching most of the models, Dilan didn't see a piece grand enough to be the center of the collection. She looked at Baran, confused. He winked at her. "For the main piece, let's welcome Mr. Baran Karabey back to the stage." He went back up, and his assistant brought him a box. He opened it and showed it to the audience. The camera closed in, and the necklace was displayed on the back screen of the stage.