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The dimly lit basement reeked of blood and fear. Twelve men, each over six feet tall and powerfully built, hung from the ceiling, bound by ropes, their bodies battered and bleeding. They were the security team on duty when Azra had escaped.
Alihan stood before them, meticulously cleaning his gun, his movements calm and precise. "How could you all be so careless that a tiny girl made fools of you?" he said, his voice chillingly calm.
Eight of the men were already unconscious, three teetered on the brink of death, and one barely clung to life, managing to stammer out, "S-sorry... Boss..."
"Sorry? You think a sorry can repay your mistake?" Alihan's eyes flashed dangerously as he stepped closer to the man.
"I invested in your souls, and you repay me with this incompetence? Do you really believe a sorry will save you?" His voice rose, the rage palpable, causing even Burak to shiver despite his composure.
"Send them all to the Africa branch," Alihan ordered, his tone devoid of mercy. "Let them rot there until they understand that sorry doesn't cover their failures."
As he turned to leave, Alihan paused, lifting his gun with a practiced ease. He aimed at the main leader of the twelve men and pulled the trigger without hesitation, the bullet finding its mark in the man's head.
"Alihan Erdogan doesn't tolerate a second mistake," he declared, his voice cold and final. He holstered his gun and strode out of the basement, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing in the cold, unforgiving space.
(Last time when Azra escaped from the car, he was there.)
___________________________
Alihan had insisted that Azra stay in his room with him, given that his father was trying to find proof to prove their marriage fake. The tension was palpable, yet there was an undeniable undercurrent of something else - something neither of them could quite name.
Both of them were now in the room.
"You can sleep on the bed; I'll take the couch," Alihan said, his voice steady but with a hint of something softer.
"O... okay," Azra replied in a low voice, her nerves making her voice tremble slightly.
She went to the bed and covered herself with the comforter, trying to calm her racing heart. Meanwhile, Alihan went to shower. After 20 minutes, he returned, wearing only a pair of lower pants and a t-shirt, his wet hair tousled and making him look undeniably hot. He grabbed his laptop and started working.
Azra, on the other hand, was finding it impossible to sleep. Hours passed, and she just kept changing her position.
"Ufff, how can I sleep with him here?" she thought to herself. "What if I fall asleep and he does something to me? No, no, that can't be. Can it?"
