Mrs. and Mr. Soysalan - AsLaz

9

Asi sat at Deniz's desk, her fingers tapping lightly on the keyboard of her laptop as she tried to focus on the lines of code in front of her. The screen was a blur and no matter how hard she tried to concentrate, her mind kept drifting—back to the argument with her father, back to the black SUV that had followed her last night, back to the inevitability of this marriage that was being forced upon her. She glanced at her watch again, the minute hand ticking away too slowly and yet far too quickly all at once. She probably never had a more difficult Friday morning.

Deniz noticed her restlessness, his frustration starting to bubble to the surface. "Asi, are you okay?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern but also a hint of irritation. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked,
and each time she had brushed him off.

Asi rubbed her tired eyes, forcing a small smile. “I’m fine. Let’s just get through this, okay? We can’t afford to lose another project.”

Deniz watched her for a moment longer, his eyes searching her face for some sign of what was really going on. He knew her too well to believe her dismissive words, but he also knew better than to push when she was like this. So he nodded and turned back to his screen, diving back into the technical details of their coding project.

The room was silent except for the rapid clicking of their keyboards, but Asi could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating. The clock ticked relentlessly, and as the hands crept closer to 11, she felt her heart rate increase. Five minutes to go.

Finally, Asi couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed back from the desk and stood up abruptly. “I have an important meeting,” she said, her voice strained. “I’m sorry, Deniz. I’ll have to leave you to finish this on your own.”

Deniz looked up, confusion clouding his features. “A meeting? Now? What meeting is more important than this project? I thought you said—”

“I know what I said,” Asi interrupted, her voice firmer now, though it shook slightly at the edges. “But I have to go. You’ll do better without me anyway.”

Deniz stared at her, his confusion turning to concern. “Asi, what the hell is going on? You’re not yourself.”

Asi hesitated, her heart aching as she looked at him. Deniz had always been there for her, even when she didn’t deserve it. And now she was about to walk out on him again, with no explanation. She hated herself for it. Before she could stop herself, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

Deniz was caught off guard, his body stiffening at first before he slowly returned the embrace. “Asi… It’s going to be okay, whatever it is,” he murmured, his voice softening.

Asi pulled back, patting his head like she always did when she was trying to comfort him, though this time it felt more like she was comforting herself. “I hope so,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She quickly turned and left the room before he could say anything else, her heart pounding as she made her way to her father’s office.

When she arrived, she wasn’t surprised by the scene that greeted her. Her father was sitting behind his large mahogany desk, looking as stern and imposing as ever, though there was a weariness in his eyes. Beside him sat their family lawyer, his expression unreadable as he sifted through a stack of papers. Across from them, on a small sofa, sat Serhan and Alaz Soysalan, both dressed in sharp suits that did little to mask the tension in the room. The Soysalans’ lawyer was seated in a chair nearby, his eyes moving from one face to another as if trying to gauge the mood.

Asi closed the door behind her and took a deep breath before walking over to the empty chair that had been left for her. She sat down, trying to steady her racing heart. The events of the past 24 hours were still fresh in her mind, and she could feel the weight of them pressing down on her.