Chapter 220: "Who is telling lies?"

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty- One

"No."

Asli’s voice cut through the air before Markus could even say anything more.

He blinked. "What?"

She turned fully toward him, sweat still drying on her cheeks.

"No." Her finger pointed toward herself. "This is my responsibility."

Markus actually laughed not because anything was funny but because he thought she had finally lost it.

"Of course, it’s your responsibility. Whom am I?"

"Yes!" Her voice rose. "The man worked under my father. He lied to me. He stood there and watched that woman suffer and told me she was having episodes!"

Her chest rose and fell. "He lied to my face."

"And?" Markus shot back.

"He lied to me. Scratch that! I made him in charge of finding me the best doctor and specialist. Each and every time, he came back to tell me none

agreed to help. All these times, he never searched."

She jabbed her finger into her chest. "How the hell did I trust him? Why did I trust him?"

Markus opened his mouth. "So I kill him."

"No, you don’t."

His tone sharpened. "Asli..."

"She is under my protection!"

"So was Matilda!" Markus roared and quickly cleared his throat before giving an excuse, "You placed her under my protection while I was

there."

Asli swallowed still not understanding why he thought it was his duty to face the doctor.

Neither of them noticed Ahmet rubbing his forehead. He already knew where this argument was heading. Or perhaps, it was because he knew something Asli didn’t.

He had barely opened his mouth to tell both of them they were staying while he dealt with the doctor for her.

Ring.

Ahmet answered immediately. His face changed instantly. Then changed again. "What?"

Markus straightened.

"What happened?" Asli demanded.

Ahmet’s voice came through loudly enough.

"We found another of your father’s warehouses."

"What warehouses?"

"One of the unregistered ones."

Asli’s eyes narrowed.

"What? Where?"

"We’ll talk when we return."

*****

The old man’s hand froze halfway to his lips. The porcelain cup slipped from

his fingers. Tea splashed over his trousers and spread across the carpet.

"Asli?" His voice cracked.

For a second, he just stared at her. It was not because she had stepped into his section of the Villa. She had never bothered with doctors and medicine unless she was bleeding to death. If she needed him, she called him over. She had never had a reason to come looking for him.

And certainly not because her disappearance had become a secret. By now, everyone knew. She scanned him over. He had a look; It was the same look people gave her when she walked into a room unexpectedly.

Fear.

Pure fear.

The old doctor had spent years lowering his eyes whenever she passed. Years stammering through reports and speaking to her with the caution of a man handling a loaded gun.

He was afraid of her.

Always had been.

Which was why a humorless chuckle escaped her lips.

Funny.

He had trembled every time she looked his way, yet somehow he had still found the courage to lie to her.

For years. Without missing a beat.

She stepped inside quietly.

Then locked the door. The sound itself was soft.

But the old man nearly stopped breathing.

Whatever color had been left in his face disappeared completely.

"My child..."

"Don’t."

The single word froze him where he stood, and even his lips stopped moving.

Asli continued toward him, unhurried. The pistol dangled lazily from her fingers. His eyes dropped to it immediately. His throat bobbed.

"Asli..."

"Tell me."

His breathing quickened. "T-tell you what?"

"What?"

Another step.

"Did."

Another.

"You."

Another.

"Know?"

The old man stumbled backward and nearly sat on air before collapsing into his chair.

"I...I..."

"What did you know? Or what did you do?" The shout exploded from her.

He flinched so hard the chair nearly tipped over.

Tears gathered in his eyes.

"I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but whatever it is, I was following orders!"

Asli blinked then laughed because she was tired and wasn’t ready for this. If he didn’t know what exactly he did that could warrant her showing up in his sect with a gun, then he had a load of god-forbidden things he did.

A broken sound escaped her.

"Orders." She nodded to herself. "Always orders."

The old man nodded frantically. She understood this old man didn’t have his loyalty to her. However, she didn’t expect him to also lie to her.

"Marco would have..."

Her eyes snapped upward.

"Are you about to threaten me by mentioning his name?"

The doctor swallowed. "No, that wasn’t my intention. I mean, he would’ve killed me if I disobeyed."

"And?"

The old man froze.

Asli tilted her head.

"And?"

Her finger shifted slightly on the trigger.

"Should I feel sorry for you?"

He burst into tears.

"I have children."

The gun rose.

"She could have had a normal life!" Her voice thundered through the room. "Now, she has a child I don’t think she’s even aware of."

The old man shrank into himself.

"I was scared of Marco. I still am."

"So was she!"

Asli marched forward.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Until the cold barrel rested against his forehead. The old man’s entire body shook.

"Please." Tears and mucus ran down his face.

Asli studied him quietly for a moment. Then a small, bitter smile tugged at her lips.

"Interesting."

The old man blinked through his tears.

"I haven’t even told you why I’m here." Her head tilted slightly. "And yet, the first thing you thought of wasn’t innocence."

The barrel pressed harder against his skin.

"My gun always goes where I go so I wasn’t expecting you to be this prepared." Her voice dropped.

His sobs grew louder.

"You knew one day I’d do this." A humorless chuckle escaped her. "That’s what I like most, Doctor."

Her eyes held his. "I didn’t say a word, and somehow you already knew I came here to kill you."

"Please..." He broke down completely.

"But you see, you are breaking my heart. You don’t even know exactly why I want to kill you. You still don’t know who I’m talking about even after telling

you she has no idea she has a child." She sounded calm... too calm.

"Please... There are a lot. I may not know what exactly but I know things."

The gun remained where it was.

"I know things your..."

He caught himself, his breathing hitched.

"Things he never wanted you to know." It seemed he wanted to negotiate his

life.

Asli stared but nothing moved inside of her. She didn’t care what her father did or was doing. She only cared about...

"I know you may think it’s none of your business but some are. They are your business." He continued and the confidence in his tone alerted her but she didn’t show any reaction.

"Negotiate."

The old man blinked.

"What?"

"Your life." Her voice remained flat. She was giving him fifteen seconds to convince her she needed to hear whatever he wanted to say.

"Negotiate your life."

Something flickered in his eyes.

Hope.

Desperate, pathetic hope.

It wasn’t because she meant to but because the words themselves struck her.

Her parents. The words echoed inside her head and her eyes widened.

For a second, she simply stared at him.

Of all the things he could have said:

Anything.

It could be money.

Names.

Secrets.

Her father.

Demir.

The unregistered men.

Anything but that.

Not them.

Her grip loosened completely.

Something cold settled in her stomach.

And against her will, a voice she had spent days trying to believe slipped into her mind.

’Your father isn’t what you think he is.’

Ahmet.

Again.

Her pulse quickened. "What?"

"They’re alive."

The old man nodded so hard that tears flew from his face.

"They’re powerful people."

She actually took a step back.

"No."

The denial came out weaker this time.

"I swear..."

"No. You think lying this much can keep you alive? If anything you are signing your death right now."

"I took care of you when you first came here. You were scared and traumatized..."

Her eyes widened. "Shut up."

"You weren’t abandoned."

"No."

"They searched for you, hoping a miracle would come even though they thought you were dead."

His words came out faster.

"They never stopped looking, I was sad for them."

Those words must’ve struck something in her, she punched him.

His shout erupted inside the room..

Her chest rose sharply. If she recalled correctly, his adoptive father said he was best friends with her biological father and Ahmet’s father killed him and he had to save and protect her. If her biological parents were still alive and powerful, why didn’t they come for her?

She had buried that dream years ago.

Dead people stayed dead.

Missing people stayed missing.

Nobody came back.

Nobody.

"Two of you must be telling lies to me!" she roared.

"Why would I lie when I’m negotiating for my own life? Listen, your father..."

Bang!

His head jerked violently. Blood sprayed across the wall. For a fraction of a second, she simply stared. Then instinct took over.

There was movement in the bedroom. She wanted to rush where the gun had

come from.

But his last words kept her rooted. "And Ahmet..."

The old man leaned forward desperately, coughing blood.

"Asli, Ahmet is your..."

Bang!

The shot hit his head, silencing him totally.

Bang!

The third bullet whistled past her face.