Niko Bianco confirmed the money transfer operation in online banking and got up from the table. The clock showed midnight. He made it. Paid the last part of the debt before the new day began. The day he has appointed as his Rubicon. June 1st. A date that has left a deep scar in his memory. It was on this day, four years ago, that his heart died. No, it didn't stop. It continued to knock quite measuredly and strongly, but not a single living emotion remained in it. Just a muscle pumping cold blood.
Niko went to the window. In the dark glass, as in a mirror, he saw his thin, aristocratic face and flexible, perfectly developed body. Women called him impeccably handsome. Once, in a past life, such a definition flattered Niko. Now it was annoying. Life has made it clear to him that beauty is not a guarantee of happiness. It is unable to maintain either love or trust. The beautiful are also rejected and killed by betrayal.
She did just that. She removed him from her life so easily and mercilessly, as if he were a figurine on her dressing table, which the spoiled princess suddenly considered unsuitable for the interior of the luxurious room.
She crossed him out, not even allowing an explanation. And, as if in a mockery, she announced through a lawyer that she leaves her dowry, with which he had to pay the debts of the ruined Bianco family, to him.
It would be better if she had shot him in the heart.
He asked the lawyer to tell her that he did not accept handouts and would return all the money to the last coin. For four long years, day in, day out, he worked twenty hours a day. When he managed to raise Bianco's company from the ruins, he experienced only cold satisfaction. When he returned the first part of the debt, he drank himself to death. When her father called, he sent him to hell and refused to speak.
Now, having reached the goal, Niko felt cold and an irresistible desire to forget. Tomorrow he will begin to exercise his revenge. Tomorrow, excitement will ignite in the blood and become the meaning of his existence. But today... today he has to fill the void with something, or it will kill him.
Niko took his phone out of his pocket, casually tapped the screen with his finger, and held it to his ear. "Hello," he said with icy dispassion. "Are you at home? Unlock the door. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
***
Jansu could not sleep. The time had passed after midnight, but the thoughts in her head did not give her a single chance to sleep. They twirled and itched and tormented her with memories.
This was the case every year on June 1st. This date became her karma. She lived the day over and over again when, collecting the fragments of her broken heart, she blinded them into a pile and ordered herself to move on. She did it. She did not die of pain, did not become embittered by the betrayal, and did not close herself in from humiliation.
On that day, the old Jansu died, and the new one was born.
But first -
This happened almost five years ago.
She was only eighteen. The only daughter of the owner of the Baisal jewelry trading network. A girl who lost her mother early and became the meaning of life for her father. A spoiled, self-confident beauty who knows nothing of refusal. The whole world was at her feet, and she considered it a given.
He came to work for her father's company. He was twenty-five years old. An Italian with a face, as if came down from the paintings of Botticelli, and burning, black eyes. A descendant of an old Florentine family with impeccable manners and royal bearing. From the first minute of their acquaintance, Niko Bianco treated her like a princess. It seemed to Jansu that he was the personification of masculinity and nobility. She fell in love. Head over heels.
Niko treated her like the boss's daughter - respectfully and evenly. Jansu wanted something else, and she was not going to obediently wait until he turned his attention to her and flared up with male interest. The princess began to act. Every day, after university classes, she showed up at the office to see him. She flirted, called him to take a walk in the park or go to the cinema. He, referring to the work, always politely refused.
And then there was the reception in honor of her father's birthday. Niko, like other employees of the company, was invited. Jansu had dressed with great care. A scarlet dress that reveals the shoulders and arms; stiletto heels; the diamond necklace and earrings were carefully chosen. When she looked at herself in the mirror, it was not a young girl who was looking at her, but a gorgeous woman - or so it seemed to her.
She invited Niko to dance, then smiled coquettishly and said that she was feeling stuffy. He led her to the balcony. Jansu went to the railing, breathed in the bitter evening air with her whole chest, and then turned to Niko and kissed him. At first, he froze like a statue. Tight shoulders, tightly compressed lips, and hands clenched into fists. But in a moment everything changed. Niko groaned quietly, hugged her, and returned the kiss.
He kissed passionately and skillfully. Inexperienced Jansu lost her head. She soared in the sky forgetting about everything in the world. The reception, guests - everything moved away and dissolved in Niko's hot lips.
Her father saw their kiss. He was angry. Jansu opened her mouth to justify Niko, but he was ahead of her and told Mr. Ozcan Baisal that he was asking forgiveness for his behavior from him and Jansu.
"I do not need to ask for forgiveness!" She exclaimed hotly. "I wanted this kiss! I love you!"
Her father stopped her with a heavy look and asked Niko to come with him to the office.
The next day, Niko proposed to her and put a heavy, antique, gold ring with an emerald on her finger. Jansu was in seventh heaven. She will marry the man whom she loved with all her heart and believed more than herself. Active and full of energy, she set about organizing the wedding of her dreams.
The wedding was grandiose. The newspapers wrote about the event both in Turkey and abroad. Nico's mother and younger sisters came from Italy. Signora Bianco turned out to be a beautiful, cold, laconic lady. Jansu could not understand how she felt about the marriage of her son, and about her future daughter-in-law. But, deciding that for her it does not matter, she threw away the disturbing thoughts.
Niko will marry her! That was the only thing that mattered.
But on the third day after the wedding, when the happy Jansu was looking forward to traveling to Mykonos, where she and Niko were going to spend their honeymoon, her mother-in-law coldly asked her when she was going to change her religion.
"Why?" Jansu was surprised.
"You are my son's wife," signora Bianco reminded haughtily. "In our family, everyone professes the Catholic faith."
"Then I'll be the first with a different faith," Jansu replied boldly. "What difference does it make if I am a Catholic or a Muslim? Niko loves me regardless of religion."
Signora Bianco smiled ironically and asked, "Are you sure Niko loves you?"
A nasty, icy shiver appeared in Junsu's chest.
She looked at her daughter-in-law as if she were a naive fool, and said, "Love is a rare reason for marriage. Men always have other."
Jansu backed up to the door, but before leaving, she stubbornly declared to Signora Bianco, "Niko loves me!"
In the hall, she met one of the maids and asked her if she had seen Mr. Niko. She replied that he was in the office, together with Mr. Baisal.
Jansu headed to her father's office. The luxurious Oriental rug in the hallway muffled her steps. The door hinges were perfectly oiled, and the door was slightly open, and when Jansu opened it wider, it did not make a sound. Her father and Niko were in the office.
But they were not talking about work.
Jansu heard her name and stopped to listen.
"Jansu shouldn't know anything," her father said sternly. "If you open your mouth and tell her, I'll destroy you."
She froze. What are the secrets between dad and Niko? What should she not know about?
When Niko spoke, Jansu became all ears.
"There is no logic in your words," the voice sounded restrained and cold. "It's not in my interest to tell Jansu about our deal. But, I want to remind you that I fulfilled my part - I married your daughter."
It seemed to Jansu that an invisible hammer slammed into her chest, breaking her heart into fragments. The pain was so intense that she could not breathe. And Niko continued to say, "Now it's your turn to do your part — to pay off my family's debts."
"In a week, two million euros will go to your account," said her father.
Ozcan Baisal never breaks his word.
Jansu backed away. She felt sick and there was darkness in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she heard a minute ago. She was betrayed. And who? The two most dear and beloved people - her father and Niko. A deal was negotiated behind her back. They put a price on her heart, soul, and feelings at two million euros.
Whom can you believe if not to those who are closer? And they are betraying you?
Jansu turned around and, as she was, without money, documents, phone, ran out of the house.
She wandered through the city, not understanding where she was going and why. She just walked wherever her legs went. They led her to the promenade.
Jansu sat down on a bench and stared at the Bosphorus. The water sparkled in the rays of the evening sun, but the girl did not notice its beauty. She remembered. Every minute she spent with Niko. His every look and word. She put the memories on shelves, analyzed them, and saw what she had not noticed before. Rather, she took it for granted that she did not need to put it in words. After all, the heart knows better.
Niko never spoke to her about love.
Jansu covered her face with her hands and began to cry.
On the same bench, two days later, Omer and Defne Iplikci found her. Jansu was not their friend. Only a friend to whom famous designers created shoes and jewelry for the wedding. But they did not pass by. They stopped and showed such warmth, compassion, and care that the girl killed by betrayal began to come out of prostration.
Omer and Defne took her to their house, fed her, allowed her to bathe and change, and then carefully asked about what had happened.
She told them everything. They were shocked but still persuaded her to talk to her father and listen to his explanations.
He arrived blackened with fear and grief. He cried with happiness when he saw her safe and sound. He said that he and Niko had nearly gone mad during those two days. Jansu only smiled ironically and asked, "Was Niko worried? Although, why am I surprised? Two million euros have not yet been credited to his account."
Her father turned pale and whispered in a somber voice, "You heard everything ..."
Jansu nodded and, unable to contain her bitterness, asked, "Why did you do so, dad? Am I so bad and worthless that I can only buy a husband? You think so, right?"
"No!" exclaimed her father. "Don't you dare think so! You are the daughter I am proud of."
"Then why?!!" She cried out a question.
"I wanted you to be happy!" He replied. "You fell in love..."
"And you decided to buy me the object of my love as a husband?" Angry sparks appeared in Junsu's eyes.
"No, it was not like this!" he objected, "My motives were completely different. Then, after your kiss with Niko on the balcony, I took him to the office for a conversation. Asked about his feelings for you. He replied that they are serious, but at the moment he cannot marry you. His family has debts, and he, before finding a wife, must pay them back. How long it will take, he does not know. The debts are huge, and his mother and sisters are still in his care."
"I let him go and made some calls. It turned out that Niko was not lying. He did have a mother and two sisters, as well as the debts left by his father and an almost ruined company. Desperate to keep it afloat, he came to work for us, because I needed such a specialist and I was ready to pay him good money. I concluded that Niko is a noble person who has fallen into difficult life circumstances. I had no doubts - he will become a wonderful husband to you. And you loved him ..."
"I loved him ...," whispered Jansu doomed.
"The next morning I called him and offered a deal - I give him enough money to pay off the debts and get the company back on its feet, and he will marry you immediately."
"And in the evening he proposed to me." She covered her face with her hands and sighed convulsively. Her father was silent. He told her everything and allowed her to think and make a decision herself.
Jansu slowly lowered her arms, straightened up, and said, "I will not live with a man who married me by design, lied, and betrayed me. I don't want to see Niko again. Never. But let the money remain for him. He honestly earned them, " her voice trembled, but Jansu coped with herself and firmly asked her father, "Call him and tell him to leave our house immediately. I'll file for divorce myself."
Her father took her by the shoulders. Looking into his face, he said, "My soul, maybe, at least once in your life, you will not be so categorical and allow Niko to explain?"
"No!" her soul writhed in pain, but her voice sounded firm. "I'll never be an addition, Dad. I will never be an unloved wife. Even if I love more than life."
***
Niko followed the order. He left the house. But he didn't leave. He stood near his car, tall, dark and concentrated. Jansu looked at him from her father's car window. Niko looked bad. The grayish face and circles under the eyes indicated that the past two days were not easy for him. Their eyes met for a moment. There was so much rage and contempt in his gaze that Jansu could not stand it. She turned away sharply and lowered her eyes. This was their last meeting. They did not see each other again. All legal cases were settled by lawyers. One of them conveyed to the Baisal the words of Niko that he would not accept handouts and would return all the money, down to the last penny.
"He is proud," her father said with respect then. "But he can hardly keep his word. The Bianco family business is doing very badly."
A month later, Jansu Baisal and Niko Bianco got a divorce and became a past for each other.
The summer was over. Jansu returned to the university and at the same time went to work at the jewelry company of Defne Iplikci, her savior and, as it turned out later, her paternal sister. Life went on, and over time, Princess Jansu was able to regain her peace of mind. She began to smile and command her father again. He breathed a sigh of relief. His strong girl went through personal drama and managed to come back to life.
A year and a half later, four hundred thousand dollars from the Italian company Bianco Salvatore came to the Baisal's bank account. The cover letter stated that this is the first payment on the debt of Niko Bianco to Ozcan Baisal. Not expecting this, struck to the depths of his soul, Mr.Baisal called his former son-in-law, but he refused to speak with him. Jansu, having learned about the money from her father, just shrugged her shoulders and said that it did not concern her. And then she cried into her pillow all night.
She didn't cry today. She only remembered the man who still lived in her heart. Neither his lies, nor betrayal, nor years of separation could kill feelings. Jansu, not once in all four years, mentioning his name aloud, continued to remember and think about him.
She got out of bed, threw a shawl over her shoulders, and went out onto the balcony. The night was crisp and cool. Looking into her velvet darkness, Jansu turned to the man who owned her heart and thoughts, "How are you? Where are you now? And with whom?"
***
Niko smoked in bed. He lay, covered to the waist with a black silk sheet, blew rings of smoke into the ceiling, and looked in front of him with an unseeing gaze. Beside lay a young woman with brown hair and green eyes. Everyone he slept with in the past four years had brown hair and green eyes.
The woman reached out to stroke his chest, but he grabbed her hand and returned it to its place.
"Monica, I don't like stupid tenderness," he coldly reminded his mistress.
She, offended by his reprimand, got out of bed, threw on her dressing gown, and tightened her belt, said insulted, "You called me that silly name again today."
"What?" Taking a drag on his cigarette and exhaling smoke, asked Niko.
"Jеans" Monica answered distorting the word.
"So what?" he asked indifferently.
"It's unpleasant for me," she said.
He turned his head and looked at her. She lifted her chin haughtily. Nico spoke, emphasizing the words, "If it's unpleasant for you, then the way out is simple - I'm going out this door now, and you start looking for a more suitable lover for you."
The pride flew away instantly. Monica cast a frightened glance at the door and spoke with an ingratiating note in her voice, "Well, what are you saying, dear? What other lover? But I love you."
Niko winced, put out his cigarette in the ashtray, and got out of bed. Turning his back to Monica, he picked up his clothes and began to dress.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked in frustration.
"Yes," he replied, "two o'clock in the morning. It's time for you and me to sleep."
"You could sleep here," Monica stammered.
Nico shot her a warning glance over his shoulder, and she fell silent. Buttoning his shirt, he said, "The day after tomorrow I'm leaving."
"For a long time?"
"Do not know yet. If you want, you can fly with me. On Saturday, the Association of Jewelers is hosting a reception in Istanbul. I received an invitation."
Monica's eyes rolled out of their sockets.
"In Istambul?" She asked in amazement." But you never ..."
He stopped her question with an icy gaze. Monica shut her mouth, and then spoke in a business tone, "I will come, but only for a couple of days. I have to get back on Sunday. Filming for the Prada catalog is scheduled for Monday."
Niko smiled a wry, devilish smile and said, "Fine. Find yourself a chic, sexy dress. Tell me the color and I'll take pieces from Bianco's collection of jewelry to it. We leave on a Saturday morning flight."
***
Niko only managed to sleep for a couple of hours. When the phone rattled with the disgusting alarm clock, he, sleepy, habitually swore through his teeth, "Heck! It's morning already. Will there come a day when I can sleep?"
With his eyes closed, he trudged into the shower. The icy water did its job. For breakfast, a sprightly, impeccably dressed man descended into the stained-glass dining room. His mother and sisters were waiting for him at the table. Sixteen-year-old Maria and eighteen-year-old Lucia smiled warmly at their brother. The mother, as usual, resembled an impeccable statue. A straight back, folded hands, and a cold, impassive face. For as long as Niko could remember, she had always been like that. Stone - woman.
"Good morning," Signor Bianco greeted with restraint, sitting down in his place at the head of the table.
"Good morning," said Dowager Signora Bianco.
Niko waited until a plate of breakfast was put in front of him, picked up a knife and a fork, and only then discreetly told his mother and sisters, "The debt has been paid. I sent the last part yesterday."
The mother's face twitched slightly. But the son did not wait for words of relief and joy, nor praise. Mother spoke of something else, "It's time for you to get married. Ornella is already twenty-six. She has been patiently waiting eight years for you to settle your affairs and propose to her. She even forgave you for your strange wedding. It is dishonorable to make a noble girl wait some more."
Niko sighed. He had completely forgotten about Ornella. She was the daughter of his mother's second cousin and Count Giacomo. A brunette with a Roman nose and big black eyes. From childhood, he was told that Ornella was his future wife. And he thought so,- until the green-eyed princess-troublemaker Jansu Baisal entered his life.
The name popping up in his mind, as usual, caused a dull pain in his chest. Niko shook his head to drive it away and answered his mother, "Yes, the time has come. I have to fly to Istanbul tomorrow. If Ornella finds it acceptable, I can propose to her tonight."
The sisters perked up and were delighted. A faint, triumphant smile appeared on the mother's marble face.
"Ornella will find that acceptable," she said confidently.
***
Jansu went downstairs to breakfast, but to her surprise, her father was not in the dining room. The maid serving the table said he was in his study. Jansu was worried. Her father was never late for breakfast. He adored these minutes spent with his daughter and said that they were his energy drink for the whole day. All business began only after the father and daughter left the dining room.
Concerned about the behavior of her father, Jansu went to the study. Again, like four years ago, a luxurious oriental carpet muffled her footsteps. The door was ajar again. But today, suppressing the feeling of déjà vu, Jansu resolutely entered the room.
Her father stood at a massive, oak table and stared at the laptop screen. His face frowned. He looked up at his daughter who entered and tried to smile, but the smile turned out to be feigned.
"Dad, are we in trouble?" Asked Jansu.
"No," he replied. "No problem."
He was silent for a minute, and then he said, "Niko paid the last part of the debt. The money came into our account yesterday, a minute before midnight."
Jansu was silent. For four years she did not say the name of Niko Bianco and now she was not going to do it.
Without waiting for a word from her, the father said, "He's stubborn. And noble. Even I did not believe that he would be able to cope with all the problems, get on his feet and return the money. But he could."
Jansu felt a chill in her chest. She did not know the reason for it, - and did not want to know. Turning around, she silently left the office.
***
In the evening, in a narrow circle of relatives, Niko Bianco proposed to Ornella Giacomo. When he put the family ring with a diamond on her finger, his heart did not beat faster; his hands did not tremble, - and did not catch his breath. His face was calm and indifferent. Ornella was beaming with happiness.
"When will we set the date for the wedding?" She asked.
"Let's talk about it when I get back from Istanbul," he replied.
At the last word, his heart skipped a beat.
Istanbul...
Jansu ...