Jansu turned pale. Ornellа's name already burned her from the inside with hellish fire. And now its owner is also standing in front of her. What does she want? Signora Hortense told Niko's bride about the betrayal of the groom, and she rushed to save her engagement? Ornella, whatshername!
"Salvatore?" Jansu asked in amazement.
"Yes," the girl confirmed with an embarrassed smile. "I'm Niko's third cousin on his mother's side."
"Cousin? Not a bride?" Realizing WHAT she blurted out, Jansu mentally kicked herself and hurried to apologize.
"Excuse me. My tongue is ahead of my thoughts."
"It's okay," Ornella reassured her. "I understand. You guessed it right. Indeed, I was Niko's official bride for a short time."
"Was? A short time?" repeated after her Jansu and immediately got angry with herself in earnest.
What is she doing? Repeats after the Italian phrases like a parrot! And yet, why was it? As if hearing her thoughts, Ornella explained her words,
"We got engaged with Niko on June 2, and broke off our engagement three days ago."
"But why?" Jansu could not resist the question, completely bewildered.
"It's a long story," Ornella replied and, glancing at the passers-by, asked, "Could we talk in a quiet place?"
"I was going to have lunch," Jansu said. "If you wish, you can join me."
"With pleasure," Ornella agreed.
She was well-mannered, benevolent, and sweet. Not at all like Jansu had imagined her to be. She was also Niko's cousin. And this circumstance was completely confusing. Do they marry cousins?
Jansu looked at her watch and said,
"Then let's hurry. I only have an hour for lunch. Then two meetings and a video conference with Arab diamond suppliers."
Ornella even envied her a little. It's probably good to be busy and needed. Such women do not feel like useless dolls.
Jansu brought Ornella to a cozy local restaurant near the business center. Noticing her surprised look, she apologetically said,
"It's a commonplace here, but very tasty. Unless you have any prejudices against Turkish cuisine."
"I don't," Ornella assured her. "But I'm surprised that you visit such restaurants. Lucia, after your wedding with Niko, told me that you, like a real princess, choose only the best."
Jansu smiled sadly. Lucia, the eldest of Niko's sisters, four years ago was an impressionable fourteen-year-old teenager and looked at her brother's bride with enthusiastic eyes. Now she probably thinks differently.
"So it was once. I've changed," Jansu said.
The owner of the restaurant personally took the girls to a table by the window and took their order. When he left, Jansu folded her hands in her lap and looked expectantly at Ornella. She took a deep breath and spoke.
"First, I must tell you the backstory. My parents, as well as Niko's mother, Signora Hortense, belong to the old Salvatore family. The Italian nobility is famous for its snobbery, but the Salvatore clan has surpassed them all. Its representatives are obsessed with their importance and the purity of their blood. Marriages between cousins are quite usual. My father and Niko's mother, since we were born with him, hatched plans to marry us. But circumstances intervened. Niko's father ruined the firm, ran into huge debt, and died of a heart attack. At the age of 25, Niko became the head of the Bianco family. He inherited a bankrupt company, Palazzo Bianco, and two million euros in debt. My father offered to pay for them, but Niko refused. He went to work for your father because he offered him an incredibly high salary. But I must admit, Niko was worth every cent of that money."
"I know," Jansu said quietly.
"This is the background," Ornella continued the story. "Then you know everything. Except one. When you ran away after the wedding, and then drove Niko away and filed for divorce, Signora Hortense told him that the young wife found out about his financial situation and refused such a husband."
So that's who whispered such nonsense to Niko. His mother. No wonder he believed it.
"And she told me that Niko does not love me ..." whispered Jansu.
"Is that why you ran away?" Ornella asked.
Jansu shook her head and replied hoarsely, "Not. I overheard Niko talking to my dad. They talked about how Niko fulfilled his obligations - he married me, and my father must fulfill his own - to pay the debts of the Bianco family."
Tears flashed in Ornella's eyes.
"Poor girl," she whispered. "I can imagine what you thought ..."
"I thought that everyone I loved betrayed me," Jansu said in a trembling voice.
The waiter brought the order, but the girls didn't even notice it. Nor did they notice that they switched to 'you'.
"Tell me what happened next," Jansu asked.
"When Niko returned to Rome," Ornella began, "Salvatore gathered a family council, at which Signora Hortense told him that she hoped that the mistake he had made was a lesson for him. He needs to marry a girl from his circle. And I am such a girl for him. He replied that he would marry me, but only after he got the firm back on its feet and returned the debt to your father. He also said that he would do it himself, without the help of Salvatore."
"He returned the last part of the debt on June 1," Jansu, so as not to cry, bit her lip.
"And his company is one of the most successful in Italy today," Ornella added.
Jansu raised her eyes filled with unshed tears and asked, "Do you love him?"
Ornella replied, "No."
"Then why did you agree to the engagement?"
"I had neither the strength nor the courage to confront my father and the Salvatore clan. And I also have no money. I will receive my dowry only after marriage."
"You could have gone to work," Jansu said.
Ornella shook her head and smiled sadly.
"You do not understand. The women of the Salvatore clan have never worked. I would not be allowed."
Jansu could not believe her ears. Does this happen in the 21st century? It's medieval!
"But you still risked breaking the engagement," she said.
"Niko would have torn it up anyway, whether I agreed or not," Ornella said. "But you're right - I took a chance. Left home. I will try to build my life myself."
Jansu involuntarily felt respect for her. A brave deed.
"Good luck," she sincerely wished. "If you need help, please contact me."
"Thank you," Ornella smiled gratefully. "I submitted my resume to the organization where I want to work. Until then, Niko is helping me. He is a good person and a real man."
Jansu smiled wryly. A real man? Do real men bet on women?
Ornella, watching her closely, noticed this sad smile. She understood her. She didn't need telepathic powers to read Jansu's mind.
"He was out of his mind when he did it," she said quietly. "He was mortally offended at you, angry and jealous. He wanted to take revenge on you with this bet ... fool. He took revenge only on himself alone..."
Jansu looked up at her with frightened and dazed eyes.
"You...you know?" whispered in a dull voice.
Ornella nodded. Sighing heavily, she explained.
"Niko got drunk yesterday so that he could not stand on his feet. I dragged him to bed. He would never have told me if sober. But the whiskey untied his tongue." Ornella looked deeply into the eyes of Jansu.
"He's sorry. Regrets and repents. Ready to tear himself to pieces for what he did. Jansu, please be merciful. Niko is suffering. He only holds on because his sisters need him. After all, they abandoned their usual life in Rome and followed him to Istanbul. They now have no one but him. Signora Hortense erased them from her life, and the Salvatore family turned their backs on all of us. All four of us are now outcasts for them."
Jansu closed her eyes and swallowed. If someone else had told her all this, she would not have believed it. But she believed Ornella. She had no reason to lie. And the fact that Niko is an ordinary person and can do stupidity in a fit of anger, Jansu also understood. But...
"Jansu, Niko loves you," Ornella said. "He loves you with all his heart. If you have even a drop of feelings for him in your heart, please do not kill them. Give him a chance. Love is such a rarity in our world. Of all the men I know, Niko is the only one who truly loves and for the sake of love ... for you, Jansu he will do anything."
Jansu's throat tightened with a spasm. She saw before her eyes the images of yesterday's early morning.
"We need to talk. Talk long and thoroughly. "
"I decided that the conversation should take place in a comfortable environment."
"Breakfast. And clothes. For you. I knew I would steal you out of bed. I thought that Princess Jansu would be uncomfortable in a chemise."
Niko's voice sounded in her head, and her insides were twisting in a knot.
"Take the photo, get your shares, and get out of my life."
Her own words, floating in the mind, rolled up her throat with nausea. God, what has she done?! She humiliated Niko and laughed at his efforts. He will never forgive her. Never.
"Too late," she said hoarsely without looking at Ornella. "There is an abyss between us and Niko. It is impossible to overcome it."
***
Niko came to Mano first. The clock showed 12-20. He deliberately left the house early, fearing to get stuck in Istanbul traffic jams and be late. But he was lucky. Even the traffic lights all along the road, right in front of Maserati, switched to green. It was lunchtime and the restaurant seemed crowded, but as soon as Niko gave his name, the head waiter immediately took him to one of the best tables by the window. The Iplikci appeared five minutes later. A tall, broad-shouldered, with a noble face, the man carefully supported a fragile, beautiful, pregnant woman by the arm. They walked confidently, not looking around and not noticing the envious glances of the restaurant guests. Probably the Iplikci are used to them. Or strangers and their thoughts were indifferent to them. Niko rose to meet them.
"Hello," He greeted when the couple approached the table.
Omer Iplikci answered with a restrained greeting. His wife gazed into Niko's eyes and declared defiantly, "I will not apologize to you for our last meeting."
"I'm not expecting it," Niko replied calmly. "Your words and actions were fully justified. You were protecting your sister. If I were you, I would have done the same."
Defne's gaze softened, but sitting down on the chair that her husband had removed, she warned Niko, not at all kindly.
"I will work with you, but do not expect a friendly disposition from me."
"You have resumed work with Bianco's firm. What could be more important?" Taking his place, said Niko.
"The Bianco firm?" asked Omer. He managed to sit down on his chair and was now looking at the Italian with interest. "Where did the second part disappear from the title? Salvatore?"
Niko looked into his eyes. The look was serious and open.
"Salvatore is my mother's family," he explained. "It so happened that I broke off all contacts with them and no longer want to be a part of it. From now on, I am Niccolo Bianco and my company, as before, during my father's life, is called Bianco."
"Once upon a time I also broke off all contacts with my relatives," Omer said thoughtfully and looked at his wife with tenderness. "But Defne convinced me to change my mind. Perhaps you will change yours someday."
"Not likely," Niko said. "But it is not important. I left Rome forever and started a new life."
"Left Rome?" Defne interjected. "So where to?"
Now Niko looked into her eyes. They were still prickly, but there was thoughtfulness in them.
"Where my heart is," he said. "In Istanbul. I moved the headquarters of the Bianco Company here, rented a house, and took my sisters from Rome. And also, to my and Ornella's mutual joy, I broke off the engagement. There will be no going back anymore."
The Iplikci looked at each other.
"A cardinal decision," said Omer. "I wish you good luck in Istanbul."
"Thanks," Niko said politely.
"I wish you the best of luck too," Defne said, "and let's move on to discussing cooperation. Mr. Omer and I have little time. Emine stayed with Koray. Together they are quite capable of turning the entire business center upside down."
The waiter brought the order. Over risotto with salad, the renewed partners have discussed new dates and schedules. When Mrs. Defne was served dessert and coffee for the men, Niko spoke about what worried him the most.
"It remains to discuss some narrowly focused financial issues. Miss Jansu did not come with you. Can I go to her now and solve them up?"
And again Iplikci exchanged glances.
"Financial issues will be dealt with by the financial director of Passionis, Mrs. Jemre," said Omer. "You can go to her now. She has been warned and is waiting for you."
Pain clenched spasm across Niko's chest, but he didn't show it. He swallowed a lump in his throat and an even voice asked the question.
"Is this a decision of Jansu?"
"This is her request," Defne replied. "Mr. Omer and I understand her and respect her."
"Yes...," Niko said hoarsely. "Of course..."
His shoulders sagged, his face darkened, and looked grayish. He didn't notice that Iplikci looked at each other again and Defne nodded to her husband barely perceptibly.
"Niko," Omer turned to the young man, "Do you know why after your wedding Jansu disappeared and where she was those two days?"
Niko raised his head slowly. His gaze was wary.
"No."
"She overheard your conversation with Mr. Baisal," Omer said evenly. "The one where you said that you fulfilled your obligation - you married her, and he must fulfill his own - to pay the debts of your family. Can you guess what she thought and felt?"
Niko closed his eyes. His face was filled with horror and pain.
"She thought I married her for the money," he whispered hoarsely.
"That's right," Defne said angrily. "She decided that her dearest and closest people - her father and husband - had betrayed her. Jansu could not stay in the same house with you so she left. No money, no documents, no belongings."
Niko felt ill. He knew that Jansu left without documents and a phone, but he was sure that she had the money to rent a room in a decent family-run hotel, where a passport is not required to check-in. But it turns out ... "Lord! Where did she sleep? What did she drink and eat?"
He didn't even notice that he had spoken the last questions out loud.
"She had not eaten or drink. Two days. She had slept on a bench by the promenade," Defne informed him in an icy tone.
"It was there that we found her. By chance," Omer's voice sounded a little softer. "Thank God, Jansu agreed to come with us to our house. There she told us everything that happened. We hardly persuaded her to call her father."
"I almost lost my mind then," Niko said, looking in front of him with an unseeing gaze. "We were going on a honeymoon trip. Jansu's father called me into the study. We did talk about our deal with him and that Jansu shouldn't know anything. Mr. Ozcan said that the money will arrive in my account in two days. I replied that, unfortunately, I had no choice. I must use them to raise the firm and secure the future of my sisters. But I will return everything, every penny. When I came out, Jansu was nowhere to be found. My mother pulled me aside and said that she spoke to her. She allegedly found on the Internet an old article about the bankruptcy of the Bianco family and learned that I was a beggar with huge debts. That's why she ran away."
'She doesn't want you like this!' Distinctly, as if time had turned back and he was again standing in the living room of the Baisal mansion, he heard his mother's voice.
Niko shook his head, driving away from the memory, and continued to speak.
"At first I didn't believe her. I was looking for Jansu. I went to all her friends and acquaintances - she was nowhere to be found. And then she called her father. He asked me to wait at the mansion, and he left. An hour later he called and said that Jansu wants a divorce and asks me to leave the house. He also said something ... that she was in a bad state ... she needed to calm down and then he would explain everything to her ... but that didn't matter anymore. I realized that everything is true. She doesn't need me ... so ... "
He looked up. Omer looked at him with compassion, Defne was crying.
"You must tell her all this!" she said hotly.
"I tried," Niko said. "She doesn't want to listen ... Тhis is Jansu ..."
Defne knew her sister very well. Only a few can cope with her stubbornness. Even their father never succeeded.
"I'll tell her!" she said emphatically. "She will listen to me!"
Defne flew into Jansu's office when she was having a meeting with the creative and technical directors. Since both Laura and Mister Kartal were not only her colleagues - but also good friends, the determined Mrs. Iplikci quickly apologized to them and pulled her sister by the hand to her office.
"He married you because he loved you!" slamming the door, she blurted out. "You only heard part of his conversation with your father and you drew the wrong conclusions. And then his mother, an aristocratic snake, stepped in and told Niko that you left him because he was bankrupt. And he drew the wrong conclusions too!"
"I know," Jansu said quietly.
Defne fell silent and stared at her in amazement.
"You know?" asked again. "From where?"
"Ornella, Niko's fiancée... or rather the ex-fiancée, told me."
"You know about that too? That Niko broke off the engagement? Crap!" Defne jumped around the office like a rubber ball. "Ornella! Former bride! Why the hell is she here?"
"Her surname is Salvatore," Jansu informed. "She's Niko's third cousin. She and Niko's parents were fixated on the idea of getting them married. The whole family welcomed it. Ornella supported Niko in his desire to break the engagement, said that she wanted to live her life, and now they are both outcasts for the Salvatore family."
Defne, listening to her with round, surprised eyes, muttered, "Madhouse! Are they sick, these Salvatore? Marry cousins? And they have not heard of such a genetic disease as hemophilia?"
Jansu shrugged and replied, "I do not know. But judging by Ornella's story, the hardened principles are impenetrable there."
"It is strange that Niko, being brought up in such an environment, decided to take such a step as marrying a foreigner, moreover, of a different faith. Only insane love for you could push him to this," Defne thoughtfully said.
Jansu was silent. Her silence angered her sister.
"Jansu, can you hear me?! Niko loved and loves you! He broke off the engagement! Yes, he was a fool with this bet, but he regrets it! You must meet and talk!"
"It's too late," Jansu replied dully. "Sorry, Defne, but I have to get back to work."
She left the office and carefully closed the door behind her. Defne raised her hands to the sky and exclaimed angrily, "Almighty! Do something! Let this stubborn woman understand what she is losing!"
Jansu was plagued by hunger. Her lunch remained intact. Then she did not even remember about it, but now the sucking pain in her stomach has become simply unbearable. Jansu finished both meetings, forty minutes before the video conference with the Arab suppliers, and she decided to go down to the cafe for some toast and tea.
Niko, all the time that he spent in the office of the financial director of Passionis, sat on pins and needles. Nervous excitement did not leave him for a moment.
Did Defne Iplikci talk to her sister? Did Jansu listen to her? Has she heard?
He discussed financial issues, and only she was in his thoughts - the stubborn, beloved princess Jansu Baisal.
Entering the elevator, he hesitated with his finger near the button for Sapphire's floor, but then pressed the first one. Defne Iplikci is a busy woman. It is tactless and rude to tear her away from business with his problems. The phone lit up with an incoming message. Niko looked at the screen. From Defne: 'She knows everything.'
Three short words, but Niko felt dizzy. At that moment, the elevator stopped at the Sapphire floor.
Jansu, tapping her heels, was impatiently waiting for the lift. A characteristic buzz was heard and the doors began to move apart. Jansu looked up and froze. Niko stood in the booth. Her heart forgot to beat. She could only look into his black, burning eyes.
Niko's breath caught in his throat. He looked at Jansu without stopping, and the only thought was, 'She knows everything!'
He took a step, obsessed with the desire to hug her, but Jansu backed away, and then swiftly turned and almost ran to Sapphire's reception.
It was as if the air had been pumped out of Niko. He swayed and leaned his shoulder against the wall of the booth. The door closed and the elevator continued downward. It didn't care what the passenger was feeling now.
And Niko fell to pieces.
She knows, but she doesn't want to see or talk to him. So ... It's over.