"Nasılsınız, Eda?" asked Ceren.
"İyiyim, iyiyim." Eda answered.
"You said you wanted to talk about something important?" Ceren asked.
"Evet." Eda looked at Serkan who was intently listening to their conversation on speaker phone. "I need you for a case—"
"A case? Ne oldu?" Ceren interrupted Eda, worried at the mere mention of filing a case as her concern was protecting her friend.
"Serkan wants to file a case against Selin...and he needs your help—we need your help." Eda answered.
"Ne?" At this point, Ceren was even more confused. "Serkan? Selin? Ne demek istiyorsun, Eda?"
"It's a long story...but can you fly here tonight? Are you busy with anything else?"
Ceren could hear the desperation in her best friend's voice. "I'm here...in Turkey."
"Ne?" It was now Eda's turn to be surprised.
"Ah, they've arrived." whispered Serkan, which confused Eda.
"Merak etme, Eda. Ferit and I will see you tomorrow at Art Life. I need to better understand what is happening...and I need the whole honest story." Ceren said, knowing that Serkan was listening.
"Uhh...Tamam." Eda responded, agreeing to what Ceren said.
"Tamam. Görüşürüz." answered Ceren.
"Görüşürüz." Eda ended the call, staring at her phone for a few seconds, confused. She then looked at Serkan who just raised her eyebrows at her.
"Ne?" He asked.
"What did you mean when you said 'they've arrived'?" She asked.
"This is why you should always read the papers you sign, Eda...or were you too preoccupied thinking of me?" He playfully asked.
"Serkan." She said sternly.
"Tamam. The papers you signed in London were Ferit's power of return to the holding." He answered. "Like you, when Ferit and Ceren left for London, he froze his power in the holding. Then when you decided to come back, I signed papers to return your power—it goes the same for Ferit. Since we are both now in the holding, we both have to sign a similar document for Ferit. Hence, why Engin had to go to London and have you sign the papers I had also signed the day before we left." He explained.
"Tamam. Then why did I just not sign it when you did?" She asked, trying to understand the whole situation.
"There was a mistake in the holding, not everyone was informed that you were already back so some assistants were not able to include your name on the print." He explained.
"Tamam. So now that Ferit's power is back, is this why they're here in Istanbul?" She asked.
"Evet. He also has to sign some papers. Ama I'm not entirely sure why they came since I insisted that we'll just mail it to him at his office in London." He answered, starting to get curious at the main reason why they came.
"Tamam. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow." She answered, sighing as she shrugged.
"Neyse..." Serkan sat on the edge of the table and pulled Eda towards him, making her stand in between his legs. "Where were we? Ah...my kiss." He smiled mischievously.
"Tamam." Eda smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He deserves it after 2 failed kiss attempts. She thought.
They both leaned in, Serkan smiling stupidly as he was overjoyed at finally getting the kiss he wanted since arriving at work. Eda rested her forehead on Serkan's and rubbed her nose on his, before leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his lips. As he was about to pull Eda closer to close the gap between them, the door to his office, once again swung open, making Eda jump away from Serkan...again.
"Abi?" Engin asked as he entered the room, looking at the two people staring at him. Eda smiled at him while Serkan was clearly annoyed at his best friend's presence. "Did I interrupt something? Are you two okay?"
"Hayır, we're fine." Eda answered. "I heard you wanted to talk to Serkan?" Engin nodded. "I'll leave you two alone then." She said before leaving the room, taking a quick glance at a frustrated Serkan Bolat.
"Abicim, ne oldu?" Engin asked as he approached him.
"Engin, you always have the best timing." Serkan responded sarcastically, giving his best friend a fake smile.
"What did I do?"
Serkan did not answer and just lightly shook his head. "Neyse, what did you want to talk about?" He asked.
"I just wanted to know how London was..." With this, Serkan knew what Engin was trying to find out.
"Tamam." Serkan answered. "Why did you tell Eda about Italy?"
"I thought she already knew! We were talking about your recent trip to Italy with Kiraz, so Italy became the topic and I may have said things that I wasn't supposed to." Engin explained. "In my defense, I didn't know that she still had no idea."
"Gerçekten, Engin?" Serkan asked sarcastically, shaking his head.
"Ee—how did she react? Did you guys fight?" Engin asked.
"Evet, we did. We really fought." He nodded. "And now, she knows everything. Teşekkürler, Engin." Serkan said, patting his best friend on the shoulder before heading out of his office.
Engin wasn't sure if Serkan was being sarcastic in this 'thank you' or if he was being sincere that at least now, Eda knows. They seemed fine...right? He thought to himself, confused.
"Is that why Kadir was here?" Engin called after Serkan who only nodded in response as he continued to walk away.
—-----------------
The sound of two kids talking surrounded the recreation room as Eda and Piril entered with Kiraz and Can, while both babas followed behind. Serkan, however, suddenly stopped at the entrance, making Engin stand beside him.
"Ne oldu, abi?" He asked, but Serkan just furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes as he stared inside the room, tilting his head.
"Hmm..." Serkan finally spoke. "What if we make this room into something for Kiraz and Can?" He suggested, finally walking inside and making Eda and Piril look at him.
"They are mostly here when we're busy with work. I'd want them to have a space of their own—their own recreation room within our recreation room. What do you think?" He asked.
"I'm all for it, abi!" exclaimed Engin.
"Olur." answered Piril.
"I think it's great what you're doing for the kids, aş—Serkan." Eda quickly corrected herself before anyone realized what she was about to say...but of course, Serkan noticed, making him smile at her. Oh, how he wanted to hear her say it, but now was not the time.
"Tamam. Let's talk about redesigning this room to better accommodate adults' and kids' recreational activities." responded Serkan, before walking towards Kiraz and crouching down.
"In no time, you'll have a playground here in the office." He said to Kiraz and Can, making them smile and give him a hug. Eda smiled warmly at the sight in front of her, which did not go unnoticed to the couple beside her.
"Eda..." spoke Engin. "How was London? Serkan said you fought and that you now know everything." He whispered, earning a surprised look from Piril.
This made Eda turn to look at Engin as she did her best to hide her nervous reaction, thinking if Serkan had said anything to his best friend about their reconciliation.
"What else did Serkan say?" She asked.
"That's all." He answered.
"Eda?" Serkan walked up to them, calling out for Eda. "Hadi, I think we should continue working on the golf resort project." He said, looking at his watch. "I feel that we'd be busy tomorrow with Ceren and Ferit coming back."
"Ceren and Ferit are back?" All heads turned to a voice they heard in the entrance of the room.
"Erdem, ne işin var burada?" asked Piril.
"Ah, Lara is looking for Serkan bey." Erdem answered. Eda's ears perked up upon hearing Lara's name.
"Neden?" Eda asked with a tone of annoyance, making everybody look at her—especially Engin and Piril.
"She said something about Serkan bey's schedule." He responded with a shrug.
"Tamam." Eda answered before making her way to Lara, leaving an amused Serkan and a confused Engin and Piril.
"Is Eda okay?" asked Erdem, turning to look at his bosses who only stared at the entrance of the recreation room where Eda had just exited.
Serkan cleared his throat to straighten himself and also mask his smile before looking at his friends. "I should probably go."
Engin and Piril only nodded, still confused, as Serkan left. The couple looked at each other and had the same thought. Could they be?
—---------------
"Ah, Eda Hanim." said Lara. She was surprised to see Eda walking towards her when she had asked for Serkan.
"You wanted to talk about Serkan's schedule?" Eda asked.
"With Serkan bey, evet." Lara answered back, giving a fake smile.
"Serkan is busy...I'll decide his schedule." Eda also gave her a fake smile.
Lara knew she had no choice but to show Eda the schedule, wherein she made changes based on her best understanding and with Lara giving insight on what the scheduled meetings were about. Just then, Serkan stepped inside the production floor and walked towards the two women.
"Serkan bey." said Lara.
"I've made the changes to your schedule. You can just see it synced on your calendar." Eda spoke.
"I told Eda Hanim that we'd wait for you ama—" Lara was explaining her side when Serkan cut her off.
"Tamam. It's fine. Eda can make all the changes she wants in my schedule." He answered, making Eda smile at him and secretly give a smirk at Lara.
"Ama why are there sudden changes?" asked Serkan.
"It's because of the meeting we inserted to talk to Ceren. Although we do have a scheduled meeting with Ferit, ama I feel that we may be talking to Ceren longer." answered Eda. Hearing this made Lara curious as to what they were talking about.
"Makes sense." He nodded in agreement. "Since that seems settled, hadi. Let's work on the golf resort project."
"Tamam. Teşekkürler, Lara. Let me know if you need anything else." Eda responded, giving the assistant a smirked smile before walking with Serkan to his office.
—-----------------
Laughter can be heard from the backyard of Eda and Serkan's house as Serkan and Sirius chased Kiraz around, playing with her. Eda couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her. We're finally complete. She thought to herself.
"It's dinner time, you two. Hadi." She said, calling out to them from the dining room where full-length glass windows and a glass sliding door opened to the backyard.
Serkan and Kiraz walked inside with Sirius, panting after chasing each other endlessly. Eda gave each of them a glass of water and gave Sirius his dinner. She then wiped Kiraz's sweat from her forehead and such, before doing it also to Serkan.
As they ate dinner, Eda spoke. "Kiraz, tomorrow, baba and I will be busy at work. Halam and Melo will pick you up at school. Tamam mi?"
"Tamam." Kiraz nodded, then sipped some orange juice before suddenly realizing something and running to her room. Serkan and Eda looked at each other confused.
"Kiraz?" Serkan called out, to which Kiraz just came back in time before her baba could stand up to check on her.
Kiraz walked back to the table with a piece of paper in hand and sat back on her chair, then held up the drawing to show her parents her masterpiece.
"Bak, anne and baba. The teacher told us to draw my family and I got a star for this!" She happily announced.
As they looked at the drawing, they counted 4 people and a dog—Sirius, Serkan, Eda, Kiraz...and of course, the brother that she had been asking for. Eda closed her eyes and silently sighed before smiling at her daughter while on the other hand, baba couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
"Annecim, I see there's still another person in your drawing." said Eda.
"Evet...kardeşim." Kiraz simply respond, making Serkan chuckle even more.
"Kiraz, we talked about this." Eda reasoned.
"Ama baba said that he will talk to you about it." Kiraz reasoned. This made Eda give Serkan a stern look to which he responded to innocently. "Baba did you talk to anne already?" She turned to Serkan.
"Yok, ama I'll talk to her about it later." He answered, smiling at Kiraz before winking at Eda who only gave him another stern look.
"Güzel." Kiraz responded, before sipping some orange juice.
—--------------
After putting Kiraz to bed and kissing her good night, Eda entered her room and what welcomed her inside made her smile and shake her head. A handsome Serkan Bolat sat on the edge of the bed with his hands in the pockets of his pajamas—obviously waiting for Eda. He stood up and walked towards her with a flirtatious smile.
"Merhaba." His voice was sultry...and this made Eda bite her lower lip and take a deep breath.
"Serkan." She cleared her throat.
"Ne?"
"Ne yapıyorsun?" Eda asked but Serkan did not answer and only took another step towards her and closed the gap between them as his hands snaked around her waist then down to her lower back.
"Serkan." She said sternly, trying to hide her amusement as she knew what he was trying to do.
"We have a busy day tomorrow so we need a good night's sleep." She reasoned, slipping under the covers as she laid down on the bed.
Serkan sighed and rolled his eyes, walking over to his side of the bed and laying beside Eda, facing her. "Eda..."
"Hmm?" She answered with her eyes closed.
"What if we try?"
"Try for what?" She asked with her eyes still closed.
"Try for another baby..." He answered, making Eda open her eyes—shock was evident on her face. "We can give Kiraz what she wants...a brother or a sister. She wants a sibling, Eda."
"Serkan, she shouldn't get anything she wants...especially that." She reasoned.
"But don't you want another baby?" He asked, this time making Eda sit up.
"Serkan..." She sighed as he sat up and looked intently at her. "That's a topic that we, you and I, have to sit down and discuss."
"We're already sitting down and talking about it. Now I suggest we apply in the 'baby-making'...now." He playfully answered, making Eda smile and shake her head in amusement.
"Serkan..." She said softly, caressing his arm. "What I mean is that...yes, I do want Kiraz to have a sibling ama I don't think now is the best time."
"Yani...tell that to the two unprotected sex we had a few days ago." He shrugged, making Eda speechless at his response as she only bit her lip at the memory of their heated sexual interaction.
"How about this, let's just leave it up to Allah. If we're meant to have a baby now, then we're meant to have him or her. If not, then it's not the best time. What do you say?" Serkan suggested.
"I like it." She smiled at this then gave Serkan a quick peck on the lips.
"Now that we agreed on it...let's make love." He said, grabbing her by the neck and waist, and quickly laid her down on the bed, making Eda squeal his name out and giggle as he showered her with playful kisses.
—----------------
"Günaydın, Serkan bey and Eda Hanim." greeted Lara. "You have guests waiting in your office, Mr. and Mrs. Simsek."
They both greeted Lara and went directly to the office where Ceren and Ferit were waiting for them. Upon entering the room, Eda quickly gave her best friend a big hug as Serkan did with Ferit. All of them hadn't seen each other since Eda left Serkan.
They all sat down as Serkan and Ceren only nodded towards each other as a greeting. Ceren was not sure how to interact with the person who had broken her best friend's heart; however, she was very curious as to why Eda was comfortably sitting next to Serkan—no tension between them can be felt in the room, only anxiousness.
"I know we are scheduled to come here so Ferit can sign some papers, but we came early because something is surely going on, per our conversation yesterday." Ceren spoke, looking between the two pairs of eyes that looked back at her.
"What is going on, Eda?" She turned her attention to her best friend.
Eda put her hand on top of Serkan's hand and squeezed it tightly, letting her best friend know that she is now on good terms with Serkan. Ceren's eyes drifted to the joined hands in front of her and this made her smile before turning to her husband who also had smiled at the same thing.
"Ceren—"
"Özür dilerim, Ceren." Serkan spoke, interrupting Eda and shocking not only her but both Ceren and Ferit. "I didn't mean to shut you out. I didn't mean to be ungrateful to you for helping me. I just didn't have a choice." He explained.
"I needed to keep everything a secret from Eda in order to protect her and Kiraz. I know pushing your best friend away also hurt you but it was for their own good." He said towards Ceren.
"After you left, Rosenberg bey confessed in a letter that Selin was the mastermind in all the plans." This shocked both Ceren and Ferit. "I spoke to Selin after that and she threatened to hurt Eda and Kiraz if I filed a case against her. This is the reason why I had to push Eda away. I had to keep her and Kiraz safe." He added.
He took a deep breath and continued. "Ama this time—finally, being with Eda and Kiraz, feeling the love I've missed all these years—I want to put Selin where she belongs...and get my life back."
"We are together, and we plan to stay this way." Eda told Ceren. "Our reconciliation will surely make the news anytime soon. And once this reaches Selin, we want to make sure that we are prepared for whatever outcome it may be."
"Ceren..." Serkan called out. "I need your help...again." The sincerity in his voice made Ceren a little choked up as she cleared her throat and sat back up, looking straight into Serkan's eyes.
"Merak etme, Serkan. We can do this." She answered, smiling at the couple in front of her who also gave her a smile.
"Çok teşekkürler, Ceren." said Serkan.
"Don't thank me yet. We haven't won yet...we haven't even filed anything against Selin, nor do I know the grounds we have against her." Ceren explained.
"Kadir will be here in a while. He has all the documents and will get you up to speed at the progress we had throughout the years." Serkan responded.
"Tamam." She nodded.
"In the meantime, why don't we talk about your reconciliation. I was surprised at this, really." said Ferit, smiling at Eda and Serkan.
"Yani—"
"Ehh...nobody knows yet. Yani, you are the only ones that know that we are back together." Eda answered.
"Ne?" said Ceren and Ferit, confused.
"I needed Ceren to trust Serkan. And for her to do so, I need to show her that I also trust him—that everything is finally good between us." Eda explained.
"But why have you not told everyone that you're together?" asked Ferit.
"Anne..." answered Serkan.
"Halam..." added Eda.
"So not even Engin or Melo knows?" asked Ferit. Eda and Serkan just shook their heads in response.
"When do you plan on telling everyone?" asked Ceren.
"Soon..." answered Eda.
"If it were all up to me, we could tell them tonight. Let's invite everyone for dinner and just tell them." said Serkan.
"Serkan, today is not a good time." Eda softly said.
"Hmm...like last night wasn't also." He mumbled.
"Serkan." Eda said sternly.
"Efendim?" He asked innocently.
The interaction between Eda and Serkan brought smiles on the faces of the two people who sat quietly in front of them, just observing how they playfully bickered. They were happy to see that their friends were finally back together and in their own little bubble like how it had used to be. How refreshing. Ceren thought.
A knock on the door interrupted them, making four heads turn to the door panel that swung open. In came Kadir and Lara, holding files that they were all sure what it was about, except for Lara, of course.
"Günaydın." greeted Kadir before sitting down beside Eda.
Lara then walked up to Serkan and put down some documents next to him. Ceren couldn't help but look at her best friend whose eyes had intently followed the secretary then gave her an unknowing side eye—she held out a laugh upon seeing this, masking it with a light cough. Oh, Eda. Ceren thought.
"Serkan bey, these documents came from the holding and are to be signed. There is a note inside, which has the specific instructions." Lara explained.
"Teşekkürler, Lara." Serkan said. "Close the door on your way out."
"Tamam, Serkan bey." She nodded before proceeding to walk out.
Eda's eyes scanned around and found Ceren looking at her and giving her a knowing look with brows raised. Eda shook her head and slightly rolled her eyes as she tried to fight back a smile—she knew she had been caught. Oh, Eda. She thought to herself.
"Let's do this...Ferit and I will look into these documents that he needs to sign with regards to the holding, while you can go on and get Ceren updated with what we know and what we have. Tamam mi?" spoke Serkan.
"Tamam." They all responded.
"Hadi. Let's get to work." He added.
—--------------
All of them spent the day in the office behind closed doors, even Engin wasn't allowed inside, much to his dismay. Hours and hours of going through piles of documents the entire morning and throughout lunch then the afternoon, Ceren was finally updated with everything that had happened.
"I have actually scheduled a meeting with Rosenberg bey tomorrow." said Kadir.
"Harika!" exclaimed Serkan.
"I'll go with you." Ceren said towards Kadir, who nodded back, before she turned to her friends and spoke, "Do not come."
"Ne?" said Eda and Serkan.
"Neden?" asked Serkan.
"It is best to handle this professionally so we know what are the clear grounds we can set. For this, we cannot lead with emotions as we need to get something out of Rosenberg bey first. His lawyer will be there, too, I presume. So we have to take everything into legal matters. Whatever you say or do can be used against you, I remind you that." explained Ceren. "If we want to file a solid case against Selin and win, there cannot be any bumps on the road. We need Rosenberg bey on our side."
"Tamam. Can we at least go with you and just stay outside of the room?" pleaded Serkan.
"Tamam, just promise me that you two will not interfere." responded Ceren.
"Söz." answered Serkan.
"Eda." Ceren directed her attention to her best friend who was known to be very impulsive.
"Tamam, tamam. Söz." Eda answered, raising her hands innocently.
"This is a place to start. I'm feeling positive that Rosenberg bey will be a good help tomorrow." Ceren answered.
A knock on the door came through the office. The door, opened by Lara, revealed a woman carrying a car seat with a baby inside. Ferit immediately stood up and took the car seat from the woman and placed it on the table beside Ceren.
"Ah, my little Cahill." said Ceren before holding the baby into her arms. "I missed you."
"Is this your son?" asked Serkan, surprised that they already had a baby.
"Evet." answered Ferit. "He's almost a year old."
Eda quickly walked towards Ceren to admire the little boy. Although she had already seen Ceren and Ferit's son, this was the first time she saw him in person.
"Çok tatlı ya..." said Eda as she gently stroked the baby's arms.
"You guys should have another baby." Ferit suddenly blurted out in suggestion, making Serkan smile and shrug, while Eda just pursed her lips as her eyes took a glance at Serkan. "I think expanding a family is great."
"The more the merrier, right Ferit?" said Serkan with a mischievous smile before winking at Eda.
"Evet." Ferit nodded in enthusiasm.
Ceren couldn't help but smile at her husband and raise her eyebrows at both Eda and Serkan. "Bak." She said, adorably holding up her baby.
Eda smiled back at her best friend and shook her head in amusement—they were all riding the baby train. "When the time comes, of course we will." She smartly answered.
"A baby..." They heard a small voice come from the door of the office.
"Kiraz? Ne işin var burada?" asked Serkan, but Kiraz didn't answer him as her attention was locked in at the baby Ceren was carrying as she ran towards her anne and Ceren.
"Anne, can I look at the baby?" Kiraz asked.
"Tamam." Eda nodded and picked up Kiraz so she could see Cahill.
"Çok tatlı..." Kiraz said as she carefully stroked the baby's cheek, making him coo. She was in a trance.
"İyi günler." greeted Ayfer as she entered the office with Melo, who immediately went to hug Ceren and dot at Cahill.
"Ahh, Ayfer Hanim. İyi günler." greeted Serkan. "Lütfen otur."
"Yok, yok." She shook her head and smiled. "We just came by because Kiraz wanted to ask if she could stay in our place tonight."
"Tabii ki." Both Eda and Serkan answered, looking at each other then back at Ayfer.
"Harika! We'll pass by the house and get some of Kiraz's things so we can also drop her off tomorrow at school." Ayfer then walked towards Ceren and finally gave her a hug before looking at the baby.
"Tamam, hala." nodded Eda and sighed in relief. She is still not suspicious so that's good. She thought.
All their attention shifted to Cahill who cooed and giggled at Kiraz who made silly faces at him. Everyone smiled at the adorable sight in front of them.
"Baba?" Kiraz called out.
"Evet kızım?" Serkan responded.
"Bir kardeş istiyorum." Kiraz spoke aloud, making sure that her baba heard her clearly.
At Kiraz's words, everyone was surprised and most were giggly and had smiles on their faces at such request. Only Eda and Ayfer did not have the same expression—Ayfer intently looked between Eda and Serkan, while Eda avoided her aunt's glances and just sternly looked at Serkan who was very amused at Kiraz.
Seeing as Eda was already giving him death stares, Serkan cleared his throat and scrunched up his brows, putting on a serious face. "Kiraz—"
"Did you already talk to anne about it, baba?" She asked, cutting off Serkan.
Eda sighed then spoke, "Kiraz, not this again."
"Ama baba promised last night that he'll talk to you about it." She reasoned out.
All pairs of eyes looked from Eda and Serkan, waiting on how they would respond to their daughter's persistence. Although others may be amused, Ayfer felt awkward being in the room and as this was a topic that she did not want to hear.
"Canim, didn't you want to go to the park?" asked Ayfer, diverting Kiraz's attention away from the current subject.
"Evet!" Kiraz exclaimed.
"Tamam. We still have to pass by your house so if you wanna play for a good amount of time, we have to go now. Tamam mi?" reasoned Ayfer.
"Tamam!" She exclaimed once again and gave Eda a kiss on the cheek then got down from her hold before going over to Serkan to also give him a kiss.
"Hadi gidelim." Ayfer said towards Kiraz as she took her hand before turning to everyone to smile and bid goodbye. "Görüşürüz."
"Melo, hadi." Ayfer lastly said as she didn't see Melo follow her out. Melo waved goodbye and blew out kisses to Eda and Ceren then raced to catch up to Ayfer and Kiraz.
Ceren then looked at Eda. "So Kiraz wants a brother?" She said, hinting something at her best friend.
"Well, isn't that a great sign." said Ferit, looking towards Serkan.
—---------------
Knock...knock...knock...
"Anne?"
"Aydan Hanim?"
"Why are you two wet?" Aydan asked as she scrunched up her nose, confused.
"Umm..."
"Anne, ne işin var burada?" Serkan asked.
"I came to visit."
"Kiraz is not here." He plainly responded.
"Where is she?"
"She's at Ayfer Hanim's. She will be staying there for the night." He answered, still not opening the door for Aydan and Seyfi.
"Are you not gonna invite me in?"
"Hayır." Aydan annoyingly frowned at his answer.
"Serkan." Eda said sternly, pulling him back from the door and forcefully trying to remove his grip from the door handle, but Serkan only tightened his hold.
"If there is nothing else anne, teşekkürler for dropping by. Görüşürüz." Serkan then closed the door, earning a slap on the arm from Eda.
"Serkan bey just closed the door on us." stated Seyfi.
"I can see that Seyfi." answered Aydan. She was about to knock when the door opened again, this time revealing Eda.
"Aydan Hanim, hoş geldiniz." Eda was about to open the door wide but Serkan grabbed the door to stop her from doing so. "Serkan..." She initially said before whispering something into his ear that made him take a really deep breath and release his grip from the door, making Eda open the door wide.
"Hoş geldiniz, anne." He greeted as Aydan entered the house. "Seyfi." He nodded to him.
"Make yourself at home. We'll just go and change then come back down." Eda said, referring to their wet shirts.
"Tamam." answered Aydan as she sat down on the sofa, eyeing Eda and Serkan who seemed to be silently bickering as they walked up to their room.
Upon closing the door behind Eda, Serkan gave her a look as if saying 'seriously?' and she just responded with a shrug before entering their walk-in closet and getting them new shirts.
"Eda, you just invited one of the two people we're trying to still find a way to tell that we're already together without getting a dramatic reaction from. And this one is the more dramatic one." He said pointing down to refer to Aydan who was downstairs.
"Serkan, stop overthinking. Maybe this way we can slowly break it down to them by showing them little by little...starting with inviting them for dinner." She responded as she slipped the shirt through her head.
"Ne??" He exclaimed, finding Eda's suggestion crazy.
Without hesitation, Eda opened the door and proceeded downstairs with a shirtless Serkan chasing after her through the hallway and down, clutching tightly onto his new shirt as he called out to Eda in a hush tone.
The sight in front of them caught Aydan and Seyfi's attention as Eda and Serkan seemed to be playing cat and mouse, only that they were comfortable in what they were doing—so comfortable that it made Aydan think "what if".
"Aydan Hanim, Seyfi, would you like to join us for dinner?" asked Eda.
"Why of course, Eda." answered Aydan, making Serkan deeply sigh in frustration.
"I'll prepare dinner." volunteered Seyfi.
"Hayır, I've already started making dinner before you arrived. I bet it's almost ready." Eda smiled at them. "You can take a seat in the dining room and I'll check on the food."
"Tamam, Edacim." nodded Aydan as she got up with Seyfi and followed Eda to the dining room which was a few meters in front of the kitchen island.
"Serkan!" Eda called out as she knew he was about to walk upstairs and not follow them. Serkan sighed once again and finally put on his shirt and walked lazily towards the kitchen where Eda had already gone off to.
The way they were acting gave Aydan and Seyfi husband and wife vibes. Especially during dinner when they casually talked—there was something different about them, Aydan noted in her head. After a good meal and a few conversations over tea, Aydan and Seyfi have decided to go home.
"Teşekkürler for having us, Eda...even though I know Serkan wasn't too keen on it." said Aydan, giving a look towards her son who only rolled his eyes.
"The food was also very delicious. I may have eaten too much." added Seyfi, making Eda smile.
"Tamam, tamam. We'll get going. İyi geceler, Eda. İyi geceler, bebeğim." They both waved goodbye and headed for their car.
Serkan and Eda stood at the door and as they waited for them to get into the car, Serkan snaked his hand around Eda's waist then down to her hip when Aydan quickly looked back at them to lastly wave goodbye. Luckily, Serkan was fast and had brought his hand up from Eda's hip to give a wave goodbye back to his mom. Hopefully she didn't see it. He thought.
"Finally!" He said before turning to Eda and following her up to their bedroom. "Seriously, why do you keep saying 'yes' to unexpected guests." She just shook her head and smiled in response.
As Serkan closed the door behind him, he continued to complain. "We could have had a great uninterrupted evening...just the two of us." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Which is hard to have given that we have a child."
"I mean, we'll become busy once we finally file a case and then we'll barely have a chance for these kinds of days." He continued.
"Serkan..."
"Then you'll—"
"Serkan..."
"Efendim?"
"Seni seviyorum." said Eda, innocently smiling at him, making him take a deep breath at how adorable she looked.
"Ben de seni seviyorum." He responded with a warm smile.
"Çok teşekkürler for always putting up with my craziness." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hmm...I think I need more of those." He said, before Eda placed another kiss on his other cheek then lastly on his lips.
Serkan deepened the kiss and slowly laid Eda down on the bed. She then broke their kiss and smiled mischievously. "İyi geceler, Serkan Bolat."
At this, he understood he wasn't getting any action tonight. He scrunched up his nose and sighed. "İyi geceler, Eda Yildiz."
He then got under the covers beside Eda and gave her a kiss on the cheek before pulling her close to him, her back against his chest, closing the gap between them as they closed their eyes to sleep.
—----------------
Lub-dub...Lub-dub...Lub-dub...
The sound of their racing heart beat came pounding in their chests as they took one step after the other towards the glass window of the private cell room in prison. Kadir and Ceren had stepped inside one room where Mr. Rosenberg and his lawyer were waiting, while Eda and Serkan were taken to an adjacent room where they could listen to the conversation.
"Ozge Barak, Rosenberg bey's new lawyer." Ozge said, extending his hand out to Ceren and Kadir, which they shook in greeting.
"Ceren Basar-Simsek." Ceren said as she shook Ozge's hand.
"Kadir Nacar." Kadir also shook his hand.
"We are Serkan bey's lawyers." said Kadir as they all took their seats.
Ceren directed her attention at the man she came for and warmly smiled. "How are you, Rosenberg bey?"
"I've been here for 5 years. How do you think I am?" He answered back.
"I'd like to think you're coping." Ceren responded. "Haven't had any visits, I suppose?"
This question made Mr. Rosenberg look intently at Ceren before looking back down, avoiding her gaze. Ceren remembered that Eda had pointed out that what if Selin had also threatened to hurt Mr. Rosenberg's family—just like what she did with Serkan. It's not impossible. Ceren thought.
"Who would be visiting me?" He asked, sarcastically.
"You tell me, Mr. Rosenberg." answered Ceren.
"The last time I laid eyes on anyone else besides lawyers, guards, and prison mates was 5 years ago." He shook his head.
Ceren squinted her eyes and smirked. So someone else did come to see him, but he's afraid to say anything—well, at least he's giving clues. Ceren thought. I'll go with it and see what I can get.
"I see." She nodded. "You know, Mr. Rosenberg, I just wanna be clear—we are here to help you."
Mr. Rosenberg looked at Ceren, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are both tied in a knot...but I know that we can help each other." She said.
"Help us, help you." added Kadir.
"Bi dakka, bi dakka." Ozge suddenly spoke. "What is this all about?"
"It's nothing." answered Mr. Rosenberg, shaking his head towards his lawyer.
"Rosenberg bey, if this is something important, you have to let me know." whispered Ozge.
"As I said, we're here to help. We can both help each other in this process." Ceren both pleaded and warned.
"Pardon, what is really the reason you came?" asked Ozge.
"We came because of the confession letter." Kadir answered.
"What more do you want? Everything is there." Mr. Rosenberg responded with frustration then sighed. "As I said, I am just a businessman from Fulham, London, with an interest in Kingston-Upon-Thames. I have a wife and a daughter who I love so much. I would do anything for them."
Mr. Rosenberg's response confused everyone. He then stood up and spoke. "I'm done talking."
They all stood with him and nodded. "Çok teşekkürler for meeting with us, Rosenberg bey." said Ceren.
Mr. Rosenberg gave her a sad smile and nodded, then started to head for the door when he noticed Ceren looking at the window behind him. He then turned to look but although he just saw his reflection on the glass window, he understood who was on the other side of it. He deeply sighed and looked down before speaking.
"Everything is in there." He once again glanced at the glass window, before heading towards the guard who was waiting to take him back to his cell, leaving the three lawyers in the room.
"Teşekkürler, Ozge bey." said both Ceren and Kadir as they shook his hand. He, too, thanked them before leaving the room.
The two lawyers headed for the exit, meeting with Eda and Serkan at the parking lot where their cars were parked next to each other.
"So..." Ceren started. "It wasn't 100% how we hoped it would turnout to be but the progress is promising."
Serkan furrowed his brows. "How is this progress?" He was frustrated as they seemed to have not gotten anywhere with the meeting.
Ceren looked at her watch and then back at Serkan. "Why don't we talk about it over lunch?"
"Tamam." nodded Serkan then smiled, as if a lightbulb had lit up inside his head. "I have a great idea for lunch."
—-----------------
"Aydan, I really think I should go." Kemal said to Aydan who was sitting in front of him.
"If Eda invited you, then you should stay." said Ayfer, making Aydan smile at her warmly.
Family and friends were all seated at the outdoor dining area of Eda and Serkan's house as they had invited them all for lunch time—well, Eda invited Kemal, who Serkan had been avoiding for months now since finding out he was with his mother, and even more when he learned that he was his real father.
"Eda, gerçekten...why did you have to invite him?" complained Serkan as they walked towards the table.
"Serkan, he's your baba." Eda reasoned.
"The only baba I know is nowhere to be found, Eda."
"Weren't you the one who said 'let's invite everyone and tell them'?" She pointed out.
"Evet, everyone—minus him..." He said, referring to Kemal. "Oh, and Erdem. Good thing he's not here—"
"Merhaba, Serkan bey and Eda Hanim!" greeted Erdem as he entered their backyard gate and walked towards the table, also greeting everyone.
"Him, I did not invite." Eda said as Serkan took a deep breath, containing the anger building up inside him.
His eyes then darted at his best friend who just shrugged at him. It was obvious that it was Engin who had slipped up about the lunch time gathering to Erdem.
"Here's the salad." Eda said as they approached everyone with Serkan slamming the bowl of salad on the table. "Sorry for the delay. We were only able to prepare this in such a short notice for this gathering, but Serkan made the salad."
Everybody cheered to which Serkan just rolled his eyes, seeing both Erdem and Kemail were annoying him. Why did I even suggest this? And why did I even let Eda be the one to invite everyone? He thought to himself.
"Ellerinize sağlık, it looks great." said Aydan. "It's good that you invited us. Çok teşekkür ederim. I—"
"Anne." Serkan cut her off. "Eda was the one who invited everyone. Just to be clear." He emphasized.
"Evet, I did. But it was Serkan's plan to have lunch with all his loved ones." Eda added, making Serkan glare at her at the word 'loved ones'.
"Tamam, tamam. Let's just eat." He spoke.
Everyone then started passing on food and putting some on their plates as they made small conversations around the table—from work related matters to random topics. It was, indeed, a gathering.
As lunch came to a finish, Serkan spoke, getting everyone's attention as he clasped his hands. "Evet. We invited you all here today because we have some news." Eda smiled at him.
"Arkadaşlar, Eda and I are together." He smiled as the words glided from his lips.
"Ee?" said the people around them, shrugging as if it was nothing of news to them.
"We are together 'together'." Serkan emphasized.
"Ee?" Their family and friends responded the same way again.
"We are 'in love with each other' together." Serkan clarified.
"We know." They all said.
"Only, you, yourselves, are in denial about that from the beginning." said Engin as everybody then started sharing their observations.
"Like the other day, when we talked about London, and you confirmed that you fought with Eda...then why was she not full-blown mad at you?" Engin pointed out.
"Or when we were at the recreation room and how Eda dreamily looked at Serkan..." added Piril.
"Also yesterday, when Kiraz and I dropped by the office. She saw Cahill and asked for a brother..." spoke Ayfer.
"Hala." Eda said sternly.
"There was this aura around the two of you that was nowhere near tension...more of understanding. And you were also trying to avoid my gaze." continued Ayfer.
"And last night when I came for a visit, you two looked too comfortable around the house and the kitchen, and even going into the same room—too comfortable not to be a couple." Aydan said with Seyfi and Ayfer nodding in agreement.
"Since when are you two fine with this?" Eda asked Ayfer and Aydan, who seemed to no longer be at each other's throats about Eda and Serkan.
"Let's just say that we've had our differences but we agreed that those are in the past now." Ayfer responded, looking at Aydan with a smile as a memory both played in their heads.
Aydan had invited Ayfer for an afternoon tea at her house. To Ayfer's surprise, she did not feel any resistance in herself not to go—she felt more willing to instead. So instead of going to the playground with Kiraz, she ended up bringing her to Aydan's place, which Kiraz was also happy about.
"There is really something different about them ever since they got back from London." said Melo, taking a sip of tea.
"Aynen." responded Aydan and Ayfer.
"So you said that Kiraz asked for a brother and Serkan smiled while Eda avoided your eyes?" Aydan asked, confirming the story Ayfer just told her.
"Evet. Isn't it like..." Ayfer said but then suddenly looked at Aydan who had the same look as her as they both obviously had the same realization.
"...they are together." The two women blurted out.
"I would highly think so." answered Melo to the stunned women.
"Ama we need to confirm this." said Aydan.
"Should we?" asked Ayfer.
"Tamam, I have a plan." announced Aydan. "Seyfi and I will go to Eda's house and look for Kiraz. Then, I'll see with my own eyes what's going on."
"Tamam." nodded Ayfer and Melo, sipping on the tea.
The night ended with Seyfi and Aydan driving home from having dinner at Eda and Serkan's, which Aydan was happy about since she was able to see how the two were without Kiraz around.
Ring...Ring...Ring...
"Aydan?"
"Ayfer."
"Ee?"
"I'm pretty sure they are together."
"Let me get this straight, so everybody knows? Or like, has an idea already?" asked Eda.
"Yani...we suspected and we went with that. I mean, knowing the track record of how your relationship goes...this is nothing new." answered Melo, chuckling.
"Harika!" Serkan sarcastically said.
He then whispered to Eda, "I suffered not being near you for nothing." This made Eda smile apologetically.
"Ah!" Erdem suddenly exclaimed. "I also remember seeing Serkan bey and Eda holding hands at the park, when they just came back from London...but then I just forgot about it on my way back to the office."
At this, Serkan took a deep breath trying to contain his annoyance at Erdem's presence. Ceren then spoke, bringing everyone's attention to her.
"I'm really happy for you two." She said, smiling at Eda and Serkan as the people around them agreed.
"So it seems that whatever it was...something happened in London that brought you two together." said Ferit.
"Obviously." agreed Engin.
This earned both men nudges from their wives. "Ne?" They complained.
Eda cleared her throat, making Serkan grin as her cheeks were turning red. Clearly, the memory of their night together played in her head.
"Let me just say something..." said Melo.
"Lütfen." responded Serkan, unenthusiastically.
"I want to ask for applause, as a person who supported from the very beginning and had helped create this love." added Melo, making everyone applaud.
"Bravo, Melo." said Aydan.
"Teşekkürler, Melo." said Serkan.
"I also want to say something..." Aydan started. "What a good surprise life has, doesn't it? A person should be open; a person should accept with wisdom everything that brings him in life." At this point, Serkan sighed in frustration and massaged his forehead as he knew what his mother was trying to do.
"We cannot know what beauty life will bring us, right, Serkan?" Aydan said.
"Anne."
"Hmm, efendim?"
"Anne. Mhm-mhm." Serkan pursed his lips and shook his head. "Hayır."
Engin sensing the tense atmosphere, suddenly spoke. "Let me give you a kiss."
"Hayır." responded Serkan.
"Since from the very beginning..." Engin trailed as he stood up.
"Hayır."
"Gel buraya, gel buraya. Let me give you a kiss..." Engin reached in and grabbed Serkan's face, leaning in to place a kiss on both cheek, leaving an unamused Serkan. "Look at this sweetness." He said before sitting back down, being pulled back by Piril, who then held Eda's hands and gave her a flying kiss.
"Kardeşim benim. He got what he wanted. He tried his best and finally got it." Engin pointed out.
"Evet. To finally be with your family makes a man feel complete." added Aydan.
"Anne." Serkan has about enough of Aydan trying to push the idea of Kemal and him together.
"Inanmıyorum. Inanmıyorum, anne." said Serkan. "How much more are you going to press on this matter? Like I've told you again and again, I don't want anything to do with him."
"Hopefully everyone can respect that. Tamam mi?" He continued. "Therefore, arkadaşlar, afiyet olsun."
"Kusura bakma but there is such an annoyance. Tamam mi? Ben gidiyorum." Serkan lastly said before getting up to leave, earning protests from his family and friends.
"Serkan." Kemal called out as he chased Serkan who shook his head. "Serkan, listen to me." He pleaded.
"Tabi. I'm very interested in what you're gonna say." Serkan said sarcastically.
"Bak, Serkan." Kemal took a deep breath. "I understand how serious the situation is...and it's a shock for me, too. I am experiencing the same surprise you are." He explained.
"I don't expect us to abruptly become father and son, ama...I want to assure you that I'll be there whenever you need me." Kemal said and to his surprise, Serkan did not protest and just nodded in response.
"Şimdi...what do you say about letting things go for a while?" Kemal asked, holding out his hand for Serkan to hopefully shake.
"Peki." Serkan answered, sighing as he shook Kemals hand.
"Tamam." Kemal nodded. "Hadi gel. Let's go so your mom does not get offended. At least we will look like we get along. Olur mu?"
"Peki, tamam." Serkan sighed again, putting his hands in his pockets as he trailed behind, walking back to the table to continue the 'merriment'.
Not long after, Engin got up from his seat. "We should probably go. It's almost 2pm and Can and Kiraz need to be fetched from school. Merak etme abi, we'll also pick up Kiraz and meet you at the office." He said.
"It was a beautiful day, ama the most beautiful thing was the last act." Aydan said, referring to Kemal and Serkan's interaction, earning an annoying unimpressed look from her son.
"Ya dadacim, we should probably help you with the plates." said Melo.
"Yok. Hiç gerek yok." responded Serkan.
"Sorun yok, Melo. We'll do that." added Eda.
"Ellerinize sağlık." said Ayfer.
Everybody then bid farewell as they left. Serkan slid his hand around Eda's waist as they watched their family and friends walk off.
"How wonderful everything went." said Eda, smiling up at Serkan.
"You owe me for this." He remarked, talking about how Eda invited Kemal without his knowledge.
Serkan suddenly sneezed. "Bak, I've developed an allergy against these people now." He said.
"Serkan, 'these people' are our loved ones. Lütfen." responded Eda, making Serkan sigh.
"Yok, yok. That man...mhm-mhm." He said, shaking his head as he pointed at where Kemal sat.
"Serkan, that's your baba." Eda said, smiling amusedly.
—---------------
"Kiraz."
"Annecim."
Serkan and Eda called out to their daughter as they entered the kids' playground, just arriving Art Life. The partition for the kids' section in the recreation room was finally finished, giving Kiraz and Can a place to comfortably play around.
"Anne. Baba." Kiraz said as she gave her parents a hug.
"How do you like your new playground?" asked Serkan as he crouched down to look at her.
"I love it, baba! Çok teşekkürler!" She exclaimed then gave him a kiss.
"Rica ederim, kızım." He smiled. "Tamam. Anne and I will work now. Tamam mi?" He added as he stood up.
"Tamam." Kiraz nodded then went back to her table and continued to color with Can.
As Eda and Serkan walked towards his office, Susan called out to Eda, making the two stop in their tracks. Eda told Serkan to go ahead as she went to Susan who needed a few design reviews and approvals.
Serkan took off his coat and took a seat on his chair then looked at his watch. 2:30pm. Ceren and Kadir are probably on their way. He thought.
"Serkan bey...tea." said Lara as she entered inside his office, a cup of tea in hand.
"Teşekkürler, Lara." Serkan responded.
Lara smiled as she approached her boss and was about to put down the tea on the side of his table when she accidentally spilled the whole hot cup on him. Serkan's exclamation in pain was heard in the production floor, making Eda turn her head around. She could only shake her head at what she saw.
As suspected, Lara took every chance to get so close to her boss and she went beyond as spilling hot tea on him.
Serkan quickly stood up and pulled away his wet shirt from his chest, separating the hot fabric from his skin. Lara, who was oddly prepared with a tissue, spoke.
"Çok özür dilerim, Serkan bey. Let me help you." She said, grabbing Serkan's blazer and pulling it down from his shoulders and off of his arms.
"Yok, yok. Sorun yok. Hiç gerek yok." responded Serkan, but Lara continued on and patted the tissue on his shirt, pressing into his skin where his abs were. He quickly grabbed her hand, realizing what she was trying to do. "Lara, I said—"
"Aşkım..." Eda called out as she entered his office, confidence exuding from her. "İyi misin?"
Serkan was not able to answer Eda as he became speechless in how captivating she was walking towards him and talking to him with a sultry voice.
"Pardon, Lara." She said to his assistant as she got in between them.
Eda leaned into Serkan so close that he could feel her breath tickling his neck, sending chills down his spine. She then slid her hands from his collar down to his chest as she started to unbutton his shirt, making Serkan gulp at what she was doing.
Lara could only stare at what was happening in front of her. Eda calling Serkan 'aşkım' was a confirmation that they were already back together. She felt embarrassed at what she had done, especially when several pairs of eyes were looking at them through the door panels. She took a step back and turned to leave but Eda suddenly spoke.
"Don't forget to close the door panels." Eda said with a smirk before winking at Lara, who only nodded in response and started to close the panels before finally leaving.
Eda smiled to herself as she stood to look at the last door panel closing shut. "That ought to teach her a lesson not to mess with my man." She said.
"Your man?" said Serkan standing up to meet her.
"Evet, what else?" Eda smiled at him as she continued unbuttoning his shirt, minus the sexual tension that surrounded them earlier.
Serkan then slipped his arms off of his wet buttoned-down shirt as Eda grabbed the tissue that Lara left and patted Serkan's chest and torso dry. "Weren't you about to kiss me?" He asked.
"Was I?" She asked playfully, slowly leaning in.
"Evet." He answered as Eda smiled and leaned in for a kiss when a knock on the door came, frustrating Serkan once again. "Inanmıyorum. Inanmıyorum. Why does this keep happening?" He complained, throwing his hands in the air.
Eda giggled at Serkan's reaction before walking to the door to check on who was seeking entrance. "Erdem." She said upon opening the door.
Nothing new—Serkan put one hand on his hip and the other massaged his forehead as his temper boiled at the mere mention of his best friend's assistant's name. Luckily, he was not in eyesight.
"Evet?" said Eda, waiting for Erdem to speak.
"Lara told me to give this to Serkan bey." He answered, handing a fresh clean white buttoned-down shirt, making Eda scoff at what Erdem said.
"Teşekkürler, Erdem." She said before closing the door at Erdem's face and walking back to Serkan.
"Look who had the decency to give you a fresh clean white buttoned-down shirt after spilling some tea on you." Eda then checked the label of the shirt. "Oh what do you know, it also came from your tailor."
"She planned her attack well." She noted, nodding to herself.
"Sad to say she can never win against Eda Yildiz." Serkan grinned as he wore the shirt. "No one can." He added.
"That's right." Eda gave him a quick kiss on the lips and grinned up at him as she fixed the collar of his shirt.
Knock...knock...knock...
Another knock interrupted them and like always, Serkan found this annoying and sighed as Eda responded with an approval to enter the office.
"Should we just leave? It seems like we're interrupting something." Ceren playfully said as she entered with Kadir, seeing that Eda and Serkan were standing so close to each other while Eda buttoned his shirt to finish.
"Yok, it's all good." Eda responded as Ceren gave her a look before they settled into their seats.
"Şimdi...care to share what 'progress' we've made, Ceren?" said Serkan.
Ring...Ring...Ring...
Ceren's phone rang, interrupting her from answering Serkan. She looked at her phone and an unknown number was on the screen, she furrowed her brows and answered the call.
"Alo?" Ceren answered.
The voice from the other line answered, "It's Rosenberg bey."
"Rosenberg bey." This caught the 100% attention of the three other people in the room. "I'm glad to hear from you. What can I—" He cut her off, saying something that did not make sense to her.
"Ne?" Ceren asked.
"This is all I can do." Mr. Rosenberg then hung up the call. Ceren looked at her phone confused. Ne? She thought.
"Ceren? İyi misin?" asked Eda.
"What did he say?" asked Serkan.
"Ole & Steen." Ceren answered, confusion in the tone of her voice.
—-----------------
A/N:
Hi everybody ❤️! Oh how I've missed you so much🥹! I'm so so sorry for being out for so long. Ok, to explain my absence: as I was writing this chapter, Holy Week came and my family went on a vacation and since coming back from my long vacation, I've just been working 🥲.
Merak etme, I'm still alive 🤣! I'm here!
Neyse, chapter notes:
- Did you like the twist that Ceren and Ferit are back in Turkey? 🙈
- I may have forgotten to add Kemal to the storyline but I think I didn't need to put too much focus in it so I just slipped an explanation in this chapter. 😅
- I am back to putting clues to the chapters. (evil laugh) 🙈🤭
- Did you find anything interesting in this chapter? 🥹
Let me know what you think!
Hope you enjoyed! I missed you all! I'm looking forward to reading your comments ❤️