Innocent in the Dark

Chapter 3: Tangled Threads

Ateş's POV

Before the sun had even fully risen, İrem had already called an emergency meeting. I was already running on pure tension; between that girl’s reckless stunt last night and Cem’s late-night phone call, sleep had completely evaded me. Having this meeting thrown on top of everything only pushed my temper to its limit.

"Alright, Ateş," İrem began, leaning back in her chair. "Give us the rundown. Who are these people, and what is their deal?"

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Who else? The Demir family. Why the hell did they burn down your warehouse?"

"That, I don't know yet," I replied coldly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "But they made it crystal clear that they are strictly against narcotics. That in itself is their motive."

Just then, İrem’s men entered the room, placing a stack of surveillance photographs on the large conference table.

"Bring them here. Lay them out," İrem ordered. She tapped a finger on the glossy prints. "Tell me, Ateş, who is who?"

"Ali," I motioned to my brother. "Arrange these on the board. He did some digging before we got here."

My brother Ali stood up, pinned the photos to the whiteboard, and stepped back. I stood up and walked over to the board, pointing to the first image.

"Alright. This is Erdem Demir, the eldest of the brothers. He doesn't handle the day-to-day operations of the logistics company, but his word still holds immense weight in the family."

I tapped the next photo. "Akın Demir. Probably the quietest and most passive of the bunch. And from what I gather, the rest of the family uses his quiet nature to their advantage."

I moved to the next one. "Caner Demir. He’s the hothead rumored to have blown up our shipment. Word on the street is he was estranged from the family for a long time before recently moving back into the estate."

Finally, I pointed to the youngest brother. "And this is Altan Demir. He’s the brains. He manages the company, runs the operations, and ultimately makes the final calls for the family."

İrem raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "They let the youngest run the entire empire? Hmm. He must be exceptionally clever. I have to respect that."

I eyed her coldly. "Careful, İrem. It almost sounds like you've taken a liking to Altan Demir."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ateş," she scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "I simply appreciate intelligence. Besides, you think Altan is the smart one, but to me..." She leaned forward and tapped the very last photo on the board.

"The smartest one might actually be Cem," I cut in. "Akın’s son. He called me last night, offering a partnership."

Yılmaz frowned, looking uneasy. "Boss, what if it's a setup? Why would Akın's own son betray his family like that?"

İrem frowned. "Wait a second. What kind of partnership?"

"I demanded that the Demirs compensate me for my lost merchandise by using their transport company, Demir Logistics, to move my cargo," I explained. "Altan and the other brothers flatly refused. But Cem called me later, saying he would ensure the shipments go through."

"Interesting," İrem murmured. "Introduce us. What's his deal?"

"He's Akın's son," I repeated.

İrem smirked. "Ah. No wonder you said they take advantage of Akın’s quiet nature."

"He's not the only one taking advantage of it," I muttered, grabbing my leather jacket. "Anyway, that's all I have for you, İrem. I came to this meeting on an empty stomach, and my patience is wearing thin."

I signaled my men and walked out of the room. For some reason, I chose to keep any mention of *that girl* entirely to myself.

**Açelya's POV**

I carefully selected the vegetables for our groceries, placing them into a plastic bag. Even though my father had strictly forbidden me from leaving the estate after last night's chaos, my grandmother had insisted on sending my mother and me out for groceries. Since my aunts were busy tending to the household chores, we were the ones sent to the local market.

"Ugh, you useless girl!" my mother, Nil, hissed, slapping my hand away. "Are you blind? Can't you see this bell pepper is rotten? Why are you putting it in the bag?"

"I'm sorry, Mother," I muttered, looking down. "I was distracted."

She glared at me, her eyes narrowing. "And what exactly is distracting that empty head of yours this time?"

"Nothing, Mother. It's nothing."

"Here, take these," she snapped, shoving the heavy grocery bags into my hands. "Go straight back to the estate. I'm going to drop by your brother's place. He didn't even come home last night."

I couldn't help but let out a bitter whisper. "I wonder what kind of trouble your precious son is stirring up now."

"My son is not a sneaky snake like you, Açelya!" Nil hissed, her face contorting with anger. "Get your self-righteous face out of my sight and go home before you completely ruin my day."

Holding the heavy bags, I began walking back. The bodyguards insisted I get into the car, but I refused, wanting to walk and clear my head. My mind kept drifting back to the dangerous man from last night. *Ateş.* Who was he? What did he want? I had to find out, or my family was going to end up in a body bag.

Suddenly, the screech of tires tore through the air. A luxury car veered so close to me that it nearly sent me flying. Gasping in terror, my hands shook, and the grocery bags slipped from my fingers, spilling vegetables all over the pavement.

The car door opened, and a man stepped out quickly. "Miss! Are you alright?"

My heart was pounding in my chest. "Yes... yes, I'm sorry," I stammered, trying to steady my breathing. "I was lost in thought and stepped right in front of your car."

The man smiled, though the warmth didn't quite reach his eyes. "Please, don't apologize. If a scratch had touched a girl as beautiful as you, I would have never forgiven myself. I should be the one asking for your forgiveness."

Trying to gather my composure, I knelt down, quickly threw the groceries back into the bags, and stood up to look at him. "Everything is fine, thank God. Excuse me," I said, trying to walk past him.

"Oh, I can't let you walk away like this," he said, stepping into my path. "Let me make up for my driving. Get in, I'll drive you home."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I prefer to walk," I replied politely but firmly.

As I walked away, a shiver ran down my spine. There was something deeply unsettling about him. His eyes felt predatory.

A few blocks later, I froze. Across the street, I spotted Cem getting into a sleek black car. *Wait... Mother said she was going to visit him at his place. What is he doing here?*

I ducked behind a large tree, hiding my frame as I watched and waited for him to step back out. But when the car door finally opened, my breath hitched.

The man stepping out of the vehicle was Ateş.

And in that exact split second, his sharp eyes scanned the street and locked directly onto me. We made eye contact. Panic seizing my throat, I quickly looked away, my heart hammering wildly.

*Damn it! What do I do now?* Just as I turned to run, a strong, heavy hand clamped around my arm, spinning me around.

"Well, well. Playing spy, little girl?" Ateş’s deep, gravelly voice echoed above me.

"Let go of me!" I protested, trying to pry his iron fingers off my arm. "What do you want? Why do you keep showing up?"

"Hmm," he murmured, pulling me a fraction closer. "The same girl who was trembling in front of me last night suddenly has a mouth on her today. Tell me, do you think I'm some teenager your age that you can talk back to?" His grip tightened slightly, pulling me flush against his broad chest. "Look at me. Look at me very carefully. The man you were screaming at last night is Ateş Kılıç. Watch your tone. I don't lay hands on women, but do not test the limits of my patience."

I stared up into his fierce eyes, refusing to let him see my fear. "Who do you think you are? You pulled a gun on my family! I don't care what they did to you—a weapon pointed at my family is a weapon pointed at me. So maybe *you* should watch your step!"

Summoning every ounce of defiance I had, I shoved my shoulder hard into his chest—mimicking exactly what he had done to me at the hospital—and stormed past him toward the estate.

*Arrogant, insufferable brute.* He thought he could terrify me.

When I finally crossed the threshold of the mansion, I quickly handed the groceries to the maid and headed upstairs to my room. But the moment I pushed the door open, I stopped dead in my tracks.

My brother Cem and my mother were waiting for me inside.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Cem sneered, crossing his arms. "Father strictly forbade you from leaving the estate. Where the hell have you been, Açelya?"

I glared at him. "That is between me and Father. Not you."

Cem’s face darkened with rage. He raised his hand, stepping forward to slap me, but before his palm could make contact, the door swung open.

"Cem! Açelya! What is going on in here?" our father, Akın, demanded.

My mother quickly stepped between us, putting on a fake, sweet smile. "Oh, Akın, it's nothing! Just some sibling bickering. They're just talking."

"With raised hands?" Akın barked, his eyes drilling into Cem. "Watch your behavior, Cem. Do not do something you will live to regret."

Cem stared at our father with absolute contempt, a mockingly polite smile plastered on his face. "Of course, Mr. Akın. Whatever you say." He spat the words out with pure sarcasm before storming out of the room.

I turned to my father, trying to keep my voice steady. "Father... we needed groceries, so I went to the market with Mother."

"Fine," Akın sighed, rubbing his temples. "But why didn't you take the car?"

"I just wanted some fresh air."

"That's enough," Akın said sternly. "From now on, you go by car and you return by car. Do not make me lose my temper, Açelya." He turned and left, while my mother followed him, a triumphant, mocking smirk plastered on her face.

I let out a shaky breath, collapsing onto my bed. What was I supposed to do with this family? I skipped dinner entirely; I knew they would yell at me for it later, but my stomach was in knots.

My mind kept drifting back to Ateş Kılıç. The memory of his heavy grip and intense gaze made the hairs on my arms stand up. But more than that, I thought of Cem.

*If my name is Açelya Demir, I will find out exactly what you and that monster are planning behind our backs, brother. I swear it.*

**Polat's POV**

My father, Ersoy, sat in his grand leather chair, a rare look of approval on his face. "I hear things are running smoothly, my son. You’ve successfully turned the Demirs and the Kılıç clan against each other."

I smiled darkly, adjusting my cuffs. "I told you, Father. Those fools will eventually bow to our supremacy."

"You've proven to me once again that I made the right choice in handing the family over to you," Ersoy nodded.

I kissed my father's hand in respect and excused myself, heading up to my private quarters. In the corner of my study, there was a hidden wall covered by a heavy velvet curtain. I walked over and slowly pulled the curtain back.

Revealed beneath was a massive display of photographs.

*My beautiful Açelya.*

Every single photo captured her in secret—her laughing, her walking, her reading. I had her followed and photographed at every turn. I wanted her with a feverish, borderline mad obsession. She was going to be mine, and mine alone. And I would personally break the hands of any man who dared to touch her.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered.

"Polat Bozkurt?" a deep, dangerous voice echoed through the line.

"Speaking, Ateş Kılıç," I replied, a cold smirk forming on my face.

"Come to the address I'm sending you. I hear you've been looking to have a chat with me."

"Indeed," I murmured, my eyes locking onto a photo of Açelya on my wall. "I would love to introduce myself. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

I hung up the phone, my grip tightening on the device.

*You touched what belongs to me, Ateş. And I am going to show you exactly what happens to men who touch my woman.