I Saved Him, Now He Owes Me His Everything

It has been exactly one year since I graduated with my Master’s in Law. And, as everyone had expected since the day I could spell lawyer, I joined the family business. Not that I had much of a choice. The Sarikaya Law Firm has been in our family for generations. Our name is practically carved into the walls of the building, along with the expectations that come with it. I am Ciara Sarikaya. Twenty-nine years old. Lawyer. Daughter of an ex-army officer. Granddaughter of a man who still believes every problem in life can be solved with discipline. And, apparently, the family's resident divorce-case specialist. “Another divorce?” I asked, staring at the file in front of me. Jan looked over the top of his laptop. “You sound surprised.” “I am.” “You’ve had four this week.” “Exactly. That’s four too many.” Josa laughed from across the table. “You chose family law.” “I chose criminal law.” “You chose to be born Sarikaya,” Jan corrected. Fair point. I loved my family. I loved the firm. I even loved the ridiculous amount of time we all spent together. But criminal law was where my heart was. Give me a murder case, a suspicious alibi, a corrupt businessman and a courtroom full of people waiting for blood—and I was interested. Give me two people fighting over who gets the coffee machine after their divorce? I wanted to throw myself out of a window. Unfortunately, Uncle Burhan seemed determined to protect me from anything remotely exciting. “You're still too young for the serious criminal cases,” he'd say. Too young. At twenty-nine. I had spent years studying for this. Years watching trials, reading case files, learning how to pick apart someone's argument until there was nothing left standing. And yet Uncle Burhan thought a divorce settlement was somehow safer. What kind of protection was that? I sighed and pushed the file away. Thankfully, tonight was not about work. Tonight was about Sarah and Faris. Finally. After six years. Six. Whole. Years. Every single person in our law-school circle had known they were going to end up together except, apparently, Sarah and Faris themselves. We had shipped them from the first semester. There had been bets. There had been arguments. There had even been one particularly dramatic night where Jan declared that if they didn't confess their feelings by graduation, he was going to lock them in a room and refuse to let them out until they did. They graduated. They still didn't confess. And now, six years later, they were getting married. Miracles did happen. Jan, Josa, Sarah, Faris, and I had been inseparable throughout law school. Somehow, despite everyone going their separate ways after graduation, we had all ended up working together at Sarikaya Law Firm. Which meant we were still together. Every. Single. Day. And honestly? We were a force. When the five of us walked into a room together, people noticed. Jan called it our “aura.” I called it an inability to behave normally in public. Either way, no one stood a chance. I glanced at the time. “I'm going to be late.” “You've been saying that for twenty minutes,” Josa called after me. “And yet somehow I'm still leaving before you.” I grabbed my bag and headed out. By the time I reached home, I had exactly forty-five minutes to get ready. Forty-five. Which, for a woman attending a wedding where half the guests knew her family, was practically an emergency. I rushed upstairs and opened my wardrobe. The dress I'd chosen was already hanging outside, waiting for me. Elegant. Red. Simple enough not to look like I was trying too hard, but impossible to ignore. I smiled at my reflection once I was finally dressed. “Okay,” I whispered. “Not bad, Sarikaya.” From the doorway came a familiar whine. I turned. Zen was sitting there. My beautiful, enormous Labrador stared at me as if I'd personally betrayed him. “Oh, don't give me that look.” He tilted his head. “I know.” Another whine. “I have to go.” He walked closer. “Zen.” He sat directly on my foot. I laughed. “You're unbelievable.” I crouched down and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his soft fur. My father had given him to me when I was twenty. At first, he'd insisted Zen was meant to teach me responsibility. Seven years later, I was fairly certain I had simply acquired a very large, very spoiled child. “You be a good boy, okay?” Zen licked my cheek. “That's disgusting.” His tail wagged harder. I wiped my face and stood. “I'll be back soon. Don't destroy anything.” He stared at me. “I mean it.” Another wag. “Especially my shoes.” He looked away. “Zen.” Nothing. I narrowed my eyes. “I know that look.” He continued looking anywhere but at me. I pointed at him. “Be. A. Good. Boy.” He finally looked at me. I smiled. “Good.” I grabbed my clutch, checked myself in the mirror one last time and headed downstairs. As I reached the front door, I heard Zen's paws following me. I turned around. “No.” He stopped. “Stay.” He sat. I opened the door. “Good boy.” And with one last glance at my ridiculously adorable dog, I stepped outside. Tonight was supposed to be simple. A wedding. Old friends. Good food. Too much champagne. A little dancing. Nothing complicated. Nothing unexpected. At least, that's what I thought. I had no idea that by the end of the night, my perfectly controlled life would have its first c***k.