Chapter 6 THREATS

"Now listen Ayla", Mrs. Dogans finally called that name Ayla so desperately needed to hear at that moment. However, that relief vanished as quickly as it came.

"I don't care who you believe you are but get it sink into your wretched mind that from this moment as I speak, you are Defne and nothing.... I mean, nothing on the surface of this earth can change it till I say so", she coldly let out her verdict, her eyes wandering pitilessly into Ayla's.

With that, she released her grip on Ayla's hair, letting her head drop harshly which caused her severe pains at the back of her skull.

The room was engulfed with ghostly silence, only Ayla's quiet sob was heard.

Mrs Dogans sat back in her chair, wiping off the scent of Ayla's disgust on her palms with a white handkerchief, her eyes locked in Ayla's as if waiting for her to say something.

Ayla swallowed hard and shut her eyes in anguish. She tried to voice out something, but no, she couldn't. Her throat burned and her chest tightened with a mix of fear and fury. "I'm sorry I can't", She managed to whisper, her voice trembling.

"And who told you you can disobey our command?" Mr. Dogans landed an eye-swirling slap on her already delicate cheek, regardless of whether she was still recovering from the forced facial surgery.

The pain was much, but it became intense when he got her family into it. "Have you ever considered I could crush your entire family at the snap of a finger? Huh?" He brought out his phone and sent a message to an unrecognizable person, and both looked at her with a cruel smirk.

Confusion swirled, and her thoughts raced as their words kept echoing in her mind.

"I guess we are done with you, brace yourself up because this is the only tangible thing you can ever do for your friend since you guys met. It's clear you have always been a parasite, and now it's your turn to return the favor. Get yourself acquainted with her attributes and remember you won't live to tell your stories if you make a single mistake", Mrs. Dogans asserted her authority, her tone brooking no argument.

In turn, Mr. Dogans leaned in closer and said, "Be a good girl Defne," his voice barely above a whisper as he patted her back with his hypocritical smile.

Ayla looked sharply into his eyes the moment he called her his daughter's name- Defne. Tears accumulate in her eyes as she watches them walk out of the room, which becomes charged with tension.

She sat back heavily, wondering if what transpired a few seconds ago was a nightmare, but no, it's too real to be false.

She tried reminiscing how everything got that far. She remembered vividly how she entered a cab to take her to the airport, but anything after that was blank. She doesn't seem to remember how she got to the hospital or how the said- accident happened. All she knows is that she just opens her eyes only to witness the tragedy.

Ayla never expected the Dogans could be so fast to manipulate her; she always knew they were cruel, but who could imagine how fast they were to carry out their diabolic actions.

Not up to two hours after they left Ayla's phone buzzed.

Beads of sweat ran across her face; her hands became cold, and her breath automatically seized.

The worst has happened; she doesn't know what it is exactly, yet her instincts keep telling her that she can't get away with them.

The same fear that seized her breath caught her hands, she couldn't get to pick the call from her family.

When the call came the second time, she mustered the courage to answer. Picking and bringing the phone closer to her ear, her hands and feet shaking vigorously in fear.

"Hello, Mom," her voice breaks as she speaks.

"Hello, Ayla." The voice was her mother's; it came first, followed by some noises in the background.

"Mom, what's the matter?" Ayla asked, anticipating a sad response.

"Ayla they just barged into our house, claiming.... No, I said you guys are leaving with nothing__" her mom starts to argue with the persons in the background.

"Mom, hello... Ayla tried to call her attention, but she was already distracted. Clearly, Ayla's mom needed to stand up for her family, yet, from her tone, she would definitely break down any moment from then.

"Hello, sister Ayla", Sanem- her sister's voice came next when their mom was too overwhelmed to continue.

"What's going on?"

"Loan sharks broke into our home claiming dad owed them. They are seizing our things, they even hit dad Ayla...so hard that he can barely move. Dad actually borrowed money from them some months ago, but that was only $30. Sis, believe me when I say that I was with Dad when he repaid them. Guess what? They came back with shocking allegations", Sanem narrated over the phone, her voice rising with every word.

"How.... much?

"Fifty million dollars" .

"What!!! For what?" How could they come up with such an amount for a family as poor as hers? That wasn't absurd, it was malicious.

"Exactly my question, Fifty million dollars for what exactly?" Sanem repeats in disbelief.

Ayla shut her eyes and swallowed her grief. She had the urge to cry and curse the Dogans, but it was of no use.

"Let them take what they want, don't fight them, they will return everything I promise".

Obviously, Sanem wasn't satisfied with her response, but Ayla's wish was their command.

Hanging up, she called the Dogans without wasting a minute.

They answered on the first ring.

"I told you... no one dares deter my orders in the whole city", Mrs Dogans said, triumphant; immediately she picked up the call, backed by her husband's signatory husky laughter rumbling in the background.

"How many days?" Ayla asked, her voice tight, trying very hard not to sound pathetic.

"Days? Mrs. Dogans scoffs, "Maximum of six months, darling."

"What!!!" Ayla's voice shot up unintentionally. A nurse passing by paused at the doorway.

"Everything okay in here?" the concerned nurse walks in and asks.

"Not really, sorry about that," Ayla apologized, forcing a smile, and the nurse left.

Mrs Dogans voice returns, thick like venom, "Come on darling, that's not my fault, the doctor said so. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let someone as wretched as you stand in my daughter's place even for a second. But since it has gotten to this, neither you nor I have an alternative at the moment. Whereas, you are the perfect fit for this, you know virtually everything concerning my daughter Defne – use that knowledge and remember....,

Her voice dropped into something colder than ice, "If you make a single mistake, you won't live long enough to regret it".

Mr Dogans said something finally, "Be a good girl Ayla..." he paused, correcting himself, grinning like a wolf. "Defne".

"Get ready to meet with Deniz".

And just like that, they hung up, leaving Ayla with the weight of life that wasn't hers- and a threat that hung in the air like poison.