❛❛ 𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. lucian kang #ty for ending this !

"Good," he said, though on the inside he was completely confused. The asshole in the suit was already disappearing into the crowd, probably off to ruin someone else's day, and Lucian found himself wanting to chase after him just to get in one more shot. What kind of person just plows through people like that and then has the nerve to call them out for existing in his path? But watching her steady herself, seeing that brief moment where her usual armor cracked just enough to show she was actually rattled—why did he even care? She could have face-planted right there on the concrete and it wouldn't have been his problem. Hell, maybe she deserved it after standing there treating him like he was some kind of contagious disease. Yet his hand had moved without permission, grabbing her arm before his brain could catch up and remind him that this woman wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Now she was walking away again, just like that, and he stood there staring at her back like some kind of idiot. What was wrong with him?

COMPLETED

"Awesome, she'll probably be more convincing than I am anyway," Hayat said, already picturing how that conversation would go. "And honestly? Let him fall apart. Maybe watching everything crumble without me there will teach him a lesson about treating people like they're disposable." Thinking of her boss panicking over her absence was almost too satisfying to ignore, but Afet had a point about not jinxing the actual travel plans. She took another sip of wine, feeling lighter than she had in weeks—like maybe this crazy vacation idea wasn't just a pipe dream after all. A trip to Morocco and Venice was starting to sound less impossible and more like exactly what she needed to reset her brain. "You know what, book it. Book all of it. I'll deal with whatever disaster he creates while I'm gone, but right now I'm more interested in seeing if he actually implodes without his favorite person to micromanage."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. hayat erdem.

hayat's not wrong; she'll have to take a different approach with her sister but afet had quite the ability to convince. a small laugh escapes her, nodding along in approval to her cousin's words. she didn't have a reputation of an easy-going superior herself but zaviyar made her look like a saint. "i'll drink that," she grinned as she tipped her glass before doing just as she said. and oh, she'd book the trip for sure— she had already mentally began preparing her checklist for it from the moment the words had left her mouth. "if?" she asks with a knowing look. "i think we both know the answer to that. he'll break in less than forty-eight hours. wholly deserved, might i add." there was no vendetta against the siddique heir, just a distaste that stemmed from his behaviour towards hayat. "although... i do wonder why you're on the receiving end of that. you've proved yourself time and again." they were lucky to have someone like her in their arsenal; maybe he'd only realise once they lost her.

"I mean, I hope he appreciates it," Vera said, taking a sip of her fresh coffee. "Right now it feels like he just wants me to agree with everything he says." Afet's validation felt like a lifeline - finally someone who understood that standing your ground didn't make you difficult. The c-suite sibling comment made her wince slightly. "Oh wow, that sounds brutal. I can't imagine competing with family for power like that." She'd never had to deal with siblings, let alone ones fighting over corporate thrones. The managing versus crumbling part hit home though - she'd been feeling pretty crushed lately by expectations she didn't even fully understand. Thomas seemed to navigate family politics like he was born for it, but she felt like she was constantly stepping on invisible landmines. "I think I'm still figuring out which category I fall into," she said. "Thomas definitely wields it all to his advantage, but I'm not sure I'm cut out for those kinds of games. Do you think some people are just naturally better at handling family pressure?"

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. vera brooks

"there is that," she concedes, "but when the dust settles, you'll know." and afet was genuinely confident that they'd work through this even if they didn't see eye-to-eye for now. what they had was wholly unlike what she and lucian had in the past. brutal was one way of putting it and she merely chuckled at vera's reaction, having been used to watching the chess games from a distance, focused on keeping her involvement at arms length (or further). "that's what happens when you don't follow the old rules of succession. not that i'm in favour of that either." she found them archaic and unfit for purpose in a modern world. she leaned back as she considered vera's assessment on both herself and thomas. "i think so, yeah. it sometimes comes with the territory— and i can't imagine it's enjoyable having that over your head but some people either have a knack for it, or work out how to handle it with time. although i'd argue you can handle anything." afet didn't say that lightly, for she was not one to say things she didn't mean.

CLOSED STARTER

LOCATION: Parking Lot FOR: @afcts

Krish was heading back to his car after wrapping up a late meeting when he spotted Afet walking down the sidewalk ahead of him. He picked up his pace to catch up. "Afet, hey," he called out as he reached her. "What are you doing out here this late?" She turned around, and he couldn't help but grin. It had been a few weeks since they'd run into each other, maybe longer. Their thing worked because neither of them expected anything beyond what it was - casual, fun, uncomplicated. "How've you been? I was starting to think you'd disappeared on me." He fell into step beside her as they walked. "Work keeping you crazy busy or something?" He truly wanted to know. Sure, they kept things light, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious about what she was up to. "Where are you headed?"

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. krish gujral #no problem !!

"stalking the car park for an unsuspecting target," she deadpanned, "same as you, i suppose." her tone was even but there was enough indication that she was joking— they both had better things to do than lurk around in car parks. "you could say that. i've been preparing a handover of sorts for the gallery." in preparation for her trip with alev and hayat, though she dreaded to think what their handovers looked like. as for her other line of work, they'd hear of her unavailability if they reached out to her assistant. "as for where i'm headed…" she shrugged, "home. unless you have a better idea to unseat raiding the drinks cabinet off the top step. i might not even make it to a glass at this point." her day had been long, but that was a tad dramatic. she'd be fine after a drink. and she wouldn’t drink straight from the bottle.

"Right, because you're so busy with all your important business." He couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into his voice, and honestly he wasn't trying to stop it anymore. This whole conversation had devolved into them taking shots at each other like they were still twenty-two and angry about everything. She wasn't wrong though—they were both stuck here, neither one willing to be the first to walk away and admit this was pointless. Why was he even still talking to her when all they did was make each other miserable? Before he could figure out an answer to that question, some asshole in a suit came barreling down the sidewalk and slammed into his shoulder hard enough to send him stumbling into Afet. She nearly went down and he had to grab her arm to steady her.

"Get the hell out of the way and take your lover's squabble somewhere else," the guy snapped without even slowing down.

Annoyance flared and he turned to shout after him. "Mind your own damn business." Then he looked back at her, checking to make sure she wasn't hurt. "You okay?"

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. lucian kang #now she's good to go since they've stopped beefing lmao 😭

one minute she was hissing at lucian and the next, someone shoved him towards her, unsettling her balance. if he hadn't caught her arm, she may have had a nasty fall, given how sudden the movement was. she ignored the idiot on the sidewalk, for lucian bit back at him just fine. "yeah— i'm good." that wasn't the most honest, but given how her tone had mellowed, it was obvious that she'd been brought back to the present by the unexpected jolt. there was no benefit to them clawing one another's eyes out for the past, not when it was dead and buried. "i've got somewhere to be," she nodded before stepping around him without another word and walking in the direction she had been heading towards, prior to the run-in with lucian. now that she'd seen him once, the odds of reoccurrence were higher. and unfortunately for afet, she had grown used to not having to contend with him or their history.

A small, genuine laugh escaped Vera. "Okay, you're absolutely right to judge me for the coffee ... that's completely fair game." She nodded at the barista, a silent thank you. "And thanks ... for this, and for getting it. You said it perfectly. His feelings are valid, but he needs to understand mine are too, without it becoming a relationship referendum." This was a relief - a massive, unclench-your-jaw kind of relief. Finally, someone who didn't automatically side with him. He didn't just dig his heels in; he built a damn fortress around his opinion. "That's what the two weeks were about. It's just so completely exhausting." She took a slow sip of the fresh coffee, a break before she added to the conversation. "Honestly, you're of a few to validate my side of things without making it complicated. Everyone else just expects me to fall in line because he's Thomas Kang. Does that pressure ever actually get easier to navigate, the whole family expectation thing? Or do you just get better at ignoring it all after a while? I'm genuinely asking."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. vera brooks

she shook her head with a smile, "you don't need to thank me." her professional dynamic with thomas did not define her personal equation with vera. nor did her thoughts on the situation between the brothers. "yeah, well— you're vera brooks," she nodded, "you're not the kind of woman who just falls in line and i'm sure that's something he appreciates." her honesty, ability to stand her ground, even if it resulted in stand-offs like this. vera was someone afet admired greatly, and her no-nonsense approach was something she resonated with too. "sadly, not the expert when it comes to family expectations. you'll have to hit up my siblings in the race for the top seat in the c-suite for their take on that." either she had been free to do as she pleased, or the family had quickly understood that she would stop at nothing to follow her own path. maybe a bit of both. "and i would argue that it depends on what is expected from you and how... you manage it, i guess. some wield it to their advantage and others crumble under the weight of it."

dizi-maniac

the queen

#𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 — afet turhan.

"Well if you're giving me three weeks notice then I guess it's official," Hayat said, setting down her wine glass. "Actually, Nazli's been talking up Morocco, so maybe I could do both? I'm thinking double vacation because honestly, I need it." She hadn't taken real time off in forever and everyone kept telling her she looked exhausted, which was probably true. The handover thing would be a nightmare but maybe worth it if she could actually disconnect for once. "And yeah, definitely rope in Alev. She's been stuck in whatever work bubble she’s in too and could use some actual sunlight." This was getting ridiculous but in a good way, like maybe ridiculous was exactly what she needed right now. The wine was definitely helping her see this as less impossible than it should be. "I’m saying yes to being kidnapped by all of my cousins. Get me away from the Siddiques for a while. Maybe when I come back, Zaviyar will stop acting like a pod person."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. hayat erdem.

a double vacation? god knows hayat deserved it, but there was something to unpack there with her cousin— not right now, though. "yeah, that sounds like something you should do." truth be told, afet was not in any position where a vacation or time off came after nudges from others, but she was always happy to nudge someone else along. "i'll pitch it to her when we go on our next walk," she nods, knowing that the sisters had one pencilled in a few days later. a small chuckle left her at hayat's continued reference to the kidnapping. "better yet, maybe he'll fall apart and run back to his old job." and wouldn't that be great? the work probably wouldn't be less demanding as the corporate world never slowed down, but her boss was... something. "just imagine, the chief operating officer can't keep the ship steady when you take some overdue pto— actually, don't, i still have to get you on the flight."

poisonvdhonvy

“Gear shopping sounds exhausting." She winced at the thought, "Alright, but if you show up with anything neon or sequinned, I’m walking out,” Alev shoots back, trying to keep a straight face but she’s already picturing Afet dramatically presenting some ridiculous leggings. “And you know you’ll end up with half of it for yourself anyway,” she adds, nudging her sister lightly. The Venice idea hits her like a wave of fresh air and mild panic. She actually wants to go. “Venice for a week sounds... kind of perfect. I’m in, as long as you promise no matching hats. I am absolutely not doing matching hats.” The thought of Hayat joining makes her smile, even if there’s a little worry at the edges. A trip like that could reset everything if they let it. “Let’s tell Hayat together. She’ll probably veto any sightseeing before noon but I might be able to bribe her. I’ll let you take the blame for the early flights.” Maybe something good is overdue.

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. alev turhan #yessss <3

it's no surprise that alev knew that afet was prone to showing her things that neither of them would wear but profusely profess that she'd look great in them. "i was thinking more zebra print," she said, the teasing evident in her tone. her sister also made a valid point in that afet would be inclined to begin shopping for herself, so she chose not to make any false denials. mildly shocked that she didn't have to do much convincing with either of them, she chuckles softly at alev's condition. "deal." there was very little she'd disagree to for the trip to go ahead, even she wouldn't admit to it. "oh see, that's the thing— i've already got her on board. weird, right?" not that she was complaining, just... observing. "and please, we'll have the jet fuelled and ready, so neither of you will have to be up and out the door before 7 for once." the joys of the corporate world; it was one of the things that had put her off from a young age. "i haven't come up with a full itinerary yet, but just know that the art galleries will be on the list." even if she'd visited them many years ago.

poisonvdhonvy

“Zaviyar’s got honourable reasons?" Thomas snorted derisively, shaking his head. "Good one," he muttered. “If he’s having lunch with Lucian, it’s because he smells opportunity, not loyalty. That guy’s never moved unless there’s something in it for him.” He lets out a short laugh, but it sounds tired even to his own ears. “Honestly, I’m not surprised. Lucian always needs someone to back him up when things get tough. Guess Zaviyar’s just the latest in a long line.” He tries to keep it light, but there’s a sting there he cannot hide. People always circling, waiting to see who comes out on top. He wonders if he should care more, but mostly he just feels worn out by the whole thing. “I’m not stepping aside, if that’s what you’re asking. He can bring whoever he wants. I’m not going anywhere.” He glances over, trying to read her. “And you? You just giving me a heads up, or should I be worried you’re picking a side too?”

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. thomas kang #im sat here like afet pls mind your own business tyvm

she's silent as he makes his feelings clear on his former friend's involvement; his assessment on the siddique heir very much in line with her own. "i wouldn't be sat across the table from you if there was risk of that." afet typically kept her cards close to her chest, but there was truth to her words. picking lucian's side? there was not a chance in hell. besides, even if she was not looking to use the situation between the brothers to settle any scores with her ex, she was willing to throw her support behind thomas due to her agreeing with his stance. "if you ever need a second opinion, i'm open to a discussion." her honesty was sharp, lethal. "but i'm sure you've got it covered, not everyone needs to surround themselves with sharks who smell blood." a clear nod at who lucian had in his corner. zaviyar siddique was one such man; always looking out for number one— much like most, but there was a particular deviousness to his outlook.

"Yeah, well, glad I could help with your reality check." To be frank, he'd given up on this conversation being productive. She stood there like some ice queen, acting like he'd committed the crime of the century by trying to apologize. Whatever. He'd tried, and now he knew exactly where they stood. "And I'm not making amends with anyone else, thanks for the concern though." Jesus Christ, she really thought he was just going around town begging for forgiveness from people. Like he had some massive list of wrongs to right or something. This wasn't about Thomas or anyone else—this was just bad timing and worse luck that he'd literally run into her today. "But sure, thanks for the life lesson. Really helpful stuff." He should've taken a different route, should've been paying attention instead of getting lost in his head about the casino mess. Now here they were, falling back into the same toxic pattern they'd perfected years ago. The whole thing was exhausting.

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. lucian kang #lmao the way she's the same

it was evident that they had each not shaken off old habits, unwilling to let go of the argument and retreat. even if this was a rather different playing field, where callousness now dominated as opposed to emotions, even if they were of anger. "yeah, well— here's hoping you won't need a repeat of it. because i've got better things to do than to regurgitate basic life lessons like i'm your skills coach." why was she still standing there when all they were doing was going around in circles, talking about the same semblance of nothing? a part of her thought that they may just not have caught up to the actual impact of crossing one another's paths again after all these years, not yet processing it in full. and therefore, they did not know what to do now and instead resorted to what they used to do, just on a less volatile scale.

blackbcxwarning

her eyebrows shot up as she brought up her ex and how he apologized, "and you didn't right? he definitely doesn't deserve it, the forgiveness." giovanna remembered hearing what the other had done to afet and she hoped that her friend stood her ground. she deserved better than lucian could give her.

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. giovanna blackwood

afet was quick to shake her head at the suggestion. "of-course not. i told him to take his sheepish sorry and fuck off." she sighed, "and then he started picking faults in my behaviour during our relationship which— newsflash, he knew what he was signing up for. ridiculous, right?" he hadn't even seen the worst sides of her yet.

blackbcxwarning

inhaling a deep breath, she nodded slowly. "i mean," jasmine paused for a moment, "i feel like there's something there but he's also stated multiple times that he doesn't do relationships or love or any of that. so, i'm a little afraid that i'm imagining things..." as she mentioned opening up to seeing who else is out there, she thought about it for a moment and shrugged, "i don't know...i think i kind of need to try to get over how i feel about grant first."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. jasmine majidi

it was a difficult situation, and jasmine had to navigate through it to find out what was the right thing for her. "sounds like you're at a cross-roads. whatever you decide to do, just know that i'm here if you need someone to lend an ear." afet raised her glass to her lips, taking a sip of her drink. "and if not, then we can always drown it out with something stronger than this wine." because sometimes, people needed company, good alcohol and conversation that served as a distraction.

"Yeah, it really is exhausting," Vera said, sighing. "And you're right about having opinions from the sidelines ... everyone thinks they know what I should do." Afet clearly had her own family drama brewing, which made this conversation feel less like seeking advice and more like mutual understanding. At least she wasn't the only one dealing with complicated family dynamics where loyalty got twisted into impossible positions. "Two weeks ago," she answered, the timeline feeling both forever and not nearly long enough. "We had this stupid fight about his brother, and I just ... walked away. Thomas thinks everything has to be about picking sides, but I don't see why I can't care about both of them." The frustration bubbled up again - why did men always make everything so black and white? "Lucian actually listens when I tell him to back off. Thomas just digs in deeper, makes it about our relationship somehow." She shook her head. "Thanks for not judging me for this mess."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. vera brooks

"two weeks?" she repeated, brows raised slightly. "he really must have dug his heels in. of-course, thomas' feelings are totally valid but he needs to understand that so are yours. your take on the situation doesn't have to be seen through the lens of your relationship with him." afet had her own grievances with lucian, but she didn't think it was fair on thomas' part to make the issue with his brother and vera's opinion on the situation about their relationship. the other woman seemed to have a lot on her plate with what was going on so afet didn't want to bring her own thoughts on it or past with lucian into the mix. they could open that pandora's box another day. "anytime. although i do think you need a replacement because i am judging you on drinking lukewarm coffee," she gestured to the latte and signalled over a barista nearby. "i refuse to let you subject yourself to that," she said before asking for a refill for vera.

"Nobody's asking me to feel bad, you're right." His voice came out flat and cold. "And nobody's asking for your sympathy either, so we're even." The way she stood there, completely unmoved by anything he'd said, made his chest burn. Like she was above it all, above him, above basic human decency. She never put up any pretense to be better. Well, congratulations. That was supposed to be admirable somehow? Standing there proud of being exactly the same selfish person she'd always been. "You know what does say something about me though? That I wasted two years thinking maybe you'd developed some basic empathy." He'd expected her to be forgiving. He'd expected her to be open to discussion. God, he really had been an idiot. She was never going to change, never going to meet him halfway on anything. That was her whole thing—take it or leave it, and if you didn't like it, that was your problem. "At least now I know exactly who you are. Same person, same attitude, same complete inability to care about anyone but yourself." He shrugged like it didn't matter anymore. "Thanks for making this easy."

#𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — afet turhan.#ft. lucian kang

his jibes rolled off her, not making the slightest of dents in the armour. she was still reeling from him standing in front of her, but had honed a cold, calculated approach to any given situation and utilised that to perfection. "you're welcome. i'm glad we've cleared up any illusions on your part. at least you won't waste any more years in a world of delusion." how he had the cheek to waltz back into her life and expect that she'd give an inch, even consider forgiving him for his actions was unfathomable. "—by the way, forgiveness is earned, not demanded. just a tip if you're going to start a spree of trying to make amends with anyone else." except the rumblings she'd heard were angling towards lucian causing further conflict and havoc, given the situation brewing between him and thomas.

poisonvdhonvy

"People are inherently unpredictable," she conceded, observing Afet cautiously avoiding Mrs. Yang's space. Her sister's got a point about the jaw comment too. The woman's morning routine looks more like combat training than meditation. "Pilates though? You're really trying to drag me indoors, aren't you?" There's something almost endearing about how her sister tolerates these walks purely out of sisterly obligation. The way she keeps pace without complaining outright, even though every line of her body language screams that she'd rather be literally anywhere else right now. Alev knows she's pushing it asking for company at this ungodly hour, but the walks feel less like prescribed therapy homework when there's someone to share the morning weirdness with. "I suppose we could try it once," she continues, already knowing she's going to cave to this suggestion. Controlled movements in a climate-controlled studio does sound infinitely more civilised than dodging the early morning park characters. "But I'd miss our encounters with the local wildlife. Both human and otherwise."