I couldn't bring myself to turn around, so I just stood there in the middle of the hallway. Naturally, people passing by gave me weird looks. I couldn't care less. I was too busy panicking.
"Demir! What do I do? Say something, quick!"
"I have no idea, Aylin. I think you need to improvise here."
"Are you insane? What am I supposed to say to the guy?"
"Which lady?"
"There, sir. Waiting by the stairs."
'Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm done. I was going to graduate and open my own office, and now I'm going to prison? Was this really the time?'
"Excuse me?"
When I slowly turned toward the man beside me, he frowned and looked me over with suspicion.
'Oh no. He definitely knows something is wrong! Forget acting— I can't even look people in the eye and lie without blushing!'
"Are you alright? You look a bit pale."
I couldn't find the strength to speak, so I swallowed hard and nodded faintly.
"I'm told you wanted to see me."
I swallowed again and nodded the same way. He hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod and continued.
"Let's go to my office. We can talk more comfortably there. This way."
I glanced to my right. Demir was behind a few staff members, pretending to mess with his phone while secretly watching us.
With a helpless sigh, I turned back to the commissioner. He walked ahead toward the stairs, and to avoid raising more suspicion, I had no choice but to follow him.
Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to get out of this disaster without getting caught.
"Aylin, listen to me. Don't panic. Just make up a simple excuse and get out of there. I'm going into the archive. We can't wait any longer and risk being recognized. If you still can't get out by the time I'm done, I'll come get you. Don't worry. Okay?"
I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me and muttered softly.
"Okay."
The commissioner turned to look at me. I immediately coughed and looked away.
Even if I didn't end tonight in jail, my hair was definitely going to turn white from stress!
When we reached the room the entrance officer had described, my eyes widened the second I saw the sign next to the door.
'Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit? What the hell! How did I end up here?
More importantly—how was I supposed to get out?'
When we walked in, the first thing that caught my attention was how much everything looked like the movies. A wide open space, lots of desks, and officers working nonstop. Most of them looked pretty young, too.
"Keep it up, everyone. I have a quick meeting. While I'm gone, organize what you found on the Serenity case."
After a chorus of murmured acknowledgments, the commissioner turned to me and pointed to another office at the far end, separated by a divider.
"This way."
He followed me in, closed the door, and pointed at the chair in front of his desk.
"Please, have a seat."
I stared at the chair for a few seconds, using every ounce of willpower not to bolt out of the room. Finally, I sighed and sat down, pulling my bag into my lap.
I had to find a way to stall this man until Demir came.
He wasn't very old, but he looked like he was at least in his fifties. He was tall, with a fit build for his age. Mostly graying brown hair, sharp eyes in the same color, and a presence that was honestly intimidating.
Sitting alone in a room with him, I had no idea how long I could last without fainting.
"Are you sure you're okay? Would you like some water?"
At the word "water," one of the detective shows I'd watched with Duru flashed in my head. Water meant a cup. A cup meant fingerprints.
I immediately shook my head.
"No, no! I don't drink water!"
When he studied me with a look that suggested he was questioning my sanity, I forced a shaky smile, cleared my throat, and hurried to fix it.
"I mean—there's no need. Thank you."
As his stern gaze turned more probing, the pressure and guilt I felt became unbearable. If we sat here for five more minutes, I was going to start confessing every mistake and bad thing I'd ever done in my twenty-two years of life.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and let my eyes roam around the room.
"I don't think we've met before. What was your name?"
"Ah… um… yes. We haven't. My name is Aylin."
"Yes, Ms. Aylin." His voice stayed calm. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
No matter how hard I pushed my brain, I couldn't come up with a single lie.
And even if I could, what could I possibly tell an organized crime commissioner? I was just a quiet engineering student, for God's sake!
Then my eyes caught on a framed photo next to his computer screen, and my brows furrowed instantly. In the family photo, one of the two boys looked far too familiar.
He must have noticed the change in my expression, because the commissioner followed my gaze and looked at the frame too. His hard expression softened visibly, turning warmer.
Inside my head, I lined up every curse word I knew and tried to think of something that wouldn't make things worse.
His phone rang. He checked the caller and stood up.
"I'll be right back."
As he left the room to take the call, I immediately returned to my own call, fuming.
"Well done, Demir! What exactly was going through your head when you sent me to your father?"
"To make my job foolproof."
"Why didn't you tell me he was an organized crime commissioner, you walking disaster?"
"What difference does it make, Aylin? If he were traffic police, would you panic any less?"
Before I could answer, the commissioner came back in and sat down again. He clasped his hands on the desk and leaned forward slightly.
"I'm listening, Ms. Aylin."
I wish you weren't.
Just as I was preparing to open my mouth and spew absolute nonsense, the commissioner called out toward the door without taking his eyes off me.
"Come in."
When the door opened, I glanced at the person entering. I was about to look away—then processed what I was seeing and snapped my gaze back to him.
No way. Since when did the government kidnap models and make them cops? And if this guy was a cop, why in the world had I become an engineer?
He was in his late twenties. Light brown eyes, dark brown hair styled neatly upward, light stubble, and a body that looked downright sculpted.
So attractive it was honestly criminal.
My insides melted as I stared at him.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but there's something important you need to see."
"Alright, I'm coming." The commissioner stood. "I'll keep you waiting a little longer, Ms. Aylin."
Still unable to take my eyes off the model, I murmured distractedly, "Okay."
The model at the door looked at me like he'd only just noticed I existed. I immediately looked away, pretending to stare at something else.
But of course I noticed the sweet smile that appeared on his face, probably because my clumsy move gave me away.
Feyza was absolutely right. I had to get rid of this habit of looking away. Every single time, I got caught, and my embarrassment doubled.
When the two of them stepped out into the open area, they left the door open, so I could hear everything clearly.
"Did this just happen?"
"Yes, sir."
"Tell Selin and İsmet to wait in front of that house tonight. One of them might come back."
"Also, we checked the person you mentioned, sir. The composite sketch matches a picture in another case file from 2020, but the two cases don't seem to have any other connection or common point."
"Let me see… Hmm. I remember this accident. The case was dropped because the evidence wasn't enough. Levent!"
"Yes, sir!"
"When you finish what you're doing, go down to the archive and bring me everything related to this case. And Emir, find a way to reach that ship's captain."
"Understood, sir."
While I stared dreamily after the guy I'd just seen, my subconscious kept warning me that something was off. But I couldn't pinpoint what.
It felt like it was about Demir, but…
Demir? Case? File? Archive?
Oh my God. The archive.