The drive back from the gala was silent.
Too silent.
City lights flashed across the tinted car windows, but neither of them spoke. The message still echoed in Ridwan's mind.
Choose your wife or your empire.
No one threatened him.
No one dared.
Yet tonight, someone had not only dared—
They had touched what was now his responsibility.
His wife.
He glanced sideways at Afra.
She was staring out the window, calm as always.
But her fingers were clenched tightly in her lap.
She was shaken.
She just refused to show it.
Back at the Mansion
The moment they entered, Ridwan ordered security to double.
"No one enters without my permission," he said coldly.
"And review every camera from the gala."
"Yes, sir."
When they were finally alone in the hallway, Afra spoke.
"You don't need to increase security for me."
Ridwan's expression hardened.
"It wasn't for you."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"It was for my house."
The lie was obvious.
Afra stepped closer.
"You ran toward me without thinking."
He didn't respond.
"You could have been hurt."
His jaw tightened.
"I calculate risks."
"Not tonight."
Silence.
Then suddenly—
"Why were you alone on the balcony?" he demanded.
"Because I needed air."
"You should have stayed inside."
"You don't control where I breathe, Ridwan."
His eyes darkened.
"You almost fell fourteen floors."
"And you caught me."
The words lingered between them.
Something shifted.
Not soft.
But no longer purely hostile.
The Truth He Doesn't Know
Later that night, Afra couldn't sleep.
She replayed the attacker's words.
Wrong place. Wrong marriage.
That meant someone didn't want her here.
But why?
Was it because she was investigating?
Or because she was getting close to Ridwan?
She opened her laptop again and encrypted a message.
"The attack confirms internal involvement. Trace Sara's private accounts."
Reply came minutes later:
"Already tracking. But there's something strange… transactions are being redirected through an external shell corporation."
Afra frowned.
External?
That meant—
Someone above Sara.
Or beside Ridwan.
Her pulse quickened.
This was bigger than she thought.
Meanwhile – Ridwan's Study
Ridwan stood by the window, staring into the darkness.
His assistant had already reported:
The masked man had disappeared before police could identify him.
Professional.
Planned.
Targeted.
And the message…
It wasn't random intimidation.
It was strategic pressure.
He opened a secure file.
Afra Khan.
Age. Education. Background.
Clean.
Too clean.
But one detail caught his eye tonight—
Her father's company.
Khan Holdings.
Bankrupt three months ago.
Destroyed by a sudden market collapse triggered by an anonymous acquisition.
Ridwan froze.
Because he remembered that acquisition.
It had been approved under his company's financial structure.
But he hadn't personally reviewed it.
Sara had.
His eyes darkened.
Was this coincidence?
Or was Afra here for revenge?
The Confrontation
The next morning, Ridwan entered the east wing without knocking.
Afra looked up from her desk.
"You're learning bad habits," she said calmly.
"Why didn't you tell me your father owned Khan Holdings?"
Her fingers stilled.
So he knew.
She slowly closed her file.
"You never asked."
"That company was destroyed through a financial chain connected to mine."
"Yes."
The word landed heavily.
Ridwan stepped closer.
"Are you accusing me?"
Afra stood up.
"I'm searching for the truth."
"You married me because of that company."
It wasn't a question.
It was realization.
She didn't deny it.
Silence stretched.
Cold. Sharp.
"So this was revenge," he said quietly.
Afra's eyes softened just slightly.
"If it was revenge… I wouldn't have tried to save you last night."
He frowned.
"Save me?"
"You were about to sign a partnership inside the gala."
"Yes."
"With a company that's under investigation for fraud."
Ridwan's expression changed.
"How do you know that?"
"I research."
She stepped closer now.
"I came here for answers. Not destruction."
"And if I was responsible?" he challenged.
Afra held his gaze.
"Then I would have destroyed you."
No hesitation.
No fear.
Honest.
Ridwan felt something unexpected then.
Not anger.
Respect.
And something more dangerous.
Attraction.
The Shift
For the first time, Ridwan spoke without coldness.
"If someone inside my company framed that acquisition…"
Afra's breath slowed.
"Then we both have the same enemy."
Their eyes locked.
This wasn't husband versus wife anymore.
This was two powerful minds aligning.
But neither fully trusted the other.
Not yet.
Unexpected Interruption
Suddenly, the door opened.
Sara entered without waiting.
"Ridwan, we have an emergency board call—"
She stopped when she saw how close they were standing.
Her expression tightened.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Ridwan stepped back slightly.
"No."
But Sara's eyes lingered on Afra.
Calculating.
Threatened.
"Security reports show someone leaked partial financial data last night," Sara said smoothly.
"It could damage us."
Afra's pulse skipped.
Leaked?
That wasn't her.
Was someone escalating the war?
Ridwan's gaze shifted slowly between the two women.
"This company," he said coldly,
"has too many secrets."