As Soha's body went limp in the silence of the warehouse, a gruesome, triumphant smile spread across Adrik's face. It wasn't a human smile; it was that of a ferocious predator who had completely subdued his prey.
Adrik kicked the syringe aside. Soha's pupils were rolled back, and her lips were turning bluish. Under the drug's influence, her brain was now disconnected from the world. She sank into a deep, dark abyss of unconsciousness.
Adrik (with a diabolical laugh):
"There! Now you are quiet. When those rebellious eyes look at me with such hatred, it boils my blood. But now... now you are my obedient doll."
Adrik leaned down and gently touched Soha's blood-stained cheek. The same hand that had just unleashed the whip was now brushing away the hair matted to her forehead.
Adrik:
"I wanted to break you, Soha, but you were as tough as iron. So, I put your conscience to sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you will look at your master and smile. Those poisonous hatreds of yours will bleed out with this drug."
He called his trusted bodyguards waiting outside.
Adrik:
"Get the car ready. Take her to the house. Tonight is going to be very long for her. Tomorrow morning, a new queen of mine will be born."
The bodyguards glanced at Soha's still body with terror in their eyes, but none dared to question the mafia boss. Adrik picked her up in his arms. As he walked toward the limo, Soha's head hung over his shoulder like a lifeless corpse.
When the car left the warehouse and headed toward the city, Adrik was still staring at her face with a fixed, haunting smile. He knew that this unconscious state marked the end of their old relationship and the beginning of a terrifyingly dark chapter.
When the limousine pulled up in front of the penthouse, Adrik carried Soha inside. He assumed the children were asleep, but as he stepped into the drawing room, his blood ran cold.
Standing before him were his five-year-old son and four-year-old daughter. Their eyes were filled with absolute terror. They saw bloodstains on their father's shirt and their mother hanging lifeless in his arms—her red dress torn to shreds, her face ghostly pale.
Elder Son (bursting into tears):
"Dad! What happened to Mommy? Why isn't she talking?"
Younger Daughter (clinging to Adrik's leg):
"Dad, did you hit Mommy? Why is she bleeding? Mommy! Mommy, wake up!"
The silent penthouse was shattered by the children's heartbreaking screams. Adrik froze. The mafia don who had just unleashed havoc at the warehouse suddenly felt very small before the terrified eyes of his children.
At that moment, from a nearby cradle, the six-month-old baby also began to wail. Perhaps he couldn't smell his mother, or perhaps the heavy atmosphere of the room made him restless. His familiar soft cooing had turned into a painful cry.
On one side were the screams of his two elder children, and on the other was the soul-crushing wail of his infant. The diabolical smile vanished from Adrik's face.
Adrik (voice trembling):
"No... no, nothing happened to Mommy. She's just asleep. Go to your rooms... go, I said!"
But the children didn't move. The little girl tried to grab Soha's dangling hand. It was cold as ice. The son looked into Adrik's eyes and said—
Son:
"You're a bad Dad! You hurt Mommy. When I grow up, I'll hand you over to the police!"
Adrik was stunned. He realized that even if he erased Soha's memories with the injection, he was becoming a 'monster' in the eyes of his children forever. The infant continued to thrash and scream, sensing his mother was in no condition to nurse him.
Adrik laid Soha on the bed and turned toward the children, his murderous hands now shaking. As the chaos reached a fever pitch, a desperate Adrik roared. His thunderous voice echoed through the walls.
Adrik (in a violent, frantic voice):
"Maids! Where are you? Maids! Get in here, now!"
Terrified, two maids came rushing in. Seeing Adrik's bloodshot eyes and Soha's still body, they were paralyzed with fear.
Maid (trembling with bowed head):
"Y... Yes, master! What happened? Why is the mistress lying like that?"
Adrik (gritting his teeth):
"Shut up! Is your only job to sit and eat? Can't you see the baby is crying? Pick him up right now! And drag these two nuisances to the other room. Now!"
The maids hurriedly picked up the infant. The baby was still crying "Aaa... Mommy..." in a broken voice. The elder children refused to leave their mother's side, clutching the bed frame and screaming.
Adrik (in a terrifying mood):
"If you don't get these kids out of here within a minute, I'll bury both of you alive by dawn! Take them away!"
Under the threat, the maids forcibly dragged the children away. Even after the door was shut, the sounds of their crying and their small hands banging on the door could be heard—"Mommy! Mommy, open the door!"
The room became deathly silent. Adrik sat alone by Soha's side. Looking at her pale face, he picked up the blue vial again. He felt a strange conflict—had he gone too far? But his ego quickly resurfaced. He gripped Soha's cheek tightly.
Adrik:
"Did you hear that, Soha? Your children are calling you. But you are dead for now. When you wake up tomorrow, you will only know me. All those cries, that protest—it will all be history by tomorrow morning."
Adrik locked the door himself. Now, the penthouse was filled only with the echoes of children's cries and Adrik's heavy breathing. The infant's screams were so loud they seemed to shake the penthouse. The maid walked back and forth, rocking him, but nothing worked. The baby was desperate for his mother's scent and milk.
Adrik paced the room, agitated. The murderous high and the drug's haze were still there, but the baby's cries pierced his ears like arrows.
Adrik (shouting):
"What's wrong? Why won't he stop? Can't you handle a single child?"
Maid (sobbing in fear):
"Master, he's hungry for milk. He won't take anything but the mistress. We tried the bottle, but he threw it away. He wants his Mommy!"
Adrik paused. He looked at the motionless Soha. She was in a deep slumber, petrified by the drug. She had no way of knowing her child was starving nearby. Adrik walked over, snatched the baby from the maid, and held him in his powerful arms. The baby froze for a second looking at his father's bearded, angry face, then screamed even louder—as if he recognized that this was the man who did this to his mother.
Adrik (frantically shaking the baby):
"Quiet! Be quiet! Your Mommy isn't coming now. I'm here, aren't I? I'm your father!"
But the baby clutched Adrik's shirt and kept crying. Adrik remembered that morning when this same baby wanted to bite his shirt buttons. There was peace then; now, there was only misery. He realized that unless he woke Soha up, the baby wouldn't survive. He grabbed an alcohol pad and a glass of cold water. He splashed water on Soha's face and checked her pulse.
Adrik (muttering to himself):
"Wake up, Soha! You have to wake up right now, even if just for your child. I won't let you lose, and I won't let you die."
Soha's eyelids fluttered. The haze hadn't cleared, but her maternal instinct couldn't endure the infant's soul-crushing wail. Through blurred vision, she saw the ceiling and heard her baby's cry. She struggled to sit up, but her body felt like lead.
Soha (in a very weak voice):
"What... what happened? Why is my baby crying like that? Adrik... where is he?"
Adrik hurried to the bedside. His eyes held a strange mix of defiance and helplessness.
Adrik (in a harsh, frantic voice):
"You're awake, then? Look at what your son is doing! He's turned the house upside down. No one can calm him."
Soha clutched her head. she couldn't remember the warehouse or why her back was burning with pain. She only saw her baby thrashing in Adrik's grip, turning blue from crying.
Soha (reaching out frantically):
"Give him to me! He's hungry... give him to me! Why are you holding him like that? He's scared!"
Adrik hesitated for a moment, then practically tossed the baby into Soha's arms. Forgetting all her pain, Soha pulled the child to her chest. As soon as he felt his mother's touch and scent, the baby stopped crying. He let out a small hiccup and rested his head on her.
Soha looked at her torn red dress. She remembered the slap in the VIP room, the violence in the limo... then darkness.
Soha (glaring at Adrik):
"Did you hit him? Did you lay a hand on him? Why was my baby like this?"
Adrik (with a cruel smile):
"I don't need to hit the baby, Soha. Punishing you brings these as a bonus. Now feed him and be quiet. Remember, you're only awake for this child. Our accounts are still unsettled."
As Soha nursed the baby, the stifling room fell into a strange silence. The exhausted child eventually fell into a deep sleep. Just then, the sound of police sirens echoed from below the penthouse. The senior officer from the VIP room had arrived with his force, surrounding the building.