Soha's chest was tearing apart—not with jealousy, but with humiliation. On one side, Adrik guarded her like his personal property, and on the other, he stood right in front of her speaking intimately with another woman.
While gently stroking the baby's body, Soha lifted her steady gaze toward Adrik. A suppressed bitterness wrapped around her voice.
Soha:
"Who is she? The woman you were showing so much affection to?"
Adrik lazily exhaled cigarette smoke. A contemptuous smile curved his lips as he replied calmly.
Adrik:
"She's my model assistant. From business deals to personal matters, she handles everything. Why? Are you jealous?"
Soha let out a scornful laugh.
Soha:
"Jealous? For a man as cheap as you, Adrik, all I feel is disgust. What amazes me is how highly you think of yourself while being this low in reality. Your child and the woman you claim as your wife are lying inside your room, and you're outside flirting with your model assistant."
Adrik stepped closer and tilted Soha's chin upward with his strong fingers. The scent of expensive perfume mixed with cigarette smoke clung to him.
Adrik:
"You never earned the dignity of a wife, Soha. You call me a murderer, a beast. And a beast satisfies his thirst wherever he pleases. At least my assistant doesn't lie still like stone—she knows how to please me."
He leaned closer to her ear, his voice low and dangerous.
Adrik:
"I've summoned her to the island tomorrow morning. Some office work. I expect you to stay absolutely silent in front of her. And those marks on your body—make sure she doesn't see them. I don't want outsiders knowing how cruel I am in my private den."
Soha shuddered. Was he really going to bring another woman into the palace just to humiliate her further? The ten-month-old baby stirred in his sleep. Soha felt as if these dark days would never end.
The next morning.
As Adrik's private speedboat docked at the island pier, excitement spread through the palace. His model assistant, Maya, stepped off the boat—wearing a modern, revealing outfit and expensive sunglasses. With arrogant confidence, she entered the palace as if she were its queen.
Soha sat by the window, stroking her baby's hair. She wore a simple cotton sari today instead of Adrik's white shirt. Though exhaustion shadowed her fair face, her innate nobility remained untouched.
Adrik walked past Soha's room with Maya toward the drawing room—deliberately leaving the door open. Maya suddenly stopped mid-step, her eyes falling on Soha.
She lifted her sunglasses onto her forehead. The moment she saw Soha, jealousy ignited inside her. She had expected an ordinary captive woman—but Soha's almost unreal beauty stunned her. Those enchanting eyes, sculpted nose, and wild, unstyled hair made Maya's artificial elegance fade instantly.
Maya (thinking):
"So beautiful… Adrik never mentioned anyone like this. Her skin is milk-white, and those eyes—oh! Is he using me only for work while his real obsession is this woman?"
Forcing a fake smile, Maya walked to Soha's doorway. Adrik watched silently from behind—he wanted conflict.
Maya (sharply):
"So you're the famous Soha? Adrik talks about you a lot. But honestly, you're far less maintained than I imagined. To live in a palace, one should take better care of herself, don't you think?"
Soha looked up calmly, her eyes holding no fear—only quiet pity.
Soha:
"If Adrik talked about me, he must have mentioned that I'm not here by choice—I'm a prisoner. And maintenance? I don't feel the need for mirrors inside a cage."
Maya flushed with humiliation and snapped at Adrik,
"Adrik! Your assistant—or whatever she is—has quite the attitude. Aren't you going to discipline her?"
Adrik wrapped an arm around Maya's waist, but his eyes stayed on Soha, watching for pain.
Adrik:
"She's like that, Maya. A wild horse takes time to tame. Come, let me show you the garden."
Maya clung to him and shot Soha a victorious smile, though jealousy burned inside her. She vowed to humiliate Soha during her stay.
When Adrik walked to the far end of the garden to take a business call, Maya seized the opportunity. Poisonous envy twisted inside her.
She entered Soha's room. The sharp sound of her heels echoed. The baby slept in the cradle.
Standing close, Maya whispered venomously,
Maya:
"You think you're something special, don't you? Adrik keeps you because you're his obsession. But I'm his real choice. Look at me—and look at you. A filthy woman stuck here with a child."
Soha stared out the window and replied calmly without looking at her.
Soha:
"If you're so important to Adrik, why come here to prove yourself? Those who believe in their worth don't stoop this low."
The word "low" shattered Maya's restraint. She grabbed Soha's hair and yanked her away from the window.
Maya (screaming):
"How dare you! Outside this island, no one would recognize you! Adrik keeps trash like you out of pity!"
She raised her manicured nails toward Soha's face—but Soha struck her hand away. Then Maya noticed the baby.
To hurt Soha further, she violently shoved the cradle.
The baby jolted awake and began screaming.
Soha (roaring like a lioness):
"Touch me if you want—but don't you dare touch my child! If Adrik finds out, you won't leave this island alive!"
Maya laughed demonically.
"I'll handle Adrik. But first, I'll ruin that pretty face of yours."
She grabbed a glass vase.
At that moment, a shadow fell across the doorway—Adrik had returned.
Maya didn't realize who she was dealing with. She forgot that a woman who dared slap Adrik was no ordinary captive. Soha carried the blood of rulers—she was a dormant mafia queen.
As Maya raised the vase, Soha moved instantly—twisting Maya's wrist until the vase shattered onto the carpet.
Soha (whispering ice-cold):
"You thought I only know how to cry? Adrik keeps me locked up because he fears this side of me. And you? You're not even the dust beneath his feet."
She twisted harder. Maya screamed.
Soha slammed her against the wall, nails digging into her throat.
Soha:
"How dare you touch my child? Adrik's affection made you bold? If I wanted, your corpse would leave this room—and Adrik would do nothing. Because he knows if I die, he'll go mad. But if you die? He won't care."
Maya trembled in terror. Darkness stared back at her from Soha's eyes.
Soha threw her to the floor just as Adrik entered.
Maya lay gasping. Soha calmly fixed her hair.
Adrik (stunned):
"What's going on? Maya—why are you on the floor?"
Maya clung to Adrik, sobbing.
"She's insane! She tried to kill me! She's not normal—"
Soha smiled crookedly.
Soha:
"Your model assistant is weak, Adrik. Tell her not to interfere between adults. And yes—she tried to touch my child. Next time, I'll paint your drawing room with her blood."
Adrik stared—speechless. For the first time, he saw the queenly fire he had tried so hard to suppress.
He yanked Maya up and threw her out without a word.
Then he stepped close to Soha—his eyes no longer afraid, but dangerously captivated.
Adrik:
"You're full of surprises, Soha. I never knew I had a tigress locked inside my cage."Maya stood up from the floor, trying to fix her disheveled clothes and hair, and looked at Adrik. Her eyes burned with humiliation mixed with tears. She had never imagined that the woman Adrik kept captive would crush her so completely.
Maya screamed, "Maya: Adrik! Can't you hear what she's saying? She's threatening you! And you're letting her get away with it? She's a danger to your empire. Who does she think she is? She's nothing but a—"
Adrik shot her such a terrifying look that her words died in her throat. He walked slowly toward her and stopped right in front of her.
Adrik said in a calm but iron-hard voice, "Maya, you seem to be forgetting why you're here. You are my assistant, not my partner. And as for Soha—what she is to me is beyond your understanding. If she had killed you just now, I might not even have judged her."
Maya froze. Hearing those words from Adrik felt like the ground slipping away beneath her feet.
She laughed bitterly. "Oh, so that's it? This isn't love, Adrik. This is madness. You're raising a snake in your house. The day she gets the chance, she'll wrap her hands around your throat. And you're fascinated by this so-called fire of hers? Remember, I run your business. If I walk away today, many of your deals will collapse."
Adrik smiled crookedly. He glanced once at Soha, then looked back at Maya. "Deals can be replaced, Maya. But this fire? What Soha showed today—I'd pay millions just to witness it again. Now get out. Immediately."
Burning with humiliation, Maya left the room, but before crossing the door she shot Soha one last venomous look, silently vowing that if she couldn't have Adrik, she would never let Soha live in peace.
After Maya left, an unnatural silence filled the room. Soha stood still. Adrik stepped closer and gently touched the small scratch on her cheek.
He whispered, "Today I saw the real face of the mafia queen. You weren't begging for mercy, Soha. You were preparing for war. Why didn't you kill Maya?"
Soha brushed his hand away and went to the cradle.
"Because I didn't want to stain my hands or my home with filthy blood. But remember this, Adrik. I only frightened Maya. You, however, I will finish. You enjoy keeping a tigress in a cage. But when the cage breaks, you will be the first prey."
Adrik laughed, a strange and satisfied laugh, as if this was exactly the side of her he had wanted to awaken.
When Maya was leaving the palace toward the dock, her chest burned with humiliation. Being thrown aside by Adrik for that woman was unbearable. She knew killing Soha would make Adrik unforgiving, but harming the child would destroy Soha forever—and Adrik too.
She took out a small poisonous spray from her purse, something she carried for self-defense, and quietly slipped back into the palace through the rear door. Adrik was downstairs with a bottle of liquor, lost in thoughts about Soha's ferocity. Soha had gone to the kitchen to warm milk for the baby.
The baby lay alone in the cradle.
Maya entered the room silently, like a cat.
Whispering to the baby, she said, "Your mother thinks she's a great queen, doesn't she? Let's see how she screams when she sees your lifeless body."
As she raised the spray toward the baby's face, she suddenly felt cold metal press against her neck.
Soha's voice was calm and deadly. "Don't move an inch, Maya. If you do, this knife will go straight through your throat."
Soha stood there holding a sharp knife. She knew women like Maya never stopped easily.
"You're a woman too, Maya. Didn't your hands tremble before trying to hurt a ten-month-old innocent child? Adrik only threw you out. I will send you somewhere with no return."
She pressed the blade slightly. A thin line of blood slid down Maya's neck.
At that moment, Adrik entered the room and froze.
"Soha! What are you doing?"
Without looking at him, Soha said, "Your pet was trying to poison my child, Adrik. Now tell me—will you judge her, or should I decide in my mafia way?"
Adrik's eyes flared with rage. He saw the spray in Maya's hand, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her to the floor.
"How dare you touch my blood!" he roared. "I fired you from your job, but now I'll feed you to the sharks of this island."
He called his bodyguards. Maya screamed and begged, but Adrik heard only the echo of Soha's fury.
As the guards dragged Maya away, her screams shook the palace. Adrik was about to order them to finish her in the sea when Soha's voice stopped him.
"Stop, Adrik."
He turned, expecting mercy. Instead, he saw something colder than mercy in her eyes.
"Don't let her die so easily. She tried to steal my child's breath. In Islam and in my bloodline, there is one law—blood for blood."
Adrik smiled in disbelief. "What do you want to do?"
Soha pointed the knife toward Maya. "Lock her in the dark cell where you once planned to keep me. Let her days pass listening to my baby's cries through speakers, day and night. And every day, let one drop of her blood fall—just like the blood my parents shed because of people like you."
Maya tried to grab Soha's feet, sobbing, but Soha stepped back.
"The hands that reached for my child should never work again. That is my verdict."
Adrik, mesmerized by her ruthless justice, roared at the guards to obey. Maya was dragged away, screaming.
Silence returned.
Soha sat by the cradle and held her baby gently. Adrik came from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You could have ruled greater than me, Soha. This side of you only makes me more your slave."
She shoved his hand away. "You're wrong, Adrik. I don't want to rule. I'm just collecting what I'm owed. Today it was Maya. Tomorrow it might be you. Be ready."
Soha lay down with her child. Adrik stood frozen, realizing that the lioness he had caged was now fully prepared to break free.