The air in the private salon of the Bosphorus hotel felt less like atmosphere and more like highly compressed nitrogen. It was heavy, volatile, and ready to explode.
Only one man had the power—and the sheer audacity—to arrange this meeting: Cavit Kara. A self-made mogul whose influence spanned continents, he had built his empire on the ruins of old ways, earning the begrudging respect of even the most ancient bloodlines. Now, he stood between the two men who had been trying to destroy each other for three decades.
On one side sat Idris Kartal, the family patriarch, whose face was a roadmap of shrewd calculation and old resentments. His daughters, Nazli and Elif, were far from his thoughts, yet their futures were about to be decided.
Across from him, radiating defiance, was Ömer Demir, the head of the opposing house. His fierce pride was etched into every hard line of his jaw. Though his feared son, Aslan, wasn't present, his terrifying shadow filled the room with the promise of brutal control. Ömer was here only because Cavit Kara had guaranteed this was about survival, not surrender.
Cavit leaned forward, his hands resting easily on the polished mahogany table. He didn't raise his voice, yet the silence he commanded was absolute.
"We are not here to discuss the past, Ömer Bey. We are not here to litigate your father's errors or your brother's debts, Idris Bey. You both know why I pulled you from your strongholds," Cavit stated, his tone firm. "You have bled each other white, financially and literally, while men with newer money and hungrier ambition circle you both. The common enemies you hate less than each other? They are growing stronger with every month you spend pointing guns at one another."
He waited for the cold silence to settle, letting his words sink in.
"The Kartal family's supply lines are constantly being undermined by Ömer's network. The Demir family's assets are stretched thin fighting Idris's lawsuits," Cavit continued, listing their weaknesses like a doctor delivering a grim diagnosis. "Individually, you will fall within the next year. Together…" He paused, letting a faint, calculating smile touch his lips. "Together, you become the largest, most impregnable force in this country."
Ömer Demir shifted, his eyes narrowed to slits. "What are you proposing, Cavit? A partnership? I'd rather burn my holdings to the ground than shake hands with a Kartal."
Cavit's smile vanished. "A handshake is temporary. An alliance built on a contract is fragile. I propose something permanent, something untouchable. I propose a union of blood."
The reaction was immediate. Ömer Demir looked ready to vault the table. Idris Kartal barked a short, cynical laugh.
"A marriage," Cavit stated, cutting through their outrage. "A strategic merger. A Kartal daughter will be given to Aslan Demir, making your houses one and securing a future for both your legacies."
Cavit's gaze flickered momentarily to Idris. He knew Idris's younger daughter, Elif, well—the defiant girl who trusted him more than her own father. Cavit had to protect her.
"The most sensible choice, the eldest, is Nazli Kartal," Cavit announced, putting forward the name of Idris's elder, more compliant daughter, hoping against hope the two family heads would accept the path of least resistance. "Let the older generation end the feud so the next may focus on rebuilding the empire."