- Plagiarism? An identical necklace? - Defne asked perplexedly. - But how? Тhis is my sketch!

- Which was stolen from you and passed off as theirs! - Omer moved from the first shock and boiled with anger.

- Who stole it? Defne whispered helplessly.

- We'll find who! - Omer declared resolutely and, taking her hand above the elbow, led her to the exit from the office. - Now we need to make screenshots of the Sapphire database and send them to the exhibition gallery. The registration date of the sketch will be proof. Turkish gold has provided printouts of its database. Their sketch was registered on March 10.

- We have all the sketches entered into the database, - hurrying after her husband, Defne said excitedly. "Mirai registers them the same day I finish working on them. And I completed the Starry Night on the sixteenth of February.

"Don't worry! We will now make a screen and send it to the gallery," Omer reassured her. - And then we'll deal with the thieves. - In the corridor, he called Nazlican and ordered: - Tell Koray and Zubeyir let them immediately go to Sapphire. To Mirai's office.

Frightened by the steely tone of the boss, the girl hurried to carry out his order.

She, Kartal, Iplikci, Koray, and Mert gathered in Mirai's office. The boy was at his mother's when the alarmed Omer and Defne entered. He wanted to leave, but Omer motioned for him to stay. Sitting Defne into a chair, he looked at the staff and briefly outlined the situation.

"Evidence must be provided by five o'clock in the evening," he concluded.

Kartal's face darkened, Koray loudly called on the heads of the vile thieves to be punished from heaven, and Mirai immediately opened the database. She found the necessary sketch and, looking at the monitor, turned pale as a sheet.

"There is no date here," she whispered in a trembling voice and looked at Defne in confusion. "But this cannot be. I remember well how Laila brought the sketch and gave it to Mrs. Laura, and she gave it to me and asked me to register it. I registered by all the rules. The date was!

She burst into tears. Kartal took her hand and ordered:

- Do not cry! Remember, maybe you accidentally deleted it afterward?

Mirai shook her head and replied:

- No. I have no right to do this. Only...

- I.

The voice was low but had the effect of a bomb exploding. All heads, as if on command, turned to Zubeyir, who entered the office. He stood with his head down, drooping and unhappy. Omer approached him and barked:

- Look at me! - The programmer raised his face distorted with shame. - Why did you do that?

"Laila asked me," he whispered resignedly.

- Laila? - asked Omer and pressed his hand to his forehead with force. All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and the whole picture was stunning by its abomination.

- Oh, you ferret stinking of eggs!!! - cried Koray. - Covered the scum, and even participated in her heinous crimes? It's not enough to tear you apart! Omyush!!! Koray jabbed Omer in the chest. - And I said that this ugly Laila tried to cripple the skinny girl! You didn't believe it! You believed this Judas! - His finger poked Zubeyir's forehead and he shrank.

- Wait, Koray! - Omer was no less angry, but he was thinking soberly. - We'll find out that too. But now the main thing is the sketch. Ahtem and Laura are waiting for screenshots of the database with the date. Zubeyir! - He barked at the programmer. - Can you return the date?

The man shook his head and replied:

- No. The last server update allows editing throughout the day. If you try to enter a number now, today's date will appear.

Omer looked inquiringly at Mert and he nodded in the affirmative:

- It is so.

- It turns out, - Defne whispered with white lips, - we will not be able to prove our case? Will Sapphire's reputation be destroyed? Is everything we've built going to be destroyed?

Omer squatted down in front of her and took her hands cold as ice in his hands. Looking into unhappy eyes, he said:

- Don't you dare to despair! We'll find a way out.

He stood up and looked at the others. On Koray, Kartal, Mirai, Mert. And only Zubeyir did not deign to look. Like he's an empty space. However, it was so.

- What ideas are there? - He asked the staff.

"Mrs. Defne sent the sketch to you by mail," Mirai said quietly. - It is necessary to look at the incoming letters in your e-mail and outgoing from Mrs. Defne. Her e-mail is linked to all gadgets.

Defne grabbed the phone, but Zubeyir's trembling voice stopped her:

- It's not there. I have deleted the letter from the mail of Mr. Omer and Defne.

She stared in disbelief at the guy she considered a friend and bitterly thought - is there a limit to human meanness? Is it so easy to destroy the work and dreams of dozens of people? And for what?

- Did Laila ask you about that too? - Omer asked through clenched teeth.

- Yes, - answered Zubeyir. - I thought I loved her...

- This is not an excuse for meanness, - said Kartal, and Koray again unleashed curses on the head of the programmer ferret and the witch Laila.

- If I understand correctly, Defne sent the sketch to Mr. Omer from the home laptop? - said Mert, who was silent throughout the conversation.

"Yes," Defne replied.

- So, in the laptop, there should be a saved scan copy of the sketch, - suggested the boy.

- There is! - confirmed Defne. - I looked through the files yesterday and saw it.

"Here's the proof," said Mert judiciously. - Each file has a save date.

- Your smart head! - Defne jumped up from the chair and rolled like a ball to Mert. Pulling his head to her, she kissed the swirling crown of his head and thanked him with feeling:

- Thank you!

"For nothing," he smiled embarrassedly. - You would have guessed when you calmed down. But on the screen of the file folder, where the save date is visible, the sketch itself is not visible, and if you open the sketch, the date is not visible. To provide evidence, you need to take the laptop to Ankara.

Defne looked at Omer in dismay. Who will take it to Ankara? Kartal and Mirai are needed in Sapphire. Iz and Tranba are preoccupied with their huge problems. Koray, seeing Laila in the gallery, can make such a scandal with hair-pulling that everyone will be disgraced. Both Sapphire and Passionis.

These were the exact thoughts that roamed Omer's mind. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave Defne alone, but there was no choice.

"Darling," he turned to her. - It's only for a day. I'll be back tomorrow morning. "She nodded in agreement with his decision. He pressed his hand to her cheek for a moment and turned to the others.

"Mrs. Mirai," he began giving orders in a clear, confident voice: "Book me a ticket for the noon flight to Ankara. Koray, call Neriman and order your car to be brought in immediately. Sukru has a day off today. She will take Defne and me home, and then me to the airport. You stay in Passionis for a boss. And yet, - Omer looked at him seriously and asked in a trembling voice: - Look after Defne tonight. You must. Her family is not in the city.

- I won't take my eyes off her, - he promised.

Omer approached Zubeyir. He looked at him with a long, contemptuous look, and then ordered:

- Go home. On Monday, at nine in the morning, you will come to my office and tell Sinan and me in detail all this vile story. Then we will decide what to do with you.

He silently nodded and walked out the door. Koray lowered his hand with the phone clutched in it and reported:

- The car is at the entrance.

- Ticket booked. Flight at 12-45, - reported Mirai and looked at her watch. - It's ten now. Less than three hours left.

- Thank you, - Omer thanked them and turned to his wife: - Shall we go?

She nodded affirmatively. But before leaving, Omer approached Mert and shook his hand.

- Thank you, brother! Think about how you will organize the work of the software department in Passionis and Sapphire. From today on, the position is yours. But the university goes without saying. Think about how to work without compromising your studies.

Mirai quietly gasped, but Omer just nodded to her encouragingly and, taking Defne by the hand, walked out of the office with her.

***

Deniz opened the door of his Porsche and took Iz in his arms. She was as light as a feather. And very sad. An hour ago, at the hospital, she was examined for amniotic fluid. When a long needle pierced her belly, Deniz, who was standing next to her and holding her hand, almost fainted. But she didn't even flinch.

The housekeeper opened the door and waited on the porch. He carried his wife into the house and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Putting her on the bed, he instructed the housekeeper to make tea and toast with cheese and then took out her silk pajamas from the closet.

- Come on, you will change to be comfortable.

She nodded in agreement and resignedly allowed him to help her change.

"It's only seventy-two hours," Deniz said encouraging her. "In three days you will be able to get out of bed and live a normal life.

"I'm ready to lie all nine months if only he will be healthy," she whispered.

"He's healthy," Deniz said firmly. - In ten days we will be confirmed.

"These will be the longest ten days in my life," Iz whispered with sadness.

"And in mine," Deniz mentally agreed with her.

***

Neriman, burning with curiosity, tried to find out from her nephew and Defne what a commotion had happened in the company, but Omer looked at her with such a look that the woman wisely shut up and concentrated on the road. But she kept her ear open.

Omer called Sinan on the way. Without letting go of Defne's hand and mechanically stroking her wrist, he briefly and clearly outlined the situation.

The partner was shocked.

- Zubeyir? He asked, dumbfounded. - The good-natured Zyubeir, God's dandelion, covered the criminal, changed the information, deleted the letters, lied, and got out? Omer, where is the world heading?

- Where it rolled, there it rolls, - Omer brought him to his senses rudely. - Scoundrels and traitors were and will be. It is a pity that we did not see these qualities in Zubeyir earlier. But it's not fatal. We will have it as a lesson. Listen to me, I arrive in Ankara at about two o'clock. I'll be at the hotel by four o'clock. You are still silent about the laptop and evidence. Let Chatay and this Laila snake consider themselves victors and not twitch. Let's strike them unexpectedly. Contact the local police, file a report, and have them ready after five in the evening to make an arrest. We will not be ceremonial with Turkish gold. Theft, forgery, plagiarism, and deliberate actions to destroy the company's reputation are evident. Let them be held accountable for all their illegal affairs.

Finishing the conversation, Omer put the phone in his pocket and turned Defne's face to him. Looking into her eyes, he promised:

- We will destroy them! Do you believe me?

Without a moment's hesitation she replied:

- I believe you.

Omer got out of the car near the house and helped Defne out. When the front door closed behind them, Neriman grabbed the phone and called Koray. He spoke in detail about the incident. The woman groaned, gasped, and was indignant at how such scoundrels walk the earth.

"Only Nero, the information is con-fi-den-ti-al," Koray warned her syllabically. - If you talk about it, Omyush will tear us apart!

- Well, what are you saying, my life! - sang Neriman. - Don't you know me? I am silent like a grave!

- I know, my soul! I know! - Кoray assured her in a sweet voice and immediately poured on her a sobering shower: - You stay at work today. Take me to the skinny one tonight. I'll stay with her. The girl was left completely alone, - the tone became plaintively tearful. - The girl has no one except Korish. She and I will eat baklava, gossip, and laugh! Wow, how well I came up with it! - His voice became ecstatic again.

Listening to him, Neriman felt hurt. Interrupting the flow of words, she sarcastically asked her dearest friend and obnoxious boss:

- Didn't it occur to you to invite me to your company?

- Are you out of your mind! - Cried Koray. - You will upset the skinny girl, she will complain to her husband. Do you want Omyush to kick us both out of work later?

- But where did you get the idea that I'm going to upset her? - Neriman was indignant.

- Ay, I know you! You will upset her, sure enough! So, don't ask for it. Give me a lift to Omyush's house and drive home. I'll stay with the skinny one at night. I'll sleep on the sofa in the living room. You can't leave the girl alone. Ay, you chatted me up! I still have a lot to do! I'm in charge of Passionis today! Phew! I foremost! See you, my soul! Nazlycan!!!

The call ended, and Neriman threw the phone on the seat. Well, how can this be? Even Korish doesn't want to take her into his social circle. And she, Neriman, is so good, kind. An angel, not a woman. The angel narrowed her eyes, which appeared devilish sparks. But Black Mamba, daddy Hulusi does not know what troubles his beloved grandson and his wife got into. She needs to visit him tonight and tell him all the news.

Omer and Defne checked the sketch on the laptop. Turning it off, Omer neatly packed it into a bag-case, put the necessary documents there, put his passport and payment card in the inner pocket of his jacket, took a deep breath, and turned to his wife. She stood before him so defenseless and touchingly pregnant. Infinitely loved and dear. Anxiety for her tore at his heart. How he did not want to go and leave her alone, even for one day. It seemed to him that without him, without his protection and care, something bad was bound to happen to her. Scolding himself for such thoughts, Omer hugged his wife and kissed her.

"Don't worry," he asked. - Everything will be fine. I'll be back in the morning and we'll drive to the sea. Tomorrow is your birthday. I have not forgotten. I promise to make it the happiest and most beautiful.

She smiled through her tears and promised:

- I won't. I'll be patient, and I'll wait for you and the promised surprises.

- My clever girl, - Omer kissed her on the forehead and, kneeling, spoke with to the round, protruding tummy forward: - Daddy's bead, be a good girl and take care of mom.

Emine responded with an energetic thump as usual, and Omer felt relief in his heart. Everything will be fine. He will solve all the problems, return, and they will go to the sea to celebrate Defne's birthday. Only the two of them!

"Three of us!" he corrected himself.

Defne escorted him to the car, waved her hand, and the white jeep drove Omer Iplikci to the airport.

On the ring road, where traffic was quieter, Neriman looked at her nephew in the rearview mirror. He looked cold, collected, and focused. Typical Omer Iplikci in those periods of life when Defne is not with him. With a sigh, Neriman nevertheless admitted that this girl influences Omer well. He is happy next to her.

"Defne already has such a big belly," she spoke carefully to her nephew. - And it sank low. She will give birth soon.

"Two weeks before the birth," Omer replied abruptly, and the fingers of his right hand nervously drummed a drumbeat on his knee. - That's what the doctor says.

"I'm certainly not a doctor," Neriman said. - But I think childbirth is much closer.

Omer silently turned to the window. The fingers stopped beating out and squeezed the knee with force.

Near the airport, leaving the car, Omer abruptly said to his aunt:

- I'll arrive tomorrow at seven o'clock. First flight. Kindly meet me. Sukru is gone and won't be back until Monday.

- Of course, my olive! - She was delighted, but Omer frowned at such familiarity and swiftly headed for the sliding doors.

Looking after him, Neriman clucked her tongue condemningly and delivered a verdict:

- Iceberg! Ice waterfall! Only near Defne melts.

***

Hussein Chatay mentally celebrated the victory. Five hours of the allotted time passed, and Sapphire still did not provide proof for the gallery founders. So Iplikci doesn't have them. It takes fifteen minutes to capture a screen and send it by e-mail. And if they didn't, then their affairs are bad. Laila managed to twist the programmer, and he did everything in such a way that there is no evidence.

Ahtem Minibaev entered the exhibition hall. His beautiful wife was walking beside him. Chatay appraisingly examined the young woman and cynically thought that the jeweler must have an impressive male bone since the beautiful, high-born countess had married him, a plebeian emigrant. Burning envy caused a surge of anger. Chatay knew that he was a weak lover and suffered from this mentally all his adult life. And he mortally hated men, about whom women were crazy. Maiming their lives and destroying their business was a perverse, incomparable pleasure for him. And now it will be double. At once, two male specimens will fall into his net and lose their firms. Chatay knew that the wave that he skillfully raised in the media would not spare Passionis.

Grinning with a self-satisfied, triumphant grin, he went to Ahtem and his countess-wife. Stopping a couple of steps, sarcastically asked:

- And what about the evidence? Does it take that long to make a regular database screen?

Laura, worried that her husband would break loose and attack the bastard, warningly took his hand. But Ahtem reassuringly shook her fingers and answered Chatay with icy calm:

- Until five in the evening there are three more hours.

- Do you think that in three hours what you need will materialize out of thin air? - The owner of the Turkish gold derisively asked. "Then you're even more of an idiot than I thought."

He provoked Ahtem. He provoked rudely and harshly. He wanted him to break loose and attack him with fists. This would be another perfect picture for a scandal. But Ahtem remained unperturbed. He just looked with contempt.

"Mr. Chatay," Laura spoke up, and the subtle irony of her voice made Hussein clench his teeth. - Instead of provoking competitors into a fight, you would better follow the design of your company stands. The background your staff chose for the stolen necklace makes it a pale, expressionless replica of Sapphire's Starry Night. And believe me, everyone who has eyes sees it. "Taking her husband by the arm, she raised her eyes to him and, smiling a serene smile, offered: "Dear, let's have a coffee?"

Ahtem, who was looking at her with mute admiration, covered her hand with his and answered:

- With pleasure. It smells bad in here. If we stay indoors, we risk getting poisoned by the fumes of the poison.

Having measured Chatay with a mocking glance, Ahtem took his wife out into the street without haste. There, taking her hands and turning her towards him, he exhaled with admiration:

- You're incredible! Where do so much intelligence, endurance, and dignity come from, Mrs. Laura?

- I take an example from you - she softly answered and from the love shining in her eyes, Ahtem's heartbeat sweetly. He kissed his wife on the forehead and took her to a cafe opposite the exhibition center. They had two hours before the start of the fight and both wanted to devote it to each other.