Defne touched the blue tourmalines and looked at her husband with huge, amber eyes.

- Omer, - she asked with doubt - and I won't look too ... pretentious?

"You will look great," he said confidently. - The queen of her kingdom.

Taking out the diadem from the case, he put it on her red hair and turned Defne to the mirror.

- Look at yourself. You're beautiful. Beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. Talented and generous. Passed through the trials and did not break. You, like no other, are worthy of the crown.

Defne looked in the mirror but saw only Omer there. Looking into the eyes of his reflection, she asked:

- Why did you choose blue tourmalines?

- Because they have impeccable purity. Like water ... like you.

He hugged her and folded his arms over her belly. Defne covered them with hers and confessed:

- I'm afraid...

- What? - Omer touched his lips to her bare shoulder.

Defne looked away and lowered her eyes. Long eyelashes in dark red semicircles lay on her cheeks. She sighed and replied:

- I'm afraid that I will do or say something wrong and put you in an awkward position. After all, no one taught me how to be a lady. How to behave in high society.

Omer turned her around and, taking her by the chin, raised her sweet face. Bowing his head, he looked into her eyes and ordered:

- Forget this nonsense! And don't try to play the role of the grand lady again. You are special, not like anyone else, but at the same time refined and well-mannered. Be yourself, and don't be afraid of anything. Remember that I am proud of you and love you very much. "Taking the cloak lying on the bed, he threw it over her shoulders and gently pushed her towards the door. - And now - go ahead! Step to triumph and take over all these snobs with your sincerity!

The Mercedes stopped at an art gallery. Its large hall today received guests of a new jewelry company, the name of which has been heard throughout Istanbul for the second week. Omer got out of the car and held out his hand to Defne. As soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk, the flashes of dozens of cameras blinded her eyes, and microphones appeared in her face.

- Mr. Omer, Mrs. Defne, are you opening a new company?

- Is it true that the design of the jewelry belongs entirely to you, Mrs. Defne?

- Mr. Omer, is it true that you guided your wife to another area of design to remove her from the competition in the shoe sector?

Questions poured in from all sides, but Omer silenced the journalists with one glance and said:

- Gentlemen, you will be escorted to the lobby, where a small press conference will be held in an hour. There, Defne and I and our partners will answer your questions. Now, please let us through.

The microphones lowered, and the crowd parted, allowing the dazzlingly beautiful couple to pass.

Omer took Defne's arm and led her inside the building. Before they had time to take a dozen steps, another crowd surrounded them. Grandfather Hulusi, grandmother Turkan, Serdar with Nihan, Esra, and Iso surrounded Iplikci and, expressing their joy, began to warmly congratulate their clever Defne and her husband.

- If anyone had told me five years ago that our hooligan would become a lady and put on a crown - I would not believe in life! - said Serdar enthusiastically and gently touched the diadem with his forefinger.

- Oo-oo-oo, - his grandmother looked at him. - He would not have believed it! My daughter was born a princess!

- Good princess! - Serdar was indignant. - She fought with the boys on an equal footing.

- Shhhhhh! Nihan hissed at him. - You found where to talk about it.

Hearing their skirmish, Defne only smiled. And she agreed with the idea that life is unpredictable. Yesterday's daredevil today can wear a crown and feel as if she was born in it.

"Sister, you are very beautiful," said Esra.

- You too, - Defne kissed her smart forehead and whispered in her ear. - This dress suits you very much. I was not mistaken that I bought it in Milan. Who did you leave baby Iso with? - She asked her brother and sister-in-law.

"With my mother," Nihan replied. - I feel that he will give her a hard time. Therefore, we will not stay long. We'll stay for an hour and disappear.

- Then do not waste time, - Defne winked. - Go to the hall and take a good look at everything.

Topal family went inside. Iso, whispering to Defne that he would come up later to congratulate her, went after them. Omer took the cloak from his wife and carried it to the dressing room. Defne stayed with grandfather Hulusi. She kissed his hand and smiled warmly and sincerely.

- I'm glad to see you.

"And I'm glad, daughter," he replied. - Today is your day. I would never miss it.

"You have done so much for me."

"You did much more," the grandfather looked at his grandson, who was walking towards them with an easy gait of a confident man. - You gave Omer happiness. I can never fully thank you for this.

"Omer gave me much more happiness," Defne smiled and touched her belly weightlessly. - He gave me a life that I could not even dream of.

The confidently walking man, as if hearing what was being said about him, smiled broadly at his wife and grandfather. Coming closer, he put his hand on Defne's waist and said:

- Darling, it's time for us to go to the hall. Grandpa, - he turned to the old man, - you come too. I asked to put chairs for you and Mrs. Turkan. Come in and sit down. Don't let your legs get tired.

- Thank you, son, - replied the grandfather and his eyes moistened.

Omer, holding Defne by the waist, led her through the arched doorway into the hall and the first thing he saw were huge, amber eyes that looked at him from the photograph on the wall. Fire opals gathered in an intricate necklace emphasized their pure depth. They shone on the snow-white skin, set it off, and echoed in color with the copper-red strands of hair. Holding his breath, Omer approached the photo and stopped, unable to take his eyes off it.

-Do you like it? - Defne asked quietly behind him.

"Very..." he breathed. - You're beautiful.

"I'm asking about the necklace," she clarified and nodded at the podium stand. On it, under glass, on a pillow of black velvet, there were fire opals of unthinkable beauty.

- A-ah! - Omer was not at all embarrassed. - The necklace. - He looked at the jewelry, then again at the photo and said: - I'll have to buy it.

- What for? - Defne was surprised.

- Because I can't imagine that someone else will wear it, not you.

Once again, her poor heart changed its rhythm. It froze and then started beating often. She wondered if she can ever, calmly relate to the manifestation of his love.

"No," an inner voice answered. - But others do not need to know about it. So, stop spreading like a puddle, but rather pull yourself together and stand calm. "

- Oh! - Defne, shaking off the obsession, comically arched an eyebrow and looked away. - It seems that Koray's idea was unsuccessful. Darling, there are at least ten of my photos here. And on them, I am wearing jewelry. If you decide to buy everything, we, Passionis, and Sapphire will go broke.

"I promise I'll only buy this," Omer winked at her. - But I want to see everything.

Burak and Farah Sarafoglu sat side by side in the back seat of a limousine that was plodding along the evening streets of Istanbul. The man held the palm of his wife in his hand. His chest was bursting with delight. He had been waiting for this day for four months and now it seemed to him that he would go crazy with joy. And only one thought did not give rest. Farah does not know that the necklace is a copy, and the real one is irretrievably lost. Burak understood perfectly well that it was impossible to keep silent about it. The sooner he tells, the more problems they can avoid in the future. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her thin fingers and spoke:

- Darling, look at me, - Farah pulled back a little and raised her face to him.

- I need to tell you something, - he breathed in the air with all his chest and told everything without concealment. He concluded the story with the words:

- This necklace is a brilliantly made copy. But it is not the relic that has been passed down in your family from generation to generation.

"But," Farah said in confusion, "what about the fastener? After all, she is the same! It was a defect on the lost necklace. A jeweler's mistake. How could another master do the same?

- I have no idea, - answered Burak. "I didn't know anything about her. But perhaps those who recreated the necklace will shed light on this mystery.

The Sarafoglu spouses were lucky. The first person they met at the reception was Ahtem. After shaking his hand and introducing him to his wife, Burak once again thanked him for the job well done and asked about the fastener.

"Don't get it wrong," he hastened to assure. - Your mistake in making it became the happy impetus that returned my wife's memory. And I am infinitely grateful to you for it.

"But it was not a mistake," Ahtem smiled in response. - I did exactly what Defne depicted in the sketches. Ask her about the rest. Sorry, I have to leave you. My bride is waiting for me.

He bowed and disappeared into the crowd. The couple exchanged intrigued glances and silently went in search of the designer, whom Farah mentally called a sorceress.

Omer and Defne stood at the window and watched what was happening. The hall was filled with guests. They wandered between the jewel racks. They looked at them, and at the same time the photographs on the walls, and talked quietly. They approached Defne and expressed their admiration for her talent and impeccable taste. She smiled back and thanked her for the honor.

At one point, her eyes recognized a face from the crowd. Burak Sarafoglu walked straight to her. A beautiful, black-haired woman with green, almond-shaped eyes held his arm. Around her neck was a red-gold necklace. She also smiled calmly and confidently, like a woman who knows who she is and what she deserves.

- Mrs. Defne, Mr. Omer, good evening! - greeted Sarafoglu. Always calm, his face was radiant with happiness today. "Let me introduce you to my wife Farah. Darling, meet Mrs. Defne Iplikci and her husband Omer Iplikci. Defne is this talented designer who has managed to return what we have lost.

- I am very glad to meet you, - Farah bowed her head and touched the necklace on her chest. "Mistress Defne, I am fascinated by your talent. I confess that I have always been indifferent to jewelry. I appreciated in them not carats and ounces, but what they were a symbol of - love, care, family values. But what I see here today in this art gallery ... is more than jewelry. A soul is visible in each of the decorations. Your soul. And it is beautiful.

- Thank you, - Defne smiled sweetly at the woman and turned to her husband: - It still happened? A miracle happened and the amnesia receded?

"Yes," Burak replied and looked at his wife with loving eyes. - Due to a defect in the clasp on the necklace. While fastening, I pricked Farah's neck, and she remembered how the same thing happened every time her father put the necklace around her mother's neck.

- I ..., - Defne looked at Omer. He smiled and nodded almost imperceptibly. - We are very happy for you. Let all your troubles be left behind.

- Thank you, - Burak said. - But tell me, how did it happen that you drew the clasp with a defect? After all, even I did not know about him.

- I saw in the photo that the tongue of the clasp is turned in the wrong direction. Having enlarged, I carefully examined and realized that it was. But I doubted if I was doing the right thing. I consulted with Omer and Ahtem. They approved my decision. This is how a clasp with an old defect appeared on the new necklace.

"May Allah reward you a hundredfold for your wisdom and kind heart," Farah touched her hand.

"If you ever need help," Burak said after his wife, "just call. I am indebted to you.

- Ay! No debt! - Defne jokingly exclaimed. - I don't like this word. Let's just be glad that all the bad things are behind us and Mrs. Farah has regained her life.

- You, as always, are absolutely right, - Omer supported her and nodded to the middle of the hall. There, around a stand covered with a white cloth and tied with a red ribbon, were already everyone who created Sapphire - Sinan, Seda, Deniz Tranba, Ahtem, and Laura. - They are waiting for us. Mister Burak, Mrs. Farah, we are not saying goodbye. A beautiful evening is ahead and we will find time to talk.

Leaving the Sarafoglu couple, Iplikci approached their friends. Omer took the microphone in his hands and spoke:

- Gentlemen, we are glad to welcome you to the birthday of our brainchild - the Sapphire jewelry company. Its appearance became possible thanks to the talent and skill of two wonderful people - Ahtem Minibayev and Defne Iplikci. They have a unique gift - the ability to breathe life into stones and metal, creating not just jewelry, but a magic that can change human lives for the better. Under this fabric, - Omer pointed to the stand, - the symbol of the newborn company is hidden. Defne, - he turned to his wife, - you are the soul of Sapphire, and you should open it.

Mirai approached Defne. She was holding a silver platter in her hands. There were scissors on it. Defne took them in her hands and, restraining her excitement, cut the red ribbon. Deniz Tranba pulled off the white cloth in one movement, and on the stand, in the bright light of the chandeliers, the bird Simurgh flashed into rubies on the spread golden wings. Defne took the microphone from Omer and spoke:

- We chose the Simurgh bird as a symbol of our company. Phoenix bird. It was reborn from the ashes even more beautiful and strong, and we want the jewelry we have created to resurrect the purest and kindest feelings in the souls of people. And the Simurgh bird was also the talisman of a woman who is no longer with us. Fikret Galo, a talented designer, and generous person. She died, but she remained to live in our memory and in every jewel we created.

Defne fell silent. Silence reigned in the hall for several seconds, which erupted into applause.

- Smooth road and happy journey to Sapphire! - Exclaimed Sinan, and the guests supported him with cheers.

Waiters appeared in the hall with trays filled with drinks and snacks, and the reception smoothly passed into an informal stage. Koray, throwing back his head proudly, with a dancing gait defiled between the guests and told everyone who wanted to listen about his genius and that it was he who discovered the potential of the model in Defne.

Ahtem looked at the photographs of Laura with the jewelry he created. His face remained calm, but his eyes burned with fire. When creating jewelry, he saw them in his mind's eye that way. This crazy Passionis photographer is truly a genius. His camera was able to capture the essence - jewelry emphasizes the inner beauty of a woman. Enhances mystery and magnetic attraction. Unleash the charm.

Laura approached him silently. She took his arm and asked:

- Do you admire your creation?

"I admire you," he replied.

Defne said goodbye to her family in the lobby. Nihan guessed right - baby Iso made grandmother Endam uneasy. She called and demanded that the parents immediately return home and take care of the child.

- My baby, - Turkan fussed. - He missed grandma Turkan. Of course, he doesn't know this woman at all. He is frightened, upset.

- He missed my breast, - Nihan cut her off and added boastfully: - I breastfeed my son, and not that like some: oh-oh, there is no milk and switched to a mixture.

- Get dressed already! - Serdar shouted at his wife. - You are only chatting here.

Defne listened to their skirmish and smiled. It's good that her family is just like that - sincere and easy-going.

- Girl! Why are you smiling? - Sarcastically asked Nihan, offended by her husband's words.

"Because I love you," Defne answered. - It's good to have you.

Omer again approached the portrait of Defne with the opal necklace that struck him. He looked at her beloved face, the multicolored play of fiery stones on porcelain skin, deep, amber eyes, and goosebumps ran down his arms from admiration.

"A strikingly beautiful woman."

The deep voice behind him made him flinch and look around. A man stood behind. Perfect posture, wide shoulder turn, and lean figure. The temples were touched by gray hair and impenetrable black eyes. In appearance - forty-five years. Omer vaguely remembered his name - Ozcan Baysal, the owner of a chain of jewelry stores. Once upon a time, they were introduced to each other at one of the events. Omer had heard of him as a decent man, but his look at the photo of Defne did not at all like the man-owner sitting inside.

- My wife, - he sternly enlightened the guest.

"I know," he replied, and an ironic smile touched his lips. - You are lucky, Mr. Omer since you managed to win a woman of such exquisite beauty and talent.

The man spoke quite polite words, but Omer's face darkened more and more. His jaws clenched to an ache and it took a lot of effort for him to answer calmly:

- There has never been a war between Defne and me, Mr. Ozcan. Therefore, "conquest" is not quite the right word.

- What is correct? - All the same ironically asked the man.

"Love," Omer replied.

- A worthy reason for getting married.

- I would say - the only correct one.

Ozcan looked at the necklace.

"You know to be careful with fire opals. They bring misfortune."

"Empty prejudices," Omer replied.

"Who knows, who knows," the man held out and stared into Omer's eyes.

The duel of glances was broken by Defne. She went up to her husband and took his arm. Omer instantly covered her hand with his and asked:

- Have the Topal gone?

"Yes," she replied. - And your grandfather too.

"Mrs. Defne," Baysal intervened in their dialogue. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I have a request for you.

- Yes, Mr. Ozcan, - Defne smiled at him.

Omer's eyes sparkled. Does his wife know this insolent man? The impudent himself continued to say:

- I made an appointment with you, but your secretary answered that Ms. Laura Cesare is in charge of the sales of the collection. And yet, I ask you personally to give me a couple of hours of your time. The topic that I want to discuss with you is of great importance to me.

"Okay, Mr. Ozcan," Defne agreed. - But for the next ten days, all my time is scheduled in minutes.

- I'll wait ten days, - the man smiled charmingly. Omer's fists itched to ride over this contented face. But he only squeezed them and cut in on the conversation:

- In ten days we are leaving on vacation and will return only after the New Year.

- Well, - not looking at Omer, said Ozcan, - I will wait for your return.

Omer gritted his teeth. What a stubborn freak! Goes ahead.

- Then, - Defne replied, - let your secretary contact mine and agree on the time and place of the meeting.

- Thank you, Mrs. Defne, - the man bowed to both and said goodbye: - Have a nice evening.

When he left, Defne looked at her husband and asked:

- What's the matter? Has someone ruined your mood?