Yasmin had nodded and asked if she could leave the suite, to which he gave an affirmative. She let herself out of the suite, determined to explore her new home and see if she could find a way off the property. One of the house staff, a young woman who was polishing picture frames on the second floor, quickly waylaid her.

“Can I help you with anything, Ms. Mahdi?” she asked, her sharp gaze assessing Yasmin’s features before falling away. Was she wondering about Yasmin’s resemblance to Caria?

“I’m just looking around,” Yasmin admitted. “Are the other family suites on this floor?”

“Yes, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.” Without waiting for Yasmin to agree, the woman set off, pointing at each suite as she went past. The first one next to the stairs belonged to Narin and the one next to it was Defne’s. “Defne has the smallest suite,” she explained. “As she’s unmarried and prefers to spend her time in the main floor rooms when she’s feeling up to it.”

“Is she often under the weather?” Yasmin asked curiously, following the other woman down the hall.

She nodded. “Ms. Defne has a weak constitution. She was born with the condition and sometimes it plagues her when there’s too much excitement going on. When she’s not feeling well, she spends all of her time in her suite. Only the doctor, Mr. Volkan, and her mother are allowed in to see her.”

A shaft of guilt went through Yasmin as she realized her plan to convince Defne to help her wasn’t going to work. News that her brother was an unscrupulous monster could set her health back. Yasmin shouldn’t care, since she was the victim, but she did. Defne was only a few years younger than Yasmin. She was sweet, kind, and unspoiled. Yasmin didn’t want to cause her any grief, though once she escaped and alerted the authorities to what Volkan had done, inevitably, Defne would find out.

The house tour continued. Damir and his wife lived on the opposite side of the hall from Defne and Narin. “Their suite is larger than any other in the house except for Mr. Volkan’s. Ms. Zeynep insisted on having it renovated and the wall to the next suite knocked down so the two spaces could be joined.”

From the maid’s tone, Yasmin could tell she didn’t care for Zeynep, which seemed to be a common theme throughout the household. Yasmin wondered why? Was she rude to the house staff or was it something else?

Yasmin was shown through the kitchen, which was bustling with one chef and two assistants. The chef handed Yasmin a chocolate scone and a cup of coffee, then shooed the two women out the door.