Top Assassins Call Me The Lady Boss-Chapter 173: She wanted to protect it.

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy‑Three

Why did he even pick up the call when he knew he was busy?

"Be at the apartment in the next twenty minutes!" Asli snapped into the phone. She didn’t wait for a reply. She ended the call and flung the phone into the back seat like it had burned her fingers.

She could’ve said it over the phone. She knew that.

But how did one say this over the phone?

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as the city blurred past. Her chest felt tight, breaths coming too fast, and too shallow. What did she even want from him? Reassurance? A plan? Or just someone else to carry the weight of the fear crushing her ribs?

This would be the worst time if she were pregnant. But then, she was afraid the timing wasn’t the only bad thing here.

By the time she pulled into his apartment complex, her skin felt too tight on her bones.

Inside, she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it aside, heat crawling up her spine. The room felt small. Too small. The walls pressed in, the air thick and unmoving. She turned on the air conditioner, the hum filling the silence, and planted her feet apart, forcing herself to breathe in counts. In. Out. Again and again.

She couldn’t wait patiently. She didn’t know what to do. She hoped there would be a miracle if she were pregnant.

How would she announce it?

The door burst open minutes later.

Ahmet rushed in, eyes scanning her like a battlefield. His hands were on her shoulders instantly, turning her, checking her arms, her sides, and then her back.

"Are you okay?" he demanded. "Are you hurt? Did something..."

"Stop it!" Her voice cracked through the room like a whip. She shoved his hands away. "Stop touching me."

He froze, confusion flashing across his face.

She didn’t give herself time to think. If she did, she’d lose her nerve.

"I missed my period, Ahmet."

The words landed between them like a dropped glass.

He blinked once. Then again.

"Is... is that why you called me like that?" he asked slowly. "Do you have any idea how you sounded on the phone?" His gaze searched her face now, hands hovering like he wasn’t sure whether to touch her again. "I thought something happened to you. I was already thinking you’d been shot or something like that."

She looked away, jaw tight. He was acting as if he cared about her.

He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "You scared the hell out of me, Asli. You don’t call like that unless something is really wrong."

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. "Something is wrong."

His chest stilled. "Your period being late isn’t that serious."

She lifted her head and met his eyes. "I could be pregnant."

The word hit him like a blow.

"What?" It came out hoarse. He took a step back without meaning to. "What do you mean, pregnant?"

"I missed my period," she said again, the words tumbling out now. "It’s late. It’s never too late."

His eyes widened, blood draining from his face as the weight of it settled in. "Wait... What do you mean?"

Her laugh was sharp, brittle. "What do you mean what do I mean?"

He swallowed hard. "Aren’t you... Aren’t you on the pill?"

She didn’t answer. Her eyes slid away from his, fixed instead on the edge of the table. Her fingers twisted together once, then stilled, like she’d just been caught in a lie she hadn’t meant to tell.

His breath left him in a sharp exhale. "Asli..." His eyes widened, panic seeping in around the edges. The color drained from his face as understanding clawed its way through. Yet, he needed words. He needed her to say it, hoping she’d say she was. "Asli... were you not on the pill?"

She stared at him. Really stared. "Are you serious right now? How am I supposed to know that?"

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once. "What do you mean, how are you supposed to know?" His voice rose despite himself. "You don’t know you need to be on the pill? Asli, do you not know anything about womanhood?"

That hit.

Hard.

Her hand lifted instinctively, and her fingers twitched. Anger flashed hot and bright. She stopped herself an inch from his face. Her jaw locked.

"You’ve been having sex," he continued, words tumbling out fast now, "and nothing told you to check, to protect yourself?"

"Ahmet," she shot back, voice shaking with fury, "you also could’ve worn protection."

He stopped pacing and looked at her, incredulous. "Yeah, if you had told me you weren’t on the pill! For fuck’s sake!"

The room felt louder and smaller at the same time. Her heart pounded in her ears.

"I shouldn’t have called you," she snapped, swallowing hard. "If I knew you’d just insult me."

"No," he said sharply, frustration bleeding through, "I shouldn’t have left it up to you. I thought you’d be smart about it." His gaze cut into her. "You are a Mafia boss, Asli. Why are you behaving like a thirteen‑year‑old normal girl?"

"Fck you!"

"Yeah, and look where we are now!" He dragged both hands down his face. "Fuck. Asli... you can’t be pregnant."

The word echoed in her head.

Pregnant.

He was panicking. She could see the tightness in his shoulders, the way his chest rose too fast. But her fear was quieter. Deeper. It settled in her gut and refused to move. Probably she was in denial.

Because suddenly, death wasn’t abstract anymore.

She’d never been afraid to die. Bullets, blood, enemies, she’d made peace with all of that a long time ago. But now... now there was the possibility that there were two of them. And the thought twisted something inside her chest.

Her father wouldn’t hesitate. One bullet and he would end her life... no, two lives. If she were pregnant

And yet, for the first time, she didn’t want to die.

Her hand pressed unconsciously against her stomach, fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt.

She wanted to protect it.

And that realization scared her more than anything else.