Haseeb turned the car towards Irtaza's office. His heart was beating fast. By Irtaza's tone, he could figure it out that he was angry.
Extremely angry.
And this thought was making him shiver. He was afraid of his big cousin brother. And he was afraid for Zahra as well. He was shocked to hear that Irtaza and Zahra are already married and his heart wrenched for Zahra that she was forced into this relation. So he decided to help her, trying his best to somehow save her from Irtaza and cover the situation but after getting his call, he could hardly save himself from him.
On the other hand, Zahra's whole body was shivering. She was tightly holding both her hands together.
A terror
Utter terror, had hazed her mind.
Her breaths were labored. She was hyperventilating. Her heart was thumping fast. Her stomach churned with fear. Her limbs were shaky. Her eyes had tears in them which were freely flowing out making them red.
She could practically hear the beating of her wild heart in her ears. She didn't know what will be happening next. Her life was at stake and most importantly Daniyal's life was at stake. She can't lose him. She had no idea what will be Irtaza doing with both of them.
She was praying that Irtaza hasn't came to know about today's incident but she was sure that the news of Haseeb's wildly beating Daniyal must have reached him. And it will definitely make a chain of question arise in his mind.
This thought was haunting her mind. She didn't expect the things to turn out like that. Furthermore, Haseeb had seen them hugging each other and Daniyal was about to kiss her.
In her five years relation with Daniyal, Zahra had never allowed Daniyal to be close or intimate with her. She knew he was a non-mehram. But there were three instances in her life where she herself had hugged him, when she felt totally broken, the first one was at her father's death, the second one when she had to left her house and the city and the third one was today when she saw him after more than a month. She couldn't hold herself and gave him a bone crushing hug. But she was completely shocked when Daniyal was about to kiss her. Before she could had stopped him, he already had placed his lips on hers. She never wanted him to kiss her. And she was afraid that what will Irtaza do to her if he came to know that they both were hugging and kissing each other.
They both reached the building. It was tall, its shadow loomed over almost the whole city and the top touching the blue sky.
After parking the car in the underground parking lot, they both were heading upwards to the ground floor when Zahra held Haseeb's arm, stopping him.
"Has...eeb. I do..n't wa...nt to go. Ple...ase do some...thing." She cried out breathlessly. Her voice shaky.
"There's nothing in my hands Zahra. I'd love to help you but he will catch us sooner or later so its better to face him." Haseeb said.
"Now come on. We both should go."
And they both begin to move towards his office. They entered the lift and he clicked the button. While Zahra's head was thumping with pain and anxiety. It was too much for her.
Irtaza always had told her not to break his trust on her. Not to betray him and she did just that. But she had nothing in her hands. She also had a right to live as she wanted. When she loved Daniyal, when she wanted to spend her life with him then why she should accept this marriage? This marriage was forced upon her. She had no guilt for loving Daniyal despite being Irtaza's wife because she never had accepted this nikkah. She was only guilty for putting up a facade infront of Irtaza that she's happy with him, that she had accepted this marriage wholeheartedly and that she loved him. Yet these actions of hers were also forced upon her by Daniyal.
The elevator dinged and opened, indicating they have reached the top most floor where the CEO's office resides.
Zahra heart jumped into her throat. Her body begin to shiver.
She was terrified. She didn't want to go. She didn't want to face him. She didn't want to face what he has saved in for her.
She was still praying that he didn't come to know about anything.
They both begin to move towards his office.
Ever step felt heavy to her.
She felt as if she's walking towards her death
Every breath she took was shaky.
Her heart drowned in fear. Her mind was recalling all his warnings. His raged eyes flashed infront of her making her breath hitched.
'I can't go. No. I can't go.'
With this thought, she stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't has enough courage to face him.
'He knows everything Zahra!! Run! Run!' Her mind abruptly screamed making her to run in the opposite direction. It was all impulsive.
'RUN!' Her mind screamed, making her steps faster.
'HE KNOWS EVERYTHING ZAHRA! RUN!' Her subconscious yelled making her steps faster.
She was running like a maniac towards the lift. She did what she thought could save her at the moment. Her brain wasn't thinking right at all.
Haseeb was calling out her name loudly to stop her but her mind was filled with loud obnoxious insane voices which were yelling at her to run away if she wants to save herself. Her mind was hazed with fear. She was going insane.
'I'll inflict such a pain in on your body that you'll kill yourself with your own hands!' His warnings begin to play in her mind like a tape.
'Never betray me'
'I trust you'
'You'll live and die every moment'
'Your cannot incur my wrath'
All these voices mixed at the back of her mind, making her more fearful.
She was about to enter the lift when Haseeb snatched her arm and turned her around.
"What are you doing Zahra?!" Haseeb whisper yelled, jerking her arm a little to knock some sense into her.
"Plea...se Has..eeb (hiccup) Plea...se let m..e go. He wi..ll (hiccup) kill me..e. He wont sh...ow any mer...cy to me (hiccup) Pl..ea..se save me. Sa...ve me." She cried out begging. Her body shaking with her sobs and hiccups. Her eyes were red by now. The second, Irtaza had asked them to come to there office, her eyes were continuously spilling tears out.
Haseeb looked at her surprised. Her disheveled state showed how afraid she's off Irtaza. Although he himself was fearful but he was trying his best to maintain a calm composure. A thing which he had learnt from Irtaza.
"Zahra, be in your senses! Nothing will happen! He's your husband. Just try to explain him the situation and say him that you're truly guilty for what you did. He might listen to you." He tried to explain.
"No Has..eeb, he had war..ned me num...erous times not to be...tray him. He will kill me if he ca..me to kn..ow about Dan...iyal." she croaked out.
"Zahra then why you did that? Why you betrayed Bhai?"
"Because I love Daniyal. How am I at fault when I was forced into this marriage?"
"But you seemed to be so happy when you were with Bhai. It will break him after knowing that all the time you were putting up an act."
"I didnt have any other option than that."
"Why Zahra?"
"Because I-" she had no answer to it, it was the only way to get Daniyal, " Haseeb I will explain everything to you later but please let me go away now." She said breathlessly and got her arm out of his hold, entering the lift. But Haseeb held her arm again.
"Zahra! We 'have' to go inside." He emphasized.
"Pl...ease Haseeb I-" her sentence was cut short when her red teary eyes fell on the man, standing infront of the CEO's office door. Her breath hitched immediately as her eyes widened within milli-seconds.
It was Irtaza.
His hands were dipped inside his pockets as he had tilted his head a bit, observing both of them for last five minutes.
Haseeb followed Zahra's gaze and then his eyes landed on his big cousin brother.
"Into my office. Now." He commanded, pointing towards the office with his thumb and then went back inside.
Now she knew there was no way out. By hook or crook she had to face him today.
They both entered inside and saw him standing in the front of his desk, already waiting for them.
Zahra's eyes matched his for a second and she immediately turned them down to the floor. She was afraid to look in them.
"Bhai. You called us?" Haseeb asked, trying to act normal as if nothing happened.
"Yes. Tell me what happened today haseeb?" He asked in his thick dominant voice, leaning against the desk.
His eyes were set on Zahra whose head was hanging down and body continuously shaking.
"Bhai actually a goon was bothering Zahra, when she was waiting for me outside her university. I saw it and couldn't stop myself from beating him. Then people gathered around and as you know a whole scene was created there." He lied smoothly, trying to play cool.
He nodded, taking a deep breath.
"That's it?"
"Yes Bhai."
"Good job." He mused. "I'm impressed" he said pensively, narrowing his eyes.
"Is she alright now?" He asked referring towards Zahra, whose head was hung low.
"Yes she's perfectly fine now. Nothing to worry about."
Haseeb internally sighed in relief thanking Allah that he had bought his lie.
"Now where is that man?"
Shit!
His internal victory smirk was gone as soon as it came. He had asked those men to free Daniyal. And Irtaza had told him whenever such situation comes he immediately had to send those goons to any of their warehouses.
"Actually, his...his fa..ce was quite blo..odied that he could hardly breathe so the people around called an ambulance for him." He lied again.
"Fine. And why was Zahra crying?"
Haseeb's heart was thumping fast. He had to come up with some lies and that too very fast.
"Actually.....we..both, Umm....today...we both...decided to bunk our university together. She thought that you won't allow so we secretly made a plan and when you called she was afraid of facing you. It was making her cry all the time." He lied again.
"Bhai she isn't at fault, she kept denying me but I forced her to bunk our uni's together."
"I had already told you both that Khurram Osmani is keeping tabs on us. If you both are so keen to bunk then take security along with you." He scolded.
Haseeb patted at his back. He bought his lie again.
Yes!
"Sorry. You won't get any complain next time."
"Ok. And for that man who was after Zahra, when he gets his treatment done, kill him. I'm leaving this job on you. But before that investigate his background. He might also be one of Khurram's men."
"Consider it done bhai."
"You both can leave now."
Haseeb sighed in relief again, patting his back. He was now out of the red zone. Now there's nothing to worry about.
Zahra couldn't believe that Irtaza bought Haseeb's lie. She was shocked and her sudden fear turned into surprise and then happiness on thinking that she's out of the danger zone.
"Ok bhai." He said and they both turned around to leave.
There hearts were fluttering with happiness. They both couldn't believe it that they so easily outrun the big bad mafia don. They were internally jumping with joy as a big happy smile was marred on there faces. Within seconds, they got out of the danger zone. There breath which was stuck in there throats was out now and the heartbeat was back to normal. They were still shocked neverthless happy.
"Ah Haseeb! What was his name?" Irtaza asked before they could leave the office.
Haseeb turned back along with Zahra, looking towards him.
"Name?" Haseeb asked.
"Yes name. You don't know his name?'
"I know I know. Daniyal. It was Daniyal." He impulsively replied, without giving a second thought.
Why would his name matter to him?
"Daniyal" his name rolled off his tongue, causing a shiver down her spine, as a sudden threat again begin to linger over her heart.
"How do you know his name?" Irtaza asked and Haseeb's eyes wide opened.
Fuck!
He was doomed!
Zahra had told him that he was Daniyal, her cousin. Otherwise there was no way Haseeb could know his name.
A few seconds passed but Haseeb was unable to come up with a lie which he can tell to save both of them.
All the happiness was gone now. The wild thumping was back again. He had to act like a fool and say what came into his mind. He was execrating himself internally for acting so impulsive and foolish.
Seconds turn into minutes but Haseeb was unable to answer him.
And suddenly his dark chuckle resonated in the office. He looked down towards the floor chuckling and then back towards both of them.
"So Haseeb. Lets start this again." He smiled devilishly, when his chuckle died down and begin to take a step towards him, making cold sweats to pop out of his forehead.
"What had happened today?" He asked taking a step towards him.
"Bhai actually.....noth..ing hap...pened." He stuttered. His mind wasn't working.
"Haseeb you like your face red and blue?" He asked, moving towards them.
Haseeb knew he was caught and there was no use of lying anymore now he had to spill everything. Otherwise, it will add more to the punches, he knew. he's going to receive.
"Actually....I.."
"The fuck!" he gritted making his mouth to run a mile a minute and he begin to spill what he saw.
"Zahra had asked me to pick her up by 11. I got late due to the traffic. The backside of her university comes in my route. I was passing infront of it when my eyes fell on-" He stopped. Irtaza was now standing infront of him, wanting him to continue.
Haseeb eyes had fallen on the couple hugging each other intensely but they had widened with surprise the very next second when the girl took off her face mask, revealing Zahra. He had stopped his car and he couldn't stop himself from landing on his jaw, when Daniyal almost kissed her.
Haseeb turned his head a little and saw Zahra's pleading eyes but there was nothing much in his hands. He had to tell Irtaza, there was no use of lying anymore.
"Zahra and a man, they both were hugging each other and-"