《My Billionaire Wife》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Where are you, Anas?¡± I muttered to myself as I stood under the dimly lit streetmp.


    I had been waiting for hours for him to show up, the park was nearly deserted, and the fact that it was a very chilling night and the constant cold wind made me shiver.


    I nced at my phone and noticed that it was way past eleven pm, it was almost midnight. He waste, Anas was incrediblyte.


    ¡°Anas, where are you? I have been waiting at the spot you asked. I have been waiting for hours, please if you get this message call me back¡± I said over the phone as I left him the Hundredths voice note.


    ¡°He will be here, Anas loves you he will be here,¡± I said trying not to let negative thoughts swarm my head.


    I can still remember the look on his face the way he stared at me assuring me that I was the one for him of course he was going to make it.


    I picked up my phone again to call him and finally, he picked up.


    I breathed a sigh of relief as it felt I had not been breathing all this although I had been waiting for him for hours I was sure something happened that was why he refused to pick up my call.


    ¡°Oh my god, Anas was worried sick I thought something bad would happen to you, where are you? I am still waiting for the pack, are you okay? What happened?¡± I asked, sounding worried as I bombarded him with many questions.


    All I heard was silence. I could hear his breathing but nothing, he said nothing.


    ¡°Anas?¡± I called but I got no response from him.


    ¡°Zoya,¡± he said, his voice calming all my worries.


    ¡°Anas¡± I scolded, ¡°For a second there I was so worried, you are ying your usual prank on me again aren¡¯t you?¡± I joked.


    ¡°I am sorry Zoya, I will not be able to make it. I have thought about it thoroughly and I think it is a bad idea for us to elope after all, I am still young. I don¡¯t want to tie myself down to a rtionship that will likely not work¡±  he said.


    I could not believe what I heard, to be more specific I refused to believe what I just heard.


    ¡± Anas, what are you saying? Have you forgotten you would be here, all this was your idea. You promised to always be by my side. What sudden change?¡± I asked in despair. ¡± Did my father threaten you, is that why you are backing off?¡± I asked because it is possible he was having cold feet.


    ¡°This is not just going to work, I have a life and I don¡¯t want to destroy it, being with you might tarnish my family reputation as you are older than me. I don¡¯t n on getting married anytime soon Anas, I am sure you understand¡± he said.


    Each word felt like ss piercing my skin. ¡°I will take care of you, if you are worried about the finances, I have some money saved up. We won¡¯t have to struggle and I am very skilled. I am sure I can get a job quickly,¡± I said. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me Anas you are all I have¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°Go back to your home Anas, your father does not ept our union and today he has already nned your marriage with someone else. I do not love you anymore and want nothing to do with you. You are a girl with no dignity, no man would want you anyway. If I were you I would marry the man my father chose for me¡± he said before hanging up the call.


    My whole world felt like it came crumbling down on me, I betrayed my family, running away on the day that was meant to be my wedding day just so I could. be with this man all for him to throw me away like trash.


    A single tear fell from my eyes before I fell down on the ground as my legs could not seem to support me anymore. I had never felt such emotional pain all my life. I was finding it hard to breathe normally as it felt like the world was closing up on me.


    I cried for myself, how naive I was to believe he would ever abandon me. I was a fool, a fool who was in love thinking that if I was willing to risk it all he would also do that for me.


    Here I was all alone in an empty pack, crying over and that just shattered my trust.


    I don¡¯t know how long I had been sitting on the ground crying but the sound of a group of men, walking towards my direction quickly brought me back to reality.


    I had nowhere to go, there was no way I could go back to my father¡¯s house. It was a disappointment, my actions must have hurt him greatly.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I grabbed the travel bag on the ground and swung over my shoulder hoping to avoid the group of men who seemed likely drunk. It was not safe out here.


    ¡°Hey, beautiful?¡± one of them called but I refused to answer, walking as fast as I can. I could hear their footsteps behind me.


    Suddenly my arm was grabbed and I spun around quickly shoving the arm away from my body, an indescribable fear gripped me at that moment.


    ¡°We are calling you beautiful, you know it is rude not to answer when you are called,¡± the man said. His breath reeked of school, it was a clear indication that he was drunk.


    ¡°I am sorry I am in a hurry,¡± I said, turning around to walk away when another grabbed my shoulder and pushed me to a wall.


    ¡°Not so fast beautiful, a fine girl like you would not be out here alone why don¡¯t we escort you home¡± he offers, grinning widely with his brown teeth in full disy.


    I shivered in disgust. ¡°Thank you, I can go home by myself,¡± I said, trying to maneuver the space between them when they pushed me to the ground.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just let you go like that, it would be fun to have a little bit of fun¡± another offered.


    The three men surrounded me while I backed up against the walls. My heart was pounding fast due to fear.


    There was no one around to help me. I was all alone, I pleaded for them to let me go but they only snickered andughed.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just a little bit of fun, you will enjoy it as well,¡± they said.


    ¡°Help, someone help me¡± I screamed at the top of my voice.


    ¡°You can scream all you want but nobody is going to help you¡±


    They started unbuckling their pants. I tried to escape but was dragged back by one of them, tears streamed down my face.


    I ced myself in this situation assuming I did not trust Anas I would not be in this situation.


    Just when I thought all hope was gone there was no way I would be able to fight off three men by myself.


    ¡°Hey stop there¡± A voice resounded from the darkness before a tall, handsome man emerged from the darkness running towards me.


    Could this person be my helper?

 Chapter 2

    Abrar¡¯s pov.


    The sound of a loud scream disrupted the peace of the quiet pack, as I looked around in rm.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked myself as I observed my surroundings but saw nothing.


    The pack waspletely empty just like it was during this time of the day.


    It was past one pm and the only reason I was walking out thiste was because I  went to another city to work and was just on his way home.


    ¡°Someone help¡± the voice yelled out loud again. Someone was in trouble. I quickly ran towards the hr direction of the voice.


    At a distance, I saw three men assisting a young-looking girl who looked no older than eighteen or twenty.


    I yelled at them to stop and rushed towards them intending to teach them a lesson.


    As soon as they saw me they scurried away in fear running with their tails behind their back while the girl hurdled herself closer to the wall, crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s Okay They¡¯re gone,¡± I said trying tofort her but she only flicked as I tried to help her up.


    I took a few steps backward, distancing myself so as not to rm her.


    ¡°I am not going to hurt you,¡± I said trying to make her feel at ease.


    I observed that she was properly dressed and her clothing looked expensive and she also seemed to have luggage with her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked as she wouldn¡¯t stop crying which was worrying. ¡°Did those men hurt you?¡± I asked as I stared at the path the men ran to, wishing I had followed them and taught them a lesson.


    ¡°He left me,¡± she said, her voice barely above a whisper. I almost did not hear her.


    ¡°Excuse me, you said?¡± I asked as I could not see to understand what she meant.


    She raised her head to look at me and at that moment her beauty struck me. I could see her clearly now. She had amazing sparkling doe eyes, although her eyes were slightly swollen and a little bit red, which must be due to crying. Her pinkish push lips matched her golden skin tonepletely and her chubby cheeks made her cuter. She was cute and looked innocent.


    Her eyes looked swollen probably due to crying for too long, but she still refused to say anything. She just stares at me.


    ¡°Do you need help getting home?¡± I asked as I pointed at her luggage.


    ¡°I am Abrar, I am not going to help you but you cannot stay out here it¡¯s toote,¡± I said.


    ¡± My name is Zoya,¡± she said In a soft, meek tone.


    I was a little surprised as she spoke up finally.


    ¡°Nice Name ¡°, I blurted out. I could not help but mentally scold myself as to why I uttered the most stupid line as I was confused about what I should say to her. This was not the time for this.


    ¡°Okay Zoya, what are you doing out here sote with your luggage?¡± I asked, pointing at her luggage.


    She looked well off, she did not look like someone who was maltreated so I did not want to assume she ran away from home.


    ¡°I am waiting for someone, or was,¡± she said.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked, a little bewildered. Who would ask a child to wait for them out here in a pack at this time of the day? That was just outrageous.


    ¡± I¡¯m Abrar, Tell me where¡¯s your home? I will drop you ¡°, I offered.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go home ¡°, she said in a broken voice as she lowered her head.


    That was a statement I was not expecting but I also did not know why she could not go home. Was it that she had no home?


    ¡°Why? What happened ?¡± I already in a soft voice.


    She gave no reply and I could only assume maybe she ran away from home. She was young, most young adults think they can survive on their own during this age.


    ¡°See. I know parents might be strict sometimes but that does not change the fact that they love you¡± I said trying to persuade her to go home.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t leave your home like this. At least you have parents. I don¡¯t have that to scold me anymore¡±, I exined to her as she looked at me surprisingly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have parents?¡± she eximed.


    ¡°No ¡°, I half-smiled, a smile of pain. ¡± Now let¡¯s go. Tell me your address ¡±


    ¡°No ¡°, she muttered. ¡°They won¡¯t ept me ¡±


    I was shocked by her statement. What has she done?


    ¡°Why?¡±, I asked her.


    ¡°Because I have fled from my own home ¡°, she sobbed. ¡°It¡¯s okay I¡¯m sure they will ept you back, you are their daughter, and I am sure they love you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t gonna home¡±


    I am sure there must be a reason for that but before I could ask she spoke again.


    ¡°For Anas,¡± she said.


    ¡°Anas? Who is that?¡± I asked.


    Could Anas be the person she was waiting for?


    ¡°I love him. We both love each other. My dad doesn¡¯t want me to get married to him. He wants me to marry Danish, his business partner¡¯s son. But I don¡¯t want to. I left a note and ¡­.¡±, She sighed.


    ¡°Then? Why are you here? Where is he? ¡°, I asked, curious. Her eyes filled again but this time she controlled herself.


    ¡°I had been calling him the whole day. He didn¡¯t answer. At least, he picked up and told me that he couldn¡¯t marry me. He is too young to get married. He doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility¡±, she burst into tears. I became speechless as I had nothing to say to a girl who was just betrayed by her lovely boyfriend.


    I let her cry and smiled at her. I don¡¯t know that girls like her actually exist in this part of the world. Wasn¡¯t it strange? This girl had left everything for a guy who wasn¡¯t even ready to take her responsibility whereas my ex-girlfriend Nikhat had left me for her parents even when I was ready to take her responsibility. I wished Nikhat was like Zoya.


    But maybe Zoya should be like Nikhat. It¡¯s not right to leave your parents for that person whom you recently met or loved.


    ¡°What are you thinking? ¡°She asked me as she stopped crying. I looked at her, she wiped her tears with a tissue paper.


    ¡°Nothing. Are you okay now? ¡°I asked her.


    ¡°Yes¡±, she replied.


    She had stopped sobbing but she still looked swollen.


    ¡°Come on, let me take you home. I will personally talk to your father and persuade him not to throw you out. Everyone makes mistakes¡± I said trying to persuade her although she seemed rather headstrong on not going back home.


    She slowly took my hand standing up and dusting her body which was covered with sand and dust.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find something to eat first you look famished,¡± I said, as we walked silently beside each other her bag tucked tightly beside her.


    We reached a street food vendor and ordered two tes. She ate impatiently. I was right.


    She hadn¡¯t eaten anything for the whole day. Her chubby cheeks looked cuter when she filled her mouth with food.


    I smiled at her. We quietly finished our food and I went to pay the bills but she stopped me.


    ¡°Take the half¡±, she said while handing me half of the bill.


    ¡°No, That¡¯s fine¡±, I tell her.


    ¡°You looked exhausted. I can tell seeing you that you maybe work hard at your job ¡°, she looked at me carefully.


    I was actually tired and my clothes were old enough to make people know that I am broke.


    ¡°Please take it. If I didn¡¯t have money, I wouldn¡¯t have given it ¡°, she insisted.


    I was too worried about my meal for the next day as I was going to pay for her too. I preferred sharing the bill to save myself from starving the next day.


    ¡°Ok then, Let me drop you off¡±


    I said as we paid the bill. She shook her head and we walked by the road towards her ce.


    We reached her ce when it was almost two thirty pm.


    Her huge residence was decorated beautifully like a bride¡¯s. It seemed that she was from a rich family


    ¡°Seems like your family had a little celebration today,¡± I said, trying to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Yeah but I am sure it did not hold,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Why?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°Because today was supposed to be my engagement, ¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡± I said, my jaw dropped to the ground, as I stood staring at her inplete shock.

 Chapter 3

    Zoya¡¯s point of view


    As soon as he heard those words he instantly looked panicked.


    I don¡¯t know why I feltfortable enough to drag a stranger to my house but he saved me and to be honest I was quite scared to go home alone.


    ¡°Why would a child like you be getting engaged?  Although I still find it questionable you decided to run away with your boyfriend¡± Anas said, his voiceced with a little hint of disapproval.


    My jaw clenched, ¡°I¡¯m twenty six¡± I snapped at him.


    I get told a lot that I looked like a child but I was a very mature woman who was able to make her own decisions. I was not a kid, I hated it when people called me. Child or treated me like one.


    Anas had a stunned look on his face with his mouth slightly open like he could not believe my age.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, ¡°but sorry to ask how old is your boyfriend?¡± He asked, looking curious.


    ¡°He is 24 years old¡± I replied ¡°And he is no longer my boyfriend he is a coward¡± I snapped.


    Anas has broken my trust and he no longer meant anything to me. I was naive but not any longer. I will not allow anybody to y with my emotions anymore.


    ¡°Okay, then I have done my job I am sure you can go home now. Just exin to them and tell them you are sorry I am sure they will quickly ept you¡± he said.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± I said. I had no idea why I said that but I knew I could not go in alone I needed someone as anchor and now A ear was my only option.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked a little bit baffled.


    ¡°Have you forgotten, you promised to follow me and talk to my parents¡±


    ¡°But that was because I thought you were a kid,¡± he responded.


    I was a little bit stunned by his reply but I couldn¡¯t me him. ¡°Does that mean you are going against your word?¡±


    ¡°Come with me please ¡°, I pleaded, batting myshes at him hoping to get his approval.


    He stared at my house once again like he was contemting. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea, ¡± he said, looking unsure.


    ¡± I¡¯m scared. Please save me from my parents. They are going to kill me¡± ¡± she spat most of the children used this phrase to exin how strict their parents are.


    I suddenly grabbed his arm, not giving him any time to think about it. His indecisiveness was annoying me.


    I rang the bell hoping all the wedding guests were gone. I was gone for a long time so I am sure the engagement ceremony has been canceled. I can just imagine how angry my father was.


    My parents thought I was many things but most of all they thought I was immature, childish, and a spoiled girl who behaves as she wants without considering anybody¡¯s feelings they raised me like this locking me away from the world they should expect that a day woulde when I would want to break free.


    The gate opened and Faruq the gateman opened the gate and as soon as she saw me his eyes widened in shock but there was also a hint of relief on his face.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± he said, his voice barely above a whisper.


    It was shocking to see Faruq say something so quietly when he is usually very loud.


    The decorations for the engagement were still very much there. The guests had reduced but I was surprised to see paparazzi inside mypound the moment they saw us they ran towards my direction taking pictures, the light from the camera almost blinding me while they asked me questions about who I was.


    ¡°MISS ZOYA ALI, is it true that you have gotten married against your parent¡¯s choice?¡±


    A reporter spat.


    ¡°Why have you rejected one of the most sessful businessmen, Danish?¡± Another said.


    ¡°In your earlier interviews, you said you were single. Was it a lie?¡± Another reporter asked, staring at Abrar who was beside me.


    I wasn¡¯t ready for this situation at all it was all overwhelming.


    Guards quickly came around and cleared the way dragging them away.


    I linked my palm with Abrar who was beside me with a look of shock as well as difort.


    I walked with a determined expression on my face towards my father to see him standing beside my mum with themissioner of police beside him.


    My mom¡¯s face was covered with tears and as soon as she saw me she ran towards me and engulfed me in a warm hug, shocking me. I unlinked my palm from Abrar¡¯s and hugged my mum with all my might.


    I was scared of being scolded by her, I was totally not expecting her to be so calm with her wee at all.


    ¡°Oh! Where have you been?¡± She asked, her voiceced with worry as she stared at me from top to bottom assessing my body to check for any injury.


    ¡°I am fine Mum¡± I replied.


    ¡°Sir ¡°, Abrar mumbled beside me as he stared at my dad.


    My father also looked shocked to see Abrar beside me. I could not help but wonder how they knew each other.


    ¡°You?¡± My father said, pointing at Abrar not even towards my direction.


    ¡°Do you guys know each other?¡± I asked as my gazed love from my father to  Abrar curiously. I hated being in the dark.


    ¡°You, I will deal with youter,¡± he said pointing at Abrar with an angry expression on his face.


    Abrar trembled beside me, he looked nervous but most of all he looked scared.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± I asked Abrar.


    ¡°Yes, this is my boss,¡± Abrar said referring to my dad.


    Well, seems like the situation is moreplicated out of everyone who could possibly know my father it had to be Abrar.


    ¡°Zoya, where were you? Why are you walking into my house hand in hand with another man? What is all this?¡± My father yelled angrily at me.


    The policemissioner beside him tried to calm him down but he was not listening in any way.


    ¡°Did I not tell you that you will be marrying Danish?¡±, He spat.


    ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± I tried to say something but my dad did not let me speak, I could only now my head scared for my life.


    ¡°Shut up¡±, he yelled. ¡°See what you have done to my reputation, you useless girl. You are such a shame to the family¡±.


    I knew that my actions should have repercussions but for a moment and thought maybe I should be selfish I never knew it would backfire against me. I had always put my family first and always tried to please my family as best as I could.


    ¡°I am sorry father¡± I apologized.


    ¡°How will I face Danish¡¯s parents? How am I supposed to walk around in themunity? See what you have reduced my reputation to¡± he scolded me.


    I could not say anything, I regretted my decision but it was already done there was no going back. I looked over at Abrar who looked ufortable with the conversation going on. Maybe it would have been better if I left him outside the gate and not invited him to witness this drama.


    ¡°You just left; leaving a crap note that you are getting married?¡±


    ¡°Calm down. Let her speak ¡°, My mother said, holding her husband¡¯s shoulder, trying to calm him down.


    ¡°You keep quiet ¡°, My dad shunned her.


    He was very angry, it was rare to see my father this angry but I couldn¡¯t me him as it was my fault.


    ¡°And you,¡± he said pointing at Abrar who had a look of surprise at the sudden change of attention.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get anyone else? Why my daughter?¡±, my father asked.


    Abrar stared at me, looking confused from the look of things it looked like my father thought Abrar was the guy I intended to elope with.


    This was not good.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I¡±, Abrar said as he tried to exin himself,


    ¡°How can you do this to me while working in mypany?¡±


    I kept quiet as I did not know how to approach or diffuse the matter, I was expecting the scolding but everything that was unfolding at the money was far from what I expected.


    ¡°Sir, she didn¡¯t elope with me¡±, Abrar said, trying to defend himself.


    ¡°I know. You can¡¯t do it. She must have forced you¡±, he spat at me, looking at me with a disappointed expression.


    It was no new thing to see my father looking disappointed, I always seems to disappoint him.


    ¡°You are a decent guy Abrar. I know you can never influence anyone¡±, he smiled at Abrar with a warm expression.


    I was confused with the whole situation as to why my father¡¯s anger suddenly reduced.


    ¡°Zoya please say something¡±, Abrar whispered as he threw me a helpless look.


    ¡°Daughter of the renowned businessman Mr Rehmat Ali and the to be the owner of his empire Zoya Ali has gotten married to their employee Abrar Zafar,¡± a reporter said as she stared at the camera before her.


    I looked over at Abrar and he lookedpletely lost. The situation was quickly getting out of control.


    ¡°At least you have some sense left to choose a good person. You should¡¯ve told me who the guy is. I had never refused if I knew it was Abrar¡± my father said., surprising me.


    ¡°Now I forgive you and forget everything. I ept this marriage¡±, he smiled at both of us.


    Marriage?


    ¡°Marriage?¡± Abrar said in disbelief, as he stared at me.


    I wanted to scream and rify but the cameras from the paparazzi were solely focused on us. This was not a good situation.


    Abrar looked pissed, for the first time since I saw him he looked angry


    I was about to say something,  but the paparazzi surrounded us again with questions.


    ¡°How did your love story start?¡± One asked.


    ¡°Did you know that you were dating your boss¡¯s daughter?¡± Another asked, focusing the bright light and camera to Abrar¡¯s face who was squinting his eyes as he could barely see.


    ¡°Where did you meet first?¡±


    The questions kepting, never-ending.


    ¡°Being the daughter of a billionaire, how did you gather the guts to marry amon man?¡±


    I was pissed, I hated all this.


    ¡°Faruq, get this people off the property¡± I ordered, and soon the security guards escorted the group of paparazzi out of thepound.


    ¡°We need to talk¡± Abrar whispered beside me. He dragged me to a corner after grabbing my arm.


    ¡°What the heck is going on Zoya?¡± He asked with a friend¡¯s expression.


    I do not know why but to be honest everything felt so overwhelming. I thought I was going to be sent out of my father¡¯s house but to see my father being so epting of Abrar being my voice made me rethink my decision. If I came clean about everything he could be disappointed.


    ¡±


    ¡°Will you answer me?¡± Abrar spat at my face, demanding answers.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, I said, lowering my eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. But now go and clean this mess¡± he told me.


    ¡°You have helped me a lot. But I have onest request¡±, I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked.


    I had no idea why I said it but I knew it was the only best idea I could think of at the moment. I have disappointed my father enough, if this was the drastic step I had to take then so be it.


    ¡°Pretend to be my husband¡±, I said.


    Abrar stared at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He yelled out, surprised by my sudden proposal.


    ¡°I know I am asking for something stupid. But it¡¯s a huge mess now. These reporters have already taken our pictures and telecasted them.


    They won¡¯t believe it if we disagree with the news. Moreover, it¡¯s about Dad¡¯s image. It¡¯s already damaged after I engage with Danish. Now again this, He won¡¯t tolerate ¡°, I exined.


    I knew what I was asking for was selfish but I had no other choice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve hurt him because of Anas. I don¡¯t want that again. If he is happy to see me with you, then I think he will not think too much about scolding me¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t hurt him when he will get to know the truth? It¡¯s a stupid idea¡± Abrar said, with a disapproving expression on his face. ¡°This is immoral. I do not support this,¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. How will I manage the situation? There is a bunch of paparazzi, our guests, rtives, and business partners ¡°, I said nervously.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve thought about it before running away ¡°, he replied rudely.


    Well, that did sting, my past actions have ced me in a very difficult situation.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Anas is going to ditch me ¡± I replied as I shamefully bowed my head. Anas¡¯s betrayal still hurts.


    ¡°I thought if we get married ande to Dad, he would ept us and I wouldn¡¯t have any problem then. But now there is everyone ¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t bring me here, Miss Zoya Ali, for Christ¡¯s sake this is my boss Mr. Ali we are talking about. Didn¡¯t you know today was your engagement? Didn¡¯t you know there will be reporters and rtives in your residence? Didn¡¯t you know it would be a risk if you came here with me? After knowing everything you brought me here. Does it make any sense?¡±, he yelled at me angrily.


    ¡°Will you help me or not?¡± I asked him rudely. I was going with my patience we certainly did not have all day.


    ¡°It¡¯s a stupid idea and I am not going to help you with this crap. That¡¯s about your image and your reputation. You should handle it. It¡¯s not my business ¡°, he replied, refusing to look into my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely your business Abrar Zafar ¡± I said. He looked at mepletely shocked by my change of tone.


    I was trying to be reasonable with him but it seems like I have to use brutal force to make him agree.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±, he asked., looking surprised by my sudden change in character.


    ¡°Soon I will be the owner of my dad¡¯s massive empire and you will be thrown out of mypany if you don¡¯t do what I said¡± I threatened.


    ¡°What?¡±, he muttered, by my sudden threat to fire him.


    ¡°You have ten seconds to decide. You want your job or not?¡± I asked staring at him and waiting for his reply.

 Chapter 4

    Abrar pov


    ¡°You have just ten seconds to decide. You want your job or not?¡± she said, staring at me fiercely.


    This was Zoya point of view


    As soon as he heard those words he instantly looked panicked.


    I don¡¯t know why I feltfortable enough to drag a stranger to my house but he saved me and to be honest I was quite scared to go home alone.


    ¡°Why would a child like you be getting engaged?  Although I still find it questionable you decided to run away with your boyfriend¡± Anas said, his voiceced with a little hint of disapproval.


    My jaw clenched, ¡°I¡¯m twenty six¡± I snapped at him.


    I get told a lot that I looked like a child but I was a very mature woman who was able to make her own decisions. I was not a kid, I hated it when people called me. Child or treated me like one.


    Anas had a stunned look on his face with his mouth slightly open like he could not believe my age.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, ¡°but sorry to ask how old is your boyfriend?¡± He asked, looking curious.


    ¡°He is 24 years old¡± I replied ¡°And he is no longer my boyfriend he is a coward¡± I snapped.


    Anas has broken my trust and he no longer meant anything to me. I was naive but not any longer. I will not allow anybody to y with my emotions anymore.


    ¡°Okay, then I have done my job I am sure you can go home now. Just exin to them and tell them you are sorry I am sure they will quickly ept you¡± he said.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± I said. I had no idea why I said that but I knew I could not go in alone I needed someone as anchor and now A ear was my only option.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked a little bit baffled.


    ¡°Have you forgotten, you promised to follow me and talk to my parents¡±


    ¡°But that was because I thought you were a kid,¡± he responded.


    I was a little bit stunned by his reply but I couldn¡¯t me him. ¡°Does that mean you are going against your word?¡±


    ¡°Come with me please ¡°, I pleaded, batting myshes at him hoping to get his approval.


    He stared at my house once again like he was contemting. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea, ¡± he said, looking unsure.


    ¡± I¡¯m scared. Please save me from my parents. They are going to kill me¡± ¡± she spat most of the children used this phrase to exin how strict their parents are.


    I suddenly grabbed his arm, not giving him any time to think about it. His indecisiveness was annoying me.


    I rang the bell hoping all the wedding guests were gone. I was gone for a long time so I am sure the engagement ceremony has been canceled. I can just imagine how angry my father was.


    My parents thought I was many things but most of all they thought I was immature, childish, and a spoiled girl who behaves as she wants without considering anybody¡¯s feelings they raised me like this locking me away from the world they should expect that a day woulde when I would want to break free.


    The gate opened and Faruq the gateman opened the gate and as soon as she saw me his eyes widened in shock but there was also a hint of relief on his face.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± he said, his voice barely above a whisper.


    It was shocking to see Faruq say something so quietly when he is usually very loud.


    The decorations for the engagement were still very much there. The guests had reduced but I was surprised to see paparazzi inside mypound the moment they saw us they ran towards my direction taking pictures, the light from the camera almost blinding me while they asked me questions about who I was.


    ¡°MISS ZOYA ALI, is it true that you have gotten married against your parent¡¯s choice?¡±


    A reporter spat.


    ¡°Why have you rejected one of the most sessful businessmen, Danish?¡± Another said.


    ¡°In your earlier interviews, you said you were single. Was it a lie?¡± Another reporter asked, staring at Abrar who was beside me.


    I wasn¡¯t ready for this situation at all it was all overwhelming.


    Guards quickly came around and cleared the way dragging them away.


    I linked my palm with Abrar who was beside me with a look of shock as well as difort.


    I walked with a determined expression on my face towards my father to see him standing beside my mum with themissioner of police beside him.


    My mom¡¯s face was covered with tears and as soon as she saw me she ran towards me and engulfed me in a warm hug, shocking me. I unlinked my palm from Abrar¡¯s and hugged my mum with all my might.


    I was scared of being scolded by her I was totally not expecting her to be so calm with her wee at all.


    ¡°Oh! Where have you been?¡± She asked, her voiceced with worry as she stared at me from top to bottom assessing my body to check for any injury.


    ¡°I am fine Mum¡± I replied.


    ¡°Sir ¡°, Abrar mumbled beside me as he stared at my dad.


    My father also looked shocked to see Abrar beside me. I could not help but wonder how they knew each other.


    ¡°You?¡± My father said, pointing at Abrar not even towards my direction.


    ¡°Do you guys know each other?¡± I asked as my gazed love from my father to  Abrar curiously. I hated being in the dark.


    ¡°You, I will deal with youter,¡± he said pointing at Abrar with an angry expression on his face.


    Abrar trembled beside me, he looked nervous but most of all he looked scared.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± I asked Abrar.


    ¡°Yes, this is my boss,¡± Abrar said referring to my dad.


    Well, seems like the situation is moreplicated out of everyone who could possibly know my father it had to be Abrar.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Zoya, where were you? Why are you walking into my house hand in hand with another man? What is all this?¡± My father yelled angrily at me.


    The policemissioner beside him tried to calm him down but he was not listening in anyway.


    ¡°Did I not tell you that you will be marrying Danish?¡±, He spat.


    ¡°Dad,   I¡­¡± I tried to say something but my dad did not let me speak, I could only now my head scared for my life.


    ¡°Shut up¡±, he yelled. ¡°See what you have done to my reputation, you useless girl. You are such a shame to the family¡±.


    I knew that my actions should have repercussions but for a moment and thought maybe I should be selfish I never knew it would backfire against me. I had always put my family first and always tried to please my family as best as I could.


    ¡°I am sorry father¡± I apologized.


    ¡°How will I face Danish¡¯s parents? How am I supposed to walk around in themunity? See what you have reduced my reputation to¡± he scolded me.


    I could not say anything, I regretted my decision but it was already done there was no going back. I looked over at Abrar who looked ufortable with the conversation going on. Maybe it would have been better if I left him outside the gate and not invited him to witness this drama.


    ¡°You just left; leaving a crap note that you are getting married?¡±


    ¡°Calm down. Let her speak ¡°, My mother said, holding her husband¡¯s shoulder, trying to calm him down.


    ¡°You keep quiet ¡°, My dad shunned her.


    He was very angry, it was rare to see my father this angry but i couldn¡¯t me him as it was my fault.


    ¡°And you¡± he said pointing at Abrar who had a look of surprise at the sudden change of attention.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get anyone else? Why my daughter?¡±, my father asked.


    Abrar stared at me, looking confused from the look for things it looked like my father thought Abrar was the guy I intended to elope with.


    This was not good.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I¡±, Abrar said as he tried to exin himself,


    ¡°How can you do this to me while working in mypany?¡±


    I kept quiet as I did not know how to approach or diffuse the matter, I was expecting the scolding but everything that was unfolding at the money was far from what I expected.


    ¡°Sir, she didn¡¯t elope with me¡±, Abrar said, trying to defend himself.


    ¡°I know. You can¡¯t do it. She must have forced you¡±, he spat at me, looking at me with a disappointed expression.


    It was no new thing to see my father looking disappointed, I always seems to disappoint him.


    ¡°You are a decent guy Abrar. I know you can never influence anyone¡±, he smiled at Abrar with a warm expression.


    I was confused with the whole situation as to why my father¡¯s anger suddenly reduced.


    ¡°Zoya please say something¡±, Abrar whispered as he threw me a helpless look.


    ¡°Daughter of the renowned businessman Mr. Rehmat Ali and the owner of his empire Zoya Ali has gotten married to their employee Abrar Zafar,¡± a reporter said as she stared at the camera before her.


    I looked over at Abrar and he lookedpletely lost. The situation was quickly getting out of control.


    ¡°At least you have some sense left to choose a good person. You should¡¯ve told me who the guy is. I had never refused if I knew it was Abrar¡± my father said., surprising me.


    ¡°Now I forgive you and forget everything. I ept this marriage¡±, he smiled at both of us.


    Marriage?


    ¡°Marriage?¡± Abrar said in disbelief, as he stared at me.


    I wanted to scream and rify but the cameras from the paparazzi were solely focused on us. This was not a good situation.


    Abrar looked pissed, for the first time since I saw him he looked angry


    I was about to say something,  but the paparazzi surrounded us again with questions.


    ¡°How did your love story start?¡± One asked.


    ¡°Did you know that you were dating your boss¡¯s daughter?¡± Another asked, focusing the bright light and camera to Abrar¡¯s face who was squinting his eyes as he could barely see.


    ¡°Where did you meet first?¡±


    The questions kepting, never-ending.


    ¡°Being the daughter of a billionaire, how did you gather the guts to marry amon man?¡±


    I was pissed, I hated all this.


    ¡°Faruq, get this people off the property¡± I ordered, and soon the security guards escorted the group of paparazzi out of thepound.


    ¡°We need to talk¡± Abrar whispered beside me. He dragged me to a corner after grabbing my arm.


    ¡°What the heck is going on Zoya?¡± He asked with a friend¡¯s expression.


    I do not know why but to be honest everything felt so overwhelming. I thought I was going to be sent out of my father¡¯s house but to see my father being so epting of Abrar being my voice made me rethink my decision. If I came clean about everything he could be disappointed.


    ¡±


    ¡°Will you answer me?¡± Abrar spat at my face, demanding answers.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, I said, lowering my eyes.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. But now go and clean this mess¡± he told me.


    ¡°You have helped me a lot. But I have onest request¡±, I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked.


    I had no idea why I said it but I knew it was the only best idea I could think of at the moment. I have disappointed my father enough, if this was the drastic step I had to take, then so be it.


    ¡°Pretend to be my husband¡±, I said.


    Abrar stared at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He yelled out, surprised by my sudden proposal.


    ¡°I know I am asking for something stupid. But it¡¯s a huge mess now. These reporters have already taken our pictures and telecasted it.


    They won¡¯t believe it if we disagree with the news. Moreover, it¡¯s about Dad¡¯s image. It¡¯s already damaged after my engagement with Danish. Now again this, He won¡¯t tolerate ¡°, I exined.


    I knew what I was asking for was selfish but I had no other choice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve hurt him because of Anas. I don¡¯t want that again. If he is happy to see me with you, then I think he will not think too much about scolding me¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t hurt him when he will get to know the truth? It¡¯s a stupid idea¡± Abrar said, with a disapproving expression on his face. ¡°This is immoral. I do not support this,¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. How will I manage the situation? There are a bunch of paparazzi, our guests, rtives, and business partners ¡°, I said nervously.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve thought about it before running away ¡°, he replied rudely.

 Chapter 6

    Well, that did sting, my past actions have ced me in a very difficult situation.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Anas is going to ditch me ¡± I replied as I shamefully bowed my head. Anas¡¯s betrayal still hurts.


    ¡°I thought if we get married ande to Dad, he would ept us and I wouldn¡¯t have any problem then. But now there is everyone ¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t bring me here, Miss Zoya Ali, for Christ¡¯s sake this is my boss Mr Ali we are talking about. Didn¡¯t you know today was your engagement? Didn¡¯t you know there will be reporters and rtives in your residence? Didn¡¯t you know it would be a risk if you came here with me? After knowing everything you brought me here. Does it make any sense?¡±, he yelled at me angrily.


    ¡°Will you help me or not?¡± I asked him rudely. I was going with my patience we certainly did not have all day.


    ¡°It¡¯s a stupid idea and I am not going to help you with this crap. That¡¯s about your image and your reputation. You should handle it. It¡¯s not my business ¡°, he replied, refusing to look into my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely your business Abrar Zafar,¡± I said. He looked at mepletely shocked by my change of tone.


    I was trying to be reasonable with him but it seems like I have to use brutal force to make him agree.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±, he asked., looking surprised by my sudden change in character.


    ¡°Soon I will be the owner of my dad¡¯s massive empire and you will be thrown out of mypany if you don¡¯t do what I said¡± I threatened.


    ¡°What?¡±, he muttered, by my sudden threat to fire him.


    ¡°You have ten seconds to decide. You want your job or not?¡± I asked staring at him and waiting for his reply.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    not the same old Zoya I saw at the pack who looked weak and helpless, this felt like a different person.


    ¡°I want my job, it is my only source of livelihood but you can¡¯t threaten me¡±, I protested. This was just an outrageous situation.


    ¡°But I cannot go ahead with your idea, it is just absolutely insane¡±, I argued.


    My job was very important to me, I needed it to survive, I couldn¡¯t lose my job.


    She threw me into the toughest situation of my life. I had helped her, in return, she was doing the worst things with me.


    ¡°For what I said and you won¡¯t lose your job.¡±, she uttered.


    She grabbed my hand and locked her arm with mine while we walked towards her parents. She had a determined look on her face.


    I was frozen. Within two hours, my life took a huge turn which I never imagined. Why did this happen to me?


    I was happy in my simple life. This kind of mess was not for me. She was talking to some of her guests while I wasn¡¯t in senses.


    ¡°Status doesn¡¯t matter in love. No?¡±, She said to one of the guests as they might be asking her about my status. I didn¡¯t hear them carefully.


    When she shook me I came out of my thoughts and listened to her.


    She was smiling as if nothing had happened. The guy she loved had ditched


    her and she was smiling here and acting cool with me.


    ¡°Abrar, will you pleasee with me for a second?¡±Mr. Ali asked.


    Zoya suddenly squeezed my arm, and I looked at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to forget what I told you¡±, she whispered in a low voice. I nodded like a ve of hers, she was scary. She was so different from when I first saw her.


    I went with Mr. Ali. He brought me to the counter and held a ss of apple juice.


    Despite being a billionaire, Mr. Ali never went against his religion.


    I had never imagined my boss would offer me a drink or I would be drinking next to him.


    It still felt like a dream. A nightmare! How things change with just one rtionship I understood that day. I was his son-inw, ording to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start Abrar¡±, he mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m still in shock after whatever has happened. But one needs to ept the fact of life and move on. I wanted Zoya to marry Danish. But I believe in Nikah  (Imic Ways of wedding) I respect it so much¡± he said. ¡± I don¡¯t want to disrespect it in any way. It¡¯s the most beautiful procedure on earth¡±, he exined as I felt guilty.


    I just shook my head in agreement. We shouldn¡¯t cheat him like this. Mr. Ali had always been good to me.


    Whenever I needed help he offered it to me. I felt really bad.


    ¡°But I am worried about Zoya. I don¡¯t have any problem with your status and bank bnce. But the thing is Zoya isn¡¯t a girl who canpromise or adjust. She¡¯ll need everything that you can¡¯t afford.¡± He said he looked worried. Like a father advising his son


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to hurt you unknowingly. She will behave very very rudely if you are unable to fulfill her demands. I don¡¯t know when it all started between both of you. But there¡¯s a huge difference between dating and marriage¡±, he continued and I was confused about what he wanted to say. I wasn¡¯t ready for another shock. I had enough.


    All this was a lie, there was nothing between Zoya and I. I wanted to scream the truth so badly but I knew that if I told the truth I could lose my only source of livelihood.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind I want to change your position and promote you with a handsome sry and arrange a house for both of you next to my office¡±, hepleted his statement.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say or do. All this was happening so fast. I had no idea what to say. I felt like I had no right to say anything. I had no idea what to say.


    It felt bad to know that I was not financially capable of taking care of someone¡¯s daughter. It was not the first time I had heard that sentence but this time around it did note out in an insulting manner.


    Zoya suddenly appeared, saving me from the awkward situation.


    I didn¡¯t feel bad when he offered me


    ¡°Not at all, we do not need all that¡±, she said in a ck tone and stood next to me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this Dad. I will be fine, I love Abrar and that is all that matters¡± she said, as she stared up at me with a smile on her face, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to smile back at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for you Zoya. I¡¯m doing this for him because I know you, how stubborn you are, and what you do when you do not get what you want. ¡°, he snapped at Zoya.


    I was not surprised as he was right. He knew his daughter well. Zoya could do anything to get her work done. I had just witnessed her threaten me. She was exactly like her father described. I thought she was a fragile girl but she was not in any way at all.


    ¡°There will be differences between others and my husband, no?  I behave that way with you because I know you are capable of giving me that. But I will not be the same with him. And if you haven¡¯t forgotten, I¡¯m going to be the owner of the whole property. Until then I can live in his home. Home is home. No matter how big or small it is ¡°, she said, surprising me.


    But it soon made me realize that we were talking about Zoya moving in with me.


    I was notfortable with the idea of an unmarried woman dating in the same room with me, I only had one bedroom and it was cramped as it was, adding another person was not a good idea.


    I must admit she could act so well. How easily she said all this. I was not interested in her dramas at all.


    So I kept calm but the thought of taking her with me to my home was haunting me.


    ¡°I see¡±, Mr. Ali responded.


    He left from the counter as I and Zoya were left alone.


    ¡°I do not like this idea of yours. Why are you doing this to me?¡± I asked, frustrated.


    It waste at night and here I was trying to help a girl and now I was in a situation I myself did not understand. So you areing with me ¡°, I said in a ck voice.


    ¡°Well, I am grateful for your help but, if the reputation of your bosses goes down the drain so will thepany and so will your job so think of it as a way of saving your job¡± she responded nonchntly.


    I had no idea who was standing before me, Zoya felt and behaved like apletely different person. I could finally feel that she was no child but a mature smart woman who was used to getting her way and I just fell right into her trap. There was no way out for me.


    ¡°Does that mean you are living in my house?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Of course ¡°, she replied.

 Chapter 7

    ¡°Although I do not like the idea, my house is nowhere near this mansion of yours, I live in a small room and a local neighborhood which is a far cry from what you have. I am not sure that home might befortable for you, why don¡¯t you stay with your parents¡± I said, trying to persuade her.


    ¡°I have made my decision, I am going with you to your house, and that is final,¡± she said with a stern look.


    ¡°Why are you doing all this? Trust me it¡¯s not good. Mr. Ali is a nice man, how will he feel when gets to know the truth?¡±,: I told her.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t your father. He is my father ¡°, she shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about him, he is not your business¡± she harshly responded.


    She left my side as I stood alone in the now emptypound as Mr. Ali talked to themissioner. Zoyater emerged from her house with arge luggage.


    My eyes almost popped out of its socket from its size. How long does she intend to stay?


    ¡°All this¡± I whispered in her ears.


    ¡°All this for now the rest will be sent over¡± she replied. There was more than was mind-blowing.


    ¡°Take care of yourself¡±, Mrs. Ali said while hugging Zoya, pecking her lovingly on her cheeks. Her eyes were moist but Zoya seemed to be normal. she wasn¡¯t feeling bad I guess. But I was not liking all this. I felt bad for her parents.


    Not having parents is a bad thing. And being like Zoya is the worst thing.


    We came out of her residence. She denied taking a ride in her car and we hired a cab.


    ¡°Cab?¡± I hesitated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s for myfort so I will pay the whole fare¡±, she climbed inside and I followed her.


    The cab was driven towards my apartment while I was nervous about how I would keep her at my ce.


    I opened the door of my tiny apartment and we both entered. She looked around to see the whole apartment in a ce.


    ¡°Do you live alone?¡± She asked me.


    ¡± Yes, I told you that my parents are no more¡±,


    I said while shifting the luggage inside. I was in no mood to talk to her, from helping her out. Here I was bringing her back to my home. Anger had taken over my head but I couldn¡¯t take it since she was my boss¡¯s daughter and my would-be boss.


    ¡°I know but what about others? ¡°She asked me again as she sat on the two couch sofas.


    ¡°That¡¯s not your business. There¡¯s no one to see us. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to act and know about my family ¡°, I shrugged while looking at her angrily but she smirked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could be an angry bird,¡± sheughed.


    After messing up my life, she wasughing as if nothing happened. I preferred to not answer her.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your room, by the way?¡±, She asked, making me surprised.


    Is she going to stay in the same room with me? How could a girl share a room with a guy whom she hardly knows? I looked at her in disbelief.


    ¡°Zoya, what are you saying? We can¡¯t share a room ¡°, I muttered.


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you trust yourself? I am sure not going to bite¡±, She smirked. Oh, God! I just hated her smile, a lot. Her smile annoyed me too much.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the matter. But it¡¯s not a good idea to share a room with a stranger¡±, I uttered.


    ¡°You seem to be exactly the carbon copy of my dad. So religious¡±, she giggled again.


    She was the most ill-mannered girl I had evere across in my whole life. How can she mock someone¡¯s belief?


    ¡°I have no time to waste on you. I¡¯ll clean my room for you, you can stay there?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have another room?¡±, She asked.


    ¡°Why would I stay in a double-room apartment when I¡¯m alone?¡±, I muttered.


    ¡°Then where are you going to stay?¡±, She asked casually.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean up the storeroom for me though I haven¡¯t talked to thendlord yet, but I will try to persuade him¡±


    ¡°Great ¡°, she said and picked out her phone. I said nothing and went to my room.


    I arranged my belongings in a basket and called her.


    ¡°You can sleep now ¡°, I said.


    ¡°Sure¡±, she said and walked towards the room.


    She mmed the door on my face. I cursed myself for helping her.


    Why did I do that? Why do people say ¡®First impressionsst longer?


    Couldn¡¯t figure out how ridiculous she was at our first meeting. She seemed to be a calm, quiet, innocent girl.


    However, she was not. She didn¡¯t offer help to me in cleaning. I had left my room for her and she didn¡¯t even thank me after all that.


    It was clear that she was an extremely spoiled girl.


    I went to myndlord and took the keys to the storeroom. I opened the door and cleaned the whole room which took three hours to be cleaned properly.


    It was nearly 5 am when I went to bed. Thankfully I got an old bed from myndlord there. I was too tired and fell asleep as soon as my bodyy on the bed.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    I wake up to the ttering of spoons and metals, it seems to being from the kitchen.


    But nothing prepared me for what happened next.


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡± a loud scream could be heard from the kitchen.


    It was such a dreadful sound, fear gripped every nerve in my body at the thought of Zoya being hurt.

 Chapter 8

    Zoya¡¯s Point of View


    The whole kitchen was messed up.


    I was not expecting the house to be like mine but neither was I expecting it to also be like this.


    I was standing near the counter covered with flour and the flour container was lying on the ground.


    Abrar ran into the kitchen with a worried expression on his face as he scanned the kitchen as well as me for any injuries.


    ¡°Who keeps a flour container on top? It¡¯s so high¡±, Iined as Ingrid dusted the flour that poured on my body away.


    But Abrar did something I was not expecting at all. He startedughing. Abrar looked at me and wasughing, pointing at my face and clutching his stomach.


    ¡°Why are youughing like an idiot?¡± I yelled at him angrily. There was nothing funny about this situation right now. I was hungry.


    But suddenly he stoppedughing and his expression turned silent as he looked around the floor.


    Sometimes I wondered if he had brain issues, but shrugged it off and continued dusting off the flour from my hair.


    .


    I was a guy who used to spend money after a lot of calctions.


    And this was gonna ruin my budget.


    ¡°Who told you toe to my kitchen?¡± He snapped, his voice was dangerously low.


    ¡°First you forced the idea of marriage on me, and now you invaded my space wasting my food. I am a guy who used to spend money after lots of calctions, I have nobody to run to for help. Everything here was bought with my hard-earned money so I would appreciate it if you do not waste my food.  And now  this  action of yours is going to  ruin my budget¡±


    I was surprised by his sudden outburst, not too long ago he looked like he was worried about my safety and now he was angry at me.


    ¡°Why are you yelling at me? I was hungry and you were not awake. Do you want me to die of hunger¡± I snapped back at him.


    I hated it when people yelled at me.


    ¡°Do you think I would cook for you?¡± He suddenly said, shocking me.


    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Of course. Why can¡¯t you?¡±, She uttered.


    ¡°Do it on your own. I¡¯m not going to serve you every time. And you had told me to pretend to be your husband in front of everyone. There was nomitment as I will cook for you or something else¡± he said.


    His outburst was totally understandable but I knew nothing about how the kitchen was so there was for me to go around cooking in the kitchen.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to cook ¡°,  I poured, looking at him above myshes.


    ¡°I am done with your attitude. Why would I cook for you? You decided toe here. Why would I take your responsibilities?¡± He snapped.


    Abrar ignored me and walked towards a cab and got the cleaning appliances to clean up the floor covered with flour.


    ¡°Then order from somewhere. You can afford it. No?¡±, he suddenly asked.


    ¡°Not so much. I¡¯m still not the owner of Mr. Ali Builders ¡® Till then I need to survive with what I have¡±, I replied.


    I could buy anything wanted, I had the money for it but I knew I had to spend wisely I currently was not working at thepany so I had to be smart with my spending.


    I knew that this jobless Zoya had more money in her ounts than this employed me. But obviously, she can¡¯t spend all her food.


    ¡°Okay fine  I will pay for the ingredients and you cook the food, doesn¡¯t that sound like a good idea¡± I offered.


    I needed to eat, back home my mum was the chef. I never saw the need to go to the kitchen.


    ¡°Ok, fine I will do the cooking, what are you going to do with flour?¡±, he asked as he cleaned up the floor..


    ¡°I wanted to make some tortis but, well this happened¡± I exined


    ¡°Torti?¡± He asked a little surprised by my choice of food.


    I could only nod in response.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make it now. It¡¯s toote. I need to go to the office ¡± he said as he stared at the clock hanging on the wall.


    ¡°But I want it. I don¡¯t eat anything for breakfast except for that ¡°, Iined like a child


    ¡°Zoya, I will bete. Try to understand, I cannot afford to bete to work¡±


    ¡°I will tell Dad why you werete ¡°, I  said while pouting. ¡± Please, but I want to eat tortis¡± I begged


    ¡°You can¡¯t control my life, Zoya¡±  he suddenly yelled at me, his eyes full with rage.


    For money I was scared but that quickly changed to duty as I switched from the nice Zoya who was trying to please and beg her husband to the Zoya nobody wanted to anger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to shout at me¡± I warned him fiercely.


    He had no right whatsoever to tell me.


    He quickly bowed his head submissively and apologized, he looked a little bit scared and that made me feel relieved.


    ¡°¡±I¡¯m sorry¡±, I mumbled. ¡± But try to understand. It doesn¡¯t look good. And I don¡¯t want to lose my job, I mean I don¡¯t want people to think that I¡¯m taking advantage of being Mr. Ali¡¯s son-inw, The fact is I¡¯m not¡±, I tell her.


    ¡°Why do you care about people so much?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The way you care about what people will say if they get to know you are not married to me ¡± he snapped once again.


    It seemed like Barat had not learnt his lesson on not to raise his voice at me.


    ¡°Are you attacking me with your words?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Sort of ¡°, I replied as he quickly rounded up his cleaning.


    ¡°The flour is no longer avable so I am sorry I cannot make tortis for you but I can whip up something else¡± he offers as he brings out some bread from the cab.


    I could only stare at him in shock, I wonder where he got all this courage from.


    ¡°I think you haven¡¯t washed your face yet. Will you please?¡± He said pointing to a door which I could only assume was the bathroom.


    I was furious but I was also self conscious as to how I looked for him to have noticed I had not washed up yet.


    He quickly got to whipping some eggs and making some toast, while I walked into the bathroom.


    Nothing prepared me for the state of that bathroom I could only stare at it in horror but I knew I could not make a fuss. Putting on my big girl panties I began washing my face when I suddenly opened my eyes and I saw the most dreadful creature crawling on the wall of the bathroom.


    I screamed with all my might yelling. ¡°Abrar¡± I screamed in horror.


    ¡°Abrar where the heck are you,e here now¡± I yelled once again when he seemed not to reply to me.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m here ¡°, he said, I could hear his voice outside the door of the bathroom.¡±   What happened?¡±, Why are you screaming?¡± He asked sounding a little bit worried.


    ¡°Pathetic Washington?¡±, I blurted out. ¡°Why are there so many cockroaches over here?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± he said, nonchntly like it was no big deal and I was the one making a fuss.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®oh!¡¯? Do something¡± I spat in annoyance.


    ¡°What can I do? You shoulde outside if you are afraid of them?¡± he said, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°I have taken a shower and I didn¡¯t bring my clothes¡± I responded.


    My closet was usually connected to my bathroom, all this was new to me.


    Wow! What an amazing girl! Who forgets to bring her clothes while taking a shower? She does.


    ¡°Well that is your mistake. Why didn¡¯t you bring your clothes?¡± the asked, sounding frustrated.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just bring a cloth for me, I felt like this bug might fly on my body any time soon please Abrar¡± I  pleaded as I stared at the bug in horror. ¡°And besides I am not used to that. I have an attached bathroom in my room and I never needed to bring clothes inside my bathroom¡±


    ¡°Gosh! You are so demanding, first breakfast now you want me to bring your clothes, am I your maid?¡± He yelled out frustrated. ¡± I don¡¯t know what you are nning, but we are not officially married. I can¡¯t just go and open your luggage, that is hical¡±


    ¡°So you want me toe in front of you in a towel¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± he said in a disapproving time.


    ¡°So Bring me my clothes now¡± I snapped at him angrily.


    Gosh he was getting on myst nerve. It will take nothing for me to wrap a towel on my body and walk out.


    ¡°fine I will get it,¡± he did and unheard his footsteps retreat as he walked away.


    ¡°Abraaarrr¡± I screamed so loud in horror. ¡°These cockroaches are flying¡±


    This was what i feared the most I was so close to opening the door and running out in just my towel.


    I wonder what was taking him so much time, my luggage was open and I had some clothes already spread out on the bed.


    ¡°Where are you, please,e soon¡± I sobbed as I stared at the unwanted creatures with fear.


    ¡°Zoya, are you ok?¡± Abrar asked outside the door, sounding panicked.


    I slightly opened the door and brought out my hand.


    ¡°My clothes¡±, I asked


    He ced them on my hand, and your fingers slightly brushed each other which made me shiver in a kind of way. But I took it from him and quickly mmed the door. And hurriedly out of my clothes while trying to avoid the flying creatures.


    I opened the door and Abrar was standing outside with a worried expression on his face but as I tried to walk past him, I slipped and fell on my ass hard.


    I grabbed my waist in pain as I closed my eyes. ¡°Aghhhhhh¡± I screamed in pain.


    Abrar quickly rushed to my side, his hand hovering around me but he refused to touch me.


    ¡°Are you okay? Did it hurt?¡± He asked looking worried.


    But that was a stupid question to ask, I justnded on my butt hard and he was asking if I was okay.


    ¡°Yes I am okay, because one would be okay if they fell on the ground like this¡± I snapped at him, my voice dripping with sarcasm.


    I grabbed my back in pain, it hurt like hell.


    Abrar just kept staring at me looking lost like he had no idea what to do which just infuriated me the more.


    ¡°Now what are you waiting for? Help me to get up?¡±, I snapped at him.


    He instantly sped my arm and helped me get up. I could hardly stand, my leg trembling in pain. He took me to the room while holding both my arms then gently sat me down on the bed.


    ¡°God! It¡¯s terrible. I can¡¯t move¡±, I cried out in pain.


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll bring hot water for you. You will get some relief¡± he said Ashe ran out of the room.


    I was in so much pain I decided to just let it go, I wondered what hot water was going to do at this moment. This was all his fault.


    It took him more than five minutes toe back with the white water, but the pain did not seem to subside.


    ¡°Please put it under your back,¡± he said s he offered me a bag as soon as he walked into the room


    ¡°Thanks. But no thanks¡¯ ¡® I snapped, ¡°That¡¯s all because of you. Ahhh!¡±, She hissed again while cing the bag under her back.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± He was surprised by my sudden outburst. ¡°You should be careful while stepping out,¡± he scolded.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°I got panicked and I wanted toe out as soon as possible because your washroom has some stupid cockroaches inside it ¡± I argued. ¡°Why did you say you live alone when you have a bunch of stupid cockroaches as your housemates?¡±, I asked annoyed as the warm patch slowly helped ease the pain.


    But he suddenly startedughing at me, does he think my bong in pain was funny?


    ¡°Why are youughing? Am I cracking a joke?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied, stillughing. Gosh, he was so annoying ¡°Do you need a doctor?¡± He asked


    ¡± I guess no. The pain is decreasing,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Still, take this painkiller after breakfast,¡± he said as he opened a drawer and brought out a container. And gave it to me. ¡°I¡¯ll bring your breakfast here¡± he offered.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t take my breakfast on the bed¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle to the table¡±


    ¡°Can you manage to Walk?¡± He asked, looking at me with a worried expression.


    ¡°I should try it. If I don¡¯t try, how will I spend the whole day lying on this bed? You won¡¯t be here, no?¡±.


    With Abrar¡¯s help, he helped me walk out of the room and gently ced some on a chair by the counter.


    He ced the te of toast and cup of tea on my table which was not what I wanted but I had no choice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make tortis for dinner,¡± he said. ¡°But please, manage with this for now¡±


    I said nothing and ate my food quietly. But was suddenly disrupted by the ringing of a bell.


    ¡°Who is there?¡± Abrar asked as he walked to the door.


    ¡°That should be our question, Abrar Zafar¡± a man yelled from outside.


    It seemed there was amotion of some sort


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± Another asked. Maybe they wet his neighbors I thought to myself.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t get it,¡± Abrar responded, he looked flustered.


    ¡°Where is the girl you were trying to molest?¡± A voice rang. I almost choked on my tea when I heard that statement.


    Molest? Who was Abrar molesting?


    ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± Abrar asked as he looked stunned by the sudden question.


    ¡°We heard a girl screaming inside your apartment. You live alone. Then what was the noise all about?¡±

 Chapter 9

    Abrar Point of View


    I was shocked at the statement. I couldn¡¯t exin to them what happened as it would raise more questions.


    ¡°You are getting it wrong. No such incident happened here.¡± I blurted out.¡± Sharma Ji, you know me well. Right? Why don¡¯t you tell them?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to say, Abrar? I too heard a girl scream, that noise came from your apartment,¡± he said. He was right at some point. The way Zoya screamed anyone could get it wrong.


    ¡°Now move. We need to check your house and rescue the girl,¡± the chairman said.


    ¡°Sir, please trust me. Nothing wrong happening here,¡± I tried to defend myself.


    ¡°Then tell us who the girl was. And why was she screaming?¡± My neighbor shrugged.


    I had no answer to their questions. If I told them about Zoya I would have to tell them who she was. If I told them she wasn¡¯t rted to me, they wouldn¡¯t have let us stay here as we were unmarried. If I lied to them that she was my wife, they wouldn¡¯t have believed me as I had no proof to justify my statements. I realized I was in a great mess right then.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear us? We need to interrogate your house,¡± the chairman yelled.


    I had no choice left. I couldn¡¯t bear more mess in my life in less than 24 hours. I was about to move and let them in.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Zoya suddenly appeared there and held my arm. I shockingly nced at her. People outside my apartment looked at her shockingly as she held my arm.


    ¡°See. There¡¯s a girl,¡± the neighbors spat.


    ¡°Ok. So I¡¯m a girl. What¡¯s the big deal here?¡± She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Are you ok? You were screaming,¡± the chairman asked her.


    ¡± Oh! That is a long story, uncle. First I saw some creepy cockroaches in the bathroom. They were flying andnding on my body. Eww!¡± She made a dirty face. I couldn¡¯t do anything but only stare at her.


    ¡°Then I hurriedly walked out of the bathroom and slipped on the floor, gosh it was such a horrible experience,¡± she sighed. They looked at her shockingly, the way she was speaking was totally surprising.


    ¡°What did you guys assume?¡± She asked innocently.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing,¡± the chair grinned as he waved his hands in the air.


    ¡°But who are you?¡± Sharma Ji asked. Now I was nervous, I had no idea how to answer that question for Zoya.


    ¡°Me? Abrar¡± she called me and jerked my arm.  ¡°Didn¡¯t you give them the news?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t start your drama here¡± I whispered into her eyes as she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Our lie is not gonna work here. We don¡¯t have anything to state that we are married.¡±


    She drove her eyes away from me as if she ignored what I had said to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m his wife¡± she beamed.


    Oh no! This was bad.


    Everyone looked shocked and looked at each other. This was gonna lead me into trouble.


    ¡°Wife?¡± Sharma Ji eximed. ¡°Abrar, you have a wife? When did you get married?¡± He asked looking surprised.


    I know it, they were gonna ask me all these questions. I wondered how she was gonna handle them. However, she was Zoya and no one could ever figure out what was cooking inside her head.


    ¡°I¡­ Actually, I was about to¡­¡± I stuttered, unable to answer the question.


    ¡°It happened suddenly,¡± she replied in my stead, saving me from the awkward situation.


    ¡°We were about to announce it. The thing is it was so quick that we couldn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡­ She is right¡± I preferred to agree with her statements as I was terrible at making up stories and telling lies. She had mastered those skills.


    ¡°But Abrar, you didn¡¯t tell me about your ns,¡± Sharma Ji asked.


    ¡°If both of you are really married, where is your marriage certificate?¡±  my annoying neighbor Mr. Sheikh asked with a scowl on his face.


    We never got along because he always had problems with me. I didn¡¯t know why he was always so mad at me but I always respected him as he was an elderly man.


    ¡°Yes, Abrar. Then fulfill the formalities. Give me your marriage certificate,¡± Sharma Ji asked. Now from where would I bring a marriage certificate? My head started pounding. This was all Zoya¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Marriage¡­ certificate?¡± I stammered.


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t you have it?¡± Mr. Sheikh asked, looking suspicious.


    ¡°Did you forget you gave it to me?¡± Zoya lightly punched me on my shoulder as I looked at her surprisingly. What the heck was she talking about?


    At this point, she should just keep her mouth shut.


    ¡°Excuse me, everyone. I¡¯ll be back with the certificate¡± she said with a smile as she walked inside her room. I was getting more nervous with every passing second. What was she up to? We didn¡¯t n anything when she asked me to help her in that drama. Basically, we hadn¡¯t done any proper nning.


    I remained silent when everyone was staring at me as if I hadmitted some crime by getting married. Until she came I didn¡¯t utter a single word. After two minutes, Zoya returned with a file. I was confused about the file. Before showing it to me, she gave it to Sharma Ji.


    ¡°Here¡¯s our marriage certificate,¡± she said, making me shocked.


    Where did she get that from? How did she manage to get a marriage certificate? I  couldn¡¯t be more surprised. This girl was something else.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Take this¡± Sharma Ji returned it to her after looking at it thoroughly. ¡°Make a copy and then give it to me. And congrattions¡± he beamed


    ¡°Congrats Abrar¡±, the Chairman smiled. And Mr. Sheikh also congratted us too.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zoya replied to all on behalf of me and I half smiled. As soon as they left, I mmed the door and looked at her.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like this?¡± She narrowed her eyebrows. I could not reply as I was still shocked by her actions.


    I grabbed the file from her hand. I opened it and checked it carefully. My eyes popped out as I found it to be an actual marriage certificate.


    ¡°How did you manage it overnight?¡± I eximed, my eyes were not believing what I saw.


    ¡°Do I need to remind you that I¡¯m Zoya Rehmat Ali? And now Zoya Zafar,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Bullshit. You are not Zoya Zafar. It¡¯s just a lie, a scripted rtionship¡±

 Chapter 10

    Abrar Point of View


    ¡°OK. Ok fine. So, I¡¯m Zoya Ali. And I can do anything. Anything,,¡± she repeated the word and snatched the file from me. She walked towards the table and continued eating her breakfast.


    Her actions were so shocking.


    I walked over to the counter and sat down staring at her, wondering how she came up with all these ideas. It was fascinating as well as scary.


    ¡°Seeing me for the first time?¡± She snapped as she stared at me with a disgusted look on her face.


    ¡°I was just wondering something,¡± I said, as I continued watching her.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, sipping her tea.


    ¡°How did you make that certificate?¡± I asked her as I took a bite of my toast. I needed to eat as well.


    ¡°I told you. I¡¯m Zoya Ali¡± she replied with a wink.


    I swear she was so annoying at some points. Especially when she ignored my questions as if I was nothing.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the answer. And that¡¯s not the answer to every question I ask you,¡± I said in annoyance.


    But she only giggled. I could see her more precisely in the daytime. Her nostrils red up whenever she smiled.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s being bossy¡±, she gazed at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being bossy, Zoya, This whole drama revolves around us, you and I, so I have the right to know everything that connects the both of us. Don¡¯t forget you are the one who ced me into all this mess¡±


    ¡°You are stubborn, Abrar Zafar¡±


    Yes. I¡¯m. Now, will you tell me?¡± I asked, sounding frustrated.


    ¡°Well, I talked to mywyersst night. He made this paper overnight and sent it to me through courier this morning¡±, she replied. She had everything nned, that was crazy.


    ¡°Oh! So he knows about it?¡± I asked her, referring to herwyer.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t he tell anything to your father?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. In fact, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything. Just go to the office, and continue your day like nothing happened, It¡¯s more than enough for me¡± she responded with her cold harsh tone.


    I drove my eyes away from her and looked at the clock. Heck! It¡¯s already way past 10, I¡¯m very muchte for the office. I drank the tea at once


    ¡°You just had one piece of bread,¡± Zoya said as I quickly finished my food.


    ¡°I¡¯m gettingte, and guess whose fault it is,¡± I said, shooting her a re.


    ¡°So you are leaving your breakfast just because you arete?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Finish thest one and then leave,¡± she ordered.


    I looked at her surprisingly. Did she say all this to me? Nobody had ever ordered me like this after this after my mother. I had almost forgotten how it feels when someone asks to have a meal and then leaves. It¡¯s been 12 years.


    ¡°What happened? Why are you looking at me like this? Sit down,¡± she ordered again and I couldn¡¯t resist her.


    ¡°Eat this now,¡± she ordered with a re, so dominant.


    I followed her orders without wasting a minute. I forgot that I was gettingte. I didn¡¯t know why I was listening to her but I was loving the way she ordered me which was quite surprising.


    I finished the bread and looked at her like a kid waiting for his parents¡¯ approval.


    ¡°Great. Now you can go¡± she spat. I shook my head and stood up.


    ¡± Call me if you need anything. And please order something for lunch today. I¡¯ll try to prepare your lunch before leaving tomorrow,¡± I said. grabbing my bag and rushing to the door.


    ¡°Your lunch!¡± She asked me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat lunch, ¡± I smiled at her and walked out, mming the door.


    As I believed my life was in a weird phase now where I didn¡¯t know what was going to happen to me. It had been less than a day since I met Zoya for the first time, also became her fake husband, and also weed her into my house.


    Nothing prepared me for what happened in the office, for the first time I was going to work at the main office, ording to the HR team.


    The whole office floor was decorated beautifully with festoons and balloons. Mr. Ali was waiting for me at reception. The whole staff pped as I walked towards them.


    ¡°Wee, Abrar. Wee,¡± Mr. Ali beamed while giving me a warm hug.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I smiled, breaking the hug. ¡°But what is all this?¡± I asked.


    Everything was quite overwhelming and surprising.


    ¡°Congrattions,¡± one of my colleagues greeted me. Then another, then another. I thanked 40 people one by one without any reason. Which congrats? Which marriage? Why thank? Some people who never talked to me properly were being nice to me. So I realized people appreciate you and talk to you properly either when you marry the daughter of a Billionaire or you are a billionaire yourself. Money can buy attention.


    ¡°Sorry, sir. I gotte today,¡± I stammered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry. You arete for the first time and the reason must be Zoya,¡±  he responded. He knew his daughter so well. Every father knows.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that, sir,¡±  I said. Trying to be humble as much as I could.


    ¡°Haha, you can¡¯t lie to me. Especially when it¡¯s about Zoya. Anyway, we will talk about itter. Now go to your desk and get back to work. You have a lot of work to do In your new position¡± he said as he patted my back and headed back to his cabin.


    I looked around and found everyone still looking at me as if I had aplished something huge. When I  rolled my eyes, they got back to their desks. I sighed and walked towards my desk.  I had a pile of work to do. Moreover, my state of mind had worsened terribly.


    ¡± Great job buddy¡± a sarcastic voice hit my ears and I  turned back. Kaif was looking at me, being less.


    ¡°Kaif, what¡¯s up? You look pissed off.¡± I narrowed my eyebrows.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I?¡± He spat. I understood what was pissing him off. But I had no exnation. Kaif is my only friend in this office. We work in the same post, the least preferable post anyone can say.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you had a girlfriend. And you were dating Mr. Ali¡¯s daughter. It was not enough. Then you got married to her. Fuck! What kind of friend I am! Do you even consider me a friend?¡± He snapped. His anger towards me was fair. If I were him, I would be pissed at him too.


    ¡°I¡­ I was just confused,¡± I replied like an idiot since I had idea how to respond.


    ¡°Confused? About what? Telling all this?¡± He eximed.


    ¡°No. About. Zoya. I mean it¡¯s not so long. I was unsure whether I could marry her or not¡­ But before that, her father wanted to marry her off. So I had to make a quick  decision.¡± I stuttered. Finally, I coulde up with a decent story.


    Kaif stared at me suspiciously, like he felt I was hiding something from him.


    ¡°Oh! Now that makes some sense. Anyway, it happened,¡± he said nonchntly.


    I didn¡¯t want to lie to him as he was the one who had been my only friend. Whenever I needed him he was there. I still remember the day of Nikhat¡¯s wedding, when I had almost lost my senses after crying for hours. He was there to handle me. He took me to his ce and his parents fed me well, and took care of me when I was suffering from a bad fever. Now, I was hiding a big truth of my life from him.


    I felt guilty but I had to save my job too. I have my old grandparents in my hometown. If I lost this job, it would¡¯ve caused me a great loss.


    We turned on ourputers and started working.


    ¡°Lucky bro¡± I heard a familiar voice and looked up. Rony was barking from his desk which was opposite mine.


    ¡°Really man,¡± Chavi, the other colleague, joined him from her desk.


    ¡°About what?¡± I was clueless by their sudden interest in me. I was always seen as trash by all of them as I worked mainly in the field before.


    ¡°Buddy, don¡¯t act so innocent. You also know that you have cracked a jackpot¡± Rony smirked. This guy could never utter some sensible statement.


    ¡°She is a girl, not a jackpot. ¡°I snapped angrily.


    Though they knew nothing about us, I wasn¡¯t liking the way he was dragging Zoya in our conversations.


    For the first time. I could answer them on their face. However, that was not because of my fake powers of being Mr Ali¡¯s son-inw. It was because I felt like he uttered rubbish about my wife. Damn! I was assuming her my wife!

 Chapter 11

    Abrar Point of View


    ¡°Rx, cool down, I meant no harm,¡± Rony said, raising his arm up in defeat.


    I decided to just focus on work as I was in no mood to argue with him, it was a new position and ites with a lot of work.


    ¡°At least show some respect¡± Kaif bashed Rony.  ¡°You are dragging his wife in conversation and you want him to cool down? Does that make sense?¡±


    I did not want the situation to be moreplicated.


    ¡°Can I know from when you guys started associating with Abrar, now that he has something you can benefit from, it¡¯s all jokes and smiles, hypocrite?¡± Kaif snapped.


    ¡°Ignore this Kaif. We have a lot of work to do,¡± I said, trying to dissuade him.


    ¡°Ah! Someone is having an attitude now,¡± Rony barked again. I tried to stay calm the way I used to be. I nced at Kaif and indicated to keep calm too.


    ¡°What a yer you are, Abrar! Who knew there would be a yer behind this decent face? Trapped a rich chick!¡± Rony spat. I heard all of themughing but preferred to stay calm.


    I should be used to the disrespect by now, they never thought of me as an equal but at the same time, they knew nothing of my situation.


    After office hours, I rested my head on the desk as I was very exhausted. My head was pounding and my eyes were burning because of theck of sleep.


    Today was very stressful and with the constant res from my co-workers everywhere I just felt tense. I am just d the day hase to an end.


    ¡°Buddy,e on. Got to go.¡± Kaif taps on my back as I lift my head.


    ¡°You look very tired¡± he said looking worried as he helped me arrange my desk.


    I am so happy to have my friend with me here in the same office.


    ¡°Sort of,¡± I mumbled, cleaning my desk area.


    ¡°No worries you will get used to it, and don¡¯t pay attention to all those fake ass people,¡± Kaif said referring to our colleagues and I could not help butugh as he made a funny expression. ¡°Go home soon. Your wife must be waiting for you with a cup of hot tea,¡± he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at me with a sly smirk on his face.


    Gosh, he was so dirty-minded.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know how to cook,¡± I chuckled, remembering the morning incident and how pissed she was while making her own breakfast. Atst, she ended up having those bread toasts.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s fair enough. She belongs to a rich family. Never mind. Love is more important than some stupid skills,¡± he said while stillughing.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I responded knowing fully well there is nothing like love between Zoya and I. We walked out of the office together cracking jokes just like normal.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m d that you moved on. I hope Nikhat¡¯s memories won¡¯t haunt you,¡± he said, surprising me as to why the sudden mention of my ex.


    ¡°Those memories stopped haunting me a long ago, Kaif,¡±


    It had been many years since we separated. So it was easy for me to move on as I had a huge time to heal.


    We walked to the metro station and climbed up. I hoped Zoya had handled herself well in my apartment. She should do that on her own as she was the one to trap herself in this mess. However, I was still worried about her as I hadn¡¯t gotten any call from her. Right then, I realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to call me as I hadn¡¯t given her my number. It disturbed me immediately. She was injured. Moreover, she was alone at my ce. I should have given her my number. How could I forget that?


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kaif was seated beside me. He noticed my reactions.


    ¡°Zoya is alone at home. She had injured herself and I forgot to give her my number,¡± I said and quickly realized my mistake. I said something I shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have your number?¡± Kaif asked, looking surprised, with a confused expression on his face.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I was so stupid. I felt like pping myself for being such an idiot.


    ¡°No. The thing is you know I have two numbers. I didn¡¯t give her the second one and recently I sent out the second sim card of my phone. She doesn¡¯t have that one¡± I said, trying to rectify the situation and make it less suspicious.


    ¡°Oh! Why don¡¯t you call her and check up on her¡±


    ¡°No. I will be at home within 30 minutes. I don¡¯t think I would need to call her now,¡± I replied. Zoya had made me the greatest liar, I cannot believe I was lying to my best friend so effortlessly.


    I reached my ce impatiently and opened the door with my keys. After entering inside, I noticed she was not in the living room. I instantly panicked thinking something bad might have happened to her. I immediately ran towards her room to check.


    ¡°Zoya¡± I yelled as soon as I entered the room.


    She turned around to look at me with a confused expression on her face, I sighed in relief knowing she was okay but then I noticed she was holding something in her hand, she was holding a photograph.


    I rushed to her and snatched the photograph from her hand and into my pocket.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Who was that girl? Your girlfriend?¡± She asked as she crossed her arms and raised her brows at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, Have some manners. Is it right to touch one¡¯s stuff when  the person isn¡¯t around?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in touching your stuff,¡± she responded with a disgusted look. ¡°I was making some space in the drawer to keep my stuff and I found this. She is pretty.¡±


    ¡°I know she is. You don¡¯t need to tell me¡± I felt like my little privacy had been invaded, I hated this situation right now.


    ¡°Tell me who she is. Your girlfriend? Listen, I know it¡¯s not my business. But I don¡¯t want to cause any problems in your rtionship. So you better tell me about her, everything about her so that I can tackle the situation wherever she is around or things go wrong,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have created enough problems for me?¡± I raised my eyebrows.


    ¡°Maybe I have. But I can save things from going worse,¡± she joked.


    ¡°Not everything is a joke, She was my ex-girlfriend and she is married, so there is nothing to worry about,¡± I said in a nk tone.


    ¡°Ouch! That¡¯s why you look depressed all the time,¡± she joked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± she could be so childish sometimes.


    ¡°I know. But it might be a good thing¡± she said as we walked into the living room.


    ¡°How is that?¡± I asked her, confused by her statement.


    ¡°Come on. Do you believe in Taqdeer (Destiny)?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Yes. I do, I replied to her and drank a nce of water.


    ¡°Then you must know that we get the person who is in our Destiny, not the one whom we love.¡± She surprised me with her words. I get surprised every time she utters something sensible and fair.


    ¡°Right, I sighed and looked at her. How is your back pain?¡±


    ¡°Much better. I can walk now,¡± she said with a bright smile which illuminated her features.


    She was indeed a very beautiful girl, but just stubborn.


    ¡°Sorry. I forget to give you my number. I hope you didn¡¯t have any problem,¡± I said as I poured myself a cup of water.


    ¡°You surprise me,¡± she said, hopping on the kitchen counter and crossing her legs as she sat down.


    That was very udylike.


    ¡°How?¡± I looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°I made so much mess in your lifest night. Still, you are caring. I appreciate it,¡± she said suddenly looking serious.


    The way her moods change could give someone a migraine. Could she have multiple personality disorder?


    ¡°I¡¯m still pissed at you, Zoya. However, I consider you my guest. You are staying at my ce. I must take care of you. My mother has taught me to be good to my guests¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the thing. All momma¡¯s boys are decent,¡± she teased.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t make fun of the things released to my mother,¡± I shot her a re.


    ¡°Ok, sorry!¡± She waved her hands.


    ¡°Did you have your lunch?¡± I asked her, changing the topic.


    ¡°Yeah. I had ordered it.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    I walked towards my room and mmed the door.


    I just wanted to rest, I needed no drama for now, anytime I was close to Zoya something always happened.


    Today my morning was more rushed than any other day. I hadn¡¯t slept well so I woke upte. Zoya had created chaos when she saw some cockroaches and slipped against the floor. People made a crowd outside my apartment to inquire about Zoya. Among all these things, I couldn¡¯t take a shower this morning, which caused a severe headache, so I took my towel and went outside. Zoya was doing something on her phone at the dining table. I nced at her and went inside the bathroom.


    I turned the shower on and closed my eyes. My head is aching very badly. I needed a long nap to reduce this, no medicine could work. After 15 minutes I turned off the shower and wiped my hair with the towel. Wait! What the heck! I blurted out in my mind. I forget to bring my clothes and Zoya was exactly on the opposite side of the washroom.


    How would I bring my clothes? I was not used to bringing my clothes into the washroom as I lived alone.


    However, I couldn¡¯t walk out wearing a towel in front of her. Great Abrar!


    Great job! I mocked myself. I couldn¡¯t call her as she would definitely remind me of the incident which happened this morning. What if she taught me? Besides, I had no choice left. I hesitated but earned the courage to call her.


    ¡°Zoya,¡± I called her.


    ¡°What?¡± She replied in a nk tone.


    ¡°Act¡­ actually I¡­,¡± I stuttered, figuring out what to say next.


    ¡°Did you meet some cockroaches too?¡± She asked in a sarcastic voice. ¡°Talk to them. They are your friends no? This is why you lived with them for so long.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± This girl was so annoying sometimes. ¡°Nothing like that. Actually, I forgot my clothes,¡± I said in a low tone.


    ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± She asked me again. Bullshit! I knew she would make an issue of that too.


    ¡°I forgot my clothes,¡± I said a little louder. The next moment, I could hear a roll ofughter. She wasughing at me. Now, that was called a true embarrassment. She was definitely enjoying this.


    ¡°Zoya¡± I called but got no reply. She was stillughing.

 Chapter 12

    Abrar Point of View


    ¡°Whoes to take a shower without bringing clothes?''¡± she repeated those words I told her in the morning her voiceced with mockery and again she busted intoughter.


    ¡°Like you, I¡¯m not used to sharing my apartment with anyone,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh! So you roam around your t, wearing a towel?¡± She joked.


    ¡°Well it is my apartment and I stay alone, you are the one invading my space so I can wear whatever I want i can decide to be naked if I want¡± I snapped at her, she was getting on my nerves.


    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t get your clothes stay there a while¡±


    ¡°Ok. It was my fault. Now, will you please move to your room for a few minutes? I¡¯ll have to go to my room,¡±


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯m going. But do remember this lesson. First, look at yourself before you taunt others,¡± she said.


    I was going to learn this lesson until she was here. I waited for a few minutes and opened the door to peep outside. She was not at the dining table. I immediately walked out, wearing the towel, and rushed to my room. Releasing a deep sigh, I locked the door. Damn!  It was so awful. I need to be more careful next time. Now, I¡¯m sharing my apartment with someone, that too with a girl. My clothes were packed in a box as I didn¡¯t have a closet in this room. I opened the cardboard box and took out a T-shirt and trousers.


    After putting on clothes, I walked outside and saw Zoya sitting at the dining table. She was eating a slice of pizza and most of its portion wasying on the table. Maybe she had ordered it for a night snack. I was starving as I had barely eaten anything the whole day. I nced at her and walked towards the kitchen.


    ¡°Listen,¡± she called me, filling her mouth with a big bite of pizza.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I turned to her.


    ¡°Come here,¡± she indicated to me toe to her with her hand.


    I obeyed her and made my way to the table.


    ¡°Sit,¡± she orders, pointing to the couch.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to youter. Let me make something first. I¡¯m starving,¡± I said, declining her offer to sit down.


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to sit¡±


    She takes another bite as her lips are covered with melted cheese. She used her fingers to lick the cheese from her lips and again looked at me. Gosh, that was sexy.


    ¡°Sit,¡±  She said again, a little rudely. I was so lost in looking at her that I couldn¡¯t reply to anything and sat beside her.


    ¡°Take this,¡± she passed me a slice of pizza.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can make mine,¡± I immediately told her as she red at me. Her eyes looked beautiful and scary at the same time.


    ¡°Do you think I have ordered such a huge pizza just for myself?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You ordered it for me too?¡± I asked, I was a little bit surprised as I did not expect her to do such a thing.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she responded with a nk expression as she took another note of her pizza.


    ¡°You said you don¡¯t eat lunch. I thought you must be hungry and it would take time to make something.¡± She said while finishing a slice.


    ¡°Thanks but don¡¯t do it. Why will you waste your money after me?¡± I told her.


    ¡°Will you ask me for rent?¡± She raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°No!¡± I eximed, surprised by her question. That was just diabolical.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about my money and finish this,¡± she shot me another re.


    I examined the slice of pizza well. Throughout my life, with had only heard the name of pizza and saw how it looked like. I had neither touched it nor I had ever eaten it.


    ¡°What happened? Eat,¡± she urged.


    ¡°Okay¡±


    She was so authoritative but I couldn¡¯t help myself from obeying her. It just felt like a natural impulse.


    I took a bite of the mouth-watering pizza and as soon as it entered my mouth, the melted cheese spread around my mouth. I couldn¡¯t figure out how it happened when I carefully took the bite. It had covered my mouthpletely and some fell on my t-shirt. Before I could understand and do anything, I heard another roll ofughter.


    I immediately looked up and found her clicking my pictures on my phone. This girl¡¯s crazy.


    ¡°Zoya!¡± I scolded her trying to grab the phone but she just pushed it out of my reach.


    ¡°Hey, Santa us,¡± she joked,  taking more pictures of me. I was pissed at her actions. However, when I looked at her again, the way she wasughing she looked like an innocent girl,pletely opposite of the rich, cunning, arrogant Zoya. I kept my pictures. She looked more attractive when sheughed, widening her lips. Damn! She had dimples whenever she smiled. I was discovering her better which I couldn¡¯t dost night. She had so many details that I couldn¡¯t finish noticing even if I stared at her the whole day.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall for me,¡± she said, my chain of thoughts broke and I drove my eyes away from her when she said that.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I said don¡¯t fall for me, Mr. Abrar Zafar. She took a tissue paper and passed it to me.  ¡°You will regret it¡± she warned suddenly looking serious.


    I took the tissue paper and wiped my face. Thinking about what I should tell her, my head started pounding. Did she just warn me? She had noticed that I was staring at her. But that didn¡¯t mean I was falling for her. Why do all the beautiful girls think that every guy will fall for them? I was not from those guys.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°You must have your head stuck up in your ass, you are so full of yourself¡±


    ¡°I know. I was just warning you,¡±  she giggled.


    Falling for someone isn¡¯t a crime. What was the big deal if I certainly fell for her? Why would I regret it? Despite having a lot of questions I preferred to keep quiet. When I thought about it deeply, I felt she was right at some point. She was the daughter of a rich businessman. Soon, she was gonna take over everything that her father owned.


    She would be finding a rich guy for herself who could match her status. She was at my ce with me for a short period.


    ¡°I got it, I told her. ¡°I think eating a pizza isn¡¯t a cup of tea for me,¡± I said to her, changing the topic.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a pizza. I¡¯m not asking you to fight a war. Finish this,¡±! She ordered.


    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°You are impossible,¡± she passed me a nk look and lifted the slice. ¡°Open your mouth,¡± she brought it near to my lips, making me ufortable. ¡°Take a light and tender bite,¡± she instructed me.


    Looking at her, I opened my mouth. I did the same as she said. This time the cheese spread less on my lips.


    ¡°Great. Now eat like this.¡± She passed me the slice of pizza and smiled. Not bad. Finally, I got to know why some people were crazy after pizza. I wanted to eat more. I took another bite. vors sted inside my mouth every time I chewed and swallowed it.


    ¡°It¡¯s tasty,¡± I beamed at her.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s pizza. It will be tasty,¡± she rolled her eyes as it was not a new thing to hear. But for me it was new.


    ¡°I¡¯m eating this for the first time. I half-smiled when she looked at me in disbelief.


    ¡°What ?¡± She eximed, looking at me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford it,¡± I said with a tinge of shame


    ¡°It¡¯s not that expensive,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°It can be. But I prefer saving even if it is a single penny.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Then I have an exclusive deal for you.¡± She said, gobbling the rest of the pizza.


    ¡°Another deal?¡± My eyes popped out and I left the pizza on the te. I  was scared of this deal. And when she came with her deal word it haunted me like hell. One of her terrible deals had messed up my lifepletely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. This one is easy, she grinned.


    ¡°Like?¡± I raised my eyebrows.


    ¡°As I¡¯m not paying you the rent, I¡¯ll be sharing my food with you, ¡± she smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, I told her. ¡± I can¡¯t afford luxury food. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t afford anything to eat ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you, by the way,¡± she snapped like it was not up for discussion. Whenever I rejected her offer, she switched to the scary version of her.


    I wondered how her boyfriend survived with her. He must have been afraid of her and broken up with her to save the rest of his life.


    ¡°Ok, fine,¡± I replied. I had no choice but to agree with her.


    She shook her head in satisfaction and drank a ss of water.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the tortis. If you don¡¯t make it for dinner, I will make sure you sleep with an empty stomach,¡± she red at me and went inside her room.


    I was stunned. Actually, I had been used to get stunned by her behavior every time.


    First, she fed me half of her pizza, being generous. Then she warned me that she would make me sleep with an empty stomach if I didn¡¯t fulfill her craving. She was definitely having some split personality disorder.

 Chapter 13

    Abrar¡¯s Point of view


    I woke up after taking a short nap. Thankfully, my headache is gone. I looked at the clock, I had one hour to make dinner. It had been a long time I made tortis. As a bachelor, I had always preferred a quick meal. I was unsure if I could make proper tortis or not. Besides, Zoya looked so desperate to eat tortis which made me nervous.


    I walked out of my room and checked out Zoya. She was nowhere around the kitchen and her room was locked.


    Maybe she was inside. I entered the kitchen and took the container of flour. It was hard for me to knead the dough after a long time. While kneading it I recalled the moment when my granny taught me to make round tortis when I was 16 after my parent¡¯s demise, I had to learn everything to survive. I was the guy who never lifted a ss of water to drink when my parents were alive. Life had taught me every lesson throughout the journey that I made without my parents. Twelve years were enough for me to turn myself into apletely different person.


    My chin of thoughts broke as I heard the sound of the door. I looked up and saw Zoya,ing out of her room. She had big headphones on her ears and her iPad in her hand. She walked to the dining table and sat on the same chair. I guessed she was morefortable at the dining table than the bed. She nced at me and again focused on the screen.


    I wondered what she had been doing all day on her iPad. I found her on her iPad every time I saw her. Was she trying to connect to her ex-boyfriend? Maybe they were trying to sort out the issues. She hadn¡¯t talked about Anas since we came here. A lot of stupid things overloaded my mind as if I had nothing to do without thinking about her.


    ¡°What will you eat with the tortis,¡± I asked her but she couldn¡¯t hear me because of the headphones.


    ¡°Zoya!¡± I called her loudly but she didn¡¯t hear this time too. I have two options now. Either I would cook something ording to my choice or go to her and ask her. However, I knew the second option would be okay if I wanted to save myself from her scary looks.


    Thinking about all this, I came near her and lightly tapped on her shoulder. She immediately looked at me and removed the headphones.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked me narrowing her eyebrows.


    ¡°Nothing is wrong. And nothing wrong will happen. Was calling you¡±


    ¡°Ahaan!¡± She chuckled. ¡°So, Abrar Zafar is creating one-liners. Not bad.¡± She joked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in doing that. Anyway, I wanted to ask you what you will eat with torti,¡± I asked her praying hard she wouldn¡¯t ask for something that I didn¡¯t have at that moment.


    ¡°Aaamm..¡± she mumbled. ¡± Don¡¯t you have some pickle?¡± She asked, resting her chin on her palm.


    ¡°Pickle?¡± I eximed. I didn¡¯t know a pizza-eaten girl would like pickles also. It was not a rich thing. I recalled the vor of tasty pickles which my mother used to make. I was really fond of them. Just like Zoya, I used to love thebination of tangy pickles and tortis.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m missing it too. My momma makes tasty pickles. Do you have some?¡±  She demanded like a kid.


    ¡°Well. Sorry, but I don¡¯t know how to make it. Besides, I¡¯m a bachelor. I never inclined towards learning it,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Oh! Then you can make whatever you want. I was missing momma. So,¡± she couldn¡¯tplete her line. I felt her voice bing heavier.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I was little unprepared for this. she didn¡¯t look that upset yesterday when she wasing with me. She had finally spent 24 hours without her family. That must be horrible for her.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine,¡±  sounding a little sad.


    She must kiss her parents. All this was new for her but had no idea on how to console her and make her feel better.


    Never in my life, I hade across a girl who was crying for her parents while staying at my ce. Eventually, she was still unknown to me. I wasn¡¯t aware of how many shades she had. I


    Being clueless I lifted a tissue paper from the box and held it before her like a stupid.


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± she lifted her face. Her eyes were turned red and somehow she controlled her tears. That¡¯s all I could figure out.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°But you are about to,¡±


    ¡°I was not,¡± she shrugged. She was stubborn to lose an argument. I couldn¡¯t win even if I tried a hundred times..


    ¡°Ok. I sighed. ¡°So I¡¯m preparing potato curry. Is that ok?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I can manage¡± she said.


    I heard back to the kitchen and boiled some potatoes to make curry. It took me 45 minutes to prepare the dinner and another 10 minutes to clean the kitchen and serve it on the table. Zoya had seated there until I served the dinner.


    ¡°Let me wash my face,¡± she puts down her headphones and iPad at the corner of the table and went inside the washroom.


    I served the dinner on her te and waited for her, though it wasn¡¯t necessary. I didn¡¯t feel like to eat without her. After 10 minutes, she came outside.


    She took damn 10 minutes just to wash her face! I was starving here, waiting for her. Turning around I saw 2 tubes in her hand. It¡¯s called Face wash or something! Ugh! I don¡¯t know.


    I shoved them on the couch and came to the table.


    ¡°These cockroaches won¡¯t let me live peacefully, Can¡¯t you conduct pest control over here?¡±


    ¡°I can manage. Why would I waste money on these silly things?¡± I looked at her dirty face.


    ¡°You have the same excuse every time. Money! I understand you can¡¯t afford it. But it doesn¡¯t cost much and besides it is unhygienic¡± s


    ¡°But I told you I spend every single penny carefully, It is not on my budget yet¡± I replied. She didn¡¯t seem to be satisfied with my answer and sat down.


    ¡°No worries. I will do it for my sake,¡± she said. She better do that. I couldn¡¯t spend on her luxury lifestyle. Just in a day, she had shown me enough tantrums. I wondered how i was going to handle her in the uing days.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t start eating?¡± She asked, picking up her te.


    ¡°I was waiting for you, I said, tearing a piece of torti.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you. I thought we were going to mind our own business,¡± she said, chewing the torti. why is this girl always appreciated and taunted at the same time? Which one should I take? I wondered.


    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll mind my own business from now on,¡± I ignored eye contact with her. She chuckled near my ears. Now, what was funny about it? I gazed at her.


    ¡°I was saying casually. I didn¡¯t expect you to wait for me,¡± she continued eating.


    ¡°That¡¯s called courtesy. And I told you I consider you my guest. That¡¯s why I waited for you. If you didn¡¯t like it, I would make sure I don¡¯t do it again¡± I said in a husky voice.


    It made me sick when she made fun of that. I waited for her for so long and she was taunting me instead of being nice to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t like it, thank you,¡± she said with a smile. And for a month I stopped breathing, that had to be the most genuine smile.

 Chapter 14

    Zoya¡¯s Pov


    Staying in with Abrar was worse than I expected, I thought the constant cockroach attacks was worst but when the shower head broke when I was bathing that was thest straw for me.


    ¡°Abrar¡± I screamed his name in panic from the bathroom.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He yelled back his voice filled with panic.


    ¡°The shower head broke¡± Iined. Never in my life have I witnessed such a strange thing it was fascinating as well as frustrating.


    ¡°Are you done bathing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No I am not, what am I going to do?¡± I yelled in frustration.


    ¡°Well just quickly finish your shower there is nothing I can do about it while you are in there¡± he replied.


    ¡°So you want to wash up with an open shower head without control?¡± I asked in disbelief. I can¡¯t believe what he is asking me to do. That is just utterly crazy.


    ¡°Well if you are done bathing, put on your clothes and leave the bathroom¡± he responded and I heard his footsteps as he walked away.


    ¡°Abrar¡± I yelled his name calling out to him but got no reply.


    Argh, he never stops getting on my nerves. I quickly finished up my shower and dressed up and then walked out of the bathroom.


    He sat on the small worn-out couch watching the TV. ¡°Oh, are you done?¡± He asked, looking in my direction.


    ¡°Well obviously, if not I would not be out here, we need to talk Abrar, fix the shower head first I will go to my room and get properly dressed we cannot have an open tap shower in this house¡± I yelled.


    ¡°I told you¡­.¡± He replied before I banged the door refusing to hear why he wanted to tell me.


    Argh, it was so frustrating trying to talk to him. I want him to do a lot of things but he always insists he does not have the money for it, which Ipletely understand.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    I am a married woman now so I know I am not going to be getting any allowance from my dad anymore. I have to start fending for myself and it is not like my husband is very rich either.


    I pulled out my jeans and top. I have always wanted to dress like this but due to the constant scrutiny of my father, I was never able to. Maybe I can finally have the freedom I have wished for here.


    I checked myself In the mirror and I could confirm I looked good, my figure well entuated and I decided to style my hair in curly waves and let it fall beautifully behind my back.


    I was good to go, it was not like I had anywhere I was doing but yeah I wanted to look good and today Abrar was not going to work so I am assuming he was going to beying at home all day.


    I walked out of the room just as Abrar walked out of the bathroom, with his clothes and hairpletely soaked and wet he looked like a wet giant dog but I could not help myself from scanning his body, for the first time I noticed they Abrar was very fit I knew he has not had an easy life as he grew up poor but still it was so surprising to see him looking so fit.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± He asked with a scowl on his face.


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t help but notice that you look like a wet dog,¡± I saidughing out looking at him as I clutched my stomach.


    I can¡¯t let him know I was checking him out.


    ¡°You said we needed to talk,¡± he said, ignoring my shenanigans, well better that way, I was embarrassed myself.


    ¡°Yes we do,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Okay then, I will quickly go change up my clothes and then we can talk, better?¡± He asked. I nodded my head in response as he walked to his room.


    I wonder why he decided to stay in that room all by himself but well there is nothing I could do since he has decided not to listen to me. He was so adamant about not staying in the exact same room with me.


    I sat on the worn-out couch, waiting for him to finish changing up, grabbing the ancient remote control, and switching the channel to look for something interesting to keep me busy.


    He walked out of his bedroom or should I say storehouse where he was wearing shorts which was odd. I had never seen him wearing shorts before which he paired with a top.


    ¡°Okay, so what do you want to talk about?¡± He asked as he sat down on the chair opposite me, staring at me with a nk expression.


    ¡°Well, have you fixed the shower?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No I haven¡¯t, I just stopped the water from flowing for now, we will have to get a plumber toe over and fix it¡± he said.


    ¡°So I know all this might be sounding and feeling strange for you but like I said it is only temporary,¡± I said.


    ¡°I am way more than ufortable with all this, you are an unmarried woman who is not my wife even though we deceive other people we are and we are staying in the same room, I am extremely notfortable with all this, I am lying to everybody I know my friends, my boss. it is just so annoying¡± he vented.


    ¡°Well, I am sorry for putting you in this situation but I had no choice¡± I replied. ¡°Well, I understand you are notfortable with all this so what if I made a business proposal¡± I offered.


    ¡°A business proposal? Zoya, I hope this is not one of the useless schemes that you are nning¡± he responded.


    I could not help but roll my eyes at him, he was so distrustful.


    ¡°I am not nning anything okay so calm down your horses¡± I replied.


    ¡°So what is this business proposal you want to discuss?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we sign a contract, I will pay you a thousand dors after the contract ends and I will finally inherit my father¡¯spany and you still get to keep your job in thepany¡± I offered.


    He stared at me nkly, with no response, before his expression changed to that of one who looked like he was staring at a crazy person.


    ¡°Are you crazy? What absurdity are you saying?¡± He asked, staring at me in disbelief.


    ¡°I am not crazy, it is a win, win situation for both of us anyway so there is nothing to really think about you be one million dors richer and I am finally the CEO of my father¡¯spany and you still get to keep your job,¡± I said, with a smile on my face as I thought that was a generous offer.


    With that money he should be able to buy a small apartment, and put it to his name and get married in the future to a woman he really wants to.


    ¡°I am not collecting such money, in fact, I don¡¯t think I can continue with this facade anymore, I am not a liar Zoya but you have made me one which I absolutely despise¡± he yelled at me.


    ¡°Then What do you want? I am offering you such a good opportunity and you are rejecting it, so tell me what do you want?¡± I asked, screaming at him angrily.


    It was so frustrating, the condition of the house was so bad, now the bad shower head had to be repaired, the groceries in the house were running out and he was barely surviving and now I was giving him a very easy route out and he was rejecting, or was the money I offered too small.


    ¡°Should I increase the money? Was it too small, would you want me to increase it to two million or would three million be better¡± I offered to increase the price.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your damn money, I don¡¯t need all that it does not seat well with my conscience deceiving the people close to me like this¡± he replied


    ¡°You are being very unreasonable right now so why do you want me to do? Go over to my parents and tell them that it was all a lie?¡± I asked him in disbelief.


    ¡°Well yes, I think that is what we should do, it is still early before we dig ourselves in too deep. Sooner orter they will discover that we are not truly married¡± he replied.


    ¡°So that is it, you want me to tarnish my father¡¯s image Further, who is going to believe me if I tell them you haven¡¯t taken away my dignity, we have been staying together for some days now and I am sure no one will believe a girl and a man in a house haven¡¯t indulged in any of those act,¡± I said.


    ¡°But we haven¡¯t, and you were the one that forced me into this situation, I wanted no part in it and I was not the one who told you to be so dumb enough to n to elope with someone who you are well older than¡± he argued, yelling at me his furiously.


    ¡°So now you insult me?¡± I said, my voice tinged with a little bit of hurt.


    His expression immediately calmed down upon seeing the hurt expression on my face


    ¡°I¡­ that is not what I mean,¡± he said, trying to exin himself.


    ¡°So what do you want? What do I have to do to make you sign the contract?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The only way I will sign a contract with you and allow you to stay here in my house for as long as the time you are asking for is only if you agree to get married to me, legally and traditionally,¡± he said.

 Chapter 15

    Zoya¡¯s POV


    ¡°What?¡± I asked as I tried to process the words that wereing out of his mouth.


    ¡°I said for me to sign your contract you have to get married to me legally before I sign any contract whatsoever that is the only condition I have¡± he repeated.


    That was the most absurd thing I have heard all day, he was asking me to get married to him. I Zoya Ali get married legally to the likes of Abrar, never will such a thing happen not in this life or the next.


    ¡°You must be crazy, you seem to have forgotten yourself just because you see me being here with you, we are not in the same level Abrar, the likes of you can never marry me do you understand I want to make this clear to you make sure you never repeat the nonsense that just came out of your mouth as I will not tolerate such a thing to happen again¡± I said, fuming¡± first of all I will never get married to you and neither do I want to get married to someone I don¡¯t love all I am asking for is not too hard to understand so please don¡¯t bring that up again¡± I said.


    He stared at me for a while, I knew my words were harsh but I knew that was the only way I would be able to pass my message across to him. There was no way I wanted to marry him.


    ¡°Then get ready to leave my house soon,¡± he said walking towards the door.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked him rushing towards his side.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, we are not really together anyway, so stay out of my personal business I am giving you a month to think about your alternate option at least I am going to go and look for another job it will not be easy but I am sure I will find one¡± he yelled angrily, banging the door behind him as he walked out.


    I hated this situation. This was all my fault assuming I did not trust that conniving bastard. I would not be in this position but at least I was not married to Danish. The thought of being married gives me the ick.


    I was hungry and it was not like I was a good cook either I missed my mother¡¯s homemade recipe and how the scent of her curry and torti filled the house giving it a warm home smell.


    I never saw the importance of cooking, but now I was always hungry. I pulled out my phone and checked my ount bnces although there was a significant amount of money still in my bank I am only at home for now due to my honeymoon leave but I will soon resume work and start making more money.


    The current money in my ount was enough for me to fill up the house and buy something at least it would be my contribution and maybe then Abrar would change his mind about really wanting to get married to me.


    I rushed to the kitchen quickly making a list of things I wanted to purchase and add to the house. There were lots of things the house needed but it seems like now I would have to work on a budget if I did not want to lose all my money.


    I rushed outside to the nearest bus stop. This was the first time in my life I would be using a bus. Hopefully I don¡¯t get lost. ording to Google Maps, the closest marketce was fifteen minutes away by bus so I just have to stay vignt not to pass it.


    It was a new experience for me, riding the bus is something I did not expect to do anytime in my life but here I was doing just that.


    ¡°Market¡± the conductor yelled.


    ¡°Here¡± ady beside me shouted, oh seems like she was also going to the market with me.


    I dropped down and the street of the market was bustling with people as people were advertising their products, and buying products a lot was happening but one thing I could say was that it was extremely loud I could barely hear myself, I have never been to a ce like this but one thing I have always heard from our maid in my father¡¯s house was that when going to a marketce never look out of ce.


    I brought out my list and immediately began shopping, bargaining, and trying to speak in the nativenguage to win the hearts of the market women. It was all new for me, stressful but fun.


    I stopped by a local stall and purchased something I would eat for lunch as I was immensely famished.


    It was gettingte now. I could only assume that I had been here in the market for a long period of time. I had to go back home.


    I had purchased a lot of things going home by bus would be excruciatingly difficult so I decided to call a taxi which drove me straight home


    Abrar was nowhere to be seen as I got home, it seemed like he was not yet back. I am sure he is going to be surprised with all the things I bought. At least if he covers the other expenses I feel it is only right for me to take care of the feeding. It is not like I was paying rent here or anything.


    I began cing the items I bought in their designated area when Abrar barged into the house looking rugged and breathing heavily.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked in a frenzy.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± he asked, his eyes shing with anger and frustration.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I replied confused.


    ¡°I asked you a damn question, where were you Zoya?¡± He said his voice tinged with danger.


    A shiver ran down my spine as I stared at him bewildered. ¡± I¡­I went to the market,¡± I stammered as I replied to his question.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°And you thought oh, it would be nice not to pick up your calls¡¯ ¡® he yelled, this time his anger was prominent on his features.


    I quickly grabbed my phone from my bag and noticed that I had more than 15 missed calls from him.


    ¡°I am so sorry, I did not hear it, as the market was so noisy I could barely hear myself,¡± I said, trying to calm him down and make him understand.


    ¡°I was just about to go and file a missing person report on you. Your safety and well-being is now in my arms even though I never wanted it but you thrust it into my arms and now I have no choice if anything should happen to you I would be med as everyone would say I took you away from your house and caused you to harm so please be careful of where you go to and don¡¯t go to the market ce anymore it is too crowded please¡± heined.


    I understood what he meant but that doesn¡¯t mean I am going to remain closed off and not go out.


    ¡°Well, I can stay in the house forever and if you really value my safety you would not have barged out of the house and left me all alone¡± I responded and returned to the task of putting away the things I bought.


    When I thought he was going to wee me warmly all he ever does Is yell at me like I am a child which is just unbelievable.


    ¡°Zoya¡± he called but I refused to answer him.


    ¡°What did you get?¡± he said, his breath tingling the back of my neck as I whipped my head backward so fast I almost had a whish to see him standing behind me with his arms crossed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to buy anything for the house, it is my responsibility, and please try to inform me whenever you are going out so I don¡¯t get worried,¡± he said, grabbing the new cooking equipment I bought and storing them away.


    ¡°I wanted to help,¡± I replied calmly.


    Although it was usually hot and cold between Abrar and I always felt at ease when we just worked calmly around each other without having to yell at one another it felt peaceful.


    Suddenly my phone started ringing beside me and I picked it up to see that it was my dad calling me. Ever since I moved out of the house he had not called me and now all of a sudden he was calling me?.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Hello, Zoya, I want to see you the first thing tomorrow in my office, you never seem to disappoint me¡± yelled over the phone before hanging up.


    I wonder what I could have done to make him more angry. It was not like I had done anything new or out of ce or could it be¡­.


    Could it be that my father had discovered that marriage to Abrar was a facade if he discovered that I could lose everything?

 Chapter 16

    Abrar pov


    I stirred up from my slumber, his mind still foggy with remnants of sleep. I quickly got up from bed realizing that I was no longer staying alone so I quickly went out of my room and went for my early morning jog as it helped clear my mind.


    I walked past Zoya¡¯s room to see the door was still open. She was a heavy sleepy from what I have observed. She hates waking up early.


    I walked to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast, I cannot remember thest time my kitchen was this stocked although it was nice to have I did not want it to be a normal habit for Zoya it was my responsibility to provide food for her as she was a guest in my house.


    I decided to make some eggs with the sausages when I decided that maybe I should ask her first what she wanted for breakfast before I went ahead and cooked what she did not want.


    I knocked on her door but got no response. ¡°Zoya?¡± I called but still no response.


    ¡°Was she still sleeping?¡± I asked myself as I pushed open the door to see the very scattered room with clothes everywhere and she was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Zoya¡± I called for her, looking around but she was not in the room, the bed was empty, and the sheets were cold. Panic fluttered within my chest, my heart pounding fast.


    ¡°Zoya?¡± I called out as I walked out of the room but still got no response, as my voice echoed back at me.


    My mind began to race, conjuring worst-case scenarios in rapid session. Has she left? Was she in danger? A thousand questions but no answer to any of them.


    Just as I was about to walk out the door to go and look for her I heard a ping on my phone. I grabbed it and saw that It was a message from Zoya.


    With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and opened the text.


    ¡°I will be backter, Went to sweep my father¡± she texted. I sighed in relief as I leaned on the kitchen counter to regain myposure, as my muscles rxed and the tension washed away.


    My thoughts churned as I stared out the window, it was a windy day the weather seemed cool and the sky dull it seemed it might rain today.


    I should have felt grateful for the quiet I had now that Zoya was not around but instead, he felt suffocated by the weight of my situation as my thoughts wandered to the day I first met Ziya never thought my life would be like this.


    I nced at the clock on the wall, soon realizing I was runningte for work. With a sigh, I quickly finished my breakfast and then pushed himself away from the table and set about getting ready.


    My workce, which has been a ce where I considered everyone in my family, has slowly be a ce I did not long to go to. I was not happy with the way people address me now like I was a bossol or something just because they believe I am married to Zoya. Gosh, I can¡¯t stop ming her for forcing me into this situation.


    I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, a stranger stared back at me with hollow eyes, filled with worry.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    I could not recognize myself. I looked so drained and tired. How had I be trapped in a life that felt more like a prison than a home? How did I find myself in this position?


    I pushed the lingering sense of unease and grabbed my suitcase as I headed for the door.


    I walked into the office and just like any other day it was bustling as papers were flying and moving everywhere, this was not where I worked before I met Zoya ever since the marriage announcement I was promoted here I usually worked in the mechanic field in the hardbor department but now I was promoted to an office which had air conditional and I had afortable office and chair for me to seat on and work. It was a dream I thought I would never live to see. It broke my heart that I might have to give it all up, but I knew I did not get it in the right way so it bothered my conscience.


    ¡°Abrar¡± Kaif called as I sat down on my seat.


    At least one thing I finally enjoy now is being able to work with my close friend in the same office.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, man?¡± I greeted him with a smile and a powerful handshake followed by a pat on his back.


    ¡°good, looking exhausted, is married life that hard?¡± Kaif jokes.


    ¡°More than you can imagine¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well thank god, I am still single I don¡¯t n on getting married anytime soon,¡± he said.


    ¡°Did your mum not set you up for a blind date and what bout Lara, your girlfriend are you not going to marry her?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I will maybe, I don¡¯t know, I am just going with the flow man¡± he responded.


    I could not help but shake my head at him, Kaif was such a yboy the day he decided to settle down. I am sure the earth and heavens are going to sing praises because even I don¡¯t see that happening any time soon at all.


    ¡°Look at him, sitting in the same ce with us and feeling he is among us, he is not one of us and can be one of us.¡± a group of men walked past I and kaif as they stared at me with distaste and disgust on their features.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Kaif snapped at them.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± I said, trying to calm Kaif down. Kaif was a no-nonsense person he did not know how to hide his feelings, he was one of the most honest people I have ever encountered. Sometimes his honesty are brutal but at least we all need that honest friend in our life.


    ¡°Those losers, do find them. They are just jealous. Although I am still mad at you for secretly getting married, at least I am happy that I am finally working in the same space as you¡± he said.


    ¡°Abrar¡± Kaiser called, he was the managing director of my department, basically my boss.


    ¡°Sir¡± I replied.


    Kaiser was very strict and ording to what Kaif had told me about him he was a no-nonsense person and I am not looking at getting on his bad side.


    ¡°To my office¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Well, the boss is calling you,¡± Kaif jokes, as he walks back to his desk.


    I tidied up my suit along with my tie before walking to his office which was located not too far from my office desk. I knocked on the door before his voice boomed loudly from inside. ¡°Come in¡±


    I pushed open the knob of the door and walked into the file and neatly decorated room. This was my first time entering Kaiser¡¯s office.


    ¡°Have a seat¡¯ he offered pointing to the seat opposite him.


    ¡°Well since you are still new with the whole work stuff especially working in an office I decided for you to be a helper for a few weeks but now you will have jobs assigned to you from now on,¡± he said and I nodded my head in understanding.


    ¡°I see you are close to Kaif you can ask him any questions you do not understand and here are some documents you are to take care of make sure you attend to them with precision and uracy slow workers andzy workers are not tolerated here this is not thebor department things are different here,¡± he said, but I could not help but sense maybe his words had a ting of malice attached to them like he was trying to downgrade me.


    ¡°I will work hard, sir,¡± I said in response.


    ¡°Okay that will be all of I need you for anything I will hotline you, do you have any questions?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Okay then that will be all, get back to work,¡± he said dismissing me.


    I could not shake off the unease that maybe my boss really did not like me.


    ¡°How was the meeting?¡± Kaif asked as soon as I arrived back at my desk.


    ¡°Well nothing much just gave me some documents to see through, but I think he might not like me¡± I replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much Kaiser is such a snub he had a thing for Zoya but everyone knew she was not into him, so of course he is also jealous, and oh, your father-inw asked of you and Zoya just left the office¡± he said walking away.


    Zoya was here? I had no idea she wasing to the office today and my father-inw is looking for me.


    I was still trying to get used to this whole father-inw, son-inw thing. It just felt so weird, especially knowing it is not real.


    I walked towards Mr. Ali¡¯s cabin and lightly knocked on his door. ¡°Come in¡± his voice boomed from Inside the office.


    I opened the door to see him seated majestically on his chair behind his magnificent desk.


    ¡°Oh Abrar¡± he called out standing up from his chair and offering me a seat on his meeting couch.


    ¡°Good day sir Ali¡± I greeted him, with my head bowed down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so upright around me, I am your father-inw after all,¡± he said with a smile, while I nodded my head in response.


    ¡°You asked for me sir¡± I said, sitting on the couch.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to discuss something very important with you,¡± he said. ¡°What is it, sir?¡± I asked curious as to why he wanted to see me so urgently.


    ¡°I know with this whole marriage situation, it¡¯s been a little bit difficult for my family to ept, especially my wife. She has been taking it hard. I don¡¯t me you. I am sure Zoya is the one who forced you into all this¡± he said, as he offered me a ss of juice. I epted it with a thank you.


    ¡°I am very sorry sir for my irresponsible actions¡± I apologized although I have done nothing for me to apologize for it was all Zoya¡¯s fault she should be the one to apologize.


    My heart was racing fast as I anticipated what he wanted to tell me.


    ¡°Oh you don¡¯t have to apologize, you are a good boy, Abrar, I just feel like Zoya might be too hard-headed for you, how is she treating you?¡± He asked, looking a little bit concerned.


    It was strange that Mr. Ali was concerned about me and not his daughter but he seemed he really know the kind of person his daughter was, she was a handful and not easy to handle.


    ¡°So I have given this a lot of thought and discussed it thoroughly with the family members and we havee to an agreement,¡± he said.


    ¡°An agreement?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°We have decided that since you and Zoya are already legally married, maybe it would be best to hold a small traditional marriage as this would please the whole family and my wife would finally be satisfied,¡± he said, smiling at me.


    I stared at him with my eyes wide open and in disbelief.


    ¡°What did I just hear?¡± I thought to myself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the cost, it is my parting gift for my daughter, it¡¯s the least I can do,¡± he said.


    I was still trying to process everything that was happening, this was not good. I did not want to marry Zoya. I did not want to have anything to do with her anymore and this was happening. I think we just dug out grave deeper.


    This was not good.

 Chapter 17

    Abrar pov.


    I sat on my desk as the sound of Mr. Ali¡¯s request weighed heavily on my mind.


    This was bing way more serious than I expected, I know I might have suggested I formally married Zoya because I was so sure she would never agree to something like that. Her harsh words were clear proof of that, they were still stuck with me as my head I tried not to think about it too much it still resonated with me.


    I was already tangled up in a facade marriage with her, with her insisting she sign a contract stating our temporary marriage while she continues to stay in my house but that just feels immoral, and besides I don¡¯t know how long this facade will continue. The thought spun around in my head like a whirlwind, leaving me feeling dizzy and disoriented.


    I am not the most religious person out there but I just know it was wrong and it was not like I was a statue. Zoya was a very attractive girl who had curves in the right ces and a very seductive and cute appearance. I would be a fool not to admit she was drop-dead gorgeous.


    ¡°Hey man are you not going to clock out, are you enjoying the office with the air-conditioning? ¡± Kaif teased, standing beside my desk as he leaned closer to my desktop to see what I was looking at.


    ¡°Hmmm, you are staring at nothing, what is wrong with you man?¡± He asked, looking concerned.


    ¡°Nothing,e on let go,¡± I said, grabbing my bag as we clocked out of the office.


    It was still quite early, it was not fully dark and, to be honest, I was still getting used to clocking out before it got super dark when I worked at thebor department we usually stayed till around ten pm, most time we stay overnight, it was a totally different lifestyle


    ¡°Rushing home?¡± Kaif teased, with a smirk on his face as we walked to the bus stop.


    ¡°When will you wash that dirty brain of yours, I owe you a drink don¡¯t I¡± I said as I directed him to our favorite spot where we usually hang out together.


    ¡°Oh yes you do,¡± he said as he skipped beside me as we walked down to the stall.


    I have known Kaif for quite some years and he is the only friend I can really rely on.


    It was gettingte now, but I was not too enthusiastic about going home as I did not know how I was going to face Zoya and tell her about her father¡¯s wish, or could it be that she already knew, she met him in his office after all.


    ¡°So man, how is it like to be married to someone like Zoya, of that caliber?¡± Kaif said as he dug into his kebab with his coconut drink.


    ¡°Well, nothing special only that it is not an easy ride but we will ride it through,¡± I said trying to look optimistic, but I couldn¡¯t help but recall the words of Sir Ali.


    ¡°You are keeping something from me man, I just feel it first you always tell me everything suddenly you spring up with the boss¡¯s only daughter saying you guys are married. I smell something fishy¡± Kaif said, looking at me with his brows raised in a questioning manner.


    Kaif had always been observant, it was a trait I was most envious of. He could easily detect something and he could easily read me. He always said although people see me as a tough guy he knew who I really was inside and he really did. We became formed because he saw me in an ease nobody else has, and it broke my heart that I was lying to him.


    ¡°You and your suspicions, it all happened so fast I fell in love,¡± I said, trying to dissuade his questions


    ¡°Hmm, if you say so Mr fall in love but I hope you remember what love did to you thest time,¡± he said, eating his meal like he did not say something that shook me up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bring that up¡± I warned, as my past love story was not something I wanted to revisit.


    ¡°If you say so, Mr,¡± he said, raising his hands up in the air in resignation.


    I walked down to my house, the lights were on which indicated someone was home. I knew I had to bring the topic up for discussion but I did not know where to start.


    My house had always been my safe zone and now I had to share it with something, the person who made me be like this and made my situation thisplicated.


    ¡°Wee back,¡± Zoya said, acknowledging my presence as I walked into the house.


    I nodded my head at her in response, as I quickly went to my room and then took a quick shower which was when I realized that I had not fixed the shower head, I was so upied I totally forgot.


    I quickly took my bath and dressed up.


    ¡°Have you eaten dinner?¡± I asked her as she was still focused on what she was watching on the television which happened to be a movie series if I was right.


    ¡°No¡± she replied, in a cint cold tone.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, confused because it was way past ten p. m. and she had not eaten which was not good.


    ¡°Well because I thought we had an agreement that I would handle the provisions and you would handle the cooking, that was what we agreed on,¡± she said, looking at me with fury in her eyes.


    She was such an angry person and sometimes it was frustrating having to deal with her. ¡°First of all, I did not agree to that agreement, you were the only one who decided to implement it¡± I replied.


    ¡°Whatever, you never agree to anything, can you just make me dinner already¡± she said, rolling her eyes at me.


    She was such a rude person and if it was my past self I would have thrown her out of my sight, I would not even want to associate with the likes of her and her. I am tolerating everything for a reason I did not know myself.


    ¡°I am not your ve if you are hungry go and fix yourself something,¡± I said in annoyance as I decided to walk back to my room when I heard a loud rumble.


    I turned around to see Zoya clutching her stomach with a frown on her face, it was evident that she was in pain, and the sounds her stomach was making, only proved my suspicions right.


    ¡°Argh,¡± I said in frustration as I walked to the kitchen and decided to make a pasta dish with the shrimp in the fridge.


    I had worked in the kitchen for a restaurant as a cleaner as well as an assistant chef so I knew my way around the kitchen.


    I  quickly made the dish, while she continued to ignore me.


    ¡°Here Is your dish,¡± I said, cing the ce of spaghetti, before her, expecting a grateful expression from her but she just grabbed the te and began hobbling the food without a thank you.


    She sure does get on my nerves. ¡°Enjoying it huh?¡± I asked with a ting of frustration in my voice, but was only replied with silence as she focused all her attention on her food.


    The way she was gobbling the food, it was a clear sign that she was very hungry and to be honest I felt bad. Zoya had lived a nourished and provisioned life all through her life, so all this was a little bit new for her which Ipletely understand.


    She quickly finished her meal taking the te back to the kitchen as she quickly did the dishes without still looking at me.


    ¡°So am I not going to get a thank you?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, looking at me with a soft expression on her face, her eyes showing sincerity which shocked me as I felt some flutters in my chest.


    Her soft response was so unexpected. ¡°That is new¡± I mumbled to myself.


    ¡°You said?¡± She asked as she finished cleaning thest dish, setting it gently and neatly on the te rack.


    ¡°Nothing, I heard you went to the office today,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, cleaning her head with a dry towel.


    Could she already know of her father¡¯s proposal, I am very much aware of how much she did not want to have anything to do with a real marriage with me although we will still not be legally married but going through all the traditional rites was something that felt too personal.


    ¡°What did you discuss about?¡± I asked. She stared at me skeptically for a while before she replied. ¡± He was just asking me to resume work¡±.


    I nodded my head in response. ¡°Why the questions? Do you have anything to tell me¡± she asked as she walked back to the shelves, picking up the remote control and searching through the channels.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, my heart beating loudly within my chest.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, turning her attention to my direction.


    ¡°I met your father today and he told me something,¡± I said, this seemed to have caught her attention. ¡°What did he tell you?¡± She askedContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Okay, I was going to say it. I knew hell was loose, but I knew I needed to tell her.


    ¡°Your father wants us to get married, to do the traditional rites of your wedding. That is the only way he will fully ept our marriage¡± I said


    Zoya stared at me for a few seconds, her facial expression changing from confusion to disbelief.


    ¡°What?¡± she responded.

 Chapter 18

    ZOYA¡¯S POV


    I was finding it hard toprehend the words that wereing out of his mouth. There was no way he was expecting me to actually believe what he was saying.


    The air crackled with tension as I stood before Adam, my arms crossed tightly over my chest with eyes aze.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°What the hell did you just say?¡± I yelled at him.


    Abar looked taken aback by my sudden hostility, but I had no time to be all jovial and sweet with him.


    ¡°You heard me, I met your father today at the office and he proposed that we perform the traditional rites of your marriage¡± he replied.


    ¡°First of all, you said you would only sign a contract if I marry you and now you meet up with my dad to set up a marriage date?¡± I said in disbelief.


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have any words right now all I can say is that I have passed the information your father told do with it whatever you want to¡± he yelled back at me


    ¡°I never realized you were like this but I was stupid to think you would be any different. Now you know my background you want to tie me down but sorry to burst your bubbles never I will be tied down¡± I yelled.


    He stared at me, in disbelief, I knew my words were harsh but all I could see at that moment was red, I was not thinking straight I was consumed by rage.


    ¡°You are the one who ced me in this situation you seem to forget and I don¡¯t want anything to do with you in the first ce I was just an innocent guy who took a work and helped a girl I thought was helpless but instead you were the one who trapped me,¡± he said his tone calm that it sent chills down my spine.


    I expected him to look furious to tell at me but he was unexpectedly calm which surprised me.


    ¡°I was naive,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So was I ¡± he said ¡± This facade can¡¯t work anymore. I thought I could endure it a little longer but I will not ept to be treated by trash. We might not be of the same status but I am human. And I have my own feelings and I have my own life let¡¯s end this now¡±


    I flinched at his words, the sting of his rejection cutting deep¡±So, that¡¯s it? You¡¯re just going to walk away?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± he said and walked over to his room banging the door loudly.


    I had no idea how things escted to this point. I knew I was being unreasonable but I did not want to tie myself down to any marriage.


    My phone suddenly started ringing. I picked it up and it was my dad calling. The reason for this whole altercation.


    ¡°Hello, Father¡± I answered


    ¡°Zoya, how have you been?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well you saw me today father, how did I look?¡± I replied.


    Things were currently still tense between my father and I, ever since the stunt I pulled on my supposed wedding day.


    ¡°Your mother misses you and what to see you, ever since you moved over to your husband¡¯s house you have refused to visit or even call her. Are we not your family anymore?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I will visit soon,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I talked to Abrar today and I am sure that he told you about what he proposed. I know you can be quite hot-headed and not think before you act¡± he said.


    ¡°Father I am not a kid,¡±


    ¡°I know that, that is why I am worried about your decision-making skills. Abrar is a good boy although I do not agree with a lot of things that you do. I have no objections to your marriage to Abrar. I have known him for years and he is one of my most diligent workers. I am only worried that you might corrupt him¡± he said.


    ¡°I am not that bad father¡± I responded.


    ¡°Keep telling yourself that. Bring him over when you want to visit and I hope you can resume work as quickly as possible. Stopzing around at home. You need to earn your keep. You are a married woman now¡± he said over the phone.


    ¡°Okay is that all?¡± I asked, feeling frustrated.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.¡± Okay then bye ¡°Ip said before abruptly ending the call.


    My father¡¯s words sting a little. It showed how little fate he had in him but I can¡¯t me him. I have rebelled against him almost all my life. I have given him no reason to trust me. The only thing he trusted me with was business, he knew I would never grumble with that.


    It was a new day and after giving it some thought, and weighing my options I decided to go on with my father¡¯s traditional marriage. I could not afford to bring out the truth; it would crush my family¡¯s reputation and also Abrar¡¯s. I ced myself in this situation and now I had to handle it but the only way I would do that was if Abrar signs the contract paper.


    I dropped the contract I had drawn overnight and ced it on the table, Abrar was eating breakfast and from the looks of it, he also made breakfast for me.


    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked skeptically as he scanned the paper, his mouth filled with bread.


    ¡°I will go ahead with the marriage request but you have to sign this contract. After a year we will end our rtionship and this whole facade and go out in desperate ways and you get a sum of five million dors for all the troubles I caused you¡± I said.


    He stared at me dumbfounded, well I was also surprised by my decision but I had to make it. I had no other choice.


    ¡°Think it through and get back to me quickly,¡± I said, barging out of the house.


    It was my first day back to work after my whole marriage announcement so I had to make an appearance.


    ¡°Back to work I see,¡± Kaiser said.


    I was not a fan of Kaiser although he was a diligent worker. I could not say he was a diligent man, he just rubbed me off the wrong way.


    ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡± I asked as I shuffled through the papers on my table. I had a lot of unattended work. It was definitely going to be a long day.


    ¡°Why him?¡± Kaiser suddenly asked, dragging my attention back to him.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°Why did you marry such a low life? He is nowhere near your caliber¡± he said.


    I could not help but scoff at his ridiculous question. ¡°What is decide to do with my life Kaiser is none of your business, now would you excuse me I have a lot of work to do. ¡± I snapped.


    Kaiser slowly walked out with a solemn expression on his face.


    I had been working all day and was seriously exhausted but when I decided to go and get coffee to re-energize I ran into someone I never thought I would see again.


    ¡°Hey Zoya, long time,¡± he greeted.


    The scumbag had the audacity to greet me, first of all, I wanted to know what the hell he was doing here and how he got here in the first ce.


    Saying his name actually made my mouth feel sour, I could not help but be ufortable by his presence.


    ¡°Anas, what are you doing here?¡± I asked, my voiceced with a little bit of animosity

 Chapter 19

    Abrar¡¯s pov.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself from staring at the paper, as my mind raced with questions. I found it unbelievable that she agreed to the marriage but I could not also help but wonder when she got the time to draft out a contract so soon.


    The morning air was crisp and the sun was just beginning to rise, which gave the city a warm glow.


    It looked like it was going to be a great day but my mind was upied with a lot of things.


    With my briefcase in my hand, I made my way to the bus stop while I pondered on the contract Zoya had presented to me this morning.


    With a deep breath, I adjusted my tie and straightened my jacket before heading into the office. It was going to be quite a very long day.


    I Had a feeling Zoya was going to ignore me all day and I n on doing exactly that too.


    It was a quite bustling morning routine at the office with an enthusiastic Kaif greeting me with a beaming smile on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s up man, looking good¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Yes man, I feel good, what¡¯s up why is everyone just being extra loud today?¡± I asked as I ced my briefcase on my desk and tried to settle into work.


    ¡°Oh I think HR said something about some new people joining us but yeah as long as it is not a woman nothing has my attention,¡± he said and I could not help but roll my eyes at him


    He was such a yboy sometimes I was amazed by how his mindset was. ¡°You are something else man¡± I teased.


    ¡°Are you guys going to be chatting all Morning¡± Kaiser snapped, as he walked to his office.


    ¡°Ohh, good morning sir¡± we greeted but he quickly just walked away and into his office.


    I had a feeling he did not like me and although it was ufortable for your boss not to like you I did not want to put much thought into that.


    ¡°Just forget about that but he is just so stuck up, ¡± Kaif said, lightening the mood which had darkened as soon as Kaiser made his appearance.


    ¡°Whatever¡± I replied, shuffling through the papers on my desk, I had a lot of work to do perks of having a boss who felt some kind of way towards me.


    ¡°And oh, young miss is at work, it seems like she finally resumed,¡± Kaif said.


    ¡°Who?¡± I was confused.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Your wife dumb head, did you not know she is at work?¡± He asked, confused. I could not let him see there was anything wrong with our rtionship so I lied.


    ¡°Oh I know, but seriously young miss? How was I supposed to know you were referring to her?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, I just don¡¯t want to see any office romance around here, please keep it PG. We have enough office drama as it is¡± he said walking away.


    Well, I did not create any office romance drama in the office, in fact from what I have heard Kaif was the drama king around here.


    I looked over at Zoya¡¯s office but I could not see her as her windows were buried. We did not leave on a good note and hence she did not get to eat breakfast.


    ¡°I am sure she Is consumed with a lot of work, she will need the energy,¡± I thought to myself as I worried about her health.


    ¡°Were you talking to me?¡± Hadid asked.


    ¡°Uhmm, no¡± I replied as I shyly resumed attending to my work.


    The whole paper job was still new to me but at least I was quickly getting used to it.


    I got up and decided to make some coffee for myself as well as Zoya, but I had a hunch she did not want to see me so I handed the coffee to her personal assistant giving strict instructions to her not to tell Zoya I was the one who made it.


    ¡± I see you are back, Here are some documents, Kaiser wants you to attend to them,¡± Hadid said, handing me a stack of files, as soon as I got to my desk.


    Well, one of the disadvantages of having a boss who does not like you is the constant overwork.


    ¡°Hey man what¡¯s up?¡± Kaif asked, Patting me gently on my back.


    ¡°Well work, you know just work,¡± I said not too enthusiastically, as I waited for the photocopier to print out some forums for me. I waspletely drained. I had been hovering around papers all day, my head was actually beginning to hurt.


    ¡°Take it easy man, you don¡¯t have to rush it all up,¡± Kaif saidforting me. ¡°Kaiser said I should collect the development file from you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, it in my briefcase I took it homest night to review¡± I replied.


    ¡°Ok man,¡± he said and walked away I grabbed my stack of documents walked down to the meeting room, and distributed a copy to each secretary.


    It was lunch time already so the office was a little bit quiet as everyone had gone to have lunch.


    I walked to my desk to see Kaif still hovering over my briefcase.


    ¡°Kaif, what should we eat for lunch?¡± I asked, grabbing him on his shoulder yfully.


    ¡°What Is this¡± he asked with a serious expression and a serious tone it actually sent shivers down my spine.


    It was very unusual to see Kaif all serious like this.


    ¡°What man?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this document?¡± He asked, pointing to the paper in his hand.


    I grabbed it and quickly realized it was the contract that Zoya had drawn out for me.


    ¡°Kaif, I can exin,¡± I said, trying to calm him down so as not to draw attention to us.


    ¡°What the hell is this man, a contract marriage?¡± He yelled out in disbelief and I quickly sped his mouth shut with my palm looking around to make sure no one heard him.


    ¡°Shush¡± I warned as I grabbed the paper from his hand and dragged him towards the office balcony.


    I was a little bit thankful it was lunchtime so a lot of people were not around.


    ¡°Stop dragging me¡± he vented, forcing his arm out of my grasp.


    ¡°I can exin,¡± I said.


    ¡°Then exin, because I am trying my best not to overthink things here but the contents of that paper are not allowing me,¡± he said.


    I knew I had been busted, and there was no way out of it. Now I had toe clean and exin everything.


    I took a deep breath and decided to exin everything from the beginning, starting from when I first met Zoya to the ordeal that happened that made her give me the contract.


    ¡°So you mean she forced this all on you and threatened you with your job?¡± Kaif asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes I had no other choice¡± I replied.


    ¡°Damn, she is such a witch,¡± he said.


    ¡°Kaif, stop¡± I warned, i didn¡¯t like it when bad words were said about Zoya it just did not sit right with me.


    ¡°Look at the situation she ced you and now, you are not even really married and you still defend her, you are a down bad man,¡± he said


    ¡°Please you can¡¯t tell anyone¡± I pleaded. This was top secret and I know Zoya would be furious if she found out that Kaif knew.


    ¡°I won¡¯t but I am not in support of this. Are you still going to sign the papers?¡± He asked.


    ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t know what to do, a part of me wants to end It and just bear the consequences but a part of me wants to just keep going with all this¡¯ ¡® I responded.


    Just then two people walked into the balcony interrupting our conversation.


    ¡°We are not done with this conversation,¡± Kaif said walking out. With a heavy sigh, I walked behind him back to my desk.


    ¡°Kaif, Mr Kaiser wants to see you,¡± he said.


    With a heavy sigh, I stood up from my seat and straightened up my tie, I did it want to receive a lecture on how I should be dressing to work Mr Kaiser.


    I walked down to his office and after a light knock and an affirmation from him toe in I opened the door, and the most surprising thing that had happened all day urred.


    There she sat, her hair stylishly curled, her eyes wide and ssy, her rosy pink lips slightly ajar as she stared at me in shock.


    This can¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°Abrar,¡± she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


    ¡°Wait, do you know each other?¡± Kaiser asked, confused.


    ¡± Abrar is a friend of mine¡± she responded with a beaming smile making its way to the corner of her lips making her face glow up.


    There she was my ex-girlfriend and ex-fiance Nikhat

 Chapter 20

    ABRAR¡¯S POV


    My heart skipped a beat as soon as I stepped into his Kaiser¡¯s office. I was not expecting her to be sitting there staring at me with her doe-like eyes. We had not seen each other for a very long time. It felt unreal.


    ¡°Abrar, long time¡± she greeted with a smile on her face but I could not seem to reciprocate it.


    She still looked beautiful and elegant but I still did not have any idea what she was doing here. Memories about the past that I had tried to keep locked away came rushing in both the happy and unpleasant memories. It was a lot but I knew I had to mask my emotions and be as professional as possible.


    ¡°Yeah, long time. What brings you here?¡± I was confused.


    ¡°Well, it seems like you guys know each other, it seems you are quite thedy¡¯s man Abrar ¡± Kaiser said with a hint of disapproval in his tone. ¡°Well Nikhat is a new employee and you will be working closely with her for the new uing project so well I think it a good thing you guys are already acquaintances,¡± he said with a forced smile.


    ¡°I think this project will definitely work out well,¡± Nikhat said with a beaming smile ¡± Don¡¯t you think so Abrar?¡± she asked.


    I was still finding it hard to respond to her questions as my brain was still quite processing that Nikhat was sitting right in front of me.


    ¡± I am sure¡± I finally replied after a short moment of silence.


    She stood up from the chair and extended her palm for a handshake. She looked so different which was quite shocking, her aura felt different and her styling was also different.


    I grabbed her palm responding to her handshake. ¡°It is nice seeing you once again Abrar,¡± she said. ¡°Likewise¡± I replied.


    ¡°So make sure to put her through all the development ns, Nikhat is a pro at what she does so listen to her advice,¡± Kaiser said with a stern expression.


    ¡°Yes sir¡± I replied.


    We walked out of Kaiser¡¯s office with her beside me. ¡°How have you been Abrar?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I have been good, and you?¡± I asked as I walked her over to her office desk.


    I knew we were expecting someone new today to work on the project but I had no idea it was going to be my ex, well things just got interesting.


    We walked past the lunch room and I saw Zoya having a very intense conversation with someone. The person looked unfamiliar. I had never seen him before.


    ¡°So when did you start working here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Not too long¡± I responded as we arrived at her desk. ¡± So here it is, I will bring some of the documents to you so that I can review them on your first day so there is no need to stress.¡± I said awkwardly ¡°If that¡¯s all, I will be at my desk if you need anything else¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    She suddenly grabbed my arm, her eyes boring into mine. ¡°Is there any issue?¡± I was confused by her sudden action.


    ¡°I know there are a lot of things to be said, well thest time we saw each other it was not on a very good note, so I don¡¯t know if you would like to have dinner with me?¡± She asked.


    I was speechless, I had no idea how I was suppose to respond to her request and just when I neededid he intervened.


    ¡°Hey, Abrar, we need to continue our conversation,¡± he said, tapping me on my back. He seemed not to have noticed Nikhat.


    ¡°Hey Kaif¡± she greeted him. His eyes immediately snapped up as he stared at her in disbelief; he could not believe she was standing right in front.


    ¡± Nikhat,¡± he said, his voiceced with surprise. ¡°It has been quite some time, how have you been?¡± He asked politely.


    ¡°Good, it seems like you also work here. I am new here. It is nice to see some familiar faces in a new ce,¡± she said, smiling broadly.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s pretty nice,¡± he replied but I could hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice.


    I left them to Their pleasantries as I was finding it pretty ufortableughing and smiling with my ex. It¡¯s not like we ended on a good note.


    It was a bad breakup, one that caused a lot of hurt and pain on my side and I did not want to re-hatch those memories.


    I stared at the contract paper whichid on my desk and I could not help but grab my hair in frustration.


    My life had really taken a drastic turn. It was just like everything was happening all at once. I can¡¯t wait for today to be over.


    I looked over at Zoya¡¯s office and noticed she was not there. ¡°I wonder where she went to¡± I murmured to myself before attending to my task.


    It was closing hour, today felt like it was just dragging on. It felt too long and I just needed to rest my head and have a good night¡¯s sleep. A lot has happened today and I don¡¯t want to think about anything anymore. It would only make me stress further.


    ¡°Ready to go man?¡± Kaif asked stopping beside my desk his bag slung over his shoulders.


    I quickly put off myputer and packed up my desk. I looked over to where Nikhat was to see she was focused on some folders.


    I walked past Zoya¡¯s office but she was not still there maybe she had an outdoorting or something came up or she was back home.


    ¡°How is it like?¡± Kaif suddenly asked.


    ¡°What like?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡± To see your ex again?¡± he said.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s just something that I don¡¯t want to talk or think about right now¡± I responded.


    ¡°Did you notice she was not putting on any ring?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No¡± I replied, but that was a lie the first thing I noticed immediately after seeing her was her empty fingers. I still have shbacks from the moment I found out about her engagement.


    ¡°Well she was not wearing a ring, maybe she is divorced¡± he continued yapping.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care and so should you, she is a colleague now and should be treated like one and nothing else¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Is it because of Zoya? Are you really going to sign that contract?¡± He queried as he stared at me in disbelief. ¡± Or do you like her?¡±


    ¡°Today had been a long day can¡¯t I just catch a break please,¡± I said feeling frustrated.


    ¡°Fine but just know I am not in support of the rtionship you have with Zoya and as your friend I will tell you to end It as soon as possible,¡± he said,  angrily walking away leaving me alone in the street.


    With a deep breath, I made my way to the bus stop and got into a bus hoping I could just teleport home.


    I was home but Zoya was not yet back. I wondered where she had been all day. I freshened up and quickly made a light dinner for myself but she was not still back it was a few minutes past nine, it was dark outside now, and I was starting to get a little worried and was so tempted to call her when she suddenly barged into the house.


    She was drunk, that was the first thing I discovered from the smell of alcohol that oozed from her.


    ¡°Oh you are back,¡± she said with a giggle as she staggered into the house.


    ¡°What happened to you? Why are you drunk?¡± I asked. She was absent from work almost half of the day only toe back thiste drunk.


    ¡°I saw her?¡± She suddenly said. ¡°Who did you see? You are talking in gibberish and it is annoying. This is my house have some respect and not pop up drunk to my house that is not allowed¡± I snapped at her.


    ¡°I am not a child¡± she snapped back. ¡°But you are behaving just like one¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Your ex, the girl in the picture, I saw her at the office¡± she suddenly said, standing up straight and looking straight into my eyes.


    ¡°You must be overjoyed,¡± she saidughing hysterically.


    ¡°And what have you that impression that I would be happy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because you can¡¯t move on from her. Have you signed the contract?¡± She suddenly asked her words catching me off guard.


    ¡°You can¡¯t. First, you propose marriage, and now that I have agreed to your terms even adding some nice benefit you still won¡¯t sign it. You can¡¯t make up your mind because she is back¡± she said.


    ¡°It is nothing like that and you need to freshen up your reek of alcohol,¡± I said trying to get her to the bathroom when suddenly she did the most unexpected thing ever.


    She kissed me. Zoya kissed me on the lips.

 Chapter 21

    ABRAR¡¯S POV.


    Before I could process what was happening, I felt Zoya¡¯s lips on mine, her lips were so soft I could not help myself as I grabbed the nape of her neck and intensified the kiss.


    I was not expecting to enjoy it that much, it was unexpected and my heart was racing like crazy but it ended just as suddenly as it began.


    Zoya slowly pulled back her cheeks and her lips looked exceptionally plump, i could kiss her all day and would not get tired. her soft lips away from mine.


    She stared into my eyes a heavy silence weighing in the air as we stared at each other, my eyes flicking back and forth between her eyes and her lips. I was so tempted to go in for another kiss but I immediately noticed her eyelids drooping.


    Before I could say anything she slumped on my body resting her head on my chest as my arm rushed out to support her weak body.


    She was fast asleep. She slept peacefully on my body while I tried to process the kiss that just happened.


    I could feel the steady and slow rising and falling of her chest. It was an unexpected kiss, something I was not expecting and I could not help the flutters and excitement I was feeling.


    With a smile on my face, I carried her in a bridal style and took her to her room.


    She was still fully dressed in her work clothes and smelled of alcohol.


    I rushed over to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl, and poured some cold water and hot water to create the perfect lukewarm water I could use to clean up her body.


    I rushed back to her room where shey peacefully. I slowly unbuttoned her jacket, removing it gently from her body before slowly pulling off her shirt and trousers.


    I tried not to look at her body too much as I knew she would not be happy about that but I could not allow her to sleep with the smell of alcohol practically choking her.


    As soon as I was done cleaning up her body with her not waking up at all she was sleeping deep. I covered her now washed-up body with the duvet to keep her warm.


    I could not help myself from admiring her beauty when she was all quiet. She looked stress-free and well approachable and cute.


    I softly brushed the stray hair on her cheeks away as I stared at her in awe.


    I wondered why she had been so brave and what could have triggered her to drink herself down to this point.


    Just as I was about to leave her side she held my palm restricting my movement and she snuggled herself close to my palm.


    It was such an intense feeling to see her poking so cute, my heart was constructing hard within my chest as it raced like crazy.


    ¡°What is wrong with you Abrar? Get a hold of yourself? I scolded myself.


    I tried to retract my palm from her grip but that proved futile as she had a strong hold on it and I did not want to wake her up and disturb her precious sleep.


    ¡°Gosh, since when was  she this strong?¡± I mumbled to myself as I rested my head on the bed and my body on the ground as I continued to watch her sleep.


    I was starting to feel sleepy as no one was nodding off but I knew I could not afford to sleep here because if she woke up and found me beside her she might lose it.


    ¡°Just a little bit longer, she will soon loosen her grip¡± I mumbled to myself as I tried to encourage myself not to sleep, but that proved futile as a few minutester I fell asleep with my palm still within her grasp.


    The feeling of someone breathing on my neck woke me up and jolted me awake.


    I was now lying on Zoya¡¯s bed with my face just a few inches away from me and her breath softly fanning my exposed neck. Waking up by her side made me feel warm and cozy.


    I slowly removed my palm from her loose grasp and could not help but hiss in pain at the unexpected pain I felt on my shoulders.


    I slept in quite an ufortable position so all my body was aching. I quickly walked out of the room along with the bowl of water I usedst night, which was now cold.


    It was going to be a long day and I could not stop reying the kiss ofst night. It was so unexpected and I couldn¡¯t wait to see how she would react to it.


    It was a brand new day, another day to go to work so I quickly crashed up and dressed up and from the look of it she was still sleeping.


    I walked out of the house to get some eggs so I could make breakfast as we had run out of them and the moment I got back I saw Zoya standing in the living room in nothing but a towel, her shoulders and legspletely exposed.


    Although I was the one to change her outfit yesterday I purposely refused to look at her body and torch her in any sensitive areas and now she was standing almost half naked before me.


    ¡°Good morning¡± she greeted me, not minding my presence as she walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, but I stood frozen in my spot as I tried to recover from the shock.


    I shook my head, snapping myself out of my lustful daze, and quickly started making breakfast.


    I yed my breakfast along with her and just as I was making myself a cup of coffee she walked out of the room refreshed but my eyes kept staring at her lip.


    ¡°Stop being so obvious Abrar¡± I whispered, scolding myself.


    ¡°Here¡¯s Your breakfast,¡± I said, offering her a te of toast with some nice scrambled eggs before cing a cup of coffee beside her te.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked as I sat down to eat my breakfast.


    ¡°My head is hanging like crazy¡± she moaned as she grabbed her head taking a sip of the hot coffee.


    ¡°What happened? Why did youe back drunkst night?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What all this question.? I thought we agreed to not pry into each other¡¯s personal life¡± she responded.


    ¡°Well this is my house and I would appreciate it if you do note in drunkte at night¡± I snapped.


    I was so worried about her yesterday and now she refuses to tell me what had made her that distressed.


    ¡°I just hope I did not do anything to embarrass myselfst night?¡± She asked.


    Was it that she didn¡¯t remember what happenedst night?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I remember nothing, I cannot even remember how I got homest night. I was so reckless¡± she said, digging into her breakfast.


    I suddenly became disappointed. She did not remember yesterday¡¯s ordeal; she had no recollection of the kiss.


    ¡± So about the contract, I¡­.¡± I said before I was abrupt. ¡°I get it if you don¡¯t want to sign it. Maybe I should juste clean and tell my father the truth. I will beg him to allow you to keep your job and exin to him it was all my fault¡± she said, interrupting my speech.


    ¡°All of a sudden?¡± I asked. I was confused by her sudden change of mind.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I should do just that,¡± she replied.


    ¡°And why do you think I would not sign the contract?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, you were against it at first, and well with your ex-girlfriend back I am sure that you would not want to tie yourself with a fake rtionship when you could reconcile your past rtionship as I know you still have feelings for her. You got angry the time you saw me observing her picture before¡± she said.


    I stared at her in disbelief as I couldn¡¯t believe that was the reason she had thought of.


    ¡°First of all Zoya, there is a reason why she is called an ex. She is my past, a memory I wish not to revisit¡± I said ¡± And I have signed the contract¡± informed her.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked her eyes wide open, surprised by my sudden revtion.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s do it, I have agreed to be with you for a year under this fake pretense we have alreadye so far and well the offer is too detectible for me to refuse so yes I will be your fake husband,¡± I said.

 Chapter 22

    ZOYA¡¯S POV


    My head was banging. It felt like there was construction going on inside.


    But nothing prepared me for what Abrar just said.


    ¡°You will sign the contract?¡± I asked, I was surprised that he was willing to do it. I thought it was a lost cause but he agreed to do it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.


    He brought out the file from his briefcase and ced it on the table.


    ¡°Signed and done,¡± he said.


    I opened the file to see that he really did sign the contract. He has agreed to be my contract husband.


    ¡°Well, seems like we will have to tell your father to begin the ns for the traditional wedding, and from what I know he would want it to be held as soon as possible,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, uhm I think we should both tell him together,¡± I said, finally able to use my voice.


    ¡°Okay then I will be off to work¡± he replied, washing his dishes and cing them on the te rack.


    ¡°Who undressed me yesterday?¡± I suddenly asked.


    ¡°Uhm, me¡± he replied looking baffled.


    ¡°Do you see my¡­my naked body?¡± I screamed in rm.


    ¡°Well I did not look and aren¡¯t we husband and wife¡± he replied nonchntly like he did not just look through my naked body while I was unconscious.


    ¡°But it¡¯s only a facade¡¯ I yelled in disbelief.


    ¡°Whatever the name husband and wife are still present¡± he replied nonchntly¡±. See you at work¡± he said grabbing his briefcase and walking out the door.


    My head was a little bit fuzzy as I tried to calm myself down. He changed me and looked through my half-naked body.


    I could read my chest with my arms as I imagined the memory, and he reacted like it was nothing.


    I quickly prepared for work, but the thought of Anas made me shiver. It just felt crazy that he was now working in my father¡¯spany, that coward who abandoned me and left me to face the wrath of my father alone.


    In anticipation believe I was so stupid to trust him that I would just have to act like he does not exist but it also did not help that Abrar¡¯s ex was also now working at the office.


    ¡°It feels like the reunion of the ex¡± I mumbled to myself as I unlocked the house and walked out.


    I grabbed my keys and walked into my car driving down to work. There were a lot of things I had to attend to since I took quite some time off.


    I walked into the office my mind still upied with the fact that Abrar actually did go ahead with the n and had decided to be my fake husband.


    I looked over to his office area to see he was printing out some documents and then suddenly my view of his beautiful broad shoulders were cut off and it was none other than his ex. From my information her name was Nikhat and she was just a temporary worker for a project.


    ¡°What are you so busy looking at, can¡¯t stop admiring your husband?¡±  Alisha whispered into my ears.


    ¡°What? And. And you please step back, you are basically intruding¡± I said pushing her a few feet back while I also took a few steps back.


    ¡°Gosh you and your privacy, ¡± she said, rolling her eyes at me before slouching on the couch in my office.


    Alisha was my friend, my childhood friend. She was practically one of my closest friends and she had been away for quite some time due to her honeymoon.


    ¡°Sonia he the one, the knight in shining armor who saved your reputation?¡± She looked raising her brows In a mocking manner.


    Well out of all my friends, she was the only one aware that what Abrar and I had was a facade and that is because we did not keep any secrets from each other.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me,¡± I said.


    ¡°What he looks hot, very pleasing to look at. See the office girls swooning over him even though they are well aware that he is married and taken¡± she said stretching her neck in other to get a better look at him.¡± Well, I don¡¯t me them while is hot¡± she added.


    ¡°Alisha¡± I scolded, she was such a tease and I knew with her being back I was going to be her new target.


    ¡°What? Was just saying¡± she said feigning ignorance.


    ¡°How was your trip?¡± I asked, referring to her honeymoon.


    Alisha recently got married to the love of her life. They had been together since they were teenagers. Alisha basically had the perfect love story, not many girls get married for love.


    I was so desperate for love that I was stupid enough to think in oils and run away with Anas.


    ¡°It was fun but not as interesting as what is going on in your life because there is no way I saw Anas when I walked into the building. I tried getting a better look at him but he suddenly disappeared¡±


    ¡°Well you are not seeing things, Alisha he really is working here. I don¡¯t know what games he is ying but I just find it absurd that he decides to work for my father¡¯spany knowing fully well that it is my father¡¯spany¡± I said in disgust.


    Just the memory and thought of Anas made me shiver. He just made me feel ufortable.


    ¡°Have you spoken to him since the whole ordeal?¡± She asked, looking a little bit concerned.


    ¡°Well yes but I don¡¯t want to talk about him, he is the past let¡¯s leave him there¡± I replied.


    ¡°Okay then if you say so, now let¡¯s talk about your present and future,¡± she said in a teasing tone. ¡°How is our Mr. Abrar treating you? He looks like a gentleman. Has he agreed to the contract?¡± she whispers with a mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you are enjoying this?¡± I asked.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°That is because I am, your life basically feels like a drama right now and a very interesting one at that¡± she replied.


    ¡°Well good thing my life drama interests you,¡± I said sarcastically and she smiled happily in return.


    ¡°So has he?¡± She asked, eyes wide open with curiosity. I could not help but shake my head at her.


    ¡°Well he did, give me the signed contract,¡± I said, cing the signed contract on my table.


    She jumped and squealed in excitement. I was totally surprised by her reaction.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, now you mean that hunk yours for a period of nine months?¡± She asked with a broad smile on her face.


    ¡°Keep your voice down. And he is not a hunk, be careful with yournguage ma¡¯am you are now a married woman¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh yes, I am now a married woman. I must behave in aposed manner, ¡± she said, adjusting herself while sitting down and I could not help butugh at her.


    One thing about Alisha is that she is anything butposed.


    ¡°Well I have to go, being a new wife Involves meeting the inws and well today is inw day,¡± she said not looking too enthusiastic about it.


    ¡°Well you got this,¡± I said encouraging her.


    ¡°And Abrar, what about his family, have you met anyone?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No¡± I replied. Now that I think about it I don¡¯t really know much about his family background except that he grew up in a pretty hard environment and lost his parents early. I don¡¯t know if he is close to any of his family members. He will need his family to be present for the traditional wedding.


    ¡°Well, that is a conversation you both need to have. I will get going now, have a good day baby girl¡± she said, standing up and engulfing me in a tight unwanted hug.


    ¡°Okay that¡¯s enough,¡± I said gently pushing her away from me.


    ¡°Gosh, you are now a married woman you need to stop with all this no-touching rule of yours. You better make sure that hunk is all over you¡± she teased.


    ¡°Alisha¡± I scolded, she was not one to know how to control her speech. ¡± And we are not real it all for a short period¡±


    ¡°One year is not short, dear,¡± she said before pecking at me once again and walking out of my office.


    ¡°Good day ma¡¯am, Mr Ali has requested your presence in his office,¡± my secretary, Karina said. ¡± And Your husband is also there,¡± she added.


    What could possibly warrant Abrar to go to my father¡¯s office and also make them summon me as well?


    Was it that he had finally told my father everything and he just signed the contract to get back at me? He could possibly do that.


    I walked into my father¡¯s office and the grim expression on his face followed by the solemn expression on Abrar¡¯s face did not help calm my mind. I  was thinking of all the possibilities that could have warranted this meeting.


    ¡°Good thing you are here Zoya, I have something very important to discuss with you,¡± he said, his tone sounding serious. This was the tone he used when he was either disappointed in me or wanted to scold me.


    I looked over at Abrar and he refused to look at me, I had a bad feeling something was about to happen.

 Chapter 23

    ZOYA¡¯S POV.


    I sat down on the seat opposite mine as I anticipated what he wanted to talk about.


    He clears his throat and presents a folder with a paper which seemed like a contract and for a moment my eyes widened as fear consumed me.


    ¡°So I havee to a conclusion,¡± he said suddenly. ¡± I think it would be better for the wedding to be held in two weeks¡¯ time,¡± he said.


    Wedding? ¡°So soon, but I thought¡­¡± I said before I was abruptly interrupted.


    ¡°Yes, it is better if it is done as quickly as possible. I was telling Abrar here that he could formallye and meet the family this weekend. We will do the formal introduction with the full family of course and then the traditional marriage rite will bepleted after¡± he said, looking excited.


    I looked over at Abrar but I could not get a gauge on his reaction. I had no idea how to react to this news.


    ¡°Are you not excited?¡± My father asked.


    ¡°Oh! Of course, I am. I just thought it might be a little bit too soon but if you say so¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well all this was supposed to be done before the court wedding but now we have to do this. Your mother is so excited about it she has decided to n everything herself and I was just telling Abrar here not to worry about the expenses I will manage it all¡± my father replied.


    I looked over at Abrar and then understood why he did not look so excited, well I cannot me him it was all a lie our rtionship wasn¡¯t real anyway.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through all that Daddy, we will just do a small wedding and call it a day. ¡± I said, trying to convince my father not to go all out on spending too much. It was not like my rtionship with Abrar was going tost for a long time.


    ¡°Nonsense, a big wedding Is only befitting for you darling and that is what we shall have,¡± he said with a smile.


    It broke my heart that a day woulde when I would have to disappoint him when I announced the end of Abrar¡¯s and rtionship.


    ¡°Okay Dad if you say so,¡± I said. He wanted to go all out. There was nothing I could do to stop him so I just had to go with the flow.


    I walked out of my father¡¯s office but I noticed how quiet Abrar still was.


    ¡°What is the issue?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I just feel so guilty, I hate lying and now I feel like I have be so good at it,¡± he replied.


    I know all this was new to Abrar so was it to me. It was not like I was a pro at finding a fake husband and or something. But this was the step i had to take to protect my family¡¯s reputation.


    ¡°Well you agreed to eat the pill, you have to go ahead and do just that¡± I responded and walked away.


    Ever since I moved in with Abrar I have not been home neither have I talked to my mother. This was the longest i had gone my entire life without talking to my mom.


    I knew she was very angry and disappointed but I never expected her topletely ghost me.


    It was a long day, I was thinking of how I was going to have a wedding ceremony for a wedding that was not real and avoiding my ex along with trying not to re at Nikhat.


    Nikhat was all over Abrar, whenever I looked over at his direction he was talking to her which annoyed him.


    I am sure she must have heard he is married but she still decides to cling herself to him.


    Although it was a fake rtionship, at least to everyone knew he was mine and I am going to make sure she also gets the memo.


    I dropped the folder I was holding on my desk and walked out of my office with a determined step towards Abrar.


    Ever since I resumed work, i have made it a mission not to associate too much with Abrar so as not to create an awkward working environment but it seems like the  girls around not understand that Abrar is my husband and I am their boss.


    ¡°Miss Zoya¡± Anas suddenly called, obstructing my view of Avatar and Nikhat as he stood right in front of me.


    Just the perfect timing.


    ¡°How may I help you, Mr Anas?¡± I asked with my voiceced with a tinge of annoyance.


    ¡°I am down with the Job you assigned to me¡± he reported. ¡°Good drop a briefing with my secretary,¡± I said.


    I looked over to see that Abrar was staring at me. ¡°And I have to brief you about the London project,¡± he said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we do it another day, I am quite busy¡± I said, trying to walk past him.


    ¡± My sources told me our client is in town. I felt this was the best opportunity to present him with the offer instead of traveling all the way to China,¡± he said.


    He had a point, I could not deny that, I looked over to where Abrar was once standing to see that both him and Nikhat were nowhere to be found. ¡°Fine let¡¯s have the briefing,¡± I said as I turned around and walked back to my office.


    ¡°Okay that will be all for today,¡± I said adjoining the meeting with Anas.


    ¡°Uhmm, Zoya can I ask you for a favor?¡± Anas suddenly asked, surprising me.


    ¡°Yes you can and it is Miss Zoya to you¡± I responded


    ¡°Oh! Miss Zoya, I wasn¡¯t wondering if you would like to have dinner or lunch with me one of these days, just any day you will be free¡± he asked, looking nervous as he fidgeted.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Is it work-rted?¡± I asked. ¡°Uhmm, no it is not, just a get-together for both of us¡± he replied.


    ¡®I am sorry to disappoint you sir Anas but unless it is work-rted I do not have meals with other men. It is gettingte and I have to go home and meet my husband, if you would please excuse me¡± I said, rejecting his offer.


    He walked out of his office with his head down and I could not be more proud of myself. What a fool, thinking he has a chance with me again, I will not be that naive and desperate again.


    I walked out of my office and noticed some people had signed out for the day and by looking at Abrar¡¯s desk he was also absent.


    Maybe he has gone home. I pulled up to the house with ns of just resting up but motic d that Abrar was not still yet home.


    It was past ten p. m. but he was still not back and then he walked into the house not too long after, like nothing happenedpletely ignoring my presence.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± I asked, snapping at him


    ¡°Out¡± he replied.


    ¡°What do you mean out? Look at the time. You better start giving me an exnation¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°I do not owe you any exnation about my life¡± he responded.


    I was so furious at this point, and his rife attitude was not helping matters.


    I walked closer to him, standing only a few meters away from him ¡°Is it Nikhat, are youing back thiste because of her? So you spent the night with her isn¡¯t not?¡± I snapped.


    ¡°No, I did not and it is none of my business.  I saw you with the new worker today as well being close and lovey-dovey. What was his name again? Oh yes, Anas¡± he said.


    ¡°He is nothing¡± I yelled in response. ¡°And she is nothing as well¡± he replied.


    ¡°Gosh, you are so annoying¡± I whispered, turning around to walk back into my room when I tripped, before I fell on the ground Abrar caught me but he also tripped as well and he quickly turned me mid-air making me fall on his chest while he fell on the ground.


    A silent hiss left his mouth and I looked up worried that he might be seriously hurt.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked, seriously concerned about his well-being.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡± he replied,  that was when I realized that my face was a tad bit too close to his, it was just a few inches away.


    I could feel his breath on my lips as he stared at me with his enchanting eyes which made me rx further into his arms.


    His fingers slowly tucked the air on my face behind my ears. The tension between us was so heavy it felt almost too suffocating.


    With my chest on his his palm on my face and my eyes roaming his face before settling down on his sulent lips. It was clear all I wanted to do right now was kiss him.


    He slowly raises his head, his eyes focused on my lips, with his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me steady.


    This was going to happen, I was about to kiss Abrar.

 Chapter 24

    ABRAR¡¯S POV


    I could not stop staring at her sulent lips, I was so attracted to it that I had no control over my body and my instinct as I drew my head closer to hers my eyes trained on her lips. Every single nerve on my body was focused on cing my lips on hers.


    ¡°Stop¡± she suddenly said, halting my movement, her palm on my chest.


    My eyes instantly left her lips and stared at her eyes to see she had a confused expression on her face as she stared at me like she saw a ghost.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I whispered surprised by her sudden action, just a few moments ago she wanted to kiss me and now she did not.


    Her mood change was making me dizzy and the overall mood had shifted drastically so I lifted her off my body and sat down on the ground while she quickly stood up on her feet.


    ¡°Did you kiss me before?¡± She suddenly asked.


    I slowly stood up, groaning in panic as I realized I had hit my elbow badly when I fell down trying to protect Zoya from falling down.


    I noticed the red bruises on my elbow and I couldn¡¯t help but swear as it hurt like crazy. I was so consumed with lust and with the adrenaline to notice the injury.


    ¡°Were you hurt?¡± She suddenly asked. Looking concerned.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I replied, brushing her off. ¡°Don¡¯t try to be a macho man, you can do that with any other person but not me¡± she scolded before dragging me to the kitchen counter. She grabbed the first aid kit and applied some ointment before putting on some band-aid to protect the injury.


    ¡°That should do it,¡± she said, closing up the first aid box and keeping it back where it was.


    An awkward silence settled in the air as we both refused to look at each other while still seated beside each other.


    ¡°About the..¡± we said together.


    ¡°Oh, you go first¡± she suggested. ¡°No, you go first,¡± I interjected.


    ¡°Uhmm okay, so¡­ so I asked if we had kissed before. She asked finally looking at me.


    The moment she asked that question the memory of her drunken kiss rushed to my mind.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that when we were, you know about to do it,¡± she said looking nervous as she pointed to the ground avoiding the word kiss as much as possible. ¡°When were we about to kiss?¡± I asked since she could not say it.


    ¡°Yes, that,¡± she responded. ¡°I had like a shback, it felt so real and I just wanted to confirm,¡± she said, refusing to look at me.


    ¡°I will only tell you if you look at me when I am talking to you,¡± I said. She then turned around to stare at me, her face devoid of any emotion as she waited for me to answer her question. ¡°Yes you kissed me the night you came home drunk¡± I finally confessed.


    The change in her features was interesting and entertaining to watch as it slowly changed from shock, and embarrassment to anger.


    ¡°You mean you kissed me¡± she stammered, still in shock.


    ¡°Well technically you kissed me,¡± I responded.


    ¡°You asshole, you knew I was drunk and took advantage of me. Was¡­. Was that why you undressed me that night to take advantage of my weak state¡± she asked.


    ¡°Zoya¡± I scolded her. ¡°I will not tolerate being downgraded like that. I am not that kind of man. I will never take advantage of a woman in her weak state. I will never resort to such means. You came at me and kissed me first and you looked ufortable in your dress and I only helped you out. So do not use me with no evidence¡± I snapped.


    I found it absurd she thought I could do something like that. He just shows how much she doesn¡¯t trust me and it stung like crazy.


    ¡°I kissed you?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes you did, so it was you who took advantage of me because I did not consent to that kiss¡± I replied.


    She turned around slightly, lowering her head like she was embarrassed. Well, a few seconds ago she was using me of all atrocities.


    ¡°If I had not asked you would have not told me?¡± She asked, suddenly turning around to look at me.


    ¡°Well since you do not remember I thought it would be best not to bring it up¡± I replied.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± she said, shocking me.


    ¡°For the kiss,¡± she said her voice barely above a whisper. She said it like it physically hurt her to refer to the fact that she had kissed me before.


    ¡°Just the kiss?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you want me to apologize for again?¡± she snapped.


    ¡°Well for using me,?¡± I said.


    I watched as the anger she had slowly diffused at my word and she visibly rxed.


    ¡°Oh! I am sorry¡± she finally said after a moment of awkward silence.


    ¡± I will ept that apology but I won¡¯t ept the apology in regard to the kiss,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, a confused expression on her features.


    ¡°That is because I do not regret that kiss¡± I responded standing up from my chair, cing both my hands on each of her sides, entrapping her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked, her eyes wide open in disbelief.


    ¡± Well I have to make sure you do not regret kissing me again and continue from where we stopped a few minutes ago,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± She said, looking confused. But before I could back down I pushed myself and captured her lips with mine.


    I kissed her passionately as she sat still, her eyes wide open. She was surprised by my sudden bold act, and so was I.


    I gently released her lips and stared into her eyes. ¡°At least now you will remember the kiss,¡± I said before walking out of the house.


    I stood on the veranda and I took a deep breath. I needed to catch my breath because my heart was beating so fast that I thought I might have a heart attack if it kept on meeting this fast.


    It was a cool night but I couldn¡¯t help myself from sweating.


    I walked back into the house to see that she was not in the living room and decided to quickly freshen up and go to bed.


    ¡°We will be going to my house this weekend,¡± she said, popping her head from the corner of her bedroom door, surprising me as I gasped in shock at her unexpected entrance.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I replied.


    The week was rtively fast, it was just still awkward that I still had to work that close with my ex and the constant attention the new employee Anas was giving Zoya.


    ¡°What Is that guy¡¯s problem? He is always trying to be around Zoya. So annoying¡± I muttered to myself.


    ¡°What are you mumbling about?¡± Kaif asked as he stood beside me munching on a bag of chips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but something about that boy gives me the ick and he also has the same name as Zoya¡¯s ex¡± I reported.


    ¡°You mean Anas? Well I also noticed the attention he pays to Zoya maybe he is her ex¡± he said and at that moment it clicked.


    Maybe Anas was really Zoya¡¯s ex. I needed to find out.


    I approached Anas not wanting to beat around the bush. Although my rtionship with Zoya was fake it was only between both of us. Everyone in the office knew she was my wife.


    ¡°Anas¡± I called, drawing his attention. ¡°Yes Mr Abrar, how may I help you?¡± He asked in a polite tone, but I was not in any mood to be polite to anyone.


    ¡°Can we talk in private?¡± I offered, as we walked to the worker¡¯s lounge which was empty.


    ¡°What¡¯s your deal with Zoya?¡± I asked, going straight to the point as soon as we walked into the lounge.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked, looking confused.


    ¡°I am sure you know she is my wife. I have been noticing the attention you have been giving to my wife and I am notfortable with that¡± I said.


    ¡°I am aware you are the husband, but I know that what you guys have is not real. Were you not the guy who talked to me on the phone that day? I know you must have trapped her. Zoya can be so emotional and you took advantage of her weakness and married her, right? I am going to expose you¡± he said, with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°You are a coward. I had my doubts about you being the foolish ex, but now that I know, I want you to keep your distance from her or the next time I see you close to her¡± I said, walking closer to him before I whispered into his ears  ¡°I will break every bone in your body¡± I threatened him.

 Chapter 25

    ABRAR¡¯S POV


    he showed no sign of backing down instead he only scoffed at my breath not seeming to take me seriously.


    ¡°You are nothingpared to me, you are just a thrash Zoya used to rece me and just like she picked you up I will make sure she disposes of you just as quickly¡± he retorted.


    Walking past me and bumping into my shoulder hard.


    I can¡¯t believe that that good-for-nothing thought he could go up against me in this war. He better be prepared because he just crossed the line.


    ¡°So is he the ex?¡± Kaif asked, suddenly appearing before me with a snack in his mouth.


    ¡°Yes he is, and for gosh sake why are you always eating done you get tired are you a glutton or something?¡± Iined as I was feeling frustrated and he just happened to be on the receiving end of it.


    ¡°Well I am hungry and ingot the snack for free. Alia from PR gave it to me, I feel like maybe she might be into me,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Whatever man, you think everyone is into you¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t they¡± he said with a smug expression on his face. Gosh, I wanted to punch that look on his face so bad I was not in the mood for his testing and childish behavior right now.


    ¡°Okay enough about me, before you punch me in the face because you do not look too excited. What did the ex say?¡± He still asked munching his snack.


    ¡°He basically just told me that he was going to get rid of me and I was a thrash. I can¡¯t believe that coward that fool who left a girl stranded in a street felt like he dared to talk back at me and dere himself my rival¡± I said, angrily as I could feel incredibly hot inside due to anger.


    ¡°Calm your horses, young man, nobody is going to push you away,e on, you are Abrar the one and only you don¡¯t have to let that good-for-nothing word affect you,¡± Kaif said trying to lighten up my mood, to be honest, I was not feeling any better.


    ¡°And the fact that he is always close to Zoya does not help matters,¡± Kaif Whispered.


    ¡°That was super annoying, as well because I confronted Zoya about this guy and she told me he was nothing if not for the fact that I connected the dots and discovered that yes indeed he could be her ex and actually confronted him I would have no idea and would have continued to be yed,¡± I said.


    ¡°Keep your voice down, do you want everyone in the office to hear you?¡± Kaif scolded, looking around to make sure nobody was around to hear me venting. ¡°And is it not good news if she reconciles with her boyfriend you wouldn¡¯t need to be involved in this whole rtionship facade with her anymore¡±  he added.


    ¡°Anyone but him, I spoke to him and he just rubbed me the wrong way. I know he is up to something, people like him are no good and I am going to make sure I send him out of Zoya¡¯s life as well as thispany¡± I stated.


    ¡°And how do you intend to do that?¡± Kaif asked with a raised brow as he dusted off his hands and wrapped up the snack wrapper and threw it into the nearest bin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I will look for a way and of course with your help,¡± I said.


    ¡°What? My help? No no no, do not involve me in your lover¡¯s quarrel. I have a lot on my te. I just want a carefree life without problem¡± he objected.


    ¡°Well too bad for you, you are my only friend so yes you are going to help me,¡± I stated.


    ¡°This is bad, I don¡¯t know why you are so bothered by Zoya. Don¡¯t tell me you are starting to catch feelings for her?¡± He asked, squinting his eyes as he stared at me with suspicion.


    His words surprised me as I knew I had no feelings for Zoya whatsoever. I might feel protective over her. That is because I knew within her hard exterior is a very soft emotionally driven person who is actually very weak. She hates sharing her problems and well yeah I just want to help her for a short period that¡¯s all.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s just absurd I do not have such feelings¡± I imed as I walked out of the balcony.


    ¡°Well if you say so,¡± he replied. ¡°So will you help me or not?¡± I asked him.


    Kaif was really good with rtionships and well-ending rtionships. He once broke up a girl¡¯s engagement so he could only date the girl for a month just because he was attracted to the girl.


    If he could break the engagement of two people who loved themselves I am sure he could string up a n to exterminate Anas from our lives.


    ¡°It seems like I do not have a choice anyway so yes I am your guy,¡± he said not so enthusiastically as we walked back to our desks.


    I looked over at Zoya¡¯s office to see he focused on a pile of folders on her desk. She looked really busy. Maybe I should make her a cup of coffee to cheer her up. She really does like my coffee from what I have observed.


    I walked over to the lunch room and quickly put on the coffee machine.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    I brewed the coffee delicately so it would taste heavenly just the way she liked it.


    And just as I was done making it Nikhat walked her sharp perfume hitting my senses taking over the scent of the well brewed coffee.


    ¡°Abrar here you are, I was looking for you,¡± she said¡± Is that coffee?¡± She asked as she walked closer and looked at it.


    ¡°Uhmm, yes¡± I replied. ¡°Oh my gosh, it has been so long since I drank your coffee I really miss the taste,¡± she said looking at me, but I had no idea how to react so I nodded my head in response.


    ¡°Would you mind if I had a taste? I am really craving some coffee¡± she asked, batting her eyes at me as she stared at me with a pleasing look.


    I had no idea what to do, I had specifically made the coffee for Zoya and now I don¡¯t know how to tell Nikhat no.


    ¡°Sure you can,¡± I said, offering her the cup of coffee I had just made with pure devotion.


    ¡°Oh thank you,¡± she said as she picked up the cup. ¡°It smells so good¡± sheplimented her eyes wide with excitement.


    She took a sip and her eyes widened even further. ¡°Oh my gosh, Abrar had no idea coffee could taste this good, it looks like you polished your skill because this tastes heavenly¡± sheplimented.


    ¡°Oh! Thank you¡± I said husband Zoya walked into the room practically throwing daggers at me with her death re.


    ¡°Oh good day Miss Zoya¡± Nikhat greeted Zoya acknowledging her presence.


    ¡°I smelled something nice and thought I shoulde check it out, did you brew that coffee, Miss Nikhat?¡± Zoya asked


    ¡°No I did not, I am not that skilled. Abrar here brewed this wonderful coffee and it tastes so good¡± sheplimented again, suddenly squeezing my biceps, surprising me.


    I watched as Zoya¡¯s eyes darted to my arm which was being held by Nikhat as I stylishly released my arm from Nikhat¡¯s grip.


    ¡°I see,¡± she replied in a chilling tone.


    ¡°Would you like some? I am sure Abrar can make another cup. Can¡¯t you Abrar?¡± Nikhat asked.


    ¡°No need, I will just grab some snacks,¡± Zoya said before I could reply. She grabbed a packet of cookies along with an energy drink from the fridge and walked out.


    ¡°Thank you so much for the coffee Abrar¡± Nikhat greeted.


    ¡°There is no issue at all¡± I replied but my thoughts were upied with Zoya¡¯s expression. She looked so disappointed.


    ¡± And oh! Abrar I don¡¯t know if it is possible for you to go with me to the construction field Kaiser told me to take one I am morefortable with and since I am new to thepany and well you are the only one I can speak freely with I thought I should ask you and from my knowledge while making my research I heart you were quite knowledgeable about construction and I thought you would be the perfect Partner¡± she asked.


    My first thought was to reject her as I did not want to be in a situation where I would spend a lot of time with her with just the both of us but my ns were cut short when Kaiser walked into the room and apparently, he heard Nikhat asking for my help.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just escort her Abrar, nothing much is going on in the office, and besides isn¡¯t being in the field your specialty¡± he said, slightly mocking me.


    Trapped between the two of them and not seeing a way out I finally agreed.


    ¡°Okay I will go with you¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good, I will quickly grab my bag so we can get going,¡± she said, finishing up her coffee and washing the cup, walking off to grab her bag.


    I walked to my desk and cleared everything up as I might have to go home from the construction site.


    I grabbed my suitcase and looked over at Zoya¡¯s office and noticed she had her blindfold down which made it impossible for me to see her.


    ¡°Going somewhere, man?¡± Kaif asked as he approached my desk.


    ¡°Yes, going to a site,¡± I replied.


    ¡°A site? With who?¡± He asked looking confused and just like she knew when to make an entrance Nikhat appeared beside Nikhat with a huge smile on her face. ¡°With me,¡± she said.


    Kaif looked surprised by this news as his eyes darted from mine to hers.


    ¡°Can we get going?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied. ¡°See you, man,¡± I said parting Kaif on the back as we walked out of the office and made our way to the site.


    I made sure to remain as professional as possible. I wanted to forget my past with Nikhat, I just did not want to think about it at all.


    It was almost dark when we were finally done with our task at the site. I was extremely exhausted and I realized my phone had been switched off all day.


    ¡°Gosh I am so famished,¡± Nikhat said as we walked down the street.


    There was no taxi nearby and I was just eager to get him as I was also very hungry.


    It then urred to me I had not eaten anything since my morning breakfast.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat, ¡± Nikhat offered as we drew close to a shop that sold food.


    ¡°I am not hungry¡± I lied but my stomach chose to betray me as it rumbled loudly.


    ¡°Well your tummy objects to that,¡± she said with augh as she skipped excitedly to the store.


    We ordered some dishes and I quickly dug in as they tasted delicious.


    ¡°This is so nice, ¡± Nikhat cooed as she dug into her meal. And I nodded my head in agreement.


    ¡°So how have you been Abrar?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Good and you¡± I replied, trying not to go into details.


    ¡°Good I will say, just you know I got divorced,¡± she said, I had suspicions that she might be divorced but I never asked her as I felt it was too personal.


    An awkward silence settled between us as I did not know how to respond to her revtion. ¡°I¡­I am so sorry¡± I replied.


    ¡°No need for all that, it¡¯s been quite some time, and I have moved on from it. You are married?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, recently did that¡± I replied, trying to finish up my meal as fast as possible to quickly leave this ce.


    ¡°Congrattions, I just realized I haven¡¯t congratted you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, finishing up my meal.


    ¡°Woah, done already?¡± she asked, looking at my now empty te.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I responded. I quickly paid for both our meals, she was still eating and had quite a long way to go to finish her meal.


    ¡°I will get going now I need to get back home,¡± I said, excusing myself and walking away leaving her alone at the store.


    It was now dark when I got home but Zoya was not back yet I brought out my phone from my bag to call her and noticed it was switched off.


    I powered it up quickly and noticed I had more than ten miss calls from Zoya.


    I instantly became worried as I thought something had happened to her, I opened the text message she sent me and I quickly realized I had messed up.


    I was supposed to go to her family Josie with her today and I forgot. Just as I finished reading her text she walked into the house and from the expression on her face I knew she was not happy at all.


    I knew it was about to be a long night.

 Chapter 26

    ZOYA¡¯S POV.


    I could not believe that he made coffee for his ex-girlfriend because she was disabled and could not make her own coffee by herself.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, is there an issue?¡± Katin asked.


    ¡°No you may continue,¡± I replied, sipping my energy drink.


    I needed to stay focused. I cannot afford to be distracted by a man who was just a stand-in.


    The meeting continued for quite some time and finally, it was time for me to go home. I had to leave early today since I was going to my parent¡¯s house today.


    I walked out of my office to tell Abrar of our n but he seemed to have left work which was quite shocking.


    ¡°Good day ma¡¯am¡± Kaif suddenly greeted me.


    ¡°Oh Kaif, sorry but where is Abrar?¡± I asked, still looking wrong, to see if I could spot him.


    ¡°Abrar left for some field work¡± Kaif informed me, his mouth filled up with sausage. I noticed Kaif was always either eating something or flirting with someone.


    ¡°Field work? But he is not assigned to do that¡± I said looking confused.


    ¡°Nikhat asked him to escort him and he agreed,¡± Kaif reported.


    First, he made coffee for her and now he escorts her to a field site, was he the only male she could go with?


    ¡°Okay then thank you¡± I replied, walking back to my office.


    It was almost five p. m. and still, Abrar was not yet back.


    I picked up my phone and called him but still did not get a reply from him. I can¡¯t believe he wants to disappoint me after telling him of my n.


    I grabbed my bag and angrily exited the office. I cannot continue waiting for him any longer.


    He was not picking up my calls and neither was he replying to my texts. Seems like he is enjoying his time with his love. I am only an unwanted distraction anyway.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Wee him dear¡± my father greeted me with a small smile as soon as I stepped into the house, while my mom stood a few feet behind him.


    ¡°Good day Father¡± I replied. I walked over to my mother and greeted her in a traditional way asking for her blessings. ¡°Bless you, child,¡± she said, engulfing me in a tight hug ¡± I missed you so much dear,¡± she said, her voice tinged with a little bit of longing.


    ¡°I missed you so much mama¡± I replied, hugging her back with such enthusiasm.


    Ever since the whole Abrar incident I had not seen or talked to my mother. She was one of my closest friends andpanions.


    ¡°Where is Abrar?¡± My father asked, looking around.


    ¡°He should be here soon, just consumed with work I suppose,¡± I said, trying to cover up for his shorings.


    I should have known that the moment Abrar refused to pick my calls that he wasn¡¯t going to show up.


    We had rounded up dinner and still, Abrar was a show. ¡°I am not sure he will be able to make it, he must really be consumed with work,¡± I said, still trying to defend him.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a new position and a rare one is a very diligent and hardworking young man. He takes his job seriously, I am sure something must have held him down,¡± my father said.


    I looked over to my mum but she did not look convinced at all, one thing about my mother was that she was a family-orientated person and she believed that since I was already a workaholic like my dad she wanted someone who was more family oriented for me so that it could bnce my work and family life ratio. I can boldly say Abrar has lost some points when ites to my mother¡¯s approval.


    He may have my dad¡¯s approval but my mother¡¯s approval is quite hard to get and he does not have a good start right now.


    ¡°Well, he should know when it is time for family, this was a family gathering and he did not bother toe. No amount of work should stop you from visiting your loved ones¡± my mother objected with a disappointed expression on her face.


    With a nodding and a wave goodbye I drove out making my way back home to my temporary home.


    From the lightsing from the house, I knew instantly that Abrar was back and I looked at my phone and noticed that he had not responded to any of my calls.


    I walked into the house to see him standing with a surprised expression on his face like he saw a ghost or something and was a little to pass out.


    ¡°Where were you all day Abrar?¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°I am so sorry Zoya, my phone went off and we were so consumed with work at the site I totally forgot,¡± he said looking apologetic but at that moment I was so angry at him I could barely hear anything he was saying.


    ¡°Do you know how embarrassing it was showing up alone at my family house alone? I could feel the disapproving stares from my aunty and uncles. It did not help matters knowing you were also ignoring my messages and like a fool I was defending you¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°I am very sorry¡± he apologized once again, a defeated expression on his face.


    ¡°If you know you enjoy spending time with your ex let just end all this. I know it is a fake rtionship but I don¡¯t want you going around with another woman when everyone thinks we are together that would look disrespectful¡± I said, grabbing my bag to walk back into my room.


    ¡°And you? Are you any different?¡± He suddenly asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, dumbfounded by his question.


    ¡± If I remember vividly I asked you who Anas was but you said he was nothing all for me to discover he was the ex you reced me with¡± he yelled back at me.


    I knew I told him Anas was nothing because he was nothing. Anas is someone from my past I have no intention of visiting the memory of.


    ¡°That is because he is nothing to me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°How am I supposed to believe that, just a few weeks ago you were crying in the street because of him? I am actually in this situation now because of him, so tell me how am I supposed to believe the fact that you feel nothing for him when every time he approached you at the office I see your eyes light up in excitement¡± he yelled at me


    I could see how angry and agitated he looked but one thing for sure was I didn¡¯t have any feelings whatsoever again for Anas anymore all I felt for him was hatred.


    Although I do not show it I am very grateful to Abrar as I don¡¯t know what I would have done without him that day I might still be roaming the streets too scared of going home.


    ¡°I have no feelings for him, Abrar. He is my past, a past I am sometimes ashamed of because I was naive and stupid, but not anymore¡± I said.


    The tension between us slowly calmed down as we quickly realized that we were just holding grudges because of the sudden appearances of our exes in our lives.


    ¡°I am absolutely sorry for today Zoya, if I had remembered I would not have gone on that trip with her,¡± he said in a calming tone.


    ¡°Okay then, I will ept your apology but don¡¯t you think of doing something like this again if not you would really not get my mother¡¯s approval¡± I informed him.


    ¡°My mum is not happy with you at all and demands you go over and visit¡± I added.


    ¡°When?¡± He asked, looking a bit nervous.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± I informed.


    ¡°So we will go back tomorrow?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, you will go there tomorrow by yourself. I am too busy for all that¡± I said walking away but was quickly halted by his arm which wrapped around my biceps.


    ¡°Why? You know I can¡¯t go there by myself. Come on pleasee with me¡± he pleaded and I almost burst outughing at how nervous and scared he looked.


    ¡°Please¡± he pleaded once again.


    ¡°Fine but I want pizza,¡± I said willing to collect some bribe. I cannot be cheap.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± He asked, looking at me like I was joking.


    ¡°I am dead serious,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Okay fine, I will give you your pizza¡± he replied with a defeated tone.


    ¡°Good your penalty wasn¡¯t that much now was it¡± I said, smiling excitedly as I walked to the bedroom.


    I took a warm shower and as soon as I finished dressing up for the night myte pizza snack was waiting on the counter. I could not help myself from squealing in excitement.


    It was so warm and so cheeky, the perfectte-night snack.


    ¡°You can take a slice, just a slice though,¡± I noticed Abrar watching the cheesy pizza with longing in his eyes.


    He quickly dived in and grabbed thergest piece of pizza I was keeping as myst.


    ¡°Abrar¡±I scolded him but he onlyughed as he quickly finished the piece.


    It was fun, we wereughing and eating dinner together, something that I have to say rarely happens or never happens if I must say.


    Abrar looked so happy and at that moment I also felt happy.

 Chapter 27

    ABRAR¡¯S POV


    The soft gentle wind carried the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass from the garden beside Zoya¡¯s family house.


    I stood at the front door of Zoya¡¯s family home, and my heart was pounding like crazy.


    I was so confident while on the way here but now that I was here I was so nervous I could hardly breathe.


    Tonight was very important for the first time I will Finally formally meet Zoya¡¯s family as well as her extended family.


    I was not able to make It here thest time but now I know I have to do a good job to win them over just like Zoya wants. Ibed my hand through my hair and adjusted my shirt.


    I was dressed in casual pants and a shirt hoping not to look too serious as per Zoya¡¯s request.


    Zoe, sensing his anxiety, ced a reassuring hand on his arm. ¡°Rx, Abrar, you are not going into a battlefield, it¡¯s just my family,¡± Zoya teased with a smile on her face as she noticed how tense I was.


    I had a feeling she was enjoying my misery right now but I couldn¡¯t me her I was at fault for missing the first appointment, now it was time for me to face the consequences.


    ¡°I sure hope it is not a battlefield because I definitely would not know what to do¡± I replied with the right smile


    ¡°Come on, stop being a baby put on your big boy pants, and let¡¯s go in,¡± she said grabbing my hand and pushing open therge door.


    We walked into the house and I have to say it is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The house was so finely decorated and Mr Ali was right at the entrance.


    It felt odd or see my boss in such a casual outfit as I have only seen him at the office but here I was with his daughter for a formal introduction.


    Mr Ali had a broad smile on his face, and his eyes twinkled with warmth it felt good to see a warm familiar face.


    ¡°Abrar! Wee son¡± Mr Ali greeted, extending his palm for a handshake ¡°It¡¯s so good that you finally made it. I am super excited to introduce you to everyone,¡± he said with a broad smile but in oils only smiled back in return.


    I took his offered hand, grateful for the firm, friendly grip. ¡°Thank you, Mr Ali, for inviting me to your lovely home. It is exquisitely beautiful. It¡¯s an honor to be here. And I am sorry I could not make it I er thest time¡±


    ¡°No worries son, you are a very hardworking man, and from what I heard you were the one who resolved the issue at the site the other day¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes Sir¡± I replied nervously.


    ¡°Oh no need for too much formalities I am not at work, don¡¯t be so tense,¡± he said pping my back ¡°Come let¡¯s meet everyone else¡±


    ¡°Well since I am now invincible I will just go and look for Mom¡± Zoya interjected.


    ¡°oh! My princess, you can never be invincible. Come let go in¡± he said pecking her lovingly on the cheeks as he led us further into a ginormous house.


    As soon as we stepped further I could not help but notice how cozy the house was, family photos lined the walls and everywhere just felt homey. It was a familiar feeling inhad not felt in a long time which made me miss my parents so much.


    The scent of home-cooked meal wafted from the kitchen and then the chatter and bickering of children made me almost teary-eyed.


    Zoya had such a big family and they seemed tightly knitted together whereas inwas and orphan.


    ¡°Come sit down¡± Zoya directed me to a chair in the living room area where some men and women were sitting. They all looked unfamiliar.


    ¡°Wait here I will go and get my mum¡± Zoya instructed.


    I grabbed her arm in panic as she was about to leave me all alone with people I knew nothing about.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me here¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I will be right back, before you know it my child¡± she teased, walking away.


    I was all alone and was so nervous and sweating.


    I bowed my head and greeted the group of people seated as their eyes were on the whole time. I cannote off as rude insight not knowing who this people were but since they were in Zoya¡¯s house they were clearly Zoya¡¯s rtives.


    ¡°Wee son,¡± an elderly man greeted me with a warm tone.


    ¡°Abrar, I want you to meet my mother¡± Zoya introduced as Mrs Ali came into view.


    I had seen her for the first time during the day Zoya announced us as a married couple but it was the first time I was getting a good look at her. She had an air of elegance about her and she definitely had a striking resemnce with Zoya. One could easily see they were family.


    ¡°Mother this is Abrar and Abrar this is my mother and your mother-inw Mrs Ali¡± Zoya introduced.


    ¡°Good day Mrs Ali¡± I greeted her, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice she did not look too pleased to see me.


    To be honest I can¡¯t me her. She set up a date to meet her family and I did not make it this was also after marrying her daughter without permission so I wondered if she was totally not happy with me.


    Mr Ali assessed me with her eyes moving through the full length of my body. ¡°Good evening, Abra, wee to our home,¡± she said, her tone polite but also slightly distant.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs Ali, for inviting me into your lovely home¡± I replied, as politely and well manners as possible.


    ¡°Please, call me Deepika,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh I cannot possibly call you that ma¡¯am ¡± I refuse politely.


    ¡°Okay if you say so,¡± she said with a smile.


    Mr Ali guided me back to the living room. ¡± Come, Adam, have a seat, let me introduce you to everyone while we wait for dinner to be served,¡± Mr Ali offered.


    I looked over at Zoya who gave me a nod of encouragement before walking back to the kitchen with her mother.


    I sat down with a nice and polite smile stered on my face as Mr Ali introduce me to his brother and cousins as well as other distant rtives.


    ¡°So Abrar what do you do?¡± Mr Ali¡¯s brother who I havee to know as Mr Yusuf asked.


    ¡°He works at thepany, he is a smart boy you see. I am so happy that finally he was the one Zoya chose¡± Mr Ali interjected before I could reply and I could not help but feel relieved.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Wow, you work for your father inwpany? Was that how you met Zoya?¡± Another asked.


    I was now ced in a situation where I had to lie. ¡°Yes but worked at the site before her at the site¡± I responded.


    ¡°So you knew her father was your boss?¡± Another person asked.


    It felt like I was being interrogated for a crime I was bombarded with questions left and right from different people but I had to still be polite.


    ¡± No, I had no idea she worked for thepany as well not until I met Mr Ali and she introduced me as her father. It was quite a shock to be precise¡± I exined.


    ¡°When i heard Zoya was married, to be honest, it was quite a shock I had to call Ali to confirm. I was happy because we all worried that that girl might not settle down one day but the fact that she did not introduce her husband to the family was also very disappointing, i was angry with my brother for a while but he also told me he was also shocked by the news and they both of you caught him off guard. So I want to ask you, Abrar, why would you get married to a girl without asking her parents for her hand?¡± Mr Yusuf asked with a stoic expression on his face.


    ¡°I am sorry for how everything went down but we were both not thinking straight I acted with my emotions and quickly realized I was wrong¡± I apologized.


    ¡°I am sure he panicked you know we nned a marriage ceremony for Zoya she did not show up to I am sure they nned on eloping, Zoya could very much do that but Abrar here brought her back home. I cannot forget that sight he held her hand tight with a determined look on his face which quickly faltered when he saw though¡± Mr. Ali saidughing at hisst statement


    ¡°Food is ready¡± Zoya announced and I could not be happier that the conversation hade to an end.


    I sat down beside Zoya while arrays of beautiful dishesy elegantly on the table.


    We said some prayed and everyone began digging into the food.


    ¡°Come on eat¡± Zoya ordered when she noticed I was not moving.


    I grabbed some of the dishes and ced it on my te, it smelled amazing and even tasted better.


    It had been so long since I had a nice home cooked meal.


    Everyone chatted between themselvesughing and having a good time while I watched Zoya chat happily with her cousins.


    ¡°So how long have you been seeing each other?¡±Mrs. Ali asked from the opposite side of the table and the noisy chatter quickly quieted down.


    ¡°About six months now¡± I replied looking at Zoya for help but she only nodded her head in response. ¡°I knew she was the one for me the moment I saw her,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So, Abrar, do you have any family nearby?¡±Mr. Yusuf asked.


    ¡°Uhm no, I am an orphan and any of my rtives stay very far away from here as I am not from this province,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh so sorry to hear that dear¡± Zoya¡¯s grandfather sympathized.


    ¡°So you do not have any family member to stand for you?¡± Mrs. Ali asked.


    ¡°I do but they live far away, and I am not exactly too close with them so I am not sure they would want to make such a trip¡± I replied.


    ¡°A man who is not family-oriented is not good in a marriage I hope you work on that,¡± Mrs Ali said in a cold distant tone.


    The atmosphere suddenly became tensed and I found it difficult to swallow the beef in my mouth.


    ¡°All that doesn¡¯t matter, we are big enough to share. From now on Abrar we are all your family, you don¡¯t need to worry. You can call me father if you want to¡± Mr. Ali offered.


    I knew being an orphan might causemotion as this was also how Nikhat¡¯s family reacted when I told them I was an orphan. Nobody wants their child to associate with anyone with no family.


    But I am grateful to Mr. Ali for trying to make me feel weed and loved.


    ¡°Family is very important,¡± Mrs. Ali mumbled.


    ¡°Son, what is your n for the future after the wedding?¡± Mrs. Ali asked.


    ¡°Well I was thinking of moving to a new well-refined apartment, the house we currently stay at is quite far from work takes a lot tomute every day¡± I responded.


    ¡°Just an apartment what about children?¡± She asked and it choked on the water I was sipping.


    ¡°Mother, if we want to have children we will¡± Zoya finally interjected.


    ¡°Darling please stop interrogating the poor boy we invited him here to have a good meal,¡± Mr. Ali said trying to call Mrs. Ali down.


    ¡°Well I invited him to get to know him more¡± she responded.


    Dinner quickly came to an end and Mr. Ali gave a tour around his house, his eyes gleaming with pride.


    ¡°One day you can also have something like this, everything can be achievable with hard work and dedication, and that I know you have¡± Mr. Ali encouraged me but it felt like a far-fetched dream to me.


    As the evening wound down it was time for us to go back home and Zoya and I walked to the exit hand in hand we had to look all lovey-dovey.


    ¡°Thank you for having me,¡± I said, shaking Mr. Ali¡¯s hand and nodding to Mrs. Ali. ¡°It was a pleasureing over to your magnificent home¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee anytime, son¡± Harold replied,  ¡°Take care of our girl, bare with her too in know she can be quite and handful.¡± Ali teased.


    ¡°I will,¡± I promised ¡°Goodnight¡±


    Zoya offered her mother and father a peck and a hug before we walked out.


    I let out a sigh of relief as soon as we were outside and out of view.


    ¡°Was it that bad?¡± Zoya asked.


    ¡°Well, no it was just quite suffocating and I think your mother does not lie to me.¡±


    ¡°No worries with time she will warm up, now let get ready for the wedding¡±

 Chapter 28

    ABRAR¡¯S POV


    It was a new day and I sat peacefully at my desk as the morning sunlight streaming through therge windows cast a warm glow over the office.


    ¡°So how was meeting the inws?¡± Kaif asked as he pooped himself on my table.


    ¡°Careful man, do you want to break it¡± I shunned him.


    He dragged a chair opposite my desk and sat down looking at me with curiosity gleaming heavily in his eyes.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Well it was nice¡± I replied not wanting to get into details.


    ¡°Just nicee on man don¡¯t do me like that you know I need much more information than that¡±


    ¡°Well that is all you are getting, now would you leave my desk and go and train to your work I have a lot to do right now,¡± I said shooing him away.


    ¡°So you are not going to tell me how beautiful the house was, what you saw was the chair made with gold?¡±


    ¡°What chair is made of gold,¡± Nikhat asked stopping at my desk.


    Kaif saw it as an amazing opportunity to brag, as he did not bother to talk in a calm tone, so he decided to notify the whole office.


    ¡°He went to his father-inw¡¯s house, Mr Ali¡¯s house¡± he announced, and just like that my desk area was swarmed as everyone was asking how it was what happened and so on.


    It was so annoying that I could re at Kaif, thinking of ways to knock some sense into his blockhead.


    But suddenly as if God knew I needed to escape the crowd of information-hungry people, my phone range was Zoya.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Zoya¡± Kaif announced and it took every ounce of strength I had not to smack his head with a folder i had on my desk.


    ¡°Ohhhhhhh¡± they teased in unison, almost making me blush even.


    ¡°Can you guys excuse me I need to pick up the call¡± I said but well it fell on deaf ears as they waited patiently for me to pick up.


    I sighed in defeat and picked up the call. ¡± Hello¡± I answered


    ¡°Can youe to my office urgently?¡± She asked in a quite serious tone.


    Something must be quite wrong.  ¡± I will be there¡±. Have never heard Zoya talk to me with such a tone and it proved that it was business-rted I wonder what could have happened to put her in such a mood.


    ¡°Okay, guys I have to go¡± I announced arranging my folders in a stack and logging out of myputer.


    They all dispersed with disappointed looks on their face I noticed Nikhat was already sitting at her desk. I had no idea when she left.


    ¡°And Nikhat I am going to personally deal with you when I am back¡± I warned him.


    I walked through the open corridors straight to her office after announcing my presence and knocking I walked into her office.


    As soon as I walked in I saw Mr Kaiser in the office pacing back and forth with a worried expression on his face, I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.


    ¡°You asked for me?¡± I said as soon as I walked in trying not to overthink.


    ¡°Yes, have a seat Abrar¡± Zoya said as she gestured for me to sit opposite her while she sat down behind her desk.


    She looked so professional with her eyes devoid of any emotion I could not get a read on her.


    ¡°Is anything the problem?¡± I asked, confused by how tense the room was. I looked over at Mr Kaiser who was still pacing back and forth but now his eyes were on me and he looked angry and frustrated. I looked over at Zoya but her eyes gave away nothing.


    ¡°Abrar, where is the proposal document I gave to you for Mr Barnard, we have a meeting with him in less than an hour and I can¡¯t find the document anywhere?¡± Kaiser asked, looking at me with an using expression and his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What do you mean it is missing Sir, I gave you the final proposal yesterday in your office,¡± I said.


    ¡°And I have it back to you, you were thest person to work on it yesterday afternoon, but you left early¡± he disagreed.


    ¡°That is not possible sir, I gave you the documents and you told me to get the quarterly report from the HR department t and summarize it for the meeting you have with Mr Aliter today, that¡¯s what I worked on before I left yesterday and I dropped the finished file with your secretary before I left¡± I exined trying to prove my innocence.


    ¡°He¡¯s lying, Zoya, what did I tell you? I knew he was going to deny it. I handed it to him personally. He is sure he must have misced it¡± he scoffed at me.


    Zoya turned around to look at me ¡°Okay then Abrar, are you sure that Mr. Kaiser did not give you the document?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I am very sure, absolutely positive I did not collect the documents from him¡± I affirmed. ¡°I never received anything from him, he didn¡¯t give me any document at all¡±


    ¡°This is just ridiculous, we have a meeting with our huge client in less than an hour time and here we are looking for his proposal. How can a mega-million-dor proposal be missing? This is a huge deal, Zoya. Cannot afford to lose this¡± Kaibed his fingers through his head in frustration.


    ¡°Calm down Mr. Kaiser, I am sure the document is somewhere we just have to figure out where and we should not jump to conclusions. Abrar, could you think of where the document might be?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I have absolutely no idea¡± I replied.


    ¡°And you Kaiser are you sure you did not give the document to anyone else because this is not the first time you have made such mistakes only this time you seem very sure that it is not with you,¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ohe on Zoya the document is not with me, if it was I would not be stirring this much drama. This is not something to take lightly losing that proposal could cost us Million and the real worked tirelessly for those ideas¡±


    ¡°This Is a serious usation, Mr Kaiser. If we don¡¯t find this document it could cause a lot of problems and I thought documents like this Were supposed to have copies?¡±


    ¡°We were trying to keep it from leaking out like thest contract so we kept just one copy¡± Mr Kaiser responded.


    ¡°I am seriously not sure what to do anymore, but we need to find a solution you guys can keep arguing between yourself for the next Ten hours it isn¡¯t going to change the fact that the meeting is in less than an hour¡± she snapped ¡°Both of you go back to your office and check thoroughly and think very well on who you could possibly have given the document to I will call the team and ask as well¡± she instructed.


    Without wasting time any further I walked out of the office straight to my desk and searched around as well as asked my other colleagues if they had taken any documents from my desk which they all denied.


    I was very sure the document was not with some after about ten minutes I went back to Zoya¡¯s office


    ¡°Zoya it is not with me, I told you. You have to believe me. I didn¡¯t lose the proposal I gave back to Kaiser.¡±


    ¡°I want to believe you, but I am in a difficult situation right now. If Kai is found to be telling the truth, then we have a serious problem.¡±


    ¡°I searched every corner of my desk, asked all my colleagues and no one even took any folder or document from my desk. Think about it Zoya why would I lie about something this serious¡±


    ¡°I know you are not a liar, but I am just trying to consider all possibilities we need to find that document before the time of the meeting. This news cannot get to the ears of my father or it could cause a lot of damage. This client is very important. We have been trying to sign for months so this is very important. ¡°She died massaging her temple looking frustrated.


    Kaiser burst through the door with a drone on his face. ¡°It is not in my office¡± he announced as he began pacing back and forth again. ¡°I searched every single paper in my office and could not find it¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable¡± Zoya groaned in frustration.


    ¡°What if someone else took it? Maybe it was misced or picked up by mistake?¡± I asked, trying to broaden our perspective for the Search.


    ¡°That cannot be possible because I have it for you¡± Kaiser snapped at me.


    I was slowly getting angry as I despised being used of something I was not guilty of.


    ¡°That is absolutely not true Mr Kaiser and you know this, the reason for using me of such a thing is what I cannot fathom. I don¡¯t know what you are trying to get at. Maybe tag me as ipetent l? Or that I intentionally want to sabotage this contract?¡±


    ¡± All I am saying is that this is on you, Adam. You need to own up to it, ¡°Kaiser replied.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am excuse me, but I think we found the document,¡±  Karina said as he walked into my office with a folder in her hand.


    I motioned for her to bring it over and quickly confirmed it was really the proposal document.


    ¡°Where was it found?¡± It was found in the printing room.


    The printing room? I was not even in the printing room all day yesterday.


    ¡°So which one of you went to the printing room?¡± Zoya asked with a displeased expression on her face.


    ¡°Not me for sure,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Maybe I did step in there, but did not take that folder with me¡± Mr Kaiser responded.


    It was pretty astonishing that he was still denying the fact that he was the one who misced the folder till thest minute.


    ¡°Whatever, to be honest I don¡¯t care but the next time you stress me like this someone will pay for it. Karina print this and get ready for the meeting¡± she said ¡°And not of you leave my office¡± she said pointing at the two of us


    It was quite infuriating that all this went down but at least the folder had been found.


    ¡°You think just because you are her husband gives you the right to misbehave. You dare use your boss of lying. I am going to deal with you. Abrar your life in this office is about to be not pleasant¡± he threatened brushing his shoulder hard against mine.


    I went back to my desk and Kaif quickly rushed down to my side. ¡°what happened? I heard quite some loud voices¡± Kaif asked.


    ¡°I am not in the mood to reply to anything right now, I am just exhausted and I think Mr Kaiser just publicity threatened me¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± He asked


    ¡°Well he said my life in this office is out to be a living hell¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay any attention to him he is just a jealous man nothing more¡±


    I sure do hope so, it was so exhausting dealing with such drama every day I needed a break.


    I walked over to the balcony to see Nikhat standing there also. I turned around to leave before she noticed me but was not sessful that.


    ¡°Are you avoiding me, Abrar?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What? No of course just remembered I have something I need to attend to¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, a lot of things might have changed about you but I have always been able to detect when you were lying just like now your eyes were twitching,¡± she said.


    ¡°Why are you avoiding me, Abrar?¡± She asked, walking closer to me. ¡°Do you still have feelings for me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What, no I don¡¯t¡± I stammered as I was caught off guard by her question.


    ¡°That is also a lie,¡± she said, suddenly pulling me into a hug and breathing in my scent.


    ¡°What all this Nikhat, stop it,¡± I said, trying to pry her body off mine.


    ¡°I miss you so much Abrar, do you know how much it breaks my heart to see you with her? I know you don¡¯t love her. You said you would love me forever you promised¡± she cried in my arms.


    I looked around to make sure no one was around to see us in such apromising position.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Stop it Nikhat,¡± I said, pushing her off my body.


    ¡°No I won¡¯t, I love you Abrar I have always loved you and I cannot stop thinking about you¡± she confessed.


    I waspletely shocked by her confession. I was not expecting such a thing and I had no idea how I was supposed to respond to that.

 Chapter 29

    ZOYA¡¯S POV


    I was so happy that we finally resolved the contract issue and the meeting was sessful and the client finally decided to work with us.


    Although today started pretty stressful everything fell right back in ce I would say.


    I stood by therge window of my office, staring out at the bustling city below, this was how I relieved my stress. Watching the cars zip by made my thoughts wander, and I usually feel lighter afterward.


    A knock from the door, interrupted my thoughts instantly bringing me back to reality.


    The door opens my Karine face popped up from the side.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am Mr. Anas is here to see you¡± she informed.


    I wonder what Anas has tonsay from what I know we had no scheduled meeting.


    ¡°Okay, let him in¡± instructed her annealed back to my seat and sat down, and took in several deep breaths topose myself.


    The door clicked and closed and I raised my head up front to the folder I was looking at not that I was paying much attention to the content.


    ¡°Zoya¡± he called out, with a soft tone, as he walked towards my desk.


    ¡°Anas, how many I help you?¡± I asked, trying to be as professional as possible.


    ¡°Do you have time I would love to talk to you about something very important¡± he said.


    ¡°Go ahead I have all day¡± I encouraged him, gesturing for him to take a seat.


    Although Anas and I have a past rtionship I am his boss now and I cannot let myself be moved or phased by past emotions I have toe off professional and that is how I n on handling my situation with Anas.


    ¡°I need to talk to you about us Zoya,¡± he said his eyes never faltering and leaving mine. He stared at me intently, it felt like he was staring into my soul.


    I was surprised by his sudden outburst but I tried to keep a neutral expression trying not to give away too much with my expression. ¡± Anas there is nothing between us, we are not together. There is no ¡®us¡¯ as you put it. Whatever we had between us is long over in the past now¡± I said.


    ¡± I still have feelings for you and I want us to be together again¡±


    ¡°Anas I will not repeat myself there is no ¡®us¡¯  you made very sure of that when you abandoned me by the road that day¡± I snapped at him.


    This conversation was making me angry angry. A lot of stuff had happened today I was not ready for all this stalk right now


    Anas viably waived from my harsh words but I knew this was the only way I could get my thoughts across.¡±I know, I was a coward and I have regretted my actions every day since that incident¡± he said looking so sincere and hurt.


    I did not want to talk about that moment, it was one of the lowest moments of my life I had stupidly given someone who did not deserve my love and feeling my heart and he totes with it.¡±What do you want from me? Why bring up all this now? I have moved on so should you¡±


    ¡°I want to exin, I want you to give me a listening ear and allow me to exin,¡± he said. ¡°I was scared, Zoya, and I was stupid. I knew I loved you but I thought running away was too extreme, I was a coward for not being able to handle my feelings for you, so I ran. I thought running would make me feel better and would not cause you any disgrace. But leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life.¡± He said with a cracked voice and watery eyes.


    ¡°I am sorry¡± he apologized.


    I clenched my fist hard, trying my possible best to control every ounce of emotion I was feeling at the moment. I cannot afford to look weak. ¡± An apology won¡¯t solve anything. You think I can just forget how much you hurt me? And let you back into my life?¡± I asked. ¡°That is just absurd, in fact, that is impossible¡±.


    ¡°No, I totally understand and don¡¯t expect you to forgive so easily, I messed up. But I just want you to know instill love you so much and that I was a fool, i was not thinking straight. I have always loved you and I still do I never stopped¡± he confessed.


    Hearing those words from him felt nostalgic but they are meaningless now, if I had heard those words from him the time I ran away from home hoping to elope with him then maybe I would have considered his feelings. Whether he meant those words or not had no effect on me anymore.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    I stood up from my chair and slowly approached the wide window and took a look at the passing cars. ¡°All this is toote, Anas. Things are different now and I have moved on so should you¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t that is because I still care about you,¡± he said. I closed my eyes in frustration as nothing I was saying seemed to be working.


    I want him to realize that nothing can happen between us anymore, it is over.


    ¡°Is it because of him?¡± He suddenly.


    I turned around sharply to look at him, my brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Who¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because of that imposter, Abrar,¡± he said.


    I instantly became anywhere insulted by Abrar, he had no right. Abrar was more of a man than he was and will ever be. Abrar took the position of being my husband when he did not have to, to save my dignity and family¡¯s honor something Anas was too much of a coward to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare insult him, he is more of a man than you are. He has never left my side even in my most trying times, so you do not have the right to talk I¡¯ll about him¡± I shunned.


    ¡°Your words hurt Zoya, it hurts to see you defend another man so passionately,¡± he said looking hurt I almost sympathized with him.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t love him as much as you love me, I know deep down you still feel something of me you still have feelings for me,¡± he said.


    Gosh, he was so delusional, in what way am I supposed to revise him again?


    ¡°You know nothing¡± I snapped at him


    ¡°I know it¡¯s all a Facade, it fake,¡± he said.


    For a minute, my heart slipped as I wondered how he was able to figure it out but I kept my cool I couldn¡¯t let him get a read on my emotions.


    ¡°Please Zoya, give me another chance. Give me another chance to prove my love to you.


    ¡°There is nothing you can do right right now that could make me reconcile with you, we cannot go back to the way things were before,¡± I told him. ¡± I don¡¯t trust you and I can never trust you again with my heart. You had your chance and you fumbled now another person has my heart and he is doing a good job keeping me satisfied and happy¡±


    ¡°Please Zoya, just one chance¡± he pleaded.


    ¡°Gosh you are being so pathetic, can you please stop? You are making me ufortable I have chosen to ignore your presence and put the past behind me but if you keep this up you will leave me no choice but to transfer you to another unit¡± I snapped.


    I was getting tired of the back and forth, it was so infuriating.


    We stood in silence for a while finally Anas said something the silence was beginning to sound deafening.


    ¡°I understand you are hurt Zoya, and you need time so I will wait, I will prove to you that my feelings are real. I love you Zoya¡± he said before walking out of my office.


    I grabbed my hair and buried my face in my palms I tried my possible best to escape in frustration.


    ¡°Calm down girl¡± I mumbled to myself as I tried to get rid of all the negative emotions I was feeling.


    A soft knock from my door quickly made mepose myself as Karina walked in with a folder.


    I was a married woman in the eyes of my colleagues I cannot afford a scandal or my past rtionship with Anas toe rot light especially why and how it ended.


    ¡°Are you okay ma¡¯am?¡± She asked looking concerned.


    ¡°Yes I am, anything that needs my attention?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You have a meeting in a ten-minute time I wanted to remind you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okay, thanks dear¡± I replied as she walked out.


    ¡°Get it together, get it together,¡± I said to myself as I pped my cheeks to bring back color to them as I was looking pale. With one more look of encouragement, I walked out of my office ready to conquer the rest of the day.


    ¡°Oh, you finally remembered me and asked me out on a drink the lioness must have given birth to a cub today¡± Alisha tears as we sat down at a bar.


    ¡°Can you just stop with the jokes madam¡±


    ¡°You know that is impossible¡± she said sipping her the drink on her hand  mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°So what is the gist? And how is our handsome hunk of a husband?¡± She asked, moving her brows mischievously.


    ¡°Gosh you are something else¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, the gist involves Anas, and well Abrar is good and the visit to the house was fun although he might have a lot of work to do to win Mom¡¯s approval,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh poor Anas¡± she sympathized.


    ¡°So what did Anas do this time?¡± She asked popping some snacks into her mouth.


    ¡°Well Anas came to my office and started processing his unconditional love for me today, asking for reconciliation and all, it was just such a mess¡±


    Alisha¡¯s expression quickly darkened, she was not Anas¡¯s biggest fan and she did not bother to hide it.


    ¡°Gosh, what insolent, what gives him such right I hope you shunned him out of your office immediately?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Of course, I do not want such drama in my life, I already have enough as it is¡±


    ¡°Good besides unlike Abrar more and Anas is just a coward I am d and so happy you are no longer with him¡± she expressed with a bright smile on her face.


    ¡°God I need another drink,¡± I said ordering more drinks.


    ¡°We sure do let¡¯s get wasted, oh wait not too wasted I cannot afford to go home from someone who would not be happy about that,¡± she said and we burst outughing hard together.


    Alisha was my happy pill, whenever I was around her she always made me happy and I instantly forgot all my worries.


    It was quitete when I arrived and well, Abrar had already made a nice dinner for me. I have to say Abrar was a good cook.


    ¡°So good¡± and moaned as I inhaled the food quickly.


    I was bing morefortable with Abrar we seemed to be adjusting quite well to our new lives.


    Suddenly a ding at the door was quitete and I wondered who might be at the door.


    Abrar was in the bathroom so I could not call him, so I decided to ignore it but the rm still went off. Whoever was at the door did not want to leave that was for certain.


    I walked over to the door. ¡°Who is there¡± I yelled but got no reply.


    I looked out the window but saw nobody so I decided to go back to the couch but suddenly the rm went off again.


    Was someone pranking me? I opened the door fully but saw nobody I looked around thepound but still saw no one.  I wonder who was making such a prank call this night.


    ¡°It¡¯ste, stop freaking disturbing¡± I yelled into the darkness hoping the culprit hears, and just as I was about to close the door I noticed a brown envelope on the ground.


    I looked around again and picked up the envelope and from the feel of it, it looked like it was a folder.


    I close the door and walk back to the couch, wondering what could be inside the envelope.


    I opened it brightened out the folder inside and quickly unsealed it.


    The contents of the envelope shocked me to the core. ¡°What is this?¡± I said to myself as I flip through the pictures that I was holding.


    They were pictures of Abrar and Nikhat hugging and almost kissing. They looked and there was also a picture of them being in bed together in an intimate position.


    And just as if Abrar knew when to make an entrance he came out of the bathroom, dripping wet.


    ¡°What was at the door? And what is that?¡± He asked referring to the pictures in my hand.


    I was speechless I could not bring my mouth to work as I could only stare at him still shocked.


    As soon as his eyes made contact with the pictures he immediately looked up at me and that was when I knew they were real it was not a fake.


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