"And lastly..." a loud ping distracted me from finishing my sentence.
"Sorry..."Rania muttered taking her phone out. "Uh... on second thought, you need to see this" I frowned in confusion as she pushed her phone towards me.
"What is it?" Mian Mansha asked. I felt ice pour down my veins. I glared at the screen hoping that the text would change.
"I..." my throat had gone dry and I could not form the proper words. Ammi Jaan looked at me, worried. Get it together Elena, you just gave a speech of how you were the best person to lead.
"Uncle EJ's alleged bribery scandal has been leaked to the press" gasps and shouts echoed around me. I stared ahead, waiting for the onslaught of questions. Feroze looked like he was having a seizure. If it wasn't so serious, it would have been funny.
"Well... crap." Uncle EJ said, his face amused. I rolled my eyes at his nonchalance. He leaned over to calm Mian Mansha down.
Before I could call order, a knock sounded on the door and Zaroon walked in with a strange look on his face.
"What is it Zaroon?" Ammi Jaan inquired. He looked at me, his face blank but eyes full of sympathy. My stomach twisted in dread.
"... Naila's on her way to Gulzar Mahal" I whipped my head to glare at Feroze. He looked shell shocked.
"Seriously Feroze?" Rania said from behind me.
"Why is she coming here Feroze? Who invited her?" I hissed as the noise grew. His mouth gaped open but no sound came out of it. "Feroze" I snarled, my patience running thin. He jerked and stared at me.
"I don't know... I did not, you have to believe me"
"How much time do we have?" I asked Zaroon.
"Around 45 mins" okay... so I had to solve Uncle EJ's issue first and then hash it out with Feroze.
"Close the door" Zaroon moved to do what he was told. "Enough... okay" I stood up and made sure to project my voice in a neutral way.
Thankfully they all quieted down. Putting my hands on the table I looked down on everyone sitting at the table. The heels were coming in handy now.
"Uncle EJ, would you like to explain the details of this case?" he nodded and started to explain. I saw the expressions change. Feroze was the only one who looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. Ghulam Uncle rubbed his chin, his face thoughtful.
"I know the man. I can get you out of this no worries. He owes me. We might have to do a show first" Ghulam Uncle said.
"What show?" Ammi Jaan asked.
"Ehsan might have to go to jail for a bit"
"No!" Rania and I said at the same time.
"We have to show that we're serious about change Khanum. Your Uncle technically did do something wrong. While he did not go through with it and the intention was not there, we need to get him cleared through the courts"
"This could also affect my campaign" Feroze muttered.
"They're asking for an official statement from Gulzar Mahal," Rania said from behind me. I was getting a headache from this. I looked at Uncle EJ and he gave me a reassuring look.
"We..." a phone ring interrupted me. Honestly, couldn't they keep their phones on silent? Jamshed looked at me apologetically but took the call. After some whispering and a rushed goodbye, he looked at me and cleared his throat.
"That was the Inspector Khanum. He wanted to ask if he can come and arrest Ehsan Sahib. Public and media pressure..." his voice trailed off as I stared at him. What was I supposed to do?
I looked at Ammi Jaan, her head was in her hands. Uncle EJ looked calm, awaiting my decision. Zaroon looked like he wanted to break me out of here.
"Ask him to show up in a dignified manner, with a proper arrest warrant. He is a citizen of this country and would be treated as one. No one is above the law" shocked faces stared at me and I forced myself to face their judgment. "Uncle EJ?" I asked, looking at him. He gave me a soft smile with zero judgment on his face.
"As you wish, Khanum" my heart broke at his words. Everything was getting worse by the minute. Feroze sighed in relief.
"Rania will send you your talking points. If anyone is asked for a statement, it is important we are all on the same page. Is that understood?" more nods. "That's all" As soon as I stood up, they stood up. One by one they said their goodbyes and filed out of the room. Ghulam Uncle was the last one to come up to me.
"I will do what I can Khanum" I smiled at him gratefully. "This is a risky move. You're brave to do this, be careful." and with that, he moved towards Rania. She stood up, her iPad in her hands and greeted him with a wide smile.
"You're a talented girl, I can see why my son wants to marry you. Peace and good wishes to you, daughter. I look forward to seeing you again, both of you" he said, turning back to smile at me.
I pressed my lips together to stop a frustrated sigh from escaping. Rania looked shocked and embarrassed. Ammi Jaan looked like she wanted to break into a dance. God, now I would have to hear her go on about how one of her daughters were going to get married.
"Soon Begum Sahiba," he said to her with a wide smile. Ammi Jaan smiled back, her gaze full of wonder and joy. Rania rolled her eyes, her face fixed in a stiff mask.
"I await that day" she replied as he walked away. As soon as he exited, Zaroon closed the doors and I focused my attention on Uncle EJ.
"I'm so sorry... I can't believe this is my first day and..." He came towards me and enveloped me in a hug. A few tears managed to escape my eyes and I snuggled in trying to dry them in his shirt.
"You did well. One step backward, two steps forward" he muttered, his voice cracking a little. I felt like my heart was cracking open.
"You're innocent. We'll get you out" I said stepping back, fortifying myself with a new purpose. He nodded and moved to hug Rania while I focused on the man who was anxiously staring at the door.
"Missing your wife? Don't worry, she'll be here soon," he flinched. The anger and frustration had made my voice hard.
"I didn't know she was going coming here..." seeing him fumble made my blood simmer.
"I wonder if Daddy dearest will show up, I would like to have some words with him" He stepped back from the venom in my voice.
"Elena" Ammi Jaan warned.
"Am I to believe that something that had been put underground just surfaced the moment I made a speech? Murad made sure that this story was killed. Who's more powerful than Murad? Who could get it to resurface just a day after I was almost killed? I wonder how many people he had to pay to get it in the news cycle" Feroze's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, don't think I have not thought about that. This is an attempt to rein me in, to take away my support system"
"You can't think it's about you..."
"Believe it or not Feroze, in some way or another it is about me. It was always about me" he ran his hand through his hair. "You put a target on my back"
"You wanted this just as much as anyone else"
"You put a target on my back, the moment you decided to show up to Gulzar Mahal without your wife" his eyes widened.
"What are you talking about Elena?" Uncle EJ said, his voice hard.
"Oh, I don't know, the whole story about his wife trying to kill him. His innocence in all of this. His mother showing up to Gulzar Mahal with his son" His face closed up in a blank mask and I knew I had him. "This was the plan, wasn't it? The south... for me? " my voice cracked as I saw the truth on his face. "You came here to take my place, the place you wanted when you married me. That's why Aunt Mamo is here."
"My offer was genuine. We need each other"
"I believe you. We do need each other. You just want me alive while your wife wants me dead"
He looked at me, his face in a stony expression but his eye twitched. My hand reacted faster than my mind and I slapped him across the face. A gasp sounded somewhere behind me but I was too far gone to care. Feroze's face turned red and he finally burst.
"You think you're innocent? Do you think you're surrounded by innocents? We all make our choices. Let me tell you about you. Your boyfriend here? Zaroon? He's part of the New Revolutionaries"
"That's what you came up with? Don't be ridiculous Feroze" Rania said coming to stand beside me. He laughed manically. Goosebumps erupted on my arm and I had a feeling my headache was about to get worse. My fingers strayed towards my wound. I could feel it throbbing.
"So much trust... if you don't believe me, ask Uncle EJ"
I stared at Uncle EJ. I saw it. I saw the panic. I saw the wall fall. I stepped back, frightened, not trusting myself to look at Zaroon. I could not. I just could not. "Look at him Elena, look at his eyes. He's guilty. Oh my God, I can not believe it. What a story! The handsome soldier and the princess... hmmm what's wrong with that picture? The fact that he betrayed her? Played her? Look at him, hahaha. He wants to grovel at your feet. Hey man, when I came here I hated you. Little did I know, you weren't going to be here for long"
I could feel myself breaking for the second time. This time the pain felt physical. I still could not look at him. I clutched the edges of the table so I could steady myself. Why couldn't the ground just open up and swallow me? I raised my head and met his eyes. Those eyes. The anguish. The pain. The air seemed to grow thin. My head was pounding. I could not breathe.
" I...I can explain" he began.
"Don't bother." Feroze said. Zaroon glared at him. Feroze laughed and sat on the table, his eyes twinkling with malice.
"Elena, I knew... I asked him not to tell you. There were reasons..." Uncle EJ said jumping in. So many secrets. Always hiding the truth from me. Always coming up with excuses. How did Feroze know? He had probably been playing me from the start.
"Elena," Zaroon said hoarsely. "I did not... I would never. I told them not to..." he began.
"I told you not to bother..." Feroze said standing up to place his hand on my shoulder. Zaroon's jaw clenched. Rania stepped in front of me and he paused, his head hung. I shrugged away from under Feroze's arm. Standing next to him felt strange. Unnatural. Wrong.
"Zaroon is not your problem. He has nothing to do with you. This doesn't mean you're off the hook" I said turning towards Feroze. He pouted."Your wife tried to kill me!" he lowered his head as well. I used the anger and the hurt to arm myself against any other emotions. He was not going to win this. "You're despicable. You and your mother, both of you"
"Don't you dare talk about my mother" he growled walking up to me, trying to intimidate me. I stared him in the eyes.
"I will say whatever I want about you, your mother and your wife. You don't know who you're messing with Feroze. I will make you rue the day you thought you could win from me. That's a promise" He stared at me and I stared back. I was not backing down. He was going down, my way. If anything I would exact my revenge, one person at a time. One by one. This was my domain. My time. The creak of the opening door made us all pause.
"Begum Sahiba" Ahsan stood at the doorway his gaze lowered. I took a deep breath and gestured for him to continue with my hand. "The police are here to arrest Ehsan Sahib"
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