ELEVEN

She was standing against the counter table and I was confused how to react. Suzi told me about her. She informed me that she was already waiting for me in the kitchen and vanished from there leaving me alone to deal with her.

She was wearing a maroon-colored crop top with the pair of tight jeans. Her curves were perfectly visible as she had the perfect body like those models in the front of cover of a western magazine. Her hairs were honey-brown colored with perfectly resting at one side of her face

She was Areej Mirza.

His fiancé and I supposed my soon to be enemy.

“Assalamualikum?” I greeted her as she turned around with beautiful pair of hazel eyes.

She diverted all of her attention towards me as she scanned my existence from head to toe with her sharp eyes. Her face was deadly serious.

I couldn’t help but play with the corner of my parrot-colored shirt with white dubatta hanging on one side of my shoulders. My feet were clad in white colored sandals while hers were adored in black heels with an anklet around one ankle.

“Walikum Asalam.” She answered my greeting which I least expected as she added that too with a heart-warming smile. “Don’t tell me you are his wife.” She said as she stepped forward and sat on one of the chairs while I sat at the opposite side.

I didn’t know what she meant by that as to my realization she must be comparing me with his class. I honestly didn’t fit with him. She was the one who would look good even in sweat pants while standing next to him. They both were gorgeous.

“You wanted to talk.” I reminded her as she must not be present there to talk but to condemn as how could I marry her fiancé but the way Muzamil bhai portrayed her I already had made up my mind. I couldn’t fight but I could relax her by facts as top of the list was that he forced me and we weren’t living like husband and wife.

“I know you must be angry.” I trailed of the sentence while not meeting her gaze as my finger kept playing with the table mat placed in front of me.

“Yes...f**k I am angry.” She stated with a smirk as I looked at her while biting my tongue but my expressions soon changed into dumbfounded one when she added. “I should be by the way. You came into my life so late. You know how much depression your non-existence gave me.” She rolled her eyes as she intertwined her manicured fingers while resting them on the table.

“What do you mean?” I asked as she smiled brightly.

“What what? Can’t you see how happy I am?” She gave me a dead glare as I looked at her with dumbfounded expressions.

“Didn’t you want to marry him?” I asked as Suzi entered the kitchen. She nodded her head at us as she started preparing for today’s dinner.

“You are going to have dinner here with us Miss Mirza?” Suzi asked with utter respect as Areej rolled her eyes.

“Don’t call me that.” She shot back at her as Suzi suppressed her smile.

“Okay Miss Mirza.” Suzi said as Areej fisted her hands but controlled while completely ignoring her.

“Will you marry someone just because of a business deal?” Areej asked against my question. I just simply nodded my head as why would I? But still I forced to marry him like that. It was a deal after all.

“Then why would I want to marry him. I would marry with the person who would love me. Period.” She stated as Suzi placed freshly prepared orange juice in front of us.

“Why didn’t you tell him that?” I asked after I mumbled thank you to Suzi earning a slacked face from Areej.

“I did obviously but he told me to say that to my father and that’s you know an impossible thing because my father can easily slaughter his daughter for his business.” She said rolling her eyes while taking sip of her juice.

“But why would he make you his wife when he knows that you don’t want to?” I asked as that didn’t make any sense. He was forcing her also to marry her just like he forcefully took me with him but the difference was she wanted to make her his wife while he made me his slave.

Areej looked at me and then at Suzi who smiled at me and then shrugged her shoulders.

“She is way too innocent.” Suzi shared her thought as Areej nodded her head.

“Yeah, that’s why I was shocked when I first saw her. You are too…” She trailed the sentence before she added. “…modest and innocent for him. But never mind I am happy that you are his wife.” She said chirping at the end.

“But I am not.” I blurted out as she should know she wasn’t perfectly out of the dungeon. She looked at me with confusion and then I looked at Suzi who sat with us and explained her everything.

“Holy***…How could he? I mean he can do anything for power but this is not acceptable. Not fair.” She fisted her fist on the table as now everything was on the table so I was relaxed that she didn’t have any problem with me.

“Everything is fair in love and war baby.” Muzamil bhai’s voice echoed in the room as he entered the kitchen to sit beside me. If he was here then he would be present here too. I hadn’t seen him since yesterday’s morning as I accomplish the task of hiding from him this morning. He took breakfast while I was inside in the kitchen with Suzi as later on, I took breakfast with Dad who told me he used to take breakfast alone but from now on I was accompanying him.

“But he is not in love.” Areej said with a sour face.

“But he can be.” Muzamil Bhai’s voice dripped mischief as everyone in the kitchen looked at me and I was clueless of what they were going to throw at me.

“Yes…marriage is a sacred bond that can bind the souls.”  Suzi added dramatically as I didn’t know why but I suddenly felt hot inside the kitchen.

“I should prepare dinner.” I said standing up as I was about to run away when Areej grabbed my elbow to make me sit with her.

“No. I am not listening. You guys are evil.” I said as I couldn’t help but whine at the end but they couldn’t even show remorse and started smiling at me. I didn’t know what was cooking inside their minds but that definitely wasn’t good for my well-being.

“But we can’t be more evil than your husband.” Areej stated.

“True.” I glared at Suzi who had completely switched sides at that time meanwhile Muzamil bhai was doing justice with my leftover orange juice.

“Then why are you saying this?” I whined while looking at them.

“Because you are alive with all hands and legs and without any scratch. We hardly see that when he punishes someone.” Muzamil Bhai said as his voice held seriousness which he lacked most of the time.

“And he could have taken you forcefully and then tied you in his warehouse but he for your dignity and respect because your aunt begged him, he married you in front of everyone. He never makes negotiations. He must have felt pity on you or your aunt.” Suzi tried to make me understand.

“Yes, that’s the point. You never love someone you feel pity for.” I tried to make them realize that he wasn’t saying anything to her in front of them but in solitude with him in the coldness of his room he was completely different.

“Yeah, but he is Farzan Shah. He never feels anything for anyone except rage.” Areej tried to make a point.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked at the end with helplessness.

“Just be his wife.” The answer came from Zaroon bhai who just entered the kitchen. He smiled while looking at me as I thought he was the most smart and mature person here but he also mingled with them.

I avoided everyone’s gazes as I stood up to make dinner. I didn’t have anything to say to them except that I wanted them to have dinner with us today.

“Well, it’s ages since we had dinner here.”

“Fine.” They all agreed as Suzi and I made biryani while Areej tried her best to help us but since everyone was having donner together after a long time therefore Suzi didn’t let her do anything so she simply scrolled her phone to garnish the dishes.

We made biryani and Mongolian beef as main dish while there were several side dishes and food trifle as dessert. I liked cooking so I decided to menu for today and I was happy that everyone forgot for a moment about what they were cooking inside their mind to kill me by his hands.

“The aroma is enticing.

“Yes, it makes me drooling.”

Everyone sat on the dining table when Dad came. His eyes shone brightly when he saw everyone on the table but the chair on his right side was empty while I sat on the on his left side.

“Should we dig in?” Muzamil bhai asked impatiently as I looked at the empty chair then at Suzi.

“He isn’t coming?” I mumbled as a shade crossed on everyone’s faces making the air tense for a while.

“Actually, we are used to have company of civilized humans on the dining table but if you want the species of heartless category then you can go and invite him.” Muzamil Bhai tried to lighten the air as everyone smiled at him.

I contemplated for a moment and then stood up to invite that rare species although I was shuddering like a withered leaf of autumn but I could give it a try. He was a family and if he was drowned in darkness then family should be the one to get down and retire him from that darkness.

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