Chapter 20: Chapter 20

A week has passed but Sheharzaad didn't hear of him. She kept on coming to the company but came to know that Shehryaar was not here as he had gone to his home, not in this city. She was more than happy but she had to complete certain tasks before his return. She wanted to work but not with him and since he was not here, she felt more free and independent and this was the best time to put her plan in action on which she has been working.

Hannan had came to the office and she met him. She was shook to the core on seeing him injured and beaten. Upon asking, he told her a group of goons has beaten him.

She figured it out whose craft it was. One and only, Shehryaar, only because Hanna tried to be close to Sheharzaad.

He told her he was still in the search of a customer for her house. Within a few days, most probably, he would find one and get it sold.

She had a breath of relief atlast. Things were going as she wanted.

...

"I know who you are," Sheharzaad told the girl.

"What do you mean by that?" she faked ignorance.

"I know what you're up to,"

Right now they both were talking in a secluded area so no one could hear their conversation.

"What are you saying Ms. Sheharzaad?

"I heard you talking on your phone the other day," Sheharzaad announced and the expressions on the girls' face changed from ignorance to acceptance.

"You don't mess with FBI," she tried to threaten.

"Don't worry I'm not. I'm ready to help you,"

She frowned thinking it was a trap, "You came to know about me. The mission has failed so no need for help anymore. It would continue in some other way,"

"No, no, no wait. I know you are trying to collect proofs to work against Shehryaar. The businesses he runs under the name of this company. I too don't have any evidences yet but I assure you, your speculations regarding him are true and I will help you in that. You know I'm his assistant,"

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I want to help you,"

"Why?"

"Because if I'll help you only then I'll be able to help myself. You don't know him. He is... a very dangerous man. Very dangerous. He literally killed a person in front of me in cold blood with zero regrets. He..... gets what he wants. He does what he wants. Somebody needs to stop him before it gets too late. I can't fight him alone or I don't know what he would do with me,"

"Wait, wait, wait, he killed whom?"

"A man named Shigri. They were talking about some minister that Shigri had killed on the orders of someone else. That minister was vital to Shehryaar and considering it betrayal, Shehryaar killed him,"

Her eyes widened as she digested the information.

"Do you trust me now?" Sheharzaad asked.

"Fine I trust you. So will you help us in gathering evidences against him?"

Suddenly, a worried look came over her face as she began to think, should she do  that or not? Should she spy him? What if she gets caught?

The thought of getting caught by him had her worried so she closed her eyes.

"I'm scared," she admitted, "very scared. I want to help you but you don't know him," she opened her eyes again.

"Don't be worried, Sheharzaad. The agency would protect you,"

"He is so sharp, so cunning," she stated with a sadness looming in her voice

"So you won't help us?"

"I ..I. I really want to. I'm not helping just you but also myself. You've no-no idea what he d-did to me. He is crazy. He can go to any extent," her voice shivered as that night ran in her mind.

"What he did to you?"

"He-he-he. All I know is that he is crazy. Wild. Violent. An obsessive enthusiast. He can kill with a flick of his finger, with a flutter of his lash," she kept on saying as if in a trance, "if you g-go against him, he won't kill you but extract your soul. When you are u-under him, around him, you have got no other option but to obey because at the end only that would happen what he had mentioned in the very start. I'm scared of challenging him,"

"What he did to you to? What?" She asked with surprised.

"For him, it was nothing. But for me, he turned my life upside down,"

"You're the one. I'm now sure," She said.

"Sure? About what?"

"You will have to help us. Rather you're going to help us. I know you can do this. Don't worry. Just act as you you never met me,"

'Crying won't make you stronger but fighting against adversity would' Her mother's words rung in her ears.

"I will. I will help you," Sheharzaad passed her a nod, "I will,"

"And we don't know each other. If you'll have something to tell me then just pass me a signal I will somehow contact you until then you don't know me, I don't know you,"

"I'm aware Khaleda," Sheharzaad told.

Khaleda thanked her before Sheharzaad walked out of the room.

She straight away went to her office and then entered the attached bathroom. Her hands rested on the shelf as she looked down before moving her eyes up and came in contact with her reflection in the mirror.

Her face was paled.

Almost white.

Her eyes expanded.

Lips turned white.

And breathing slightly ragged.

Only one emotion danced in her eyes and she witnessed it herself.

Terror.

Pure terror.

When she rose her hand up, her fingers were shivering. And as she placed her shivering hand on the left side of her chest, she found her heart beating rapidly, just like wings of a caged bird.

She knew what she was fearing. She was aware why that terror resided in her eyes. Her face that looked ashen, she knew the reason behind it.

Him. It was him.

She was going against him.

Just today she took her first step.

She hadn't thought about the consequences of how the fire she had started will end.

She feared him.

She feared the mere thought of getting caught.

She feared what if his eyes, his hawk like eyes would assess her.

Now what she did today, she feared going infront him.

If he came to know that something was off about her, she was hiding something then Sheharzaad was sure it would be she, herself telling all the truth to him. She needed to get herself together, she needed to look into his eyes and act as if she knew nothing because that would be the only way for her survival and her revenge.

Just in case Sheharyaar somehow got the air of her plan then she would be done for.

She splashed water on her face and again looked up in the mirror.

"You can do this," she whispered.

She would go down but not without a fight.

...........

Sheharzaad had almost forgot about him as she continued to come to the company and he was not here. She was completing all the work he had put up on her. He didn't call, he didn't text, he didn't contact with her after that day. It was somehow calming for her but at the same time nerve-wracking as maybe something devilish might be going through his mind.

She gave him a challenge that day and she knew what he does to the challenges given to him. For a moment she thought she spoke a bit too much. Given a person he was, she shouldn't have said all that but she needed to let it out or it would burst her. The agony that her heart was carrying would have perished her if all that wasn't said.

But now it worried her.

His reaction to her outburst was something she wasn't able to apprehend.

He laughed.

He just laughed.

As if someone had awaken the devil in his mind and it was already upto forming schemes.

Given the person he was, she knew he would make her eat her own words.

Sooner or later.

This thought had made her restless since that day and she wasn't able to sleep properly due to the amount of overthinking she had done.

Sheharzaad was busy in her work when the door to her office opened.

She moved her head up from the laptop and the very next second her eyes widened and she stood up.

There he stood with that dark aura surrounding him.

As he walked closer before closing the door to the room.

She gulped.

The conversation she had with Khaleda running behind the back of her mind. Panic struck on her face.

She shouldn't have thought about it.

He moved closer, his eyes pinned on her face and hers on his.

A small smile playing on his lips.

The smile alone brought terrors to her. She knew then he had something in his mind.

As he stood near her, out of instincts she stepped back.

"How are you, Sheharzaad?" her name rolled of his tongue, so smoothly yet so menacingly.

Thump

Thud

Thump

Thud

Her heart banged in her ears.

"G-g-g-good," she stuttered badly.

For some reasons, of which she was very well aware of, she found her heart trembling in his presence. Every second, every minutes, just like a broken record the deal she made with Khaleda ran in the back of her mind. It had her more and more panicked. She thought he might know of the schemes she had been making behind his back. And just the thought of it was making her sweat.

His hand moved and slightly caressed her cheek that had her make a quick yet nervous movement as an instinct so he pulled his hand back.

"Sheharzaad," the whisper left his lips, his eyes had a distant look in them whilst staring at her face. "Oh Sheharzaad," he muttered.

Her heart skipped a beat thinking he got the wind of her plan.

"Repeat that for me,"

"What?" she asked as if she had just got a shocking news.

"What you told me that day,"

The speech she gave was evaporated in thin air and all her mental strength got invested in concluding was it a threat or was he really asking for it.

Though it appeared to be some sort of threat.

"Why would you-would you...want me to r-repeat it sir?"

"Don't worry I will not cut your tongue," he uttered, reading her thoughts making her eyes expand.

"I said...what I said and I would stand by each w-word I-I said. You don't own me and you can't touch me. And I'm not afraid of my tongue being amp-amp-amputated because of the truth,"

His lips twitched into an unnoticeable smile.

Dark and void.

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear," he had a double meaning but she couldn't grasp what he wanted to say.

With that being said, he tool a few steps back while boring his eyes in hers and held her hand taking her by surprise.

"What?" she whispered.

"Come with me," he signalled her to move.

"Where?" She asked, stepping back instinctively.

"Come," Stating, he held her hand, "I want to know what you've got in you," he whispered silently, more to himself.

Entering in his office, he closed the door before taking off his long coat and throwing it on the nearby seat and retrieved a folded paper from its pocket. He was cladded in a white shirt and black pants. Unbuttoning his coughs while looking at her, he folded the sleeves of his shirt that revealed his forearms.

"Read," he handed the paper over to her making her confused.

"What is it," she asked, confusedly while taking the paper. Her eyes fluttering manifesting her dilemma.

"Do as I say,"

She silently opened the paper and her eyes began to run to read the content on the paper. A frown marred her brows first, then confusion was replaced by the tears and when her eyes rose up, they've nothing in them but anger.

Unknown to her, he had been reading each and every expression of her.

"I will release you from this job and pay you as much money as you want also will take the expense of the treatment ongoing of your friend and in exchange you know what you will give me,"

Her body began to shiver with the mounting rage within her heart. She fisted her hands tightly as her breathing got ragged.

Her jaw clenched as she held the sheet of paper and torn it apart before throwing the shredded pieces of the paper in the air.

"Who do you think you are, Mr. Shehryaar?!"

A slight lop sided smirk formed on his lips. He moved back and supported himself against the front of the table before folding his arms, his eyes stilled at her.

"That's a good offer, isn't it Sheharzaad?"

"You can't play with me anymore!" she moved towards him.

"I'm serious,"

"Look, I don't want your money. I don't want anything from you. I'm doing that job only because you forced me. Now you're crossing your line," she raised her finger at him.

He encircled his forefinger against hers and with that he pulled her closer to him.

He moved closer and closer so their breaths were mingling with each other.

"One night in a week, four nights in a month at my apartment and you will be free from me for the rest of 26 days. You won't see my face. I know how you much you loathe seeing my face everyday and you want the duration of the contract to end, now this contract solves every problem. Just four nights in a month and you will get as much money as you want plus you would not get to see me often," he coaxed.

She took a few steps back creating distance between them.

"I would rather have you touch me forcefully, unwillingly and on daily basis rather agreeing to let you touch me willingly even just for four nights," she concluded.

She expected him to get angry and latch at her but he just smiled like a maniac. At that moment, he looked like a complete deranged man to her.

"B-bu don't forget," the intense look in his eyes had her stutter, "I will al-always pro-protect myself from you," she said and left his office as chills began to rose on her skin.

As soon as she was out of his office, she dashed towards her cabin feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Yet unaware to her, this was the first step she had taken towards her marriage with him.