Chapter 8: Chapter 8

The next day in the office, after contemplating alot she decided to address Shehryaar directly. The whole night she had been gathering courage. His words at one hand kept on increasing her fear of him and at the other hand gave fuel to her rage.

She was never the person to go down. Or go down without a fight. Until when she would be afraid of him and keep on running away from him? This needed to stop. She was of the thought if she talked to Shehryaar then he would back off or atleast his rigidness would break to some extent.

She so needed to talk directly to him. What did he consider himself? What did he think of himself?

Why this arrogance? And why this obsession with her? She needed answers.

Standing up on her feet, she began to walk towards his office with quick steps. His secretary tried to stop her from entering his office, saying he was in a meeting but she glared her before violently turning the handle and barged into the office with his secretary standing behind.

"Sir, I tried to stop her but-"

Sheharzaad could see he was in a meeting as a man was sitting with him and they were conersating about something.

"I will talk to you later, you may go," he said to the person and flicked his fingers in air demanding his PA to go and she stepped out. That person too left closing the door leaving then both alone.

He looked up at her and then leaned against his seat to observe her from head to toe, not uttering a word.

"Shehryaar Haider Syed," She loudly said.

He just raised a brow at her, admiring her audacity.

She pointed her finger at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "how dare you to ask something so sickening from me? Who do you think I am? And who do you think you are?"

Silence prevailed between them as he didn't say anything. His eyes bbored in hers while hers penetrated in his.

His were calm and calculated.

While hers were emotional and enraged.

They kept on staring as if in a staring competition.

After a moment, he decided to break the intense contact. Before taking in a sharp breath, he stood up from his position, walking towards her that made her want to retreat her steps back and run away. She didn't want to be nowhere near him. But she didn't move an inch from her place.

She will see what he can do.

"Sheharzaad," he said, his voice was calm as he leaned against the front of his desk, "What brings you here?"

"Who do you think you are? Shehryaar Haider, who do you think you are?" she hissed.

"Your boss,"

"My boss? My boss, My foot. How dare you say something like that to me? I want answers from you," She bellowed.

"Lower your voice," his voice suddenly took a sharp edge and a frown marred on his brows showing his disapprovement. His eyes suddenly becoming cold.

"I won't, Mr. Shehryaar,"

Within few quick strides he was infront her but again she remained rooted to her place. Yes, fear was bubbling up within her. But would she show it to him? No. Never.

Her grey eyes pierced into his. His eyes showing his rage. His fingers resisting the urge to encircle her neck and snap it for her.

"Who the fuck you think you are talking to?" his voice was low but restrained with fury.

"Control your tongue, Mr. Shehryaar," she warned, again raising her forefinger, looking straight in his eyes.

His eyes penetrated hers. She was getting on his nerves and his anger was crystal through her eyes. He closed his eyes for a second, took in a sharp breath before revealing his grey orbs to her again. They looked calm now as if he had drunk in his rage. He knew how to deal with her.

"What if I not?" he uttered in a hushed voice stepping closer towards her.

"I know how to protect myself,"

"And I know how to break hands raised infront me, Sheharzaad,"

She blinked twice to gulp what he was saying.

"Shut up! I'm not here to hear your absurd talks. I came just to remind you who y-"

"If you want, I can cut your ears and have you disabled so you can't hear what I say,"

Her eyes widened with disbelief.

"Ear or not but I would love to," he wrapped his hand around her finger that she was pointing at him, "cut this digit of yours as to make sure who you are talking to,"

She tried to snatch her hand away but he didn't let go. She frowned. "Leave my hand!"

"What do you want me to slit, your tongue or your finger?"

The terror increased in her and without her notice, he had a blade lying at the base of her forefinger.

Her breaths ceased for a second. She forcefully tried to snatch her hand away but he didn't let her.

"Let go. Leave me!" she shrieked troublesomely trying to release her hand from his grip.

She screamed when he began to press the blade against her skin drawing blood.

"Ahhh! let go! let go!" she screamed out of pain as she felt the knife tearing her skin.

"Quiet," he uttered but she kept on screaming out of agony. She didn't want to loose her finger, " Quiet!" he shrieked suddenly making her jump at her place.

"I won't! I won't! Don't cut m...my fi-fin-finger!" she cried out, sobbing as her face began to turn red. The sight of blood never settled well with her and this time around, it was her own blood releasing out her finger and drenching her hand in her own blood.

"You won't?" he rose his brow at her.

"Leave my hand! My finger, you are cu-cu-cutting my finger," The sentence sounded too odd to her ears.

"Now reap what you sow," he stated with a note of finality and held her middle finger joining it with her forefinger making the blade to work on her both digits together.

"Le..leave my (hiccup) ha-hand," she pleaded, hiccupping.

"No voice out of your pretty lips," he warned

Suddenly, she became quiet, trying her level best to cease her sobs and hiccups.

"Please," her panicked voice said. Her eyes were focused on the knife that was getting deeper and deeper, whilst his eyes were just on her. Struck and immobile. She had all his attention.

"Apologize," he uttered without a blink, looking towards her when she  looked up at him.

"For...for what?" her chin wobbled She suddenly winced when he pressed the knife more into her skin. She could feel her hand getting cold and her body getting hot making her dizzy and nauseatic.

"Next time I would say apologize would be when I will have your finger in that bin and this knife against your tongue. So apologize before it's too late. I won't give a second chance,"

Her mouth hung open at his threat. She quietened for a moment.

Looking up again, she penetrated her eyes in his and uttered, "I'm sorry," she apologized, "let me go. I'm Sorry," Silent tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Well n good," He moved his knife away making her take a breath of relief. He gazed at her for a second as she held her bloodied hand before strolling towards his desk.

"Come closer," he uttered while taking out a first aid box. Once he was done placing the equipments on the table, he didn't feel her presence around him so he looked up only to find her rooted to her spot and holding her hand.

"Step forward," he commanded.

She stepped back towards the door. He knew his intentions then and there, she was on a run.

He pressed a button and suddenly all the doors of the room got locked. His team had installed the automatic lock system in his room in emergency cases for his security.

Sheharzaad hurriedly turned back and violently began to shook the doorknob with her other hand but it wasn't opening.

"Please open. Open!" her shivering voice uttered. Her legs began to tremble when she felt the striking of boots against the floor that meant he was coming towards her.

"Please, open. Open. Open," she cried out but the door didn't budge. Her breath struck in her throat when she felt his arms encaging her between him and door.

She immediately turned around and harshly pushed him away before running away from him. His eyes caught her running towards his table and thrashing things away so she could protect herself. Particularly the knife he used against her. When she couldn't find it, her eyes landed at the jug of water. She threw it on the floor so it broke into pieces. She picked one piece and raised it to defend herself.

Sheharzaad was stepping backwards as he began to moved forward though there was a considerable distance between them.

"Don't come near me. I have apologized already," she pleaded him and at the same time hated herself. There was never such helplessness in her voice and hearing her helpless voice herself shattered her heart more. But at this time what mattered more was getting out of here. She had to save herself from him. He can do anything with her right now and no one would ever know. And given how lunatic his mind could get, she needed to run.

He kept on stepping closer until he was one side of the table and she at the other. Blood was continuously spilling out of her wound but she didn't care less.

Placing both his hands on the table, he looked piercingly into her eyes.

"Don't do anything to me. Let me go," her breathless voice said.

"Come to me," he stated, looking straight in her eyes.

"First unlock the doors,"

He pressed the button and the door got unlocked.

"Come here,"

"Please, don't do anything to me," she pleaded again, still standing at her position.

"Walk over here. The doors are unlocked. I won't do anything,"

"Do you give your word?"

He smirked, "I give my word,"

She began to take baby steps towards him. Her panic and fear was clear as water on her face. She wondered what more could he do? It was so easy for him to cut her finger. Just a bit more pressure and her finger would have been lying on the floor. It made her think, were his threats really baseless or not? Was he really capable to implement what he said?

"Drop the glass," he uttered. straightening his posture. His hawkish eyes peering through her soul.

If Sheharzaad was afraid of him before, now she was petrified. She just wanted to run. Coming to his office was never a good decision at first place. She had no idea the things would turn out like that. She had deduced, he was not an ordinary man at all. He was something else. He was indeed more powerful than what he shows.

The look in his eye was enough for her to drop the piece of glass and had kept her walking towards him.

As she was walking closer, he sat on one of the chairs and pulled the other one closer to him. She stopped infront him when he directed her with his eyes to sit on the chair infront him. She quietly sat down. She knew where she made the error. Error was not in barging to his office rather error was in not knowing who the hell he was.

Not saying anything, he held out his hand for her indicating her to place her injured hand in his which she reluctantly did.

Picking up the anti-septic, he began to clear her wound. He could have gotten her tongue out of her palate the very moment she talked with him in a high voice but he knew she was too young to his dark side. It was just her day 1 of knowing him. At the moment he would give her only what she could bear.

He wondered what could be so special in her that he, himself was getting attracted to her. She was the first woman whom he had presented the offer to spend a night with. And the first ever too who denied him. He wanted to fuck her out of his system. She was on his mind 24/7. He was sure after spending a night with him would be enough to made his mind clear and evacuate all her thoughts from his brain. He knew he just had a mere infatuation with her that would be over once he would bed her.

Her phone ringed on the cue and she retrieved it from her pocket with her other hand.

"Ye....yes, Ahmed bhai?" her soar voice answered.

"No..no I'm fine. Caught a flu that is why my voice is soar," She whispered as she was in his vicinity. He didn't look up at him. His eyes were down, busy in the task at hand.

"Why did you call? Is everything fine?"

"Amna? What happened to Amna? Is she fine? Why in the hospital?"

"What? But I talked with the doctor in evening, he said by next week,"

"That's such a short time. How would we gather such a amount within two days?"

"Yes, yes. Do you have some savings?"

"I don't either. I...I will try to do some..something else," She whispered and at this sentence of hers she found him moving his lashes up and staring at her for a moment.

"Ok, I'll talk to you later,"

She hung up the call. Her throat was aching with the pain of her unreleased tears that made her chin wobble. She was at the verge of crying. Now the deadline of week was limited to three days now.

"Is there," she spoke but her voice was cracking so she stopped and cleared her throat, "is there any other way, please?"

"Of what?" Shehryaar asked, acting oblivious now applying the band aid.

"Of... Of loan," she uttered, "I.... I'm not that type of woman," her voice was cracking but his face was stoic. He remained indifferent.

"What kind of a woman you are then?" he glanced up at her.

"Not the one who do.... one-one night stands," she asserted. Her heart was feeling heavy. This was the first time she had to prove her character to someone.

"Oh?" he cocked his brow and released her hand as he was done before standing up and retrieved Rafay's phone. "I would be giving you a chance to explain yourself as I don't want to abruptly run to conclusions,"

Opening the text she had sent him, he passed her the phone and sat on his chair. She analysed the text only to get her eyes bulge out.

"What?" she whispered to herself.

Now she was able to put two and two together. Because of this message, he thought she was a slut that's why he asked her to spend a night with him.

"That's fake. I swear. Somebody is trying to frame me. I swear," She looked at Shehryaar once done reading the text.

"How long have you been working here?"

"Three weeks,"

"And in three weeks somebody is already at your back, trying to frame you?"

She looked away. How can someone had such a strong enmity with her that too within just three weeks? Why would someone want to frame her? She was new to this company. She didn't know anybody then how come someone would already be trapping her.

"Any apparent enemy?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Now why should I believe you? What proof do you have to prove your innocence?"

"I don't have any proof to prove my innocence but trust me. I don't lie. Its not me. I still remember my phone was lost that day. I couldn't find it. Somebody must have sent this using my phone as me. Somebody is trying to frame me," she ranted while he silently listened to her, "and if this really is the case then I would have never cried, asking for your help that day. I would have accepted what Rafay had given me,"

He had been pondering over it since a while. That was keeping him from believing all the evidences riled up against her. But the question again rose, who? Who is behind her if she really ain't the culprit? Who will try to frame her when it's just been three weeks of her in this company.

"Why should I believe that you didn't put up an act that day out of fear of getting caught?" he stated one of the assumptions that had been running in his mind.

"I have no answer to that," her chin wobbled, "I would never do that. If I'd really have sent Rafay this text then I would have agreed to your.....your proposition the first chance I got," she uttered.

"Again I would say it can also be an act of piety," he uttered, "I know," his voice got low as he whispered more to himself, "how you women do that. I know how talented you all are in putting up an act," his eyes suddenly holding that distant look recalling someone.

That clicked her. Hard.

"Women? Us women? I can say the same thing to you. I have seen many a men too who act pious all the way but one chance, getting just one single chance they don't hesitate to mar a woman's chastity. If there are evil women then there are evil men too, Mr. Shehryaar. Don't look the world from just one side of coin,"

"If there are evil men then there are evil women too," he repeated her statement, kind of agreeing to it, "but I remain unconvinced. And I will remain unconvinced until I meet one who would be same inside as outside,"

"I don't know...I don't know what's in your brain and how you think but what do you want from me? I never called Rafay. And I...I'm being framed. Otherwise why the CCTV footages would have been sabotaged?"

"three weeks and being framed already," he muttered. He had already decided to not to reach the conclusion until he would get his hands on the person who sent him this note. Once that person would be in his captivity then he would decide who the real culprit was.

Yet he knew if it were some other woman than Sheharzaad herself then he wouldn't have taken seconds before declaring her as the person responsible.

Her case was different to him. Again, he didn't know why. He hoped so it was just a mere attraction of his with her that won't last long.

"Fine. I believe you for now," he stated after a moment of silence.

"Really?" she asked as if in a disbelief.

"Yes for now until I complete my investigation. You're off the hook,"

"Is it because of this text you considered me a.....call girl. Now you trust me it means you will grant me loan without.....without me have to accept that offer?"

At her statement, he smirked.

How innocent