Love Means Sacrifice

Ch. 78: Beginning of the End

Mehwish's P.O.V.

The following morning, Murad was silent and a bit awkward. He gave a tight-lipped nod when I handed him his painkillers after he finished his breakfast, indicating he remembered our conversation from last night.

He sat down in front of a file on the couch. He skimmed through it for a few minutes then closed it. Soon after, he got up and rummaged through his luggage, taking out a fresh pair of clothes.

I was putting away the plates when he spoke, "Mehwish, I have to go to Sacramento suddenly. I'll be back in two days again."

"You're leaving today?" I asked.

He nodded, "After I shower."

"Would you like to take something to eat for your drive?"

He cleared his throat, "It's fine. I'll pick something up on the way."

"Alright."

Murad took off to the bathroom and seconds later I heard the water from the shower.

My eyes fell on the file he left on the coffee table. I couldn't fight the urge to glance at it. It was just lying there, creating the perfect opportunity.

I stealthily walked over to the living room, being as light as possible on my feet, and kneeled in front of the table.

It was the Saeed project file!

It listed what materials were to be used for construction, where they were being sourced from and the contacts of their vendors, which warehouse they were being stored in currently, the warehouse address, a blueprint of how the materials will be implemented, etc.

I quickly found my phone and took pictures of every page, sending them to Zahid along with the message that I'd be over shortly.

I went to my room and sorted which clothes to take to Zahid's. Once I returned to the living room, Murad was tugging on his socks. The file was nowhere in sight now. I assumed he had packed it into his other luggage that was ready by the door. Good thing I took the photos when I had the chance.

He unlocked the door and stepped out with his bag.

"Murad?"

He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Drive safe."

"Later, wifey," he gave me a curt nod.

"Bye," I closed the door and went to go get ready.

After using an hour to get ready, while actually making sure Murad was really gone, I drove over to Zahid's house. There were other cars parked in his driveway.

I rang the doorbell, and he opened the door.

Greeting me with a quick kiss, Zahid slid his hand into mine and led me to the dining table.

"Jaana, who's here?" I asked as we walked.

"Farhan, Amal, and her builder friend. Once I forwarded the pictures to them, they immediately called him over."

Farhan and Amal exchanged quick smiles with me before returning their attention on the man studying printed images of the file.

He took off his glasses before glancing at us, "I don't know how he's acquired such materials. They're hazardous. He's listed high quantities to be used for certain components that have toxic chemicals, and this creates an issue regarding health. Even more alarming is that nearly more than half of the materials are not stable. They're not durable. Some of them are used to build movie sets. The building will collapse within a few months! Amal, is this some type of joke?!"