Naina (Al-Ameen Family #4)

Games

Hello everyone! A quick recap (and explanation of my extended absence) was posted in the last chapter. Please have a read through if you need. If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, please reach out for help. I am also more than willing to listen help, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Thanks for sticking around with me, enjoy! 

NAINA 

I got off the flight and Namrata was waiting for me in the car. She gave me a one-armed hug; I think she thought my mood was due to the flight. I still hadn't told her about me and Armaan and I didn't think I should either way. It would get me into a world of trouble, fraternizing with the enemy being the least of my crimes. We got to my apartment, the same one in Nazeeha's building and Namrata let me go shower and clean up.

I took some time to pray after, give my heart a chance to calm down and find its peace so I could get to work.

"So what's this breakthrough?" I ask her, settling into the couch and finally getting some food in my stomach with the fruit platter she had brought.

She turned to face me with this smile on her face that she always got when she was up to something. "The team was able to track some money down that directly links money laundering from the mafia through these hotels. Your suspicions were correct; the Al-Ameen family is involved. The hotels are part of a subdivision of their company, they're all in Dubai. That explains why we saw Enzo Muccetti in Dubai. I think he is the one responsible for making sure the money is handed off correctly-"

"There must be someone in the prison who is helping him get in and out. Maybe a guard?" I interrupted her and then mouthed an apology. Sometimes I also got really excited about case breakthroughs.

"I agree. I have asked local agents to see if they can figure out some potential suspects for that. In the meantime, I have put in a request for a warrant to call in Nazeeha Afzal for questioning. As well as- "she flipped open her notebook to read out the names written in her notes. "-a whole slew of other people. Liam, Inayah, Yusuf, Safiyana, the list goes on" she shut her notebook.

My heart dropped to my stomach.

"But why, what are we even going to ask them at this point?" I asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" she let out a small confused laugh. "They obviously have some shady shit happening in their businesses, and their names are all over the paperwork. Let's see what comes back."

"They're all just kind of young that's why," I tried to shrug as casually as I could. "So when is that going to happen?"

"Well first we need to get our questions approved by the director. And everything will also have to be approved by Patrick and his MI6 team. It might be a week or two before we can actually call them in. In the meantime, I want you to do some recon. See if you can get into the rooms where Liam or Nazeeha have their data stored. I just want to see what their writing about all these visits and if it's legit. I want to map it over Enzo's escapes and see if there's any links."

"Very above board" I teased her, stretching out my legs. "I'm going to get some more sleep and then we can get some work done in the morning?" I looked over at the clock. 1:32am. "Hopefully later in the morning?" I chuckled.

I woke up early though, made my prayers and then went back to bed. Then I woke up at 2pm. I was surprised Namrata hadn't woken me up either but when I went out to the living room, I saw her on the sofa, deep in sleep, with papers sprawled around her. She must have stayed up way past me to work. I grabbed my throw blanket and laid it over her before rummaging through the kitchen to find something to eat.

My eyes trailed over to my purse and I see my letter sticking out the top. I picked up the letter and read it over.

Armaan,

I don't expect you will ever forgive me for what I did, but I hope you can find it in yourself to believe me when I say I did not want things to end this way. Truthfully, I should have never let anything start.

There are a lot of things I wish I could tell you, but I can't. My life is complicated and you don't deserve to get stuck with all of this. You have so much to achieve Armaan. You will go on to do amazing things in your career, and make your family, your country, and me proud.

If I could go back in time and tell myself that one day I will meet you, I would not have chosen this life for me. I would have said yes the moment you asked me, and we'd be spending our life making fun of each other while our two cats and kids ran around us. But this can't ever happen. Your life is meant to be lived in a spotlight and I want to spend my time hidden away.

There is someone out there who will be your happiness. She will be everything you can ask for and more. She will help you climb to the peaks of success, and be there for you when things aren't right. I will pray to Allah every day for your happiness and success. And I will pray you forget me as a mistake that happened. I pray you forgive me.

Thank you for the moments we have spent together. Your kindness, your affection, I will cherish forever. You opened your heart to me and I hope you know I will never take that for granted.

Yours,

Naina

Should I send it?

My foot tapped maniacally on the kitchen tiles till I said screw it and grabbed an envelope from my desk and stuffed the letter inside. I sealed it shut, grabbed my jacket, and rushed over to the closest post office. After scribbling Armaan's address on it, I stuck on the stamp and handed it to the postal clerk.

I must've looked insane, with my face red and my hair frazzled. But it was too late now to do anything about it. I ran out of the shop into the cold air and finally felt the breath come back into my lungs.

That was the end of Armaan and Naina. With time, I will learn to shut down these feelings and focus on work. That's what I was trained to do and so that's what would happen.

---

ARMAAN

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Naina ghosted me. After 24 hours of calling and texting, I had to give up when my phone battery died. I had to go in for training on Monday but my head was not in the game. It was only after my teammate Nikhil talked some sense into me that I realized I would be kicked off the team if this went on a day longer.

When I got home that night already feeling defeated and drained, I found earrings on my coffee table. I don't know how I didn't notice them before but she must have taken them off and left them here on the last night Safiyana and Navsheen were here. The night before I almost proposed.

Something snapped in me as I stared at those earrings and I kicked the coffee table over in anger. That didn't feel like enough and within minutes, I had destroyed my apartment.

What right did she have to spend all this time with me? To smile at me, to laugh with me, to spend time with my family, and then just leave? All those words she said to me, all the ways she looked at me with those eyes... those eyes...

Was anything she ever said true? Even when she was saying no, her eyes said yes. But was that all a lie too?

No. Never again. She got to have her fun, strung me along for a few weeks and then ran when she realized she would be exposed for the liar she was.

I had a job to do. I had a game to play. And I had no time to waste playing these games with her.