THE CONTRACT MARRIAGE

23-TRANSPARENT

OMNISCIENT

On an L-shaped couch in a swarthy room reclined a man clad in an unbuttoned shirt that showcased his chiselled upper body. One arm rested on the stack of files on the table in front of him while the other held a goblet of champagne.

"How long will it take to process the new identity?" He inquired. The dark aura that radiated off him was like that of a king addressing his subject.

"About a month, Big Boss," Schwid responded in a grim tone, afraid of what was to come after.

Working with his boss's best friend proved to be even harder than working with the main boss himself. The latter was lazy and inconsistent but got the job of a hundred done in less than a day while the former performed every single task thoroughly. He was a workaholic who thought that everyone had the same energy as him. Ever since Aarif took the seat, none of them rested. Schwid could only keep quiet, knowing that Maheer sent his best friend as a form of punishment for breaking one of his rules. He was truly wicked.

"You mean seven hundred and twenty hours?" His voice was dripping with a sinister sarcasm that made Schwid feel so wronged.

"It takes a long process to obtain the passport even for a person with the same identity—" When he saw the clenched jaw of the man under the dim light, Schwid swallowed back his words.

"I'll try to get it done within ten days, Big Boss," He spoke.

"That's too sluggish for a Swiss mafia boss. How about the location I asked you to look into?" Aarif asked and sipped on his champagne.

Schwid almost screamed out of frustration. The man just bruised his ego but acted very meek, as though he didn't know what he did. At that moment, he desperately pleaded for his master to take over so there wouldn't be a workload on him anymore. Aarif was simply making them suffer!

"The group of tech gurus are still on it. It's a very complex system to decrypt. Thus, the slight delay," He swiftly replied.

"What about the Chinese gurus from my company? Are they also making efforts?" He asked.

"Yes, Big Boss," The man replied, just as his boss's phone beeped. He heaved a sigh of relief and mentally thanked whoever it was that saved him.

When he raised his head, he could swear on his life that he saw the colour drain from his boss's face and the once indifferent expression long gone. But as usual, everything went as soon as it came, almost unnoticeable.

"You can leave," He spoke. The said man, as if waiting for that command, unhesitatingly left.

Aarif picked up his phone and read the text from his most dreaded person. However, that was the least of his concerns, the contents of the message being the most.

I met your brother-in-law at the hospital. He seemed like a nice man who was treating your sister right. Aren't you curious to know who he is?

Aarif read the text again and again until every word sank in his head. Even though he knew he should trust his best friend, something didn't sit well with him and his curiosity was unquenchable.

Are you talking about a dead man?

He typed and hit the reply button. Two minutes felt like forever before another message popped on his screen. Not caring about the fact that he would come off as desperate, he opened it almost immediately.

Bold of you to assume I'd marry your sister off to a coward who'd die easily. Do you believe the blood of our family is that inferior?

An avalanche of apprehension surged through Aarif's veins and he was forced to suck in a breath which didn't do anything to calm him down. Numerous questions ran through his mind.