After the truth

~25~

Dedicated to herphcerh9600 for the advice to Aaron concerning Low Iman. (5th paragraph on Zayn speaking).
I'm having issues with my Wattpad 😔 it's annoying. Anyways, please enjoy this well crafted chapter 😊
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Zayn observed Aaron quietly as the latter's eyes skimmed through the content of the contract in his hands. He looked pale and stressed out. Zayn wondered what it was that could be seeping energy out of him. His company was doing well, it was quite obvious that there was an underlying problem. Even his weirdly colored eyes looked dull.

"Is everything okay with you?" He didn't care but he had to ask.

Aaron looked up at Zayn, then back down at what he was reading through. He shook his head and ignored him for few minutes more before glancing up to see the dude staring at him.

"Am I too handsome that you can't keep your eyes off me?" Aaron asked, throwing a little smirk at the end. The look of disgust was instant and it made him chuckle.

"Don't ever say that again. Right now, you look like fermented milk." Zayn scoffed, leaning back in his seat.

A thought occured in Aaron's head and it made him smile. He liked Zayn and the thought that he could be his brother-in-law made him feel warm. Now he wanted to end whatever it is that was working him up so badly.

"Your insult hurts as much as a five year old." Aaron smiled, scrawling his signature at the bottom of the page.

"Seriously man, is everything okay? You look like you're going through a lot." Zayn asked, resting a hand on the smooth surface of the conference table.

Aaron studied the young man again. He was conflicted with confusing feelings. How would he take it hearing that someone was blackmailing him with something he had no recollection of? Something that involved his beloved sister

"Can I ask a question?" Aaron said instead.

"Sure." Zayn shrugged, folding his arms across his chest.

"What do you do when your iman is low and it seems the world is caving in on you?" Aaron wanted to cringe. If he had asked Imran, the idiot would have made fun of him for sounding like a 'sissy' or being in his feelings.

Zayn let out a loud sigh. His large hands scrubbed over his face and he suddenly felt tired. It was a relatable topic for him.

"I recite the Quran and study it." Zayn stated, looking into Aaron's eyes. He noticed the young lad wasn't satisfied with his answer so he said, "You asked what I do. People do different things when their iman is low. Whatever it is we all do, as Muslims, is a reroute back to God. A moment to strengthen our connection with him. For me it's the Quran. His words are comforting. His promise of Jannah, his assurance, his love, his greatness in all ways that can't even be comprehended. That's what works for me."

Aaron nodded his head. He wondered what would work for him. For the past few days, he had abandoned solat and he felt like he was being punished. He hadn't abandoned it in years and the moment he needed God most, he put distance between himself and God. He felt utterly alone.

"There was a period I didn't pray my solat." Zayn suddenly said after a moment of silence. This caused Aaron to look up at him. "I felt angry that life was going rough for me and I felt helpless. Ironically, Marwa and Zulfa were the little light in my life. The memories of my sister's pulling me to go in Sujud with them helped. They didn't know how to properly offer solat, so they'd just stand and immediately move into Sujud." Zayn smiled fondly at the memory.

"So in moments I didn't feel like it. I'd go into Sujud first. Cry if I wanted to. Talk to God. Vent out my frustrations, sleep on my prayer mat. I started to do this a lot, minutes before any solat and when the adhan is called, I'd stand up to perform ablution and then pray. And I stayed around Muslims like myself, so I can feel inspired from their motivation to go pray."

"When you feel the world is caving in on you, remember who the Lord of the world is! That's it. Remember him in even the littlest thing you do. When the feelings of frustration creeps into your heart, remember he, who is greater than all things."

A tear rolled down Aaron's eyes and suddenly he busted into tears. His body shook and he felt so embarrassed but he didn't stop crying. He wondered what he did to get God's love even after his errors.

"What if I've sinned so much? What if he's so displeased with me?" Aaron asked, crying into his hands.

"Astagfurlah. Do not view God under your limited eyes and with the sight you use on humans. Turn back to Allah at that moment for Allah is ever willing to accept you no matter how broken you are, no matter how weak you are. Just turn to him with a sincere heart and seek help from him."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate." Aaron whispered, wiping his tears away. He felt rejuvenated. He was going to find out who the blackmailer is and deal with him accordingly.

"Talking this much has made me hungry. Treat me to lunch." Zayn stood from his seat, grabbing the papers from the table. This made Aaron smile.

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Marwa stepped away from the door, fists hanging in the air. She smiled upon seeing her brother step out of the conference room. The smile fell into a small, shy one upon spotting Aaron but she quickly turned to her brother.

"Good day Mr Hussein." She greeted with a grin. "You didn't stop by the house yesterday. Why?"

"Urgh Marwa, you're so obsessed with me." Zayn rolled his eyes, throwing his arms around Marwa and keeping her in a headlock.

"When did you become as rough as Zachariah?" Marwa scoffed, trying so hard to get out of his hold. "You're messing up my hijab!" She screeched, biting into his arm. Zayn let go immediately, laughing like a maniac.

"I don't like you." She hissed, frowning and stepping aside for both men to walk away.

"I love you more." Zayn yelled, walking past her. She was grateful no one was on this floor.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Aaron asked her, glancing over her shoulders at her brother.

"Ms. Raya asked me to get something from the conference room." Marwa responded to which Aaron nodded.

"Bye then." He waved, walking away.

Marwa pushed the door open. Her phone dinged in her palazzo-styled jumpsuit pocket. She pulled out her phone to see she had received a message from the same unknown number.

She hissed loudly and was about to tuck the phone back in when the second message caught her attention.

Aaron Siddique is Lisa's biological father.