kubool hai

chapter 42~intezaar

E L I Z H A

I sat with Safiya ji, reviewing the monthly records. It was time to distribute the salaries, and the list of names was long—servants, helpers, gardeners, drivers, guards. Each person entered, collected their pay, and respectfully addressed me as "Begum." I handed over their envelopes, appreciating their hard work. Two hours passed as we finished the process, and Safiya began organizing the files while I went over the calculations again, double-checking that everything was accurate. The amount was significant, and I wanted to ensure there were no errors.

As we wrapped up, Safiya looked at me with a hesitant expression. "Begum, aap jaanti hain Farah ma'am ko sir ne ghar se jaane keh diya tha?" she asked quietly.

I paused, taken aback by her words. Farah. Zayn had sent her away after the accident, and I hadn't even realized it until now. I knew his behavior might have seemed harsh, especially since Farah is Sarah bhabhi's sister. The thought of how bhabhi must have felt made my heart sink a little.

____

As I made my way to Shayan's room, I could hear him laughing before I even knocked. Entering, I found him engrossed in something on his laptop. "What are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, bhabhi!" he greeted me, waving without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Kal party hai," I reminded him, sitting down on his bed. He nodded, still distracted by whatever he was watching.

"Aapne apna kaam kar liya?" I asked again, this time with a knowing smile.

He looked at me, a bit confused. "Konsa?"

I couldn't help but smile a little more. "Decoration," I replied, seeing the realization dawn on his face.

"Ohhhh actually bhabhi—" he began, but I cut him off with a playful wave of my hand. "Bas bas rehne dijiye, pata tha mujhe aap bhool gaye. Kher, ab aapki zimmedari hai mom dad ko bahar le jaake busy rakhna aur unhe ready karwana, taaki unhe surprise ke baare mein pata na chale."

Shayan nodded with a sheepish grin.

After giving the dinner menu, I returned to my room, still deep in thought. I finally decided to call Farah. I got her number from Shayan—she was on his blocklist, of course. These brothers.

As the phone rang, I felt a bit nervous. “Hello, who’s this?” she answered, her tone almost bored.

“Uhm, assalamualaikum, Farah. It's Elizha,” I replied, trying to sound calm.

“Oh, why did you call me? Want to embarrass me in front of everyone again?” she taunted, her voice sharp.

“I’m so sorry, Farah, about him. I really didn’t know what happened. You know how he is... Please, don’t take his words to heart,” I said, hoping to smooth things over.

“I know, I know. He cares for you so much, he can do anything for you, can’t see you in pain or whatever,” she said, clearly still upset.

Before she could say more, I quickly added, “Farah, I wanted to invite you to the anniversary party tomorrow for mom and dad. We’ve planned a surprise for them, and the theme is masquerade.”

There was silence on the other end. “Will you come?” I asked again, a bit more anxiously.

“Sure, why not? You’ve invited me so kindly. I’ll definitely come. But don’t tell Zayn,Please,” she replied.

“But why? Don’t worry, he won’t say anything,” I assured her.

“It’s not that... just don’t tell him. Let it be a surprise at the party,” she insisted.