Mafia's Contracted Bride

Chapter 10

Dawood’s office was thick with tension, the walls seeming to close in on the two men. The air was stifling, weighed down by the unsaid words and heavy accusations that hung between them like a blade ready to fall. Dawood's knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of his desk, his entire body taut with the fury he struggled to contain. He’d been here before, with enemies, with rivals, but never with Ali. Not Ali, the man who had saved his life more times than he could count, the man who had stood by him through his darkest days.

But today, everything was different.

Finally, Dawood broke the silence, his voice low and dangerous. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He stopped pacing, staring Ali down with a look that could cut steel. “You knew. You knew exactly what was going on, and you didn’t say a word.”

Ali’s jaw clenched. “What do you mean? You didn't tell me anything about your so called marriage and now you are accusing me of knowing it.”

Dawood’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not the point, Ali. You should have told me! You should have been there at my side, not plotting behind my back with some intruder, trying to stop my wedding.”

“I wasn’t plotting anything!” Ali’s voice rose, the emotion breaking through his carefully controlled demeanor. “I didn’t even know that man! You’re accusing me of things I didn’t do. And let’s not forget, Dawood, I wasn’t even invited to your wedding. Your best friend, your closest ally, and you didn’t think to tell me?”

Dawood’s face hardened. He hadn’t expected that. Of course, he hadn’t invited Ali, but the reasons for that were complicated. “You weren’t invited because I didn’t need anyone to stop me,” Dawood said harshly. “I knew what I was doing.”

“Did you?” Ali shot back, stepping closer. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve lost control of everything. You’re so blinded by your obsession with revenge that you can’t even see the damage you’re doing, to yourself, to her, to all of us.”

Dawood’s temper flared, his voice rising with barely contained fury. “Why do you care so much about her, Ali? Tell me!” He grabbed Ali by the collar, pulling him close, his breath hot with anger. “Are you in love with Yara? Is that what this is about?”

Ali’s eyes blazed with a mixture of shock and pain. “Who told you that?” he asked, his voice cold. “Who planted that lie in your head?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dawood growled. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, the way you’ve been acting. You didn’t want me to marry her because you’re in love with her!”

Ali shoved Dawood’s hands off him, his face pale with anger. “That’s not true, and you know it! I care about her because she’s innocent in all of this. She didn’t ask for this life, she didn’t ask to be dragged into your world of violence and revenge. But love? No. I’m not in love with her, Dawood. But I’m starting to wonder if you even know what love is.”

Dawood’s heart pounded in his chest, but he couldn’t let go of the gnawing suspicion, the betrayal that felt like it was eating him alive. “You should have trusted me, Ali. Out of all people, I thought you had my back.”

Ali’s expression softened, but there was still a hard edge to his voice. “I did trust you, Dawood. I always have. But now... now I don’t know who you are anymore.” He took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re so caught up in your anger that you can’t even see the truth when it’s right in front of you.”

Silence fell between them again, heavy and suffocating.

Ali turned to leave, but before he reached the door, he stopped, his voice quiet but filled with hurt. “You could have trusted me, Dawood. You could have asked me, and I would have told you the truth. But you didn’t. You chose to believe a stranger over your best friend. And that...” He paused, shaking his head. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”