Aşkım-Jannat Kay Pattay FanFiction

12. Reality is a bitter pill

Next morning, when she woke up for Fajr prayer, Jihan was not there, as she had expected. He will pray Fajr, then go home and have breakfast with Mom. How could he miss his morning tea with her? First both mother and son will sip their tea together, have little bit of conversations & then he will leave for the office as his routine was. But he had left a sticky note on her pillow for her. A bottle of lukewarm water was placed on the night stand. The note cautioned Haya to take care of her morning walk and exercise and also reminded her to keep track of all the things Jihan usually took care of, now that he was away she had to do it. It instructed her to to create a check list and message him after completing each task. Haya took a deep breath. She had to do this. She couldn't disappoint Major Ahmed.

Haya did exactly as Jihan instructed, but she couldn't easily accept his words. It was rather difficult for Haya Suleman. After her morning prayers, she sent Jihan a message saying she wouldn't follow his instructions while she had already put on her tracksuit for exercise and,
" Also, keep your feet warm or else I won't be nice." came his instant response. Haya rolled her eyes. He knew she would listen to him, not only for her husband but for their unborn child and to ensure it's health. She wasn't much into exercising though.

During breakfast, she recalled the challenge from last night. She had told Jihan that she would reach the stalker before he could and now, she was regretting that claim. How could she possibly reach the stalker when her only lead was a message from a blocked number? It was a dead end. Besides, neither was she interested nor did she need to figure out who was behind her; she was just saying it to mess with Jihan. She hadn't given much thought to ARP's messages and puzzles back in time either despite the fear. Now, with Major Ahmed by her side, she didn't have to worry. Her focus should be on her work and today's meeting instead. Cracking this deal was crucial. Haya had prepared the presentation, and her father Mr. Suleman was to present it. As decided she accompanied her father to the office pushing thoughts of the stalker aside.

Meanwhile, dressed formally in a charcoal suit, Jihan sat in his agency's office room, staring at his laptop screen, his fingers typing in haste. His charcoal blazer was draped over the back of his chair, sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, and hair slicked back with gel. The stubble on his face hinted at a delayed shave but it added a rugged charm to his handsome features. His expressions remained stoic not revealing what was going on inside his mind, but his deep brown eyes betrayed reflecting deep thoughts.

A young man standing across his table briefed him on the details of the number Jihan had asked to trace and investigate.
"This number belongs to a professional scammer who impersonates government representatives to extort money from people. He's been doing this for a long time. It’s surprising that people don’t report these scammers on time. Anyway, we’ve tracked him down."

"And?" Jihan's response was crisp, his tone icy. He anyway knew the answer. The stalker, whoever he was, wasn’t foolish enough to leave an easy trail or a digital footprint.  "Sir, he's clueless about the message sent last night. Typically, criminals don't own up to their wrongdoing," he said. "He has denied all his previous offenses and successfully covered his tracks."
Jihan nodded, grasping the situation.

" I had told you to obtain the CCTV footage of the road across this area ?" Jihan inquired indicating the location from where the message was sent. His deep questioning voice firm but controlled. His sharp gaze didn't intimidate the young man. Dressed impeccably in a white shirt and jeans, Faraz exuded confidence. He thought to himself, amused, ' If this guy ever spoke softly, would he fall sick? ' He smiled inwardly, reflecting that some individuals pretend to be rough and tough; maybe this man suffered from the same affliction. Otherwise, he was more like a brother to everyone working in the firm. A guide. An honest friend. But he would never call other's his friends. For Jihan Sikandar, friends are those whom you can share your deepest secrets with and are not afraid of them being revealed, who are a part of your thick and thin, who stand by your side even when you tell them to leave because they know you need them. The ones you can call in the middle of the night because you know they will be there  Whom you can put in your trust with yourself.
And Jihan never trusted others with his matters, having faith in them with his secrets and calling them his friends was unlikely. Faraz wondered if Jihan Sikandar really had friends.