Love Thy Enemy ~ A ZaiRa FF

Chapter 9 : The Bet Is On

“So you have forgotten basic manners of greeting your father.”

Zaid had entered the main hall from his morning jog when he found Asif seated in his throne like chair, a newspaper in hands while smoke wafting off from his tea cup on the nearby table. Zaid didn't stop and was crossing the hall to take stairs when Asif's taunt came.

“A stranger girl has succeeded in creating distance between father and son.” - Asif continued.

Zaid stopped at the first step, his hand on the railing, and turned to look at his father. “A father has succeeded in distancing his son from himself.” - he corrected.

Asif put the newspaper down and sighed. “She was not sincere with you, Zaid. If she had been, she would have chosen you like you chose her over your family because at that time she was not aware of her brother's kidnapping and all.”

Tears stung Zaid's eyes but he stubbornly held them at bay. “I'm not justifying her either. I'm just telling you she hasn't created differences between us. The betrayal from a father to his own son has.” - he said, his voice quiet and eyes complaining.

Asif sighed again but sadness and guilt was dripping from it. He made to say something but Zaid turned around and continued on the staircase.

Mubashira was peacefully sleeping as Zaid walked into the room. He blamed the sedatives because the time was 7 on a Sunday morning but she never skipped her yoga. He had often encountered during their teenages and after marriage he found her continuing her routine.

As he walked further towards her, he realized she had a slight frown on her face and was shrinking in on herself. A clear sign she felt cold. He glanced at the air conditioner and found it working at sixteen degrees. Picking up the remote, he slowed it down. Unfolding the duvet, he pulled it upto her shoulders and saw her frown smoothening into a barely there unconscious smile.

The sight rooted him to his spot.

She was gorgeous even without trying. Even in the simplest form of herself. He had always admitted to himself that she was beautiful but had never seen her like that; without makeup, in a night suit and asleep. And now when he did, he didn't know how to look away.

Maybe that's why he had been crushing over her for a long while.

A sigh escaped his lips as his honest self reared its head again. Since childhood, he had been enamoured by Mubashira's personality but her arrogant and too full of herself nature always irked him. He had always turned heads but she was the only girl who didn't show that interest in him. And that injured his ego. He had started to get irritated by it then and hence decided to get into a relationship with someone. Maybe it was an attempt to satisfy his ego that he was better off without her. Or maybe wanted to catch her attention. He couldn't be sure. Everything looked a mess to him now.

Mubashira stirred and changed position on bed. Getting on her back and placing an arm over her forehead. The action caused her sleeve to slip back and her bandaged hindarm came to view. He got back to present in an instant. The task he had taken do to. With his focus sharp again, he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

~

“I am sorry, sir but the stable doesn't have any cameras.”

Around 11 in the morning, Zaid was standing in the manger's office of the racing club. He had expressed his worry that Mubashira's horse falling like that could be a sabotage by her opponents. They checked the CCTV footages of the gates, entrance hall where all the riders were gathered and even the video of the whole race but nothing seemed a miss. But upon asking the footage of the stable, the manager apologetically told that area didn't have any cameras.