IMPRINT OF LOYALTY

DISTURBING NIGHTMARE

Now her next task was to make tea. She prepared tea for herself and Aftab Sahab. The entire family was fond of tea. After making the tea, she brought it to the room and placed it on the table. The rest of the room had already been tidied up; only the bed remained, which she quickly straightened.

With that, all her chores were done. She picked up her books and sat down to study because, in the afternoon, everyone was going to perform prayers together — she, Mehrah, and Hira.

Her aunt (Taayi) was strict about religious matters. She herself prayed five times a day, and all the women in the household followed suit. However, the children were quite lazy in this regard.

After two hours of studying, she closed her book and picked up her mobile to read a novel. According to Mehrah, she was addicted to novels and couldn't get through a day without reading one.

While she was engrossed in reading a novel, Hira came and sat beside her after finishing her workout.

"What do you want for your birthday? And for God's sake, ask for something other than novels, you addict! You're like a drug addict, but for novels!"

Hira warned her upfront because she knew Haram's usual demand — it was always a novel. Haram's favorite novel was Jannat Ke Pattay, and she was eager to own its book form. However, Naima Begum wasn't supportive of this idea.

"Then why are you even asking when you already know? Silly woman," Huram retorted sharply.

Her birthday was just five days away, and everyone kept asking her about gifts. Yet, the one thing she truly wanted was something no one seemed willing to get for her, which annoyed her to no end.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

It was Chand Raat (the night before Eid). Jehan had received the details about the boys from Shakeel earlier in the day. But the details weren't even needed because seeing one of them told him everything. One of the boys was the son of the area's MNA, Taimoor Khan, while the rest were his friends, who took advantage of his influence to act like thugs.

This particular neighborhood in Rawalpindi was home to either poor or middle-class people. As such, no one dared to complain against those boys. However, the old man had shown great wisdom in filing a complaint.

Jehan was astonished to learn that such hooliganism was happening in his area without him knowing. When he asked Shakeel how this could happen, Shakeel informed him that neither he nor Jehan had been at the station when the old man first came to complain. The other staff had simply ignored the matter.

Jehan had given those staff members a stern reprimand later on. He was usually calm, but when he got angry, it was intense, and everyone knew it. Although he was generally cheerful, he could switch to a foul mood in no time.

Jehan stood tall at six feet, with broad shoulders, a fair complexion, and a light beard on his face. Now, mentally relaxed that a significant part of the work was done, he focused on catching the boys in the act. He had instructed Shakeel to keep an eye on them and take action the moment they made a move.

With all his work completed, Jehan was ready to head home. He had told his father that he wouldn't be coming, but now he felt like spending Eid with his family. He lived in a flat in Rawalpindi, while his parents, brother, and sister-in-law lived in the village.

His father and elder brother managed the family's farmland, as they were landlords. His brother and sister-in-law were both doctors and managed a small hospital that his father, Qasim Sahab, had built there. Sajad, however, was not in favor of Aiza working at the hospital. But Qasim Sahab wanted his daughter-in-law to progress, and Aiza had compromised with Sajad's narrow-mindedness.