Brutal yet severely charming man Shahmeer Jafri. The owner of a chain of the best luxury hotels in the world.
The definition of perfection in a human. Sweet mouthed and loyal girl Mahnoor Ali had the life of normal 27 year old. Or so she thought...
The sound of my phone ringing breaks through the silence of Shahmeer's office. It's Kiran.
"Yes, Kiran?" I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Noori Ji, the charity ball Shahmeer is hosting is tonight," Kiran's voice comes through the line, a note of urgency in it. "The stylist is waiting. Is the event cancelled? Or...?" She trails off, leaving the question hanging.
I freeze, my heart skipping a beat. The ball? The same event Shahmeer has been obsessing over for weeks? I hadn't even thought about it, not in the wake of his cold silence and my constant uncertainty.
Part of me wants to say no, I won't go. Part of me wants to punish him for what he's been doing to me, for shutting me out. But then, another part of me, a part I can't ignore, whispers that maybe this could be my chance. Maybe if I show up, I can finally talk to him, figure out where we stand.
"No, it's not cancelled," I say, almost to myself. "I'll be there."
I hang up and rush out of his office, ignoring the puzzled looks of the staff as I hurry back to the house.
Once home, I race upstairs, desperate to get ready. After a quick shower, I slip into the periwinkle gown I'd chosen earlier, carefully adjusting the fabric to fit just right. The gown clings to my body, the light shimmer of the color making me feel a little more confident. I take one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs.
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I wait for Shahmeer to come, my heart hammering in my chest. Every minute feels like an eternity. But thirty minutes pass... then forty. There's no sign of him. Finally, my phone rings again, and it's Farjaad.
"Mahnoor, where are you? Shahmeer's here. You could've spoken to him tonight," Farjaad says, his voice laced with concern.
"What?" I'm caught off guard. "He's there? With everyone?"
"Yeah," Farjaad replies. "You didn't know?"
I curse under my breath, heart sinking. I hadn't realized. I quickly hang up and rush to the car, not bothering to waste any more time. If Shahmeer's at the event, I need to be there too. Maybe, just maybe, this will give me a chance to fix things between us.
_________
At the charity ball, as I step inside, I see Shahmeer immediately, standing by the grand staircase, surrounded by his colleagues and some of his high-profile friends. I take a deep breath, adjusting my gown before walkig over. My heart races when his eyes meet mine, and for a brief moment, I see a flicker of surprise in his expression.
The moment I step up to him, everyone else turns to face me, almost as if they've been waiting for me all along. "Ah, here she is!" one of the guests exclaims, beaming. "We've all been waiting to finally meet you."
