THE CONTRACT MARRIAGE

40-UNMASKED

OMNISCIENT

"Steve, get my briefcase. I need to wrap something up," Maheer muttered to his subordinate, whose eyes became twice their size at his words. He missed his master, but not that side of him, at least.

However, when he gazed at the man whose face was akin to an evening blizzard, he didn't need to be instructed twice. Steve ran off and hopped in his car, eager to complete his mission.

Maheer stood still amidst the chaos. The siren relentlessly wailed, pounding in his ears until it became deafening. His blurred vision cleared for a short while, and that was when he saw an unconscious Saif being wheeled into the ambulance, followed by a bloodied Jawad surrounded by doctors and nurses running at their top speeds.

"All of you need to calm down, we'll get to the bottom of the situation as soon as possible. I need to leave right now, and I won't return without my daughter," Sumaira flashed a tight-lipped smile at Cyrus, who handed her a black jacket.

"Thanks, Smoke," Sumaira was just about to fasten the jacket over her wedding gown when a pair of sturdy arms landed on her shoulder.

"Nope, you're not going to wear any other man's jacket while I'm here. Go to the backseat of my latest baby and put on what I prepared for you. Be sure to apply some makeup, Doodle, it's going to be our longest night yet," Her raised eyebrows made him chortle deeply.

"How did you know I was going to need a change of clothes?" Sumaira narrowed her eyes at him, amusement dancing between her suspicion and gratitude.

"Nothing gets past the detective, my love," He gave her a gentle push before she could speak again. After Sumaira piled into the matte black Alpine A110, Maheer faced the anxious family members with a smile that immediately put them at ease.

"Will my granddaughter be okay?" Waheeda wiped the tears that fell from her eyes.

"Mother, have I ever made a promise I couldn't fulfil? Trust me, pray for us, and wish us luck. I promise I'll return with groundbreaking news, you might want to prepare yourselves for that one," He coughed lightly and smiled once again.

"Gotcha! I'm kidding," Adeena smacked him on the chest, her eyes glaring daggers at the man whose smile knew no bounds. His gaze settled on the woman beside Dalila, and his heart broke for her. If only she knew what kind of a man she married.

"Son, come back alive and healthy. We have five years' worth of conversation to complete," Architect Abdullahi Grema patted his son's shoulder.

"Yes, Father," Maheer answered firmly, not wanting to remember the way they parted.

"You deprived me of my only happiness, you'll never see your daughter again too, Maheer. I wish nothing but hell upon you," Salman fought with silver cuffs around his wrists.

"Thank you. It's not the first time I've heard that anyway," Maheer laughed out loud as he watched Salman being pushed into the car by two police officers even as he protested.

"Turn yourself in, Engineer. Admit it, it's over, we won," Aarif held the file in his hand, and the man in question could only smile.

"Those papers you're holding are not enough to lock me up forever. I'm only doing this because I deserve it, not because you told me to. I'll forever be a father to you, Aarif, even though I don't deserve you or your sister," For the first time in forever, the engineer avoided his son's gaze, stretching his arms to the perplexed officers.

"I committed three murders with my hands, I am also the perpetrator of a severe domestic violence case that negatively impacted my children's lives. I defrauded my first wife into marrying me to steal her wealth, I was involved in various money laundering cases across the nation, and among my crimes, the one I regret the most is kidnapping a three-year-old boy to sell his eyes,"