Finding Love

Chapter 12

Kabir Abdullah. The name was so familiar to her. She had heard a million times about him, from the people around her. She had gathered, that he must have been quite a looker. Charmer, even! She could have seen his pictures in the multiple newspaper and magazine articles. But she was a busy girl. She hardly found a breather, always held up with either the company's workload, or lost in her thoughts. An academic prodigy, she had finished her schooling by the age of 13, and was into university at 14.

Excelling in the field of marketing, finance and product orientation, Ayat Shah graduated from Cornell University, at the age of  19, with a Masters' degree in Marketing Management. Well, people were proud of her!

Razaak had never imposed a specific lifestyle on Ayat. He had changed, with Jannat. With that day, that year, and that twist in his monotonous life.

"I'm a professional in marketing and finance. So I help in Abbu's business. What about you, Kabir?"

She tried her best, when it came to nonchalance. She didn't want him to have even the faintest idea, that she knew almost everything about this arrogant, cold hearted king. Well, he fell for it. His thoughts were so transparent, falling straight before her. He took her feigning of innocence to be the reality. Sweet!

"I manage my father's company. Abdullah Group." He avoided the details. She didn't press further either. She had nothing to talk about, with her family's guest. And the room was falling into another shot of awkward silence.

She breathed in deep, contemplating what to say next, but a knock resonated in the room, flicking their gazes towards the door. Nice. A pleasant distraction. Walking towards the door, she found that Safina had come to deliver a letter to her. Smiling, she took the white envelope, inspecting it, as she walked towards the large open window.

Shock convulsed all through her dainty frame, as the words of the anonymous letter hit her hard. She didn't even realise how she suddenly lost her balance, and was almost falling onto the ground. Her mind went blank. She didn't even feel the strong and firm grip on her shoulders, that held her in place. Breathing hard, her eyes began to roam wildly, on the finely polished floor below. A sudden yank, left a piercing pain in her shoulders, forcing her to look up, as the tears threatened to fall out any moment. Her mind was still not registering anything, except that she noticed it all. She saw how his face held a bewildered expression, and how his hard set, chiseled features, that were so cold and aloof, just a while ago, had now softened. She saw his eyebrows knit close, in sudden confusion. He let loose his grip, as he stepped just a little away from her.

And then, the tears spilled out. A steady stream, silent. She slumped against the wall, as she slipped into her shell. She was lost. Scared. Upset. The memories of the past, haunting her all over. She didn't even realise when he had left the room, letter in hand. She knew, he had gone to the study. She even heard her father yelling, after a while. But she couldn't even move. She didn't want to. Still staring at the floor, knees locked between her slender arms, she kept crying. She didn't want this. She hadn't loved Asif. But the fact that he lost his life, because of her, disturbed her to no end. Jannat was gone. All because of her. And now another person!

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Jannat had never told her anything! Even as she lay there, in a pool of blood, she just looked up at her, and in a breathy voice, whispered, "I've got this. Relax. And no. Don't..."

She wasn't sure what had happened. All she saw, was a bunch of big built brutish men, walk out of her house, guns and rifles in hand, not even sparing a glance her side. Just through the windshield of her Rolls Royce, they looked so scary. She had brushed them off as just casual visitors, wanting to talk to her father. But then, a blood curdling scream from within the doors of the haveli shook her up, pulling her out of her thoughts, as she raced through the front door, and into the lounge, finding the biggest shock of her life.