Orphic

Episode 20

Third person's pov.

"Hello. I'm advocate Merzia shah speaking. Is this miss Zoya?" The sweet yet powerful voice filled her ears making her heart pick up its pace.

"Yes. I'm Zoya." She said walking away from the crowd to a more quiet corner of the garden. The fairy lights glittered like stars on her porcelain white skin.

"Yes. So miss Zoya I've received your email and I've given it a thought. Your father as you claim was my professor and a person very close to me. About what you've told me I believe it's necessary for me to study the files you've mentioned personally." Zoya hummed in response as the sweet yet professionally cold voice sent chills down her spine. After a short silence Merzia continued.

"I will be visiting swat later this month, I would appreciate it if you'd bring me the files for me to go through them. The information and the case is sensitive and is supposed to be dealt with in silence. Mark the date and if time allows I'm looking forward to meeting you" she concluded. The conversation was mostly Merzia talking and Zoya humming and mindlessly nodding. The woman according her had said everything right. In all honesty she was the one with more experience and knowledge.

The call ended with Zoya feeling as if someone was choking her. The remanents of what she remembered haunted her yet again. The sudden phone call had brought her back to the mark that she was deliberately trying to avoid.

Her hands shook and throat clentched with a feeling of something holding it painfully tight. Faces, voices, and places took over her blurry vision as she took a seat on a nearby bench.

"Why don't you come with us Dadi ma?" The little girl asked the woman who held her in her lap. Soft auburn eyes gazed down in green earthly orbs.

"Because jaana someone has to look after all this till you return" the voice. The sweet melodious voice was a faint in her mind. Shahana smiled down at her granddaughter, caressing her raven black hair.

"But we have Altaf uncle to look after the house" the little girl pouted making her grandmother chuckle. She shook her head and planted a kiss on the top of Zoya's head.

"Guljaan. You go and have fun. I'll be waiting for my zarrgiya to return" she smiled softly, her pale thin lips stretching in a small smile.

"But—"

"Shush. Now go baba and mama are waiting" Shahana shooed the girl away who hopped off her lap and ran. Tiny white shoes padding against the marble floor as she slipped down the grand staircase and out of the haveli.

Shahana stood near the floor to length window on the top floor staring at the car roll out of the property.

"Zee?" Zoya jumped feeling a hand on her shoulder. She looked to the side to see Jhanzaib staring at her worriedly.

"Yeah?" The answer came out as a question. Her voice shaky and small.

"You don't look okay to me. You're looking pale like you've seen a ghost." he said sitting beside her. His brown eyes stared at her making her cringe at the amount of concern they foreshadowed.

"I'm fine" she sighed. Jhanzaib threw his arm around her shoulder making her slap his chest.

"So what are you doing here leaving the function like that?" He asked as he covered her with his khaki shawl.

Jhanzaib looked like he was dressed to kill. Black kurta pajama paired with a khaki shawl, his hair styled back with few strands falling over his forehead. His brown eyes filled with warmth and mischief.