In the heart of Islamabad, where power flows through whispers and alliances are woven into the very fabric of society, four influential families-the Khans, Maliks, Qureshis, and Meers-stand at the center of it all. Bound by history, legacy, and the unspoken rules of their world, these families have built empires not through rivalry, but through the careful dance of politics, bureaucracy, and business. Their lives are entangled, not by chance, but by generations of calculated connections, each move as precise as a stroke of poetry on a page. Here, ambition and loyalty are measured in equal weight, and every decision ripples through a web of power that stretches beyond the visible. It is a world where control is everything, yet love, the most dangerous of all forces, may be the one thread that unravels it all.
"I suppose the view from the top is worth all you gave up."
"It should be. But it's... quieter than I thought."
"You think you can win every argument with a smile, Zain?"
"I don't need to. You've already lost this one."
"You act like I'm just some player. Do you even see me?"
"Maybe I do, and that's the problem. I don't want to get hurt. It's safer this way."
This is an original work by Pearlintheoyster.
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As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
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