Chapter 157: Scurrying away from him

"Salam baba," he said, and her face paled as she went breathless. The call cursorily ran in

her mind as she quickly stood up from her position, feeling trapped in the space between

them. Her face paled, and her body tensed.

A smile sprawled on Haider's face upon seeing his son. "You came after a lot of days," he

exclaimed while sitting up properly as Shehryaar came and sat beside him on the bed.

"How are you?" Shehryaar asked, his voice calm and smooth.

"Good. Rather great. Was telling one of my infamous stories to my daughter-in-law," Haider

pointed towards Sheharzaad, who stood there. Her breathing slightly mingled. As soon as

Shehryaar's attention went to her, she took a small step back while staring at him with a

pale face. His gaze lingered on her, making the heat travel up to her neck.

"Assalam-assalam alaikum," she managed to utter with difficulty as her eyes met his.

And his gaze lingered on her for a while, stealing her breath before at last he gave her a nod

of acknowledgment.

Did he come to know about the phone call?

It made her face pale further.

"Sheharzaad, daughter, sit down," Haider said, and she looked at Haider and then at

Shehryaar. Her eyes widened.

"I-I-I," she pointed backwards with her thumb, her words stuck in her mouth as her mind

got confused for a moment about whether she was supposed to leave or not. "I....I," she tried

to pull some words out of her mouth, but it was as if her throat had been grasped. She was

confused between obedience and fear.

"Sit down, Sheharzaad," he uttered, and she quietly and quickly sat down as her lashes

cascaded down, shadowing her cheekbones. Her hands formed tight fists as she clenched

her shirt.

Fear overwhelmed her completely as the father and son got engaged in conversation.

Whenever his voice would roll down in the atmosphere, shivers would run down her spine.

Occasionally, her lashes would lift up and stare at him, caught by the striking angles of his

profile. His sharp jawline, dusted with stubble, would come into her vision, making her

heart pound. He was wearing a white shirt with the first few buttons unbuttoned, revealing

the tones of his dusted, muscular chest, and sleeves rolled up, exposing his veiny forearms

as his hand held his phone and car keys. His legs sprawled wide while he was engaged in

conversation with his father as they were discussing a business tender.

Suddenly, silence prevailed in the room, and when she looked up, he was looking at her with

those piercing metallic eyes of his. Her heart skipped a beat. Standing up from his position,

he strolled towards the sofa where she was currently sitting and sat beside her. His

closeness made her feel dizzy. His expensive cologne enveloped her senses.

Breathing.

Breathing became difficult for her.

As she held her breath in her throat, her head already going lightheaded. She could feel heat

radiating off of him. Her eyes cursorily went to his hand that lay on his knee. His veiny hand.

She wanted to run away from him now. She couldn't afford being this close to him. Her

heart was throbbing erratically in her chest, and she was failing to keep it all within her in

front of his father. She pressed her hands together between her lap, fighting the urge to inch

away. She tried to calm her racing thoughts.

While he and his father continued with their debate on that same business tender, her

attention was torn between his deep voice and how her nerves seemed to heighten up

during his daunting presence. She tried to focus on his words but could not stop her gaze

from drifting to him—every detail of him captivated her. His fingers long and strong moved

as he spoke, and the way the corner of his mouth would curl up when he chuckled, it made

her pulse skip a beat.

"Okay Baba, I will talk with my manager about your proposal," he replied in the end.

"It is so hard to convince you," his father stated.

"Rather, let him have a meeting with me."

"Okay. I will arrange that," he told.

"And you came after so many days? I hope you stay here for a long time now."

No! Sheharzaad's inner self screamed.

"I will," he uttered thoughtfully and proceeded to fix the ring on his finger as he talked.

"Here to make an announcement as well."

"What announcement?"

"You will know, but about Dua."

"Dua?"

"I will tell you, Baba," he said, and suddenly his face turned towards Sheharzaad, who was

keenly listening to the exchange.

Immediately, she looked away as soon as his eyes met hers and stared ahead instead. Her

breathing became further restrained when she felt him entwining his fingers with hers as

he held her hand. His touch was warm but firm, his thumb tracing the back of her hand with

utter delicateness. She dared not look at him, but her heart was racing, and her face felt

flushed as she struggled to keep her composure.

"What were you guys talking about?" he asked his father while his eyes were on her small

hand that was in his grasp. He moved her hand up and placed a kiss on her knuckle before

moving his eyes towards his father.

Sheharzaad felt as if he deliberately maneuvered the topic of conversation.

"You remember once I encountered a jinn? I was telling that story to her," his father

excitedly told, and Shehryaar gave out a chuckle.

Her pulse fluttered, and she was turning cold. Her hand in his hold was turning numb.

Her body prickled with awareness. He released his fingers, letting her hand go. She

withdrew her hand and placed it on her lap, her fingers tingling as if remembering his

touch.

"You can go to your room, Sheharzaad," his voice soft yet firm. She nodded quickly, her

palpitations louder than ever as she rose and scurried out of the room, feeling his gaze on

her back even when she left.