Chapter 160: At the dinner

The next day at dinner, the maid entered her room, saying everyone had to be at the table

according to the orders given to them, as an announcement was about to be made. She had

purposely skipped her breakfast and lunch—first, because Shehryaar had come back;

second, because she wasn’t feeling well.

She got up, showered, changed her clothes, and once she was ready, she went outside her

room. Sometimes, it felt so surreal to her that she could walk, that she could open the

handle of the room and just step out and walk. Walk as much as she could. Her feet weren’t

bound to anything. This little thing felt like such a big blessing to her that she still, to this

day, wasn’t able to put it into words.

As she made her way to the dining room, she could hear the faint sound of voices coming

from inside. It seemed like there was some sort of gathering going on. When she opened the

door and stepped inside, she looked at Shehryaar’s chair, which was to the left of the head

of the table. His chair, as usual, was empty. Half of the table was empty, while half was filled

with the haveli members. She could hear the voices of his cousins enjoying themselves.

Reaching the dining table, she sat quietly on the chair next to Shehryaar. The servants were

setting the table for dinner in a rush so the table would be set before the senior members

arrived in the dining room.

Sheharzaad sat there and kept her hands on the table. Her eyes wandered around the room

as she watched everyone chatting and joking around. Her expression, as always, was tense,

her gaze unsure and hesitant. She patiently waited for all the members to take their seats,

ignoring the commotion of the servants setting the table.

He came to her last night again. And she was thankful to God that things didn’t escalate

between them. His voice depicted a raw desire in him, and so did his eyes. A lust. An

obsession. He wanted to eat her with his eyes alone.

She knew that lust was instigating him to take every step towards her, but what surprised

her was that he left. Left quietly. Yet she felt he could have ulterior motives as well. He

wasn’t the type to leave so quietly.

Maybe he had some plan in his mind?

Also, she was cautious of what he had said. He was asking about her absence at the dining

table, so she was determined to be present at breakfast, lunch, and dinner before time. She

hoped no one was complaining about her to him, or she'd be in trouble.

His grandmother came and sat at the table, whispering prayers as she had a rosary in her

hand. Upon looking at Sheharzaad, she passed a smile to her, and Sheharzaad smiled back.

Soon, the other family members joined too. Irtaza and Zahra came, but Irtaza went to his

grandfather's study, leaving Zahra with the cousins, and now they all came to the dining

table.

Haseeb. Haya. Dua. Saif. Alizeh.

And his uncle and aunt, Haroon, Asma, and Ammara, and his father, Haider.

Sheharzaad saw Irtaza heading towards the study, and she wondered what they—

Shehryaar, his grandfather, and Irtaza—would be talking about. She was able to deduce the

influence the old man had over both his grandsons. An influence stronger than their father.

They were closer to their grandfather than their father. Shehryaar's father was everything

unlike Shehryaar. He was a sweet, kind, and gentle man, rather a fatherly figure. She could

feel the warmth from him whenever he would place his hand as an elder above her head

and whenever he would try including her in the other family activities. Though she would

politely deny as her social anxiety would hit her and she'd resort to the loneliness in her

room, his small gesture always left a mark on her heart. At times, she felt like telling him

everything whenever he would be telling his stories to her. To complain about what his son

had done to him. To tell him that she didn’t deserve all this.

But she knew his father was as helpless as anyone. The real power lay in the hands of his

grandfather, who controlled his father too.

Also, she had witnessed with her own eyes, the power the head of the mafia held, and all

that power was within Shehryaar's hand alone.

She knew she had nowhere to go. Every path of her life would lead her towards Shehryaar.

He was her fate now. All she cared about at this point in her life was Shehryaar being

content with her, and she wasn’t supposed to upset him, because then she wouldn’t be

spared.

"You look prettier day by day," Dua's voice dwindled her thoughts, and she found her

complimenting Zahra.

Zahra was almost three or four months pregnant. Her little baby bump was visible. As it was

her first pregnancy, the bump wasn’t much evident.

"Does bhai take care of you?" Dua asked and gently placed her hand on Zahra's tummy.

A small smile appeared on Dua's lips, and Sheharzaad could see Dua's eyes glistening, but

she blinked quickly to drink those tears.

"He does. A lot,"

"What has happened to you, Dua? Why are you so quiet these days?" Zahra asked Dua.

"Nothing much. But I'm sorry if I ever hurt you," Dua said.

"Why?" Zahra frowned.

"Nothing. I just felt like apologizing,"

"Aww Siso," Zahra enveloped her in a hug, and Sheharzaad could see Dua's hidden tears

behind her sad eyes. They disengaged when his grandfather came along with Shehryaar and

Irtaza, his usual cold and aloof expression on his face.

Shehryaar sat beside her, while Irtaza next to Zahra, and their grandfather at the head of the

table. She could feel Shehryaar’s intense gaze on her. Even though he sat beside her, his eyes

never left her. It was like he was trying to burn a hole through her skin with the heat of his

stare.