Chapter 167: His secret

"Why would Shehryaar want Haseeb and Dua to marry?" Asma, Haseeb's mother, asked her

husband Haroon once they reached their room after dinner.

"I wonder what made Shehryaar reach this decision," he said. "Nevertheless, he is the

enthroned head; we have to accept whatever decision he makes. I hope it will be better for

our son. Dua is a nice girl."

"Haroon, you know, you need to get out of this thinking. Where is our share? Is all the

power, status, and wealth supposed to be distributed among Jaha Ara’s children? Why can't

Haseeb or my son Saif govern the haveli and the business like Irtaza and Shehryaar do? Why

do you always have to bow down to their decisions?" she stated while brushing her hair.

"You are very well aware, Asma, I can't go against my father. And going against Shehryaar's

will is equivalent to going against my father."

"I'm not asking you to go against him, Haroon. I'm just asking for the fair share of my

children. Why do they have to bow down in front of them? You know their mother, Jaha Ara,

was caught in adultery by the man she supposedly loved. Look at her status; she was just an

adopted daughter of this family. While me, I came from a family almost equivalent to yours.

Here my sons are not getting anything only because you’re not the eldest. Both parents

should be considered when Mr. Shabbir Haider Syed distributes positions among his

favorite grandsons. This is so biased."

"Asma! Why are you digging up the past? What's the fault of the children if the mother was

involved with someone else? Don’t bring Jaha Ara into it. And whatever Agha Jaan does is

for the betterment of this family. Also, as far as your family's status is concerned, let me

remind you, if Agha Jaan hadn’t helped your father when he was drowning in debts, do you

think the so-called status you're bragging about would be intact? Also, Haseeb and Saif

should step up and prove themselves to Agha Jaan and Shehryaar so that he would deem it

right to give them the positions you’re asking for. Neither Shehryaar nor Irtaza has ever

differed or considered Haseeb and Saif less than brothers. Irtaza even added Haseeb's and

Saif's names as part owners of the firm. Both my sons are still studying."

"You've always, always preferred your nephews over my children. And now it has reached a

stage where my children are at the mercy of their cousins. I knew a time like this would

come, which is why I was begging you to ask for Haya's hand for Shehryaar. Zahra already

has Irtaza, and her future is safe and secure. What about my daughter? If Haya had married

Shehryaar, I wouldn’t be worrying about my children's future as much as I am now. God

knows where that girl Sheharzaad came from and took the position where my daughter was

supposed to be. She’s not even from our family. She was just his secretary, and I’m still in

awe that she made it to her boss’s house and now will be the next mistress of this haveli.

This shows how cunning she can be. What if she manipulates Shehryaar against my children

and completely deprives them of their rights?"

"This is your overthinking, Asma. Get over it. She seems innocent to me. Also, Haseeb and

Dua are marrying, so the future security you’re worrying about will be guaranteed with this

marriage. Dua is Shehryaar and Irtaza's only sister. I trust both of them and their intuitions.

They would never deprive my sons of their rights. Haseeb and Saif already have enough

properties in their names, so don't be greedy."

"Those properties are not even half of what Shehryaar alone has, even when combining

both my sons' properties."

"He is a self-made man. He never relied on this family’s name. He started his business from

scratch, Asma. He earned it. Instead of eyeing who has more wealth and power, focus on our

children's training."

"Always finding flaws in your own children," Asma mumbled and went away, while Haroon

sat on the bed, thinking about his wife's words.

It wasn't the first time Asma had demanded marrying Shehryaar to Haya. The enthroned

mafia don had immense power, and by marrying Haya to Shehryaar, that power would

transfer to her daughter. Asma had always pressured him to talk about this with his father,

but he never did. Haroon knew Shehryaar, even his views about women. After Shehryaar's

mother's demise, his father, Haider, was heartbroken. There was no one to inculcate core

values in those children—values necessary to be called human.

The family knew Shehryaar had witnessed scenes involving his mother—scenes he was

never supposed to see. He had distanced himself from his father, his cousins, everyone. The

little bond he had was with his grandfather. His father, renowned as a mafia don at the time,

was twisted in his mind and still was. Haider wanted everyone to bow to his whim, which

was why he had ordered Mujtaba to leave the haveli after marrying Ammara against his

will. That was why Haroon never stood against his father; he was a controlling man.

Shehryaar enjoyed his company. Soon his interest waned in the things other children

enjoyed, and he went to his grandfather, pleading to begin his training as the next mafia

don. Bloodshed and gore became his primary interests. His heart grew callous, inhumane,

deadly, as he began taking lives at a young age.

Once Haroon asked Shehryaar, when he was in his A-levels, about the ideal girl he wanted to

marry. His response sent chills down Haroon’s spine, especially the dark melancholy buried

in his eyes as he spoke.

“I ask her to sit, she sits. I ask her to stand, she stands. The thought of disobeying me should

never cross her mind,” Shehryaar had said, and Haroon was speechless.

“Who taught you this, Shehryaar?” he had asked, stunned.

“No one. I realized it. If you give women freedom, they will leave no chance to step over you.

Kill her if she dares breathe the same air as any other man… why do you look so surprised,

Uncle?”

“That’s not right, son.”

“Grandfather agreed with it.”

“But it’s not right, son.”

Haroon had been left speechless.

“Then what’s right? Let her step over me just like my mother did over my father? Do you

think I would let that happen?”

To this day, Haroon felt that Shehryaar’s thoughts, rather than diminishing, had only grown.

Because of these views, Haroon never asked for Haya’s hand for Shehryaar. He loved his

nephew and also his daughter, yet his daughter was precious to him. Haroon knew to what

extent Shehryaar could go to get things done his way, as his grandfather had trained him

well, instilling all his values.

He feared Shehryaar would treat his daughter the way he had described. And once you

become the wife of any member of this family, it becomes impossible to get a divorce. You

have to be with that man for the rest of your life. Marrying Haya to Shehryaar would be a

dead end for his daughter, and he didn’t want to risk it, given how sensitive his daughter

was.

Haroon didn’t want to tell these things to Asma, and even if he did, she would still want this

match to be made. Shehryaar was the perfect bachelor of the family, and everyone had their

eyes on him. Everyone wanted their daughter to marry him to elevate their status, but they

didn’t truly know him.

Haroon knew him... and he also knew about his mother.

The deep secret he had been carrying in his heart for years.