Chapter 46: A secret Meet

She wondered, What was happening to her?

When had she begun to fear someone that much?

Every now and then, her eyes would move towards the clock so she could confirm how

much time was left until six o'clock. As the time drew closer and closer, she felt fear jabbing

at her heart. Her anxiety was rising to new heights. Her breath caught in her throat when

only an hour remained. She couldn’t focus on anything as just half an hour was left. She

stood up and began to stroll around. Raising her hands, she found her fingers trembling.

She already looked breathless and pale. The tears she had fought off in the morning again

accumulated in her throat. She didn’t want to go to his office. That place, and he, made her

feel claustrophobic. She wished she could run away from him, but she felt completely

cornered. He had her cornered from all four directions. He left no option for her other than

to do as he said. Her fear—fear of him—was controlling her now, not herself. He had

sabotaged her mind.

She was trying to fight her anxiety when, on cue, the door opened, and Hannan entered.

Her eyes brightened at the sight of him.

"Hannan, Assalam Alaikum."

"Wa Alaikum Salam, Sheharzaad," he replied. "What happened to you?"

"Me? Nothing."

"You look pale. Have you had breakfast?"

"No, I didn’t."

"Oh, that’s why. You should eat something. Let's go to the cafe."

"Thank you, but Sir Shehryaar has asked me to come to his office at six."

He looked at the clock and then at her. "Plenty of time before six o'clock. We’ll be back in

time."

"No, Hannan. Thank you so much."

"I also wanted to treat you for your new position. There's this new cafe just across the road.

Please, I would love to have you," he insisted. "And don’t worry; we’ll be back in time. I

know how punctual he is."

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Please, I insist."

She looked conflicted. "Just for fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for accepting my offer. I wasn’t feeling so good today."

"Why?" she asked as they both began walking out of the office.

"I was sad, so I thought I’d pay you a visit."

"Why were you sad?" she asked, frowning, as they both got in the elevator.

"Nothing. Just like that."

"You can tell me," she urged.

"It’s my brother’s death anniversary today. He died a few years back," he explained, sudden

gloom passing over his face.

"I'm... sorry for your loss," she said, somehow feeling glad she came with him. He had

supported her at her lowest, so now it was her turn to cheer him up, and the least she could

do was to give him company for a short time.

"I’ve learned to live without him. He was... my baby," he said as they exited the building,

crossed the road, and began walking along the footpath toward the cafe.

"I know how it feels. How it kills you when somebody close to you dies, but you have to

survive."

"I feel it," he nodded as they reached the cafe, found a table, and placed their order.

"How did your brother die?" she asked.

"He wasn’t supposed to die. He didn’t die a natural death. He was killed."

"What?"

"Yes, and since then, nothing has been normal in our lives."

She didn’t know what to say, so she gave him an encouraging smile. "I will pray for you and

your family."

"Thank you, Sheharzaad. And hey, let’s not get too emotional. Thank you for coming with

me. I was feeling down."

"That’s not a problem. I’m happy I could support you."

He smiled at her, and on cue, the order arrived, and they both got engaged in conversation.

He inquired about Amna's health and then asked how she had managed to get the position

of PA to the CEO.

She laughed, trying to dodge the question, but when he insisted, she explained, "Well, you

could say, ummm..." She thought of a lie. "I asked him for money, like as a loan. So he said it’s

been just three weeks. I told him about my situation, and he understood and gave me the

loan. Then I asked him for a position where I could earn more than my previous job was

paying. There and then, he asked me some questions, and at last, he announced that I'm his

new PA," she lied, and his eyes widened.

"Oh wow. That's great. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Hannan told her that Rafay had gone missing and his parents had filed a complaint with the

police. It was said that he came to the company last, around eleven o'clock, and since then,

nobody had any clue of him.

She gulped, beginning to wonder what might have happened to him. Could Shehryaar be

involved? She remembered fainting, leaving only Shehryaar and Rafay behind. She had no

idea what happened after she lost consciousness.

Hannan went on to say that they tried to question the CEO as well, and when, after a few

days, he went to that police station for some work, the officer who had barged into the

CEO’s office was nowhere to be found.

Her mouth hung open at this. She could feel her heart sinking more and more, thinking of

the power he held. Even the police were under his control—then what was she? His

information was hard for her to digest as she became more anxious about what her future

would look like and how she could escape him.

"And the police officials were telling me he was mercilessly killed."

When he looked up at her, he was surprised to see her face pale and lost in thought.

"Sheharzaad?" He snapped his fingers in front of her, breaking her trance.

"Huh? What happened?"

"To you? What happened to you?"

"Nothing."

"Are you stressed for some reason?"

"No, I'm not. But Hannan, I need your help," she said with sudden urgency in her voice.

"Yeah, sure, tell me."

"I want to sell my house," she told him.

"What? Why?"

"It's very important. I'll explain later, but how can I sell my house?"

"By giving an advertisement. But where would you go if you sold your house and quit your

job?"

"I’ll tell you later, but please help me with publishing the advertisement, an—" She stopped

as her eyes suddenly widened.

All color drained from her face.