Chapter 56: Slapped

Realizing, she immediately cleaned her face and fixed herself as he sat across from her. She

didn't want him to see her tears. He was her oppressor. Her culprit. And she didn't want to

feel weak infront of the person who was the cause of her trauma.

"The work you gave me is done, sir," she told in her quiet and raspy voice. She had to sleep

in his house last night since it was too late to leave his house.

"Hmm," he uttered, slightly nodding his head while his eyes were pinned on her, making her

anxious.

"Why were you crying?" he asked, getting a hold of the file that she passed to him.

"I wasn't," she denied.

"Why were you crying?" he asked again.

No answer came as he turned the pages of the file.

"What is it to you?" After ages, her cold reply came.

In admiration, his brows slightly rose while his eyes were still on the pages in front of him.

He took his sweet time shutting the file before maneuvering his eyes only to look at her. By

that time, her eyes had expanded, and her heart was growing wider with every passing

second.

She looked down immediately toward the table that was placed between them. Her eyes

looked up at him to confirm whether he was still looking at her when she looked back down,

seeing him still staring at her.

He placed the file on the table, making her flinch.

"I couldn't hear you," he spoke after a few moments as his eyes bored into hers, "Can you

repeat that?"

"I said, I-I wasn't crying," she replied in a lie.

He slightly chuckled before leaning forward and grasping her chin, making her look up. As

soon as his hands came in contact with her chin, she pulled her face away.

Her lashes moved up to look at him to trace any signs of anger, yet his face was

expressionless. It made her heartbeat go haywire.

"Come here," he patted the seat next to him.

Her face became pale with fear and shock. Nevertheless, she stood up and sat on the same

sofa as his but at a safe distance.

"Come closer."

"No," she shook her head and answered immediately before her fear could overtake her and

not let her say what was on her mind, "You're not my mahram (family). I can't come near

you."

"Come closer," he deadpanned, forcing her to move closer to him.

"Now look at me."

She looked up. Her enigmatic eyes captivated his gaze for a second.

"You've done this wrong," he immediately looked away and his eyes focused on the file in

his hands. Her orbs followed his finger as he began to explain something that she hadn't

done correctly.

Yet, out of nervousness of being close to him, she instinctively began to chew her lips. She

was uncomfortable, though he was just plainly explaining something.

She didn't think she would ever be comfortable around him in her whole life.

"Fix it and submit this to me by 12 o'clock and stop chewing your lips," he said, while his

eyes were not on her.

She was startled, more so when he closed that file and looked up at her.

That was the moment where her heart stopped beating for a second and dropped to her

stomach when his thick lashes slightly moved down and landed on her lips.

Again, her body froze as her lips began to shiver badly, grabbing his attention more and

more. To stop them from shivering, she bit her lips again, and it all happened in a flash

when he jerked her neck forward and seized her lips with his.

Her body was shivering badly, but she closed her eyes, hoping the moment would pass

quickly and he wouldn't prolong the kiss.

She tried to calm herself down by closing her eyes.

Flashback

"Ammi! Baba!" She called out, but no response came. The house was silent that even if a pin

were dropped on the floor, one would be able to hear it.

(Mother! Father!)

"Ammi! Baba!" She called out again, but no reply came.

She went in their room, but they weren't there. She checked every room, but she found

nobody.

With a heavy heart, she slid down against the door with the certificate lying on the floor

next to her.

Death certificate of her parents.

They weren't here.

Not just in this house, but in this world.

They had left her alone. So alone. In this house, there was no one beside her. The grief ate up

her heart.

She felt her heart clutching so bad, making her place her hand on her chest. The pain, the

grief could be physically felt.

Without her notice, tears slipped down her eyes, and when the first tear dropped on her

hand, she recalled what her mother kept on telling her.

"You are crying despite being my daughter, and that too on a mere result. Remember, your

mother is strong, and you have to be stronger than your mother," she had said that when

her result couldn't meet her expectations.

Another tear fell down.

"Nothing in this world is worth my daughter's tears. My daughter is very precious to me."

Another tear.

"Remember, every man falls down. Stronger is the one who rises from every fall and fights

against every kind of circumstance. Crying won't make you stronger, but fighting against

adversity will. Come on, collect yourself and start again, fight again."

But what always struck her heart were her mother's words, "Remember, if you are able to

stand from the lowest point of your life, then you could achieve whatever you desire."

These words had pumped her to stand the grief of her parents' demise. That was the lowest

of the lowest point of her life.

Flashback ends

Her eyes opened, and with all her strength, she pushed him away and slapped him hard. Her

face was already wet with tears.

His face turned to the side with the forceful blow.