Chapter 58: I will help you

A week had passed, but Sheharzaad didn’t hear from him. She kept coming to the company

but learned that Shehryaar was not there; he had gone to his home, outside the city. She was

more than happy. The relief that had entered her system couldn’t be put into words. It felt

like an answer to a prayer that she had persistently asked to be accepted.

Shehryaar had traumatized her. And with his absence, she felt she was able to breathe

freely, without having to worry about anything or fear him. The constant stress that had

occupied her finally had an opportunity to be released.

But she had to complete certain tasks before his return. She wanted to work, but not with

him, and since he was not there, she felt freer and more independent. This was the best time

to put her plan into action—the one she had been working on—and that was to escape him

and somehow put him behind bars. It was her biggest dream to see him suffer, to see him

reap the fruits of his evil deeds. She really wanted him to pay. Pay for what he did to her.

And pay for the trauma he had given her.

Hannan came to the office, and she met him. She was shocked to the core to see him injured

and beaten. When she asked, he told her that, while visiting a friend’s house, he was

kidnapped by some goons. They were all wearing masks, so he couldn’t see their faces. They

had beaten him black and blue and then threatened him not to go to the police; otherwise,

they would kill his mother. Following their threat, Hannan did not report the incident to the

police.

She figured out whose craft it was. None other than Shehryaar, simply because Hannan had

tried to get close to Sheharzaad.

He told her he was still searching for a buyer for her house. Within a few days, most likely,

he would find one and get it sold.

She took a breath of relief at last. Things were going as she wanted.

...

“I know who you are,” Sheharzaad told the girl.

“What do you mean by that?” she feigned ignorance.

“I know what you’re up to.”

Right now, they were talking in a secluded area where no one could hear their conversation.

“What are you saying, Ms. Sheharzaad?”

“I heard you talking on your phone the other day,” Sheharzaad said, and the girl’s

expression changed from feigned ignorance to acceptance.

“You don’t mess with the FBI,” she tried to threaten.

“Don’t worry; I’m not. I’m ready to help you.”

She frowned, thinking it was a trap. “You found out about me. The mission has failed, so

there’s no need for help anymore. It will continue in another way.”

“No, no, wait. I know you’re trying to collect proof to work against Shehryaar—the

businesses he runs under the name of this company. I, too, don’t have any evidence yet, but I

assure you, your suspicions about him are true, and I will help you with that. You know I’m

his assistant.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“I want to help you.”

“Why?”

“Because only if I help you will I be able to help myself. You don’t know him. He is…a very

dangerous man. Very dangerous. He literally killed a person in front of me in cold blood,

with zero regret. He…gets what he wants. He does what he wants. Someone needs to stop

him before it’s too late. I can’t fight him alone, or I don’t know what he would do to me.”

“Wait, wait, wait—he killed whom?”

“A man named Shigri. They were talking about some minister Shigri had killed on someone

else’s orders. That minister was vital to Shehryaar, and, seeing it as a betrayal, Shehryaar

killed him.”

Her eyes widened as she processed the information.

“Do you trust me now?” Sheharzaad asked.

“Fine, I trust you. So, will you help us gather evidence against him?”

Suddenly, a worried look came over her face as she began to consider whether she should

do it or not. Should she spy on him? What if she got caught?

The thought of getting caught by him worried her, so she closed her eyes.

“I’m scared,” she admitted. “Very scared. I want to help you, but you don’t know him.” She

opened her eyes again.

“Don’t be worried, Sheharzaad. The agency will protect you.”

“He is so sharp, so cunning,” she said, sadness looming in her voice.

“So you won’t help us?”

“I…I really want to. I’m not just helping you but also myself. You have no—no idea what he

d-did to me. He is crazy. He can go to any extent,” her voice shivered as that night replayed

in her mind.

“What did he do to you?” Khaleda asked. Curious to know what was going on between the

two that had Sheharzaad come to Khaleda.

“He…he… All I know is that he is crazy. Wild. Violent. An obsessive enthusiast. He can kill

with a flick of his finger, with a flutter of his lash,” she kept on speaking, as if in a trance. “If

you go against him, he won’t kill you but extract your soul. When you are u-under him,

around him, you have no other option but to obey because, in the end, only what he said in

the very beginning will happen. I’m scared of challenging him.”

“What did he do to you? What?” she asked, surprised.

“For him, it was nothing. But for me, he turned my life upside down.”

“You’re the one. I’m sure of it now,” she said.

“Sure? About what?”

“You will have to help us. Rather, you’re going to help us. I know you can do this. Don’t

worry. Just act as if you never met me.”

‘Crying won’t make you stronger, but fighting against adversity will,’her mother’s words

rang in her ears.

“I will. I will help you,” Sheharzaad nodded. “I will.”