Chapter eighteen and its a Mannat centric one. Make sure to vote and comment, tell me what ya'll think about this.

Mannat.

It wasn't the fact that I was not focused enough for work today, neither was it that I was exhausted. Infact, I had never felt as light as I had been feeling lately. It was the kind of feeling that made me realise that things were going my way, that my life was actually working towards a direction that could eventually lead to an eternity of happiness.

I had a home, I had to job, I had friends. I had a man who loved me and wanted to marry me. I had a mother who would sacrifice everything for my sake. I didn't have anything to complain about.

I switched through the channels, waiting for my mother to wake up so I could spend some more time with her today. I was planning to have breakfast and then go out for a walk with her.

I was just about to get up and walk towards her room but before I could do that, my mother was already closing her bedroom door and entering the living room.

She frowned as she looked at me, surprised. I smiled at her, gesturing her to come over and sit as she questioned me.

"Mannat, you are still here?" She was so used to finding me at work during this time that surprise was still very much evident in her voice.

I cracked a lot of smile at her.

"Good morning mum." I greeted, she kissed the side of my head and greeted me back.

"Good morning. No work today?"

I shook my head. Work would never really end so it was better to take a day off and relax.

"I'm taking the day off. I have lunch planned with the group and I was thinking of spending some time with you." I responded.

"You were? That's lovely. I always want you to take some time off and look around you, live your life."

She told me, I just shrugged. I truly was living my life. Was I not? Why did she think of me as a such a bore? I would certainly enjoy my life even more if she just agreed to return back to work.

"I am living my life." I defended, shaking my head at her.

"Infact, I was planning to go somewhere once Wajeeh returns. A small holiday, maybe." I continued.

A deep frown appeared on her face as I took Wajeeh's name. Maybe, she still hadn't came around to admit the fact that he truly loved me and was trying not to hurt me.

"Have you talked to him lately?" She asked, I shook my head because I hadn't.

Nor yesterday and not today.

"Not yesterday. He said he was taking his uncle to the village and there was no network there." I murmured.

I didn't exactly miss him too much because he was almost always with me over phone calls or texts. I did miss him yesterday though, my whole day had been super frustrating because I hadn't heard his voice.

"No wonder you miss him. Has he been fine with you?" My mother chortled, I didn't even tell her that I missed him and yet here she was, knowing everything.

"Yeah. He talks to me before sleep every night. He is practically clingy at times with the amount of text messages. He's being so himself yet so unlike himself, you know." I couldn't help myself as I said the words out loud, looking like a love struck woman that I actually was.

I was just so happy these days that everything felt like rainbows and unicorns to me.

"I'm sorry, mum. I'm rambling. I just, I'm really happy that we're in a good place." I mumbled, she just shook her head and smiled but the look in her eyes, it was filled with concern.

Maybe she was concerned that I was happy in my life right now and happiness was hardly ever long lasting.

"And the ring? What do you think about it?" She asked, I pulled my hand out and stared at the beautiful ring.

I wanted to consider this as an engagement ring but I also wanted the cliche of a man getting on his knees and asking me to marry him.

"He wants me to consider it as a promise ring or an engagement ring. My heart tells me that I need a more fancy proposal so I am keeping this as a promise ring." I replied, grinning at her.

She dragged her hand through my hair, shaking her head.

"Oh Mannat, you're so innocent that my heart hurts." She expressed, I frowned.

In all these years, my mother had never really called me innocent.

"The businessman I just flirted with to get him to invest would say otherwise." I said to her with an eyeroll, she raised her eyes at me.

"My Mannat flirting with someone other than Wajeeh? I'm shocked."

Yes, my mother could get quite sarcastic at times.

"It's all for the business. Infact, I actually wanted to talk about that."

I suddenly realised that I had to call Uncle Masroor and ask him about the transfers but instead, I decided to question my mother. She had spent so much time at the company. Maybe, she knew.

She nodded at me to go on, so I did.

"Since Wajeeh isn't here to handle the financials, I was going through his files and saw a few loop ends. There have been a few transfers with the company money to some Russian company. They're not our share holders though."

I had spent yesterday afternoon checking and trying to find some explanation for the money transfer, for the huge chunk of money transfer that wasn't completely Uncle Masroor's to give out without consulting with us. I hadn't been able to find any clue as to why he had done that.

"Do you have any idea about that?" I asked, looking at my mum.

She swallowed, her eyes showed a flicker of hesitation and nervousness. What was she nervous about?

She delayed speaking for a while and I almost wondered if she was making up a lie in her head. Was she?

As I was about to speak up once again, she started to talk.

"Yes. Your Uncle Masroor has an old friend in Russia. His business hasn't been doing too well so he asked me for permission and transferred some money to his company. I'm sure he'll pay back in due time."

Clearly it wasn't a very reasonable explanation. Still, I asked her about the other issues I had found.

"Okay. And what about the transfers to Welfare Offshore? They're not a very well reputed company. Why would uncle Masroor allow the company's money to go there?"

Welfare Offshore had a history of bad dealings, they were involved in arms dealing and even severe drug abuse had been found inside the company. I didn't trust them one bit.

"Welfare Offshore might not have a good reputation but they're still someone that Masroor trusts. You think too hard." My mother assured me.

Why did Uncle Masroor trust the bastards who were involved in heinous crimes?

"I don't know, mum. Wajeeh didn't even include these in the presentations. I'll ask him about it though." I tried to dismiss the topic because I knew my mother was hiding something from me.

There wasn't any point in asking her for any information because she had not been very forthcoming in her answers.

"A girl your age shouldn't worry about business." She mumbled, I raised an eye at her.

"Then what should I be worrying about?" I questioned back, she smiled.

"Your future."

My future? As long as my future had Wajeeh in it, there was nothing to be worried about.

"My future? What do you mean?"

I asked.

"I just mean that you should think about marriage with Wajeeh now."

I wanted to laugh at that. A few days ago, she wasn't even sure about my relationship with him and now she was actually encouraging it further for marriage?

"It's too early. He has just got out of his commitment phobia and I can't just enforce marriage on him." I replied, moving around the ring on my finger.

My mother glanced at the ring, then back at me.

"Wasn't he the one who gave you that ring, Mannat? It belongs to his mother, did you know that? You still want to doubt his sincerity?"

She questioned, informing me that this ring held a meaning, it wasn't just a random token of love.

"What's with all the Wajeeh support? Did he say something to you?" I enquired, knowing that something must have happened for my mother to react in such a supporting way.

"Yes. He said that he loved you and wanted to marry you." My mother affirmed, I couldn't help but grin.

He had not even told me that he had talked with my mother.

"And you didn't think of mentioning it to me before this?" I asked, she clicked her tongue and squeezed my hand.

"Mannat, he'll keep you safe and happy." She stated.

Safe? I was quite safe already and I certainly didn't need a man to protect me.

"Safe from what?"

She just sighed, taking sip of water. I could sense the nervousness and worry that she was trying hard to cover up.

Something fishy was going on with her and she wasn't telling me about it.

"Mum, you're being a little weird right now. Is everything okay?" I asked another question since she hadn't replied to my earlier query, she nodded at me.

"Mannat, we're human beings. We need one another. You know what I mean?"

The sadness laced in her voice made me think about her paranoia and grief. She was concerned because she had lost the people that she loved. She didn't want that for me.

"You're being paranoid. But when Wajeeh comes back, I'm sure he'll talk to me about what he wants. Hmm?"

I said to her, giving her some sort of relief. She was about to tell me something when my phone started to ring.

I looked at it, smiling as a picture of me kissing his cheek appeared in the caller I'd and I couldn't help but stand up, excusing myself.

"It's him, I'll be right back."

I exited the living room, entering the garden area. I swiped across the screen and held the phone near my ear.

"Well hello to those who don't remember us anymore." I greeted, smiling as I heard the deep sigh and then his voice.

"Hello to those who are always in the heart anyway." He replied, sounding so exhausted but so damn in love with me.

Everytime I heard him talk to me, I felt like I was the only person he cared about and it actually felt so beautiful.

"How are you?" I asked, ignoring the flutter in my stomach and the way my heart always seemed to beat fast because of his voice and his attention.

"I'm good, sweetheart. I miss you though." He told me.

I missed him too, especially when he was talking to me right now. Ugh.

"Then come back?" I murmured.

"Soon, I promise. How's everything there?" He asked, I shrugged my shoulders as I spoke back.

"It's going fine. I have to work more because of your absence but that's okay. Keeps me distracted from missing you."

"Not fair, baby. I want you to miss me."

I let out a laugh.

"So you want me to gloat? Haan?" I asked, teasing him on purpose but clearly he wasn't in the mood to be playful with me today.

"No, Mannat. I want you to stay happy. Always." He stated and there was this unflinching guilt in his voice that made my heart ache and fear at the same time.

Had he done something? No, he wouldn't. He couldn't. I had to trust him. I did trust him.

"You okay?" I asked, realising that not everything had to be related to me.

For a few seconds, Wajeeh didn't speak and when he did, it almost felt like he had taken my breath away.

"You only realise how much you love a person when they're far away from you, when they seem so impossible to reach."

He said. Dread, hurt, anger..it was all so very clear in his voice. Still, hearing him admit that he realised how much he loved me by being away for only a few days, I felt satisfied.

"I'm not impossible to reach. I'm right where you left me. I'm just waiting for you." I replied, assuring him that I was right here.

I would always be. As long as Wajeeh remained in love with me, I would always be there for him in the best way possible.

"And you will, right? Wait for me? Even if things get hard?" He questioned, I couldn't help but frown.

Why was he asking all these questions? Did he not know who I was? I was the woman who had been in love with him for a very long time without even expecting anything. Why would I not stand by his side in tough times?

"Ofcourse, Wajeeh. In good times and in bad, haina?"

I could only hear his breath on the phone. I squeezed my own phone tight in my hands because for some reason, I felt alot of dread.

"I love you, Mannat." I heard him speak again, as he continued.

"And I'm so sorry for hurting you the way I did." He apologised.

I sat on the nearest bench in the garden. He was truly worrying me.

"Wajeeh, are you okay? Is there something bothering you? Kisi ne kuch kaha?"

I asked, concerned. He made a noise of protest.

"No, Mannat. No one said anything. I just felt guilty." He admitted.

I sighed, shaking my head at that.

"I love you, Wajeeh. You don't have to apologise for anything. Alright?"

I assured, because I had let go of all the past pain and memories. I only cared about moving forward with this man, moving forward in my life.

"Yeah, listen...I gotta go. I'll call you back." He suddenly rushed, trying to end the phone call.

I didn't understand what happened but before I could even question him, Wajeeh had already hung up on me and left me more worried than before.

I was just about to call him back but before I could even do so, my phone suddenly started to ring with another call and I picked up without even looking at the caller I'd properly.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mannat. It's Iskander. Can we meet sometime?"

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Thoughts?