Towqeer stood quietly to a side with his eyes focussed on his Boss, who sat eerily quiet in his place behind the mahogany table in his office. His gaze intently going over the proposed plan for the meeting, while his fingers distractedly rubbed against his chin. His face as inscrutable as ever; yet, somehow Towqeer couldn't help but notice his demeanour to be even more callous than usual. Only one stumble, just one small error was enough to send the offender straight to the pits of hell. Not just today, but ever since the past week when he had moved into the Hotel room.

Despite the cruel and unforgiving nature of his Boss; never in his 6 years of service had Towqeer found Umar Gillani to be unjust. For Umar Gillani law was unvarying for all. He held everyone else to the same standard he exercised upon himself. But since that incident a week ago, things had taken a turn for worse. And Towqeer knew the cause responsible for inflicting this change upon the ruthless and cruel Umar Gillani.

Towqeer's gaze was momentarily caught up in the news flashing against the TV screen. Dawood Malik in handcuffs was being dragged by the Police officers, outside the courtroom. His face and figure worn out by the days spent behind the unforgiving walls of jail.

After getting caught by the police, he had tried to escape by extracting their weapon and shooting at a police officer but had missed tragically. Following his arrest, other reports with proofs about his criminal activities involving drug smuggling, human trafficking, murders, sexual assault, kidnapping and more began to expose. Alongside this, the involvement of his father in these activities and numerous other corruption charges made him lose his seat in the assembly. A thorough investigation was underway against him and as a result most of his illegal funds were frozen.

Umar's gaze flickered at the sound of commotion developing outside his office. With a mere lift of eyebrow, he conveyed his order to his secretary who was already on his feet to check for the source of this conflict.

However, before he could make any rational move, the door banged open loudly and Malik Kamran barged in with Umar's guard on his tail.

With an avalanche of swearing and profanities, he lunged towards Umar, who was watching all this with a glimmer of intrigue materialising on his face. Cocking his eyebrow in delight, he leaned back in his leather chair and watched his guards holding off Malik from reaching Umar.

"Malik Sahab! What a pleasant surprise!" Umar gleamed positively, watching the bloated old man's face flush with rage at the jovial greeting. Propping his elbows on the wooden table top before him and intertwining his fingers, Umar allowed a devious smile to caress his devilishly handsome features. He looked upon the poor man who was battling against the clutches of Umar's trained guards with riffles on them.

"I'LL KILL YOU—YOU—!!" Once again his slurs began to ring through the four corners of the office. But it only allowed the grin on Umar's face to deepen.

"Now, now. Let's use words, alright? We are all civilised people here, Malik Sahab—Most of us, atleast." He added the last part with a tip of head in Malik Kamran's direction whose eyes flashed with murderous intent upon Umar's comment.

"YOU SICK PIECE OF—! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU HAVE MESSED WITH—I'LL KILL YOU—YOU—!!"

Instead of retorting to his slanders, Umar gestured the guards to leave with a flick of hand.

"Why don't we sit and talk?" With a pleased smile and a nod, he gestured Malik to take the seat in front of him which Towqeer was holding out for him.

For a moment, he just stood in his place snarling at Umar and then spat at the floor with all the loathe built in him.

"YOU THINK I AM A BLOODY JOKE?!! YOU RUINED ME YOU BASTARD!!"

He bellowed and pushed away Towqeer blocking his way to charge at Umar, who stood up from his seat and immediately stopped Malik in his tracks by delivering a hard punch against his stomach. With a loud grunt the old man curled over himself in pain, clutching at his stomach in pain as he dropped to his knees.

With disgust and revulsion floating in his eyes, Umar peered down at Malik's pathetic figure on the floor. Stripped bare of all his power and reduced to the dirty slob he once was before the glamour of wealth concealed his rotten profile.

"I warned you, didn't I? I told you to leave it alone. I told you—what will be the consequences if you didn't listen to me. But you didn't listen, did you? You have no one but yourself to blame, Malik. And now—I will rip you apart—piece by piece—"

The gaze looking down at Malik was pitiless and inhumane. It cared nothing for something fickle like forgiveness. Umar Gillani was a cold and merciless man and he didn't let anyone forget it. Not even himself.

That's when his gaze finally trailed towards the figure standing in his doorway. Whose eyes looking back at Umar were filled with disbelief and something akin to terror.

Before he could blink, Fajer had turned on her heel and vanished from his sight.

—————————

The cold wind slapped against her cheeks and blew away the hair from her face. Yet, she continued standing on the edge of the hill, hugging herself in hope to seek some solace from the cold. Peering into the bottomless pit of Patriata hills, surrounded by dark misty clouds on the backside of the Hotel, she couldn't help but draw resemblance with the person she once held most dear to her heart.

Immediately after waking up in the hospital she had been shifted to Umar's house and had been staying there for the past week upon his mother's insistence. She was the one who had informed Fajer that her kidnapper was behind bars but it was best to stay here, until all signs of threats to her life were eradicated.

In all that time, she didn't leave the house even once, nor crossed paths with Umar in his house. But finally today, she had managed to find an opportunity to meet him. Fajer was only going to see him and thank him for his help, besides informing him that she was now able to go back to her house.

However, after witnessing the sight of that cruel monster unleashed in front of her eyes today, Fajer didn't know what to think anymore. In some deep dark corner of her heart, she was holding out the hope that the boy with kind eyes, she had loved all her life was hiding behind this unforgiving persona. That is was all a facade and the real Umar was still in there. But after whatever transpired today, she had lost all reason to hold onto that hope.

"If you were going to run away, you shouldn't have returned. I told you this before."

Suddenly his voice clashed against her ears and Fajer instinctively felt her heart skip a beat. In an instant she had turned around to face him, who was looking back at her with an impassive gaze.

Holding her breath, Fajer kept watching him unblinking; who held her gaze steadily whilst standing at a distance from her.

Fajer felt her heart thumping loudly against her chest. She couldn't decide if it was owed to fear, or pain from being so near him and yet so far apart.

Why did she return? Her every reason to return had been destroyed. She had no more reasons left to return—And yet, fate had somehow brought her back here—Brought her back to him.

"What did you think, you could return without any repercussions?"

He continued passively, whilst slowly making his way towards her; one step at a time. Even though his face was stripped bare of all emotions; yet, there was no mistaking the anger floating in those onyx orbs which were boring into her azure ones with enough coldness to freeze her heart.

"Did you actually think, I would still be so naive and trusting like all those years ago? Did you stupidly assume things would still be the same after 2 decades? Were you actually this naive? How disappointing."

Umar continued and paused only to shoot her a smug look, devoid of any consideration.

Fajer was finding it impossible to trust her eyes or her ears. Even after seeing it happen right in front of her, she still couldn't bring herself to believe it. Nor the fact that the hurtful words leaving his mouth were really meant for her. This man, whom she had loved all her life; apart from whom she had never let anyone else enter this broken and haunted heart of hers—the only one who truly belonged there, if there ever existed any place for any person—

But, Fajer didn't recognize this man. This wasn't the Umar she had loved with all her heart and soul. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to even feel the slightest inclination of hate for him. How could she? How do you hate someone who once was whole of your world?

'Perhaps the only thing which failed to change in all these years was just this—My yearning for this person.'

"So? How about dropping the act now?"

He looked away only for a moment and when his eyes found hers again, they were the very eyes which were looking down upon that man lying at his feet in his office; at his mercy—Cold, unforgiving and merciless orbs.

Fajer felt her breath hitch in her throat. She gaped at him too stunned and terrified to make a single move. Yet, Umar's gaze didn't falter but a caustic smirk extended across the corner of his lips.

"I know you can speak—"

He glowered. His voice dangerously low as he kept gawking at Fajer whose face was as white as sheet. With a sharp gasp, she stepped away from him. The eyes looking back at Umar were filled with terror and fear—of him.

Not getting fazed by the alarm blazing in her eyes, Umar made sure to not tear his gaze from hers for even a fraction of second. He took a step closer towards her, who kept gaping at him wide eyed and terror stricken.

"I must say—"

He began gravely once again. His steps cautious, until he had finally reached a breadth away from her.

"—You're one hell of an actress. I have to give you that much."

He continued slowly in that rugged and deep voice of his, which remained devoid of all sorts of warmth. His words and the hate in them for her had caused a stab of pain in her chest. Tears began to sting the corner of her eyes, as she kept gawking at him silently through quivering lips.

It was only for a moment; a tiny fraction of a moment, but a hint of emotion akin to ache flickered in his deep, bottomless orbs and vanished as quickly. Quickly replacing it was a vacant and uncaring look.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He uttered through narrowed slits, in a voice dripping with venom and corners of lips curling in a sardonic smile.

Fajer watched him only for a moment longer before letting her gaze fall from his face in defeat. Her lips pursed in despair at the sight of this unfamiliar person, who was standing in front of her wearing her beloved's mask.

With her heart thumping loudly against her ribcage, Fajer slowly began to back away from him. However, Umar kept on inching closer and closer. His eyes predatory and face overcast with dusk.

She stepped back again, carefully, one calculated step at a time; until the heel of her feet had met end of the cliff. His hawk like gaze ever watchful, taking in her every single move just like he did once, ages ago.

But this time Fajer didn't look away from the distrustful look in Umar's eyes. For in his eyes, she was the villain of his story.

And Fajer knew nothing could change this reality. That's why she was going to stop holding out hope for dawn to arrive. She had been stranded in darkness for so long now, that she had almost become one with it. She stood empty of all wishes and hope. The only desire she could muster was for the pain to subside; even if it came at the cost of life—And then maybe at long last, her breaking point might become her salvation.

And just as Umar took the last final step towards her, Fajer let herself go.

Assalamualaikum!!! Cliffhanger (literally)😅
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