Yeh Sab waqt ka khel hai

یہ سب وقت کا کھیل ہے

I sat by the window in the light of the sun, silently watching an enraged Aliyaar pace up and down the room hurling orders to his lawyers over the phone. Ever since we woke up, the sound of blaring phone calls and Aliyaar's surly outbursts had me rubbing my temples in silent agony. I walked outside the room into the balcony, hoping for a change of scene. A rush of wind seared in my ears, mussing my hair but squashing the riot flaring within me.

I knew what the orphanage meant to Aliyaar and whoever had tried to malign his name using it would pay heavily for this folly. I was well aware of the person behind this, but dragging the orphanage and it's children into this dirt was a low blow. A blow, I knew,  Aliyaar would never take lightly. I shuddered thinking about the possible repercussions of this scandal. Leaning over the railing, I watched a handful of stray clouds scuttle over the clean pale sky; a stark contrast to the dirty game being played on the ground.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"The helicopter is ready. We're leaving in 30 minutes." I turned around to see Aliyaar stand at the entrance with a grim expression. His features were iced with stone, his fiery brows clenched together and apart from the flaring of his nostrils his face remained immobile. But it wasn't his anger that concerned me, it was the hurt, pain and frustration cloaking within him, well masked under his rage that scared me.

I had seen him angry, I had seen him upset, I had even seen him frustrated but I had never seen him disappointed.

And today he was disappointed. Disappointed in himself.

"Shehryar called." I told him as we walked back inside. His hazel eyes swung towards me for a second before he looked away, almost uninterested in the conversation. "He had been trying to contact you all morning, but you wouldn't receive his calls."

"Clearly I had more important matters to tend to." He snapped in a biting tone, before running a frustrated hand through his unruly hair. I flinched at the acrimonious response but stayed quiet watching him throw his things into the suitcase and around the room.

His phone rang again and he glanced down at the screen for a moment before receiving the call. Most of his replies were chipped monosyllables and silent mumbles, giving away very little of the conversation. Slowly walked over to the bed, holding the phone between his shoulder and ears and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his drawers.

"Keep me updated," he said, concluding the conversation, holding the light to light the cigarette, cupping his hand over the flame. He stood up and strolled over to the window, staring at the gardens stretching over the horizon. The brown stick was still held up against his lips, its smoke and stench rising upwards in curled clouds.

"Will smoking solve the problem?" I asked thoughtfully as I came to stand beside him. The frown on his brow deepened before he served me with a cold irritated glance. He chose not to answer my question, stubbornly taking another lungful of smoke of the insipid cigarette. "Can I smoke too?" I asked, much to his irritation.

His lips thinned, but he remained silent, staring at me intently, his mind fiddling with an answer. "Do whatever you want." He replied before looking away, his tone patronising.

I felt my breath hiss between my teeth, but surprisingly I remained calm, feeling no anger at his attitude. Mustering up all the courage, I took a tentative step towards him and pulled the burning stick from between his lips. "Shanzae!" He growled irritatedly, reaching out to snatch the cigarette back from my grab, but I persisted, hiding the burning stick behind me. "I'm not in the mood for your games." He hissed, his eyes simmering with anger. For a moment, he looked dangerously intimidating.

"I know you're angry and I know you're frustrated, but smoking will not solve the problem. Talk to me, scream, yell, do whatever you want, let out this steam but please don't close yourself up like this." I said in a single breath without a pause, before quickly stepping back to put some distance between us.

He stared at me, stony-faced, almost like he wasn't sure. "You know I'd never hurt you." He spoke in a resigned tone, carefully eyeing the distance between us. For a moment, guilt ceased in my heart. No matter what the circumstances, I knew I could trust him to never hurt me.

Like a wind splash the pain in his voice stings my heart.

"I was— scared," I mumbled incoherently, throwing the cigarette outside the window and taking a step in his direction. "You were too angry." My voice fell below a whisper, but I knew I was close enough for him to hear me. My hand reached out and cupped his face, my thumb smoothing down the side of his cheek. He looked at me before turning away without a response. "Talk to me." I clasped his hands in a soothing grip, feeling him relax under the warm touch.

"There is nothing to talk about." He said placidly. "This is politics. Such attacks are expected."

"Are you sure Azar is behind this? How could he know of this place when even Shehryar doesn't know about it."

"Azar is just a pawn. It's Zaroon who is the mastermind behind this. I had submitted my tax returns and asset declaration forms last week. The building of the orphanage is registered under my name. It must not have been difficult for them to dig up information." I nodded solemnly, silently taking in the information, but I could feel my veins warm up with a surge of anger palpitating through my body. "But I never thought they'd go so low." He said, his body shaking with anger.

"We will figure something out. It'll be alright."

"No Shanzae! No. It will not be alright." He roared furiously, anger ignited underneath his skin. His eyes darkened with black fury, the veins on his temple thumped with rage. I shuddered at the terrifying vision of the man in front me. "Nothing will ever be alright. How will I ever face those children again? How will I face my mother?"

The unconcealed pain on his face was raw, warring with utter disappointment. His blood pooled with simmering rage. Thick with justifiable wrath. Despite his attempts to temper his anger down, it was not difficult to see how he wanted to burn everything down. Including himself.

I took a careful step in his direction. "It will be alright. The children love you. They know you'd never harm them. And I'm sure Safina aunty would understand."

He kept shaking his head, his eyes fraught with guilt and frustration. "She'd be disappointed. I've let her down." He kept muttering to himself.

"Let me call Safina Aunty, I'm sure she'd believe you. She is your mother, she loves you. She'd never buy this crap." I turned around, picking up the phone but one tug of my wrist had me whirling back into his hard chest.

"Don't call her." I flinched at his tone. His words sounded more like a warning than a request. "Don't call Ammi."

"Aliyaar you have to talk to your mother, otherwise this guilt would eat —"

"I said don't call Ammi." He warned again, his arms unwinding from around mine.

I clenched my brows together in a mixture of anger and confusion. All morning he had been wallowing in his misery yet he refused to talk to his mother. Why was this orphanage such a secret that even Shehryar didn't know about it. Suddenly everything felt suspiciously wrong.

"Why does Shehryar not know about this orphanage?" My voice was accusing, the biting undertone not missed by him. "And why are you not talking to your mother?"

I waited for a response, but there was none.

I could feel the anger rise up my spine, my patience running thin. "Tell me, Aliyaar,"  I warned.

"Because my mother is dead!"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence and shock.

His shoulders slumped and his eyes closed, knowing they might betray him. He dropped onto the couch, his head buried in the palms of his hands, while I stood wide eyed in temporary stupor of the startling revelation.

"My mother is dead. Ammi is not my mother." I heard him say after a while. His voice was hoarse. Defeated.

Hot tears stinged my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. I slowly trudged over to him and anxiously ran my fingers through his hair. "Aliyaar." I whispered softly. I could not even fathom the pain he was in. I was not sure if he wanted me right now, but all I wanted to do was to hold him in my arms.

Feeling my presence, he looked up slightly but before our eyes could meet, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him and pressing his face against my stomach. I held him close, in the safe cocoon of my embrace. We both chose not to speak, giving each other some time to rest our thoughts.

He snuggled into me, the hold of his arms never once loosening their hold around my waist. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head while my fingers combed through the unruly thickness of his hair.

"Shehryar is my step-brother." My fingers shifted to the nape of his neck. I stayed silent as he slowly began to open up. "My mother was Italian. My parents met at university in London, fell in love, got married and moved to Pakistan. Despite everything my mother was never able to adjust to life in Pakistan. My parents separated when I was one and Mom and I went back to Italy. But she was never able to cope with the separation and fell into severe depression." He stopped, his voice clogging up. "And then, one night her car met with an accident and she—"

He stilled, unable to complete the sentence. My throat became heavy as I tried to hold back the tears burning my eyes. My arms tightened around his neck, pulling him closer, silently trying to comfort him.

"Shehryar was a few months old when I moved back to Pakistan. Ammi treated me like her own son and Shehryar became my whole world. But I still missed my mother. And this orphanage reminded me of her. She had made this orphanage when she lived in Pakistan."

"Did the necklace you gave me on our wedding night—"

"It was the last and only piece I had of her."

"Oh Aliyaar." I dropped to my knees, my heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. "Trust me, your mother must be incredibly proud of you and the man you have become. We will save this orphanage. We will not let anyone tarnish the name of this organisation or you." He lifted his head and I could see a small glimmer of hope shining in those golden orbs. I held his hands and leaned in to kiss them. "We're stronger than they think. We are in this together."

"Always."

****

When we landed back home Aliyaar's lawyers, publicists and campaign managers were already waiting for our return. While we walked from the helipad to the lounge inside, the managers appraised us with the current situation. Thankfully the PR team had been able to pull the story off every major news outlet and was working vigorously to contain the damage on social media networks. The director of the orphanage was still missing, but the lawyers had already prepared a strong case in our favour.

Shehryar stood at the door, waiting for our arrival. I could see the multiple questions floating in his eyes, but apart from a greeting he stayed silent, patiently for Aliyaar to finish his conversation.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He finally asked when we were alone.

"Dig up every possible piece of information on Azar Baloch. I would not spare him." He thundered mercilessly. Shehryar stole a concerned glance in my direction, but nodded obediently nonetheless. "I've to go. I need the information by tonight." My brows clenched together at the sordid lengths these men were willing to go. Aliyaar turned to me, his face softening imperceptibly, "I'll see you later," he said as he leaned in to kiss the top of my head.

"I assume you know now." Once Aliyaar left, Shehryar cleared his throat drawing my attention back to him.

"I do now." I replied solemnly. "But the relationship you two share is enviable." I sighed, as I began to draw parallels between my family and theirs. The love and respect they had for each other, had long been lost in my family. Unfortunately it was power and money that now defined our relationships. "Aliyaar really loves you. A lot."

"And I'd take a bullet for him." Shehryar reassured. "Bhai is not only my brother, he is my best friend. My strength and my weakness."

I smiled at him, my heart warmed at the love between these two brothers. "But Yaar, we have to stop this madness. If Aliyaar attacks Azar, it would only lead to more problems. We all know Zaroon Bhai is backing him. And we can't afford such scandals at this stage of the campaign."

"You're right. But Bhai would never back down now. That man chose death for himself." Shehryar's tone suddenly turned stern.

"But we have to stop this madness. And the only way we can convince Aliyaar to back out is if we get Azar to back out as well."

"And how are we going to do that? The man has been after Bhai for days now. It's like he was waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"But you do realise this war will spiral out of control very soon and by the time they realise this, it would be too late. Aliyaar and Azar would both destroy each other in the heat of the anger and the only person to benefit from this is my uncle." Just then an idea struck my mind and I smiled, "Just find out where he is staying. I'll manage the rest."

Yaar stared at me suspiciously, the expression on his face turning fearful of the mischief churning within my mind.

****

"Are you sure about this?" Yaar asked unsurely. "If Bhai finds out, woh tumhe Kuch nahi kahenge, par mera sir phar deinge."

I smiled at him devilishly, "tou sir pharwa lena."

Shehryar glared at me for an unyielding moment before shaking his head, "This isn't a great idea," he said wearily.

"Oh why the hell not?" Layla stood at the entrance of the hall, clad in a teal blue silk dress which ended right above her ankles. Bouncy voluminous beachy curls framed the slender structure of her face and her eyes were covered behind a pair of sunglasses. "Am I late?" She asked when Yaar and I turned around to see her.

"Just in time." I flashed her a grateful smile, "I'm so glad you agreed to do this." I stepped forward to wrap my arms around her neck, keeping up with my calm facade. But only I knew how scared I was from the inside. If anything went wrong I would only be courting more trouble for myself and Aliyaar.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Layla replied with a vindictive smirk, slowly taking her glasses off to reveal her beautiful grey eyes. "Aliyaar Bhai and those innocent children don't deserve this." She held my hand and pursed her lips comfortingly, but it did little to ease the butterflies buzzing within me.

"Are you sure Zaroon and Azar would talk in front of you?" Shehryar stepped up beside me, his voice bordering skepticism. "How would you get them to admit their involvement?"

"Don't underestimate my skills, Chaudhry!" Layla's lips stayed poised while her eyes swayed between Yaar and me. "Despite what happened, Zaroon cannot hide shit from me." A fresh gush of pain slashed across her face, but she quickly turned around hiding her aflamed cheeks from us.

Her pain spiraled up into the cool night, across the twinkling blanket of stars.

"Thank you Layla," Yaar stared at Layla's back, his voice softened and his shoulders broadened with new found confidence.

Just then, the screen behind us lit up, diverting our attention towards the man who had finally stepped foot into the hotel where we had been waiting for him.

Just like an unfortunate fish, we had been successful in baiting him into our trap.

"The hall is rigged with cameras and microphones. Every part of the conversation will be recorded. Make sure you sit on the red seat there, so your face remains hidden. And here," Shehryar handed out a necklace to Layla, "this too has a camera and microphone installed."

Layla nodded, clasping the necklace around her neck. "Wish me luck guys." She chimed, flipping her hair back and sauntering towards the exit.

"I hope this works," I held my hands together hoping for my prayers to be answered and then turned to the screen. Azar had settled in the private dining area of the restaurant, a few men surrounding him. Shortly afterwards, Layla entered the room and took her seat in the distant corner of the room. She remained uninterested in her surroundings, pretending to be busy on her phone, but as expected she had caught Azar's eye, who was now watching her like a hawk. Time passed excruciatingly slow, but we stood glued to the screen watching every move happening in the hall of this luxury five star hotel.

As the waiters rushed around to arrange dinner, alcohol and drugs slowly made their way onto Azar's table. Just as dinner was served I saw Zaroon Bhai enter the room, accompanied by his personal bodyguard. His eyes clashed with Layla and for a moment all colour drained from his face. Layla remained calm as she pretended to wait for a friend, but I could see Zaroon Bhai's eyes turn livid with rage. With clenched fists, he walked up to Layla and I could see both of them got involved in a short but heated exchange. From afar, Azar continued to observe the situation, but made no attempt to move from his table.

"What if Zaroon sends her home?" Shehryar's question filled me with dread, and my brows gathered together in fear. We could not afford that. But all I could do was hope Layla would be able to convince Bhai to stay. I closed my eyes, silently praying for this plan to work when I heard Shehryar mumble. "I think they are moving to Azar's table."

I opened my eyes just when Bhai and Azar exchanged a firm handshake and Layla and Bhai took their seat at the table. From then it was only a matter of time, as the occupants of the table got engaged in a deep conversation. It was difficult to make out what they were talking about, but it was evident it was a serious conversation.

Throughout the talk, I could feel Azar steal wilful glances at Layla but I knew he knew better than to try his luck in front of Zaroon Bhai. Layla too seemed to be engrossed in the conversation, enjoying a piece of steak, while the men chugged down goblets of wine and pursed their lips around expensive cigars.

"This conversation is taking longer than I had expected. I had never known Bhai to be a talker." I groaned irritatedly. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait much longer because Layla and Bhai finally got up to leave. But Azar stayed.

As soon as Layla left the room, my phone pinged with her message:

Send the commissioner.
They are loaded with drugs and alcohol.
His men also have illegal ammunition their hotel room.
Aliyaar Bhai was right, zaroon and Azar were behind the orphanage.

I smiled inwardly. And turned to signal to Shehryar. "Mission accomplished. Send the police in."

I silently watched the turmoil that ensued as the police barraged into the room. But what surprised me was the lack of guilt and sympathy in my heart.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror across the room. What had I become? It was painful to acknowledge that I had let power corrupt me. I had fallen prey to the very demons I had fought all my life. Like everyone in my world, I too had fallen into the abyss of politics I had despised all my life. I had never imagined a day where I'd use people in unthinkable ways to fulfil my purpose.

The innocence of my soul had been eroded into the wending darkness of the night.

Tonight I felt like an empty shadow of myself.

"They have arrested him." Shehryar's voice brought me back from the reverie of my thoughts. I nodded, turning my attention back to the screen.

"I want to talk to him."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Bhai would throw a fit if he finds out." The hesitation in his voice was not missed by me. "And Azar would know you're behind this."

"All the more reason for us to meet. He should know, we're not cowards who attack from the back." With that I turned around and purposefully walked down towards the hall. With each step of my heel, I buried every fear and insecurities into the tiled floor, my vulnerabilities squashed under the soul of my feet. My spine was stealed and a sadistic smile lingered on my lips.

"Guess we meet again, Mr. Azar," I called out from behind as the police haggled the men down the empty hallway. A fleeting moment of confusion was quickly replaced with the dawn of understanding on his face and he stopped in his tracks to stare at me like a leopard ready to pounce on his prey.

But he knew better than to attack the queen of the jungle.

Despite the silence, I could see the power shift between us, as the once cockily confident man now stood helplessly in front me. But despite his situation, the smile on his face suggested he wasn't scared. I might have shaken him up but I hadn't robbed him of his mantle. Perhaps I was happy about that. This was just the jolt he needed.

"I should have known you're behind this." The corners of his lips turned up into a smirk. "You know I'll get out of this."

"Of course I do. But it'll only cost you a good amount of money, a greater amount of time and the greatest of all, your reputation." My brow rose and the expression on my face iced in cold vengeance. "Also, you might lose the party ticket that my brother has been flashing in your face like a candy."

"You truly are your grandfather's daughter." Azar snarled, his brow now pulsating with anger. "What do you want, Shanzae Malik?" His eyes flitted over mine as he took a deep breath steeling himself for my demands.

My lips pressed into a tight sly smile, my spine rigid and my eyes darting between Azar and the police commissioner. As if on cue, the commissioner immediately let go of Azar and he shrugged his shoulders, grateful to be free from the iron clad fist of the strong muscular man. Azar watched in surprise, as the police force took a step back, folding their arms in utmost respect.

"I told you to choose your enemies wisely." I took a tentative step forward, the flames of vindication rising above my aura. "Now you have two choices, either you can walk through those doors like a lowly criminal and forget any aspirations you had of ever holding a public office or you can withdraw the fake case you filed against us and pledge your allegiance to my husband."

Azar chuckled sardonically, "You do realise your uncle would rather have me killed than let another of his financers support Aliyaar."

"Spending the rest of your life in jail would hardly be worth living either. One case after another. I'm afraid you've admitted to quite a lot in your drunken state." My eyes studied my target, the smile on my face never once betraying the turmoil churning within me. Azar hissed under his breath, his senses finally getting the better of him.

"I knew you weren't an ordinary woman when I met you, but I never realised how bloody dangerous you were."

A poisonous silence fell between us, raging and charged. As I peered into his eyes, I realised it wasn't fear that scavenged his face, but a realisation that he had lost. His chances were slim, his time short. If he didn't choose his side his situation would be far more complicated than he could imagine.

"I agree." A choked sound of angry disbelief burnt his throat and I crossed my arms across my chest in simmering triumph.

***

The television screen flashed with the latest breaking news, before the clip of the orphanage director confessing to being blackmailed into putting up the false allegations against the orphanage began to play.

"Good job Shanzae." Shehryar whispered. "But now, have fun dealing with Bhai." A hint of amusement lingered in his voice.

I sighed, "That, my friend, is the most difficult job on earth."

Shehryar laughed, clearly delighted at my words.

Just then Zaroon Bhai entered the office wing of Lal Mahal. His eyes met mine and his brow perched up in a mixture of surprise and anger. He walked up to me and I felt an odd pain settle in my hurt. From a loving brother to a begrudging opponent, how easily had we lost ourselves to the storm of time.

"I expected better from you Shanzae." He said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"So did I, Bhai."

"You shouldn't have used Layla against me." He said darkly. "It was low."

I nodded thoughtfully, "Just as low as it was of you to use those innocent children against Aliyaar."

A long moment of silence stretched between us, neither of us having anything to say.

"Stay away from this world Shanzae. Or else you'd be lost in this darkness before you realise it." For some reason I knew his words were sincere. "The darkness of our world does not spare anyone."

"There is no escaping the darkness. It always finds you."

"You still have time. Save yourself. Don't stain these clean hands with dirt." He reached out and held my hands, his head lowered in a chaotic  helplessness.

I pulled my hands back, "If only an empire was built with clean hands, Bhai, if only." My reply did nothing but rile Bhai up, whose eyes narrowed threateningly. "There is still time bhai! We can all sit and settle this amicably—"

"There is nothing to settle. I will fight for what is rightfully mine."

I rolled my eyes, "Then be prepared for war. Because I promise you, I will not make it easy for you."

"I can't believe you're fighting with me because of a man you've barely known for a few months."

"That man is my husband. And I'm not fighting this battle because of him. I'm fighting this battle because I truly believe Aliyaar will be a better leader than you can ever be. Because unlike you he isn't just greedy for power. Because unlike you he isn't dependent on corruption to help fund his lifestyle. And because unlike you he still has an ounce of humanity left in him."

"I don't have time to listen to your idealistic morals and principles, Shany," my nickname rolled from his lips in the most condescending tone, clearly aiming to remind me of my young age and inexperience in the field. "It would be better if you left the country to experienced men. Aliyaar can have any ministry he wants in the cabinet. I can ask Dad to consider him for the federal cabinet as well."

"I'm sure I wouldn't need your help there. We'll let Dada Jaan decide that." I flashed him a sickeningly sweet smile.

****

The dusk of the setting sun blossomed into the night sky. Tonight I felt at ease, liberated of the heaviness in my heart. I had let go of the spirit I had caged inside me. The demonic spirit that frightened me. I had seen glimpses of the unbound wildness within me, but I had always leashed it, muzzled its roar and extinguished its fire. It always scared me. Softly whispering of the darkness that dwelled within my heart.

But tonight I had let the darkness spread its wings and consume me, yet I felt like a Phoenix rising above the flames.

Shehryar and I finally reached home, our hands laden with tubs of ice cream. Strangely the house was quiet, absent of the hustle and bustle of the servants roaming around the corridors. But without a word, Yaar and I walked inside making our way towards the staircase.

"Shanzae." Aliyaar's murderous voice rose above the silence, shaking me to my core. Even Shehryar paused, unable to turn around and face his brother. "What did you do, Shanzae?"

I gulped and slowly turned around to face him, unnerved by the chaotic anger on his face. "What do you mean? I just went out to have ice cream with Yaar." I smiled meekly, trying to control the quavering in my voice and then nudged Yaar's shoulder, who bobbed his head in agreement. He was almost twenty eight, yet it was funny how scared he was of his brother.

Aliyaar rose both his brows, his morning golden eyes glittering dangerously in the midnight light. His jaw clenched while he struggled to keep his emotions at bay, "So you went to have ice cream and miraculously Azar Baloch decided to switch his loyalties?" His hands clasped behind his back while his eyes faltered between the two of us. "And magically he had a change of heart and realised it was low of him to attack the orphanage and strangely I got a call from—"

"I knew there was something magical about that ice cream." I pretended to laugh, trying to make light of the situation. Shehryar chuckled, trying to cover the smile threatening on his lips behind his hand, but the creases on Aliyaar's forehead deepened.

Unable to take in the awkward silence brewing between the three of us, Shehryar cleared his throat and turned to Aliyaar. "I think mom must be waiting for me."

"Don't you dare move." Aliyaar warned, his tone deadly low. "And you," he turned to me, "What have you done?"

I pursed my lips, there was no way he was letting this go, "Let Yaar go. App mujhe iske samne daateinge tou yeh mera mazak banaega."

Aliyaar looked at me with a horrid expression, fear rising on his face with each passing second, "Get out Shehryar!" He ordered without sparing him a second glance, his unwavering eyes pinned upon me.

"Let's go to our room." I said quickly, and without waiting for a reply I skimped up the flight of steps and towards our room.

"Don't stall Shanzae. Tell me what have you done?"

I sighed. There was no hiding it from him. And then with much reluctance I recalled the events of my rather eventful misadventures. Aliyaar remained silent, his eyes turning ghastly with each passing second.

"— and I gave all the video tapes and recordings to Dada Jaan."

"Are you nuts?" He bellowed, his eyes wide with shock. I shook my head, my eyes squeezed shut as I braced myself for his wrath. "Why would you put yourself and Layla in so much danger? And what if something went wrong? What if—"

"There can be a lot of 'what if's' Aliyaar, but there weren't. I knew you would have solved the problem too, but an attack from you would only have spiralled this war out of control." My voice came out steadier than I had anticipated. "I did what I did to stop this mindless game of snakes and ladder that you all have been playing."

"Stop trying to fight my battles Shanzae. I can take care of things, you don't have to put yourself and your relationships at stake for my dreams." He thundered, fury rising in his chest.

There was a moment of silence, as I stared at him, rage and pride settling within me. "They are not your dreams," I lowered my voice to a poisonous whisper, "They are our dreams. If you can make my dreams yours, why can't I?"

"Because I can't lose you, dammit. Can't you see I'm afraid of losing you." He towered over me, his voice heated with baffling rage.

I looked at him, trying to maintain a calm front, but my insides were brimming with anger at his tone. But the longer I stared at him, the more I realised he wasn't angry, a twinge of fear and longing crept up his face. He was worried. "You won't lose me." I said quietly, my hands rising up to cup his jaw. "I'll always be here. With you."

After several moments of silence, Aliyaar sighed, before slowly leaning in to claim my lips. "I don't want to lose you." He deepened the kiss, "Ever."

The strained relationship between his parents had left a lasting impression on his mind. Tonight I understood his fear of losing me, because he felt, like his parents, we didn't belong to the same world. "Our love is enough. It will always be." I breathed in, my soul reveling in the solace from the parting caress his lips. "It will always be."

Aliyaar inhaled, pressing his forehead against mine. "There is one more thing I wanted to tell you." I looked into his eyes, "Dada Jaan has agreed, if we win the election and my party is able to secure 90 seats, he'd nominate me as the Chief Minister."

I stood paralysed by the shock of his words. And for a moment I had to remind myself how to breathe. My eyes lingered on his face, searching his eyes for the truth. I hope this wasn't a joke. But the smile on his face upon seeing my reaction confirmed, he wasn't lying. I jumped, my heart thundering loudly within my chest. I could barely believe his words.

"For real?" I gasped. Aliyaar smiled, clearly amused at my reaction and then nodded. "For real real?" I reconfirmed, the news sounding too good to be true.

"For real real Shany!" Aliyaar chuckled and then wound his arms around my waist, "My Queen made sure I had the crown."

I beamed, my eyes twinkling with excitement. I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck, my fingers playing with hair on his nape. "Your Queen would do anything for you, after all the role of the queen is to protect the king. After all, the King is the most important piece in chess."

"True. He might be important, but the irony is the queen is the one with the real power. You lose the queen, you lose the kingdom."

"Well, all the more reason for you to keep me happy. Happy wife. Happy life."

"Yes, ma'am." He lowered his head, his lips grazing the side of my jaw and down to the dip of my neck. "I'm sorry we had to cancel Paris, given the circumstances it wouldn't have been safe for us to travel there." He murmured.

My eyes rolled shut, my skin burning under his fervent kisses. "It's alright." My fingers tightened around the roots of his hair. "Our bed here isn't too bad."

"Clearly I'm not the only one who is impatient." Aliyaar rasped against my ear.

"Impatient and you? You've the patience of a saint. Sometimes I think you're gay."

"Oh my god, you insane woman!" He groaned, burying his head in the crook of my neck. "You have any idea how hard it is to control yourself, especially when you have a tease for a wife."

"I'm not a tease." I giggled.

"Oh trust me, your husband is better suited to answer that. But I'm not complaining, I kind of enjoy it."

"Kind of? I'd be offended if you didn't. You know I was really looking forward to our trip to France. I was hoping we could get some time alone. Just you and me."

Aliyaar lifted his head and pursed his lips. Then suddenly, his expressions shifted and his looked up at the clock.

"Is one hour enough to pack a bag?"

"What?" I frowned in confusion, eyeing the clock on the wall.

"Pack your bag, we're leaving in an hour."

"But where?

"It's a surprise."

Exactly an hour later, I stood at the runway, staring at our jet in disbelief. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"What's life without some adventure?" Aliyaar smirked.

"But where are we going?" I asked as we climbed up the stairs, Aliyaar's hand pressing against the small of my back.

"That, my love, is a surprise."

——

Aliyaar and Shanzae have come such a long way. I know a lot of you have had issues with the development of Shanzae's character. While she was always supposed to be a grey character, please don't give up on her just yet. She does have goodness in her heart as well.

Let me know your thoughts on today's chapter.

The next chapter is probably the most awaited one. And I promise, there won't be any interruptions this time around.

Three more chapter to go! 😭🥺

Can anyone guess where they're going for their honeymoon?

Don't forget to vote and comment.

Until next time keep me in your prayers