ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sᴏɴɢ ᴅᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴢᴀʀᴀ sᴀ

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The dawn of the bitter winter morning indicated the start of a brand new day. The bright sun shined through the windows of the room, where she was fast asleep. Her dark golden brown hair was sprawled on the pillow while her cognac brown orbs were hidden behind her long lashes.

Noor's skin was glowing as the sun illuminated her olive complexion, while her rosy cheeks were brighter than usual due to the bitter cold. Noor was wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket, unaware of the new day.

As the soft golden light illuminated the bedroom, Noor's eyes slowly fluttered open; as soon as she opened her eyes, confusion crossed her mind as she noticed her surroundings.

Instead of her small cozy bedroom, Noor was in a luxurious room, and for a few seconds, Noor was lost in her thoughts. But then she recalled the events of last night and understood that she is probably in the home of the stranger she met, Irtaza Shah.

Noor had realized that the way she behaved with everyone she met last night was way out of line; Noor knew they had good intentions towards her, and her behavior was uncalled for. So getting up from bed, Noor was determined to apologize to everyone for the way she acted.

Paving her way out of the room, Noor maneuvered through the massive hallway until she stopped in front of a large mahogany wooden door. Pushing the door slightly, Noor heard various voices echoing throughout the living room as she walked towards the grand lounge.

Upon hearing the faint noise of footsteps, the once chatter-filled room fell silent. Many individuals from last night were seated in the royal ten-seater couch, yet Noor's orbs glanced towards a pair of honey-brown eyes.

Immediately breaking eye contact and clearing her parched throat, Noor broke the calming silence.

"Umm, I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude, but I just wanted to thank you all for last night and also apologize for my behavior. It was totally uncalled for, and I was too high on emotions to think straight."

As Noor rambled on, Irtaza's honey-brown orbs intensely looked her way; by the end of Noor's spiel, the massive room remained dead silent.

No one spoke up, not because they were too egoistic or arrogant to communicate back to her but because they were amused witnessing the fire-spit women from last night in a totally different persona.

Nonetheless, breaking the awkward silence, Ahaan was the first one to speak up. 

"It's okay; we understand how you might have felt, and you don't need to thank us, it's our job to protect innocent people, so let's start afresh, I'm Ahaan, and you are?"

For the first time since last night, Noor had a subtle smile on her face. Ahaan was indeed a gentleman in every sense because he was nothing but kind and generous from the moment they had met. And so, without wasting any more time, Noor finally introduced herself.

"My name is Noor, Noor Ijaz."

After Noor's introduction, every member of the group introduced themselves as well. Finally meeting everyone, Noor knew it was time for her to leave the house she was welcomed in for the night.

She had to plan and figure out her next move, and she couldn't waste any more time staying here, so she spoke.

"Well, I think it's time for me to head back home, and if someone could direct me, I will call a cab. But once again, thank you so much for your hospitality."

Before anyone could say anything, Irtaza spoke for the first time that morning.

"Noor, please wait."

The way her name rolled out of his tongue felt like the sweetest sound Noor has ever heard; Irtaza merely said her name, yet it created havoc in her heart. Composing her thudding heartbeat and emotions, Noor responded to Irtaza's request.

"Yes, Mr. Irtaza?"

"Before you leave, I have a question for you; why were you after Mihir Rizwan anyways?"

Irtaza had asked a simple question, but those few words were enough to bring back all the painful memories Noor had bottled up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you well enough for me to share anything with you; we're just strangers."

Noor recalled from last night how Irtaza and Ahaan reacted upon hearing Mirhir Rizwan's name; she knew Mirhir probably had done something to someone they cherished as well.

But Noor couldn't trust anyone anymore, and revealing her pain to mere strangers was something she wasn't ready for. But Irtaza's gruff voice broke her trance.

"I know we're just strangers, and I'm not asking you to share whatever painful experience you have been through, but I just want to know what has that sick man done to you that you were willing to sacrifice your life while hunting him down.

And so that you could trust me, let me tell you, Mirhir Rizwan has destroyed many lives, one being my very own; he destroyed my family."

The pain in Irtaza's voice was something Noor was fully aware of; she lived in the same pain and anguish for years. And hearing someone else voice out the same amount of pain, Noor knew it was time to reveal the misery she has buried within her heart for as long as she could remember.

"That man had destroyed the only family I had left; he had abducted, abused, a-assaulted, and k-killed my little sister, he took my Ayla away from me, he took my baby sister away from me."

Tears glistened Noor's cognac brown orbs as she spoke the painful truth about her sister. Three years ago, Noor had lost her sole reason for living, and the anguish in her heart hasn't died down since then.

Noor had also seen an equal amount of pain crossing Irtaza's eyes as she revealed the truth to him. His heart was heavy listening to Noor's words, and it shattered his heart listening to the broken soul in front of him.

Irtaza had experienced the same amount of pain for the loss of his own family at the hands of the same monster. But now, no matter what, he was determined to bring justice to everyone who was a victim of Mirhir Rizwan's sick ways, and so he placed a proposition in front of Noor.

"Noor, I have a proposition for you, if we want to destroy Mirhir Rizwan for once and for all, we have to stick together. So my proposition for you is to join my gang, become a part of the mafia.

But again, the choice is yours; I won't force you to do anything; and whatever choice you make, I will respect that but please think about it."

Noor was spellbound by Irtaza's proposition but knew she had a tough choice to make. Whatever she chooses would change her life drastically, but now, no matter what, it was up to her to either fight that monster alone or as one.

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