The fear had settled within her. Deep within her mind. Coursing through her veins. And it was all instinctive. It wasn't in her control. Even if she tried to encourage herself that she could fight him but when his eyes would flash infront her eyes, it would break her morale.
She didn't know what was happening with her. She had never experienced such a situation before.
She was terrified of him. Just like now. She was in a dilemma. She wanted to defy him by not going to the office so she could make the message clear that she wasn't afraid of him at all. But her mind would again fill with his warnings. Just a look at her now blue and black finger was reminding her, he wasn't an ordinary man.
She always noticed how intense his gaze would become while he would stare her. That night, she just had opened her eyes once in a while but whenever she did, she would find his dark and quiet orbs staring at her making her heart accelerate. The darkness his eyes held was one of the reasons she didn't look in his eyes that night and still avoid.
It would make one stop her breath.
His eyes were callous. Deadly. Lifeless.
And the threatening look in his eye when he mentioned her that she would be coming to the company tomorrow made her reach the decision that she would go the office.
It was better to pick your own battles. Her circumstances were so delicate at the moment. Once her friend would get better, she would figure out a way out of this web.
She decided to bear Shehryaar for a while and to know him well so she would be able to escape him easily.
The whole night sleep didn't reach her. Anxiety had consumed her brain, completely. She was anxious about the coming day. She wished the sun won't rise and while thinking and thinking she had slept.
When she woke up, one look at the clock reminded her she was late. Two hours late already. When she checked the phone, she saw a missed call from an unknown number.
She thought it must be Ahmed calling because he was there to look after for Amna at the hospital, so it could be him and he must be calling from a random person's phone for some urgent reason.
She dialed him back and placed her phone on her ear and it was attended within two rings.
"Hello," she said, alarm in her voice thinking Amna's condition was deteriorated, "is that Ahmed bhai?" she asked but the very next second the alarm turned into surprise and then terror.
"Hello, Sheharzaad," his cold voice came from the other side of phone that made her eyes jut out of her sockets. She pulled away the phone from her ear then look at the screen surprisedly.
"Sh...sh...she-hryaar," she whispered under her breath while looking at the screen.
It was him who had called her.
She felt like throwing the phone and run away as far as she could from the phone.
Placing it back on her ear she took in a deep breath so her voice won't depict any fear.
"Why haven't you come to the office?" he asked.
"I-I'm coming," she quickly answered and cut-off the call when again a sudden realization hit her.
She repeated the same mistake of cutting the call. Hurriedly she dialed back the number and it was received.
"I actually didn-t mean t-to cut off the call. I was in a h-h-hurry," She hated when she stuttered but she couldn't help it.
"Come to the office in next ten minutes," came his reply and this time around he hung up the call.
Getting out of the room, she rushed to the bathroom, took a shower, picked out clothes and wore them. Standing before the mirror, she brushed her hair when her eyes fell on the marks on her cheeks.
His fingerprints.
It reminded her of how dreadful he became last night.
Her skin was slightly blemished so she quickly applied concealer there and covered it up. A tear threatened to escape her eye but she controlled herself as she was getting late.
Setting her dupatta, she rushed to the company. Upon reaching her floor, she was confused that where she was suppose to go. Her previous office or to Shehryaar's when an errand boy interrupted her.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Shehryaar sir has been waiting for you in his office. He had asked me to call you as soon as you come," he told and her adam apple bobbed. Suddenly, her mouth had went dry as she feared what must be waiting in for her.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath trying to control her nerves as he began to lead her to the corridor and to his office while she followed behind. While walking up through the route, she recalled the last time she had moved through this same place. It made her heart sank more as what happened with her in that office began to run in her mind like a tape. The trauma started to refresh making a sharp pain rise in her throat.
Upon reaching his office, the boy was about to knock at the door when she stopped him.
She looked paled.
"Madam are you fine?" he asked.
"Please, can I-I get a glass of water," she requested.
"Sure madam," he rushed and got her a bottle of water, immediately.
Her mouth was parched and throat hurt due to the tears accumulated in it.
Tears of terror, anticipation and the trauma this place gave her.
Behind that door, sat him and was the same office where she was wiltered. Where she was crushed into pieces.
She remembered how she had convinced herself to take up his offer. How she made herself understand.
If Sheharzaad won't die then how would Amna live? And if Amna won't live then what would be the reason of Sheharzaad's life. Kill yourself. Make yourself lifeless. Kill yourself, Sheharzaad.
She had mentally locked herself but this area alone was refreshing her fear.
He sat there, waiting for him just a door away and in the same room.
"Madam, water," the boy brought her attention to him and her head turned towards him.
Giving him a small nod, she took the water and swallowed it before clearing tears that were formed in her eyes.
"Shall we go inside, madam?"
She waited for a few seconds, strolled left and right and tried to make herself feel better. When she thought, she was feeling a bit better she gave a nod to the boy.
The door was knocked, the permission was given and they now entered. Her heart felt restless.
"Sir, Ms. Sheharzaad is here," the boy announced to him who was busy in some paper work.
His eyes move up, glancing up at her for a second before he turned them back and focused onto the paper in his hand, a frown forming on his forehead as he continued to scrutinize the content on the paper.
"Why are you late, Ms. Sheharzaad?" he asked.
Her mind became blank as a white page as no answer hit her mind and out of this sudden nervousness, her fingers began to fidget.
"Hmn?" he asked again, still his eyes were on the documents.
"I w..was sl-sleeping and the alarm co-couldn't w-wake me up," She stammered.
