an: heya, dear friends, tysm for reading the zohra project and now its sequel. Please let me know in the comments if you are liking the sequel and why/what you like/dislike about it (no bashing please) I terribly need to hear a reader's pov/opinion on this. Can't describe how much of a help it would be if you guys comment and let me know. So VOTE AND COMMENT! Happy reading xoxo

"Didn't Mr Lollipop say wear a disguise? Why don't you try wearing a burqa?"

Naina rolls her eyes at Ash's silly suggestion. Meetings have kept him occupied. He only arrives an hour post lunch, with a calorie-minded takeaway order from Mc Z — aloo-chhole burger with desi-ghee and sauteed vegetables.

Lip-smacking it was, but it didn't quench her hunger. Ash took a light jab at her, calling her "bhukkad mohtarma," and had a hearty laugh.

Nok-jhok pyar mein jayez hain. I will pull your leg later... With this thought, Naina had let it slide. And what else could she do but laugh along at the genuine mirth of her partner?

"Aloo-chole burger, unimaginable, Ash. Didn't you say it was a custom order at Mc Z by you? Only you have these weird ideas! And now, with the burqa!" With a smile, Naina tucks her bangs behind her ear with one hand, the other scratching Elizabeth, her beloved black cat's ears.

"Haan toh, mohtarma. What could I do? I should get back at you for all the attention you give others and deprive me of... couldn't get your favourite cheese burger, sorry. I have to be mindful of my lady's health."

"Uh-huh." Naina smiles. She's seated on the sofa in the living room, with Ash sprawled on the armchair in a lazy laid-back pose, the same laid-back pose she's familiar with. The top of his shirt is slightly undone, blazer — a little out of place, bangs cascading down his forehead, steel-grey eyes, mysterious and alluring. Just like that fateful day they met. Yes, that day, when she thought he was the rich spoilt CEO of a renowned IT firm, pestering "aam janta." The difference is the smile, though. Back then, it was an irksome smirk, (although it would be apt to say alluring again), and now it is an affectionate smile tinged with his trademark mischief.

"But seriously? Burqa though, Ash? How can I wear a burqa to hide my face? I can use a scarf, but even that would be a hell of suspicious. Awful. I cannot make a laughingstock of the religious sentiments of others. I know, I watched many lead actors do that in movies, but trust me. To use a burqa this way should be made unlawful."

"Haha. Always righteous to boot, mohtarma. I knew you would shoot down my suggestion." Ash smiles in satisfaction. Though the expression in his eyes shifts when his eyes fall on Elizabeth, the happily purring cat in Naina's lap.

"Oh dear... haha!" Naina can't hold in her laughter. "Ash... Your words earlier... I didn't pay them much attention but... You're really jealous of me spending time with others and being attentive to them? How cute! I love you, you know?"

"Hm? I... love you too, sweetheart." Ash chuckles, although for a moment he feels bashful about being put on the spot by his ladylove.

"Bold of you, mohtarma," he voices fake audacity, "I say it is pretty bold of you to say you didn't pay attention to my words earlier."

"Haha!" Naina laughs and laughs until her stomach hurts. Ash watches her with a pleased smile.

"Oh, Ash, thank you. I know you banter with me when I'm stressed, and it always helps. Now I'm no longer thinking of those bad guys who are after me and Yudi."

Ash smiles at her fondly and sighs. Being honest is something he's not used to. But with Naina, it has become a habit by now. But it's hard to exactly reveal how he feels. So he's thankful for her reading his unspoken feelings, mysterious actions. "Mohtarma, can't hide anything from you, huh?"

"Nope. Not since we became lovers! Er... " Naina blushes at what she said and laughs it off. Ash saunters to where she is, the movements mesmerising her.

"Now, enough attention to the kitty, sweetheart. Why, I've been here for half an hour and you haven't greeted me properly."

"Huh." Naina feigns surprise, but still lets Ash grab her hand and help her stand as Elizabeth, reading the scene, scampers off to the cat tree with a bored whine.

"I welcomed you in. Didn't I?" Naina puts her arms over Ash's chest, smiling, well aware that she hasn't hugged him as she usually does. Or kiss him. Not yet.

"Uh... I demand a grand welcome, sweetheart. The usual way!"

"Haha! Why don't you bestow me the favour first? Why does it have to be me first these days?"

She quirks an eyebrow, having a tough time keeping the smile off her face. Ash is the same inside, except that on the outside, he is the sly, mysterious charmer he is.

"Ladies first!"

"Haha! Gosh!" Naina smacks his arm with a laugh but leans towards him, going on tippy toes to reach his lips. The kiss that follows is tender and sweet, one surely initiated by her but reciprocated with equal fervour.

"Haha! You big, bad, sweet man!" Naina giggles when they pull back, which happens quickly. Ash squeezes her arm, offering her comfort. His mohtarma has a job as dangerous as a mob boss. And he won't hesitate to go out of ways to cheer her up. But big, bad, sweet... she sure has a funky vocabulary and never ceases to amuse him in return.

"So..." Naina asks, turning to where her cat is. Elizabeth is playing around her car tree.

"What to do now, Ash?"

"Grab your cat," Ash replies without batting an eyelash. "We leave for the Zohra HQ. Take some time off work. That should help cool down the situation."

Naina faces him and folds her arms. "That's probably what the boss would also say. Hmm... I hope this doesn't count as running away. Because I would hate that."

"Nope, sweetheart. It's not." He tousles her bangs. "Besides, we have our wedding preparations to attend to..."

"Oh, right!"

Naina's mood perks further at the mention of their marriage. Ash gladly guides her and Elizabeth out of her flat with the words, "you don't need any disguise when you are with me. I was kidding with my wild ideas. Let's go. Your dress is pretty, by the way. Gold and brown skater dress is it called? You are pretty."

Naina laughs again and kisses him on the cheek, summons courage to compliment him in return. He is a vision in his usual outfit — the trademark ice-blue blazer, white and white shirt, and trousers. He truly is her Ice Prince.

Elizabeth whimpers as if she's disgusted by someone else receiving kisses from Naina. "Huh. Silly cat..." Ash remarks but still fondly touches Elizabeth. Elizabeth welcomes the light pets with a satisfied purr.

***

Naina sits in Ash's car, Elizabeth in her lap. The ride to Gigabit feels a lot longer because of Mumbai's traffic. Naina's thoughts wander to her journey with Ash so far. Sometimes it feels surreal to be with him, but she knows the truth is otherwise. Their journey together hadn't been easy. When they met, and even after that, he was such a mysterious guy. And after they became lovers and unearthed each other's mysteries, he remains so sometimes. It is only charming. And it is charming that he can give away compliments on the blue. He certainly knows how to make a girl blush. Such intense charm is illegal, but she only loves him for it. And then how can we complain when it is directed at her, only her?

Oh yes, there was this actress vying for him, yet Ash was not the guy to look up for hookups and affairs. Upon meeting him, it is super easy for anyone to misunderstand his character. And he happily lets them misjudge him, closely guarding his secrets and revealing his heart only for his loved ones. He also put the same barriers around her. When those walls came down, she felt like flying. Even now, her heart is soaring in his company, filled with warm fuzzy feelings.

While Ash drives, he cannot help but read his companion's expressions. Mohtarma wears her thoughts and feelings on her sleeve. He reached for her hand and kissed for knuckles before driving off, a gesture that always makes her swoon. What more can a guy ask? When his lady love reacts this way, it only makes him want to pamper her some more.

There is no doubt in his mind that he wants to be with her until the end of his life. But there is also apprehension and uncertainty in his heart. While he always knew the bitter truth of reality, Abbu's talk about Badshah and the fact that the shadows of the mafia are still connected to him, unnerve him.

He always shakes off these feelings and enjoys the present, but lately these pessimistic thoughts have become more frequent owing to his upcoming wedding with Naina.

Yet again, with resolve, he focuses on the present. Doing things he loves keeps him grounded — which includes his work at Gigabit, checking on Naina, hanging out with Zain and the others at the HQ.

Well, Zohra is not invading any mob group these days or pick fights. It's been peaceful, but it's also awful.

He can leave the police and government to deal with low-life monsters around him. But when he thinks of the underworld that is familiar to him, his sense of justice tears its head and compels him otherwise. He is in conflict to leave behind his mob life, if he is being honest. He wants to continue being a Robinhood of sorts in the Mafia world. Now, how would Nain react if he reveals this?

His goals, which were initially vague when he replaced his Abbu as the head of the mob, have solidified. Now they are the most vivid. He is already at the signal. Oh—

He shakes his head and takes a deep breath after he applies a sudden brake. Next to him, Naina jerks a little. He is glad the jerk isn't earth shattering, but he still apologises.

"Sorry, Naina..." He switches from his broody self to the jovial, mysterious Asher she shows. Or just the Asher he is.

Naina looks at him with a slight frown. Though she smiles, her eyes narrow with suspicion. Turning in her seat, she brushes Ash's brow with light fingers.

"Sweetheart, you are frowning..." she whispers.

Her fingers knead the muscles over his eyebrows. Ash sighs, tension leaving his body as the mere contact.

Somewhere in the middle of his thinking process, he abandoned holding hands with Naina, and put them on the steering. How he regrets it now. Holding hands isn't against the traffic rules. He reaches for her hand again, the one she holds out for him.

There's considerable time before the signal turns green. He double-checks his seat belt safety. He is paying more attention to his safety now that he has someone he loves dearly. Of course, there have always been loving people in his life in the Zohra.

But earlier, he would have loved to die and keep his loved ones safe behind him. This changed once Naina came into his life. He now wants to live with her and all his loved ones.

What a change she had brought in him. One day he is sure, soon, her presence will fill him with enough courage to face her best friends Ruhana and Samrat and admit his true identity and seek permission to marry her.

Naina looks at the signal in the distance and then at Ash. The signal is almost about to turn green. Just now, she tried mimicking Ash's dialogue and massaged his brow, but that hadn't shown its desired effect. Ash is still thinking about something. She can only hope it is not serious.

Not that she distrusts his ability to navigate through troubles, but....

She leans over and kisses his cheek. Retreating, she blows a kiss at him at his bewildered face, exactly as he did during their last video call.

"Naina... you..."

Ash's cheeks colour with a faint blush. He holds his palm against the lower half of his face. He hadn't let go of Naina's hand yet and used the one that's on the steering. Snapping out of the sudden wave of embarrassment, he leans forward to retaliate. It's only natural he retaliates to his sweetheart's sudden attack, yes.

Bracing himself on the headrest of his seat, he tugs on their conjoined hands, pulling her closer. In what is certainly a surprise move and a fitting retaliation, he places a kiss on her lips and pulls back quickly.

"Huh! Aahhh, Ashhh!" Despite her shrieks, Naina giggles and smacks his arm, watching him lean back in his seat with a smug grin. "Ugh, I should have known your intentions can never be nek!"

"Huh. Mere iraade nek nahin? That's quite the accusation, mohtarma..." Ash says with a hearty laugh. Truly, his worries feel far, far away when he is with Naina. The magic of love, yes. Cheesy though it is, he believes in that now.

"Seriously, a kiss at the signal? Like in those dramas?" Naina mutters under her breath and looks around her. Thankfully, there is nobody close by as the traffic diluted at this crossing, and they are waiting in the first row. That, and the windows of the car are drawn.

"What dramas?" Ash asks, tilting his head innocently. He suppresses an amused chuckle licking out of his lips. Naina sees through his act.

"Huh. Even if you don't watch, you should have an idea what drama... also don't eavesdrop on my self talk!"

Naina turns away in a huff. Ash pokes her shoulder playfully. "Huh, then you shouldn't be so loud, mohtarma."

"Ugh, Ash, you'd hear it even if I speak in my mind. Wouldn't you?"

"Hmm, who knows? But you know I know you well, sweetheart."

"Right, right..."

Naina smiles to herself. The signal turns green, and Ash turns his attention to the road ahead. Seriously, continuing the thought from earlier, ever since she and Ash have become lovers, her life seems to have turned into a romantic K-Drama or one of those cheesy, action-packed Bollywood romances. And it is not so bad. In fact, she is enjoying it.

Arriving at Gigabit, she remembers she has not asked Ash why he was frowning. They make it past the entrance gates and the car runs smoothly towards the parking lot. She asks her question right away.

"Ash, what happened? You were in deep thoughts in the car. Anything happened? Is it about your mob?"

Naina chews her lip after uttering the word "mob." But it is the truth. Ash is a mob boss. Zohra might be a peaceful group that does like conflicts, and one with probably the least influence on the underworld, but it is still a mafia group. And Ash is its boss, urf Bhaijaan.

"It's nothing serious." Ash glances her way and keeps driving.

Naina smiles when he adds, "actually there is something. I will talk about it later. Trust me, it's not a big problem."

Naina believes in his words and their bond. Knowing Ash, he can handle anything coming their way. And judging by his body language, the matter doesn't seem dangerous, which is a relief.

Moments later, after parking their car, Naina is surprised that they are walking towards the helipad on the back of the office building rather than the one on the rooftop.

Only a handful of buildings in Mumbai are high enough to have a helipad. Though the city's wealthy merchants and businessmen occasionally use shoppers, it is still a rarity. In recent days, the press has been putting a lot of emphasis on this matter. Probably short of juicy content, it is focusing on this IT company of a CEO who has this extravagant luxury at his disposal in the heart of the city.

To avoid catching everyone's eyes, Ash has been using the rooftop helipad. It is a bit of a surprise to Naina that he chooses otherwise today.

Yet she does not question him, and takes his offered hand. The helipad is still a few metres away, in an elite-only zone of the office.

Lots of employees who are parking their vehicles watch the CEO and the woman with him who has become a familiar face to them — the man's beloved.

Some of them stutter their morning greetings, while many of them are speechless and can only gawk. Some girls send envious glares Naina's way, but she is already used to it.

Naina does her best to focus on her front and not mind the rest. Ash steps in to her rescue despite that. He wraps one arm around her shoulder and guides her forward.

Naina knows he is being considerate and displaying solidarity, but it is not needed. One and half a year of their companionship, she can walk confidently holding his arm like it's her place rightfully.

Indeed, her place is next to him, rightfully so. And to him, as he guides her to the chopper, Ash can only see her as his brightest beam of light in the sea of darkness of his life. It is only a given that he would go to any extent to protect this light of his and their life together.

.

.

.

Unbeknownst to Ash and Naina, lurking among the group of employees are Samrat and Ruhana, watching the couple. The two of them have infiltrated the Gigabit with fake employee-IDs. Now they are in the parking lot. Neither of them had expected the couple to show up so quickly, but they did.

Ruhana fixes her eyes on Ash, her gaze coloured with suspicion. "He really is riding a chopper every day. Those reports were really true."

"I guess so, Ruhana," says Samrat. "But you know he is a CEO."

Samrat closes his mouth, knowing he is only irritating Ruhana. He senses it, the shift in her mood close by. Why is it that everything he says has the opposite effect? He does not know.

"Seriously, Sam. Just think, sirf fuel par kitna kharcha hota hoga? Fuel expenses for everyday chopper rides must be exorbitant." Ruhana says, ignoring his comment. Her focus is totally on Ash and Naina, who are now climbing into the chopper. They walked in through the digitally monitored gate in the fencing that's strictly "elite only."

The chopper pilot greets Ash in a friendly chat and gets into the chopper after the couple. Ruhana watches them until the chopper takes off, kicking wind and dust. Her eyes shine with determination, but there's also some guilt. She hates spying on her friends. Ash is... sort of friend now, isn't he? She can't say for sure.

Samrat hears her say, "it's not wrong. I'm doing this for Naina."

Samrat sighs. Ruhana is right. He is also genuinely with her in Project Asher because he is also curious and wants to ensure Naina marries the right guy. Even so, his secret hope when he agreed to Ruhana's proposal was this. Working alongside her would enable him to better their relationship.

Would it? He can only hope. With how things are progressing, though, his chance of mending thighs with her is barely alive. But alive, yes.

Just as he is thinking this, some employees notice him, and eye him with strange eyes. He signals Ruhana about this. She already has sensed the change in their surroundings and is ready to leave. With just an exchange of nods, they escape the place, pretending they have forgotten their belongings at home.

Once outside Gigabit, they heave a breath of relief together and share a good laugh.

Samrat can tear his eyes from Ruhana's face. She is so beautiful when she smiles. It feels like ages passed since she truly smiled around him. Well, yesterday was a beginning. And today is progress.

Indeed, this Project Asher seems to work in his favour. Can he hope?

Just then, Ruhana's phone rings as if you say "yes." But the message it conveys isn't one to rejoice. Though Samrat can't hear what the caller said, he senses this through Ruhana's expressions.

Ruhana frowns, clutching her phone against her cheek, "Maa, I can't hear you. Kya hua papa ko? Is papa all right? Huh, you want me to come to the house? Okay! I'm coming. Huh, you ask me not to worry? Of course I would be worried. But I will be okay. See you soon."

***
💫💛 TBC💛💫

Upcoming: Samrat joins Ruhana and they visit her father. Ash, Naina spend time with the Zohra and Abbu and later with the Neves family. What happens next? Will Samrat Ruhana learn the truth of the Zohra? Is Badshah truly back again to create trouble? what will happen to ash_nain, ru_sam?
keep reading to know💛💫