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The city wasn't the same as it was before, there was something that he couldn't look past. This city, the beauty of the ocean, the luxury of life here was all an illusion that took his mind off the things had been craving for. The person he was here to look for and the destiny he had wished was his.

His hands balled into fists as he paid more attention to any detail that his hazy mind could recall but he couldn't. There was just too much noise that was countering his memory and all he could remember was the sound of her name being yelled around him before he lost consciousness.

Zahan felt his heart racing at the thought of having seen her so close but not being able to recognize her, he leaned his head back and reclined in his office chair when Ahmer walked in, Zahan gave him a silent nod for his question and then closed his eyes to stop the feel of warm tear springing in his eyes.

He gulped his emotions down as he took a deep breath, the smell of ink filled his senses and he jolted up to realized the bottle of ink had been knocked off, all his papers were ruined and he cursed under his breath for being so mindless, all this while he had not said a word to anyone not even Zaryab who had been with him the day he had woken up in the hospital but what would he ask him?

There was something off about Zaryab's posture that morning and he had left the moment Zahan was discharged, hadiya haydn come to visit him, not even once and he knew that there was something that the khans were hiding but what? That all along they had been making a fool out of him for believing that his wife was gone for good.

There was misery, there was pain and there was certainly betrayal but to top it all off there was anger that Zahan could no longer hold in, he slammed the papers back on the table ruining the bit of progress he had made to clean his desk. Hewould have to get Ahmer to print him a new set o these files.

"Ahmer" he spoke over the intercom but received no response. The lad had just left but was already missing from his work station, Zahan was half convinced that he was in a relationship but he never mentioned it to him, there was no possible explanation he could come up with part from the fact that the women he's so obsessively reporting to everytime here and there is someone close and dominant to him.

Shaking his head he walked out of his office to go see him and put him back in his place for ignoring his work, Zahan smiled politely at a fellow colleague as he discarded the trash in his hand on the way to Ahmer's desk and as suspected he found it empty. He frowned and was about to look for him when the sound of Ahmer's phone stopped him.

Zahan looked at the caller id and he frowned, it said someone named boss was calling him neither was he calling him nor did the coe had he personal number then who could it have been, he picked it up and put it up to his ear to see who it was but no one spoke. For the longest he could only hear the subtle sound of someone's breathing and he pulled the phone away from his ear to see who it was but he still couldn't fathom who this person was.

"Sir?" Ahmer asked, pulling him out of his thoughts and Zahan stared at him for the longest.

"Are you planning on backstabbing me?" he asked jokingly, making Ahmer chuckle with a shake of his head but his expression changed to the one of horror for a split second as he registered who had called him.

"Why the long face?" Zahan asked, making the young man shake his head trying to grab his breath. One thing was that Ahmer was gone for sure for not attending her call and second he almost got caught.

"Can you get me a new copy of these files?" Zahan asked and Ahmer nodded his head almost robotically.

Zahan turned around the corner but stopped to look back at him,Ahmer looked as though he was shaking as he dialed a number and hurried out of the office to the terrace and Zahan followed.

He shouldn't have been following him but he was, Ahmer was being very weird and if he says so possessive, not leaving him alone for more than half an hour. He would pop out of nowhere to check on him, bring him coffee or just roam around his cabin for no apparent reason, the boy who always ignored him or better yet avoided him was now acting like his mother, telling him to go home early and get some rest.

"I seriously don't understand why i have to be around him like a shadow, i haven't been able to get a single break because of this-" Ahmer was whispering yelling at the phone and Zahan's eyebrows furrowed by his words.

"Fine." he sighed dejectedly and his shoulders slumped a he started speaking again, Zahan wanted to know who he was talking to but he couldn't hear what the other person was saying but as Ahmer started describing Zahan's daily routine for these days he was convinced that Ahmer was doing something that he had no idea of.

Why was everyone hiding everything from him and why was his life now becoming a spiral? Zahan was lost in his thoughts when his eyes focused on the man who was about to turn around and instead of going away he glared at Ahmer's shocked expression.

The sound of his shoes hitting the wooden floor made Ahmer's heart beat irregularly as he watched his boss making his way to him and the young man took a few steps back seeing the man before stuffing his hands in his pockets with an expression that said he better spill everything he had been hiding.

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"Start speaking before this goes wrong" his voice was cold and his eyes were of the one who had been betrayed, Ahmer felt his heart lurching in his throat as he avoided meeting his bosss' eyes.

"Ahmer Zuhaib" Zahan yelled, banging his hand on his desk and the boy flinched back shivering badly. Tears nearly welled up in his eyes as the sudden loudness made him run short on his breath. The flashes before his eyes made him dizzy and Ahmer closed his eyes tightly, he felt hands holding his hand and he pushed them away but he soon realized he was being pushed to sit on a chair with a glass of water before his face.

"I–" he started but his voice couldnt stop quivering and Zahan's gaze softened at his expression, he took in a long breath and leaned forward so he could hear his lowered voice.

"Listen, Ahmer i trusted you, so now I would like an explanation for everything you've been doing behind my back," Zahan asked, seeing his shaking hands and red face.

"I— haven't done anything wrong to you—" Ahmer breathed and Zahan shook his head, taking the empty glass from his hands.

"Ahmer" he called again with a warning glare and Ahmer contemplated whether he should spew everything out or not but if she finds out about this what would she do.

"Just give me the name, i don't want the details" Zahan said and Ahmer looked up to meet his eyes.

"If you don't start talking right now i'll have you removed from my office and make sure you don't get a job anywhere" Zahan threatened and Ahmer partially had an urge to smirk at his claim but he stopped himself. Ahmer raked his mind to see if he could find anything that would save him from both of their cruelty, he looked at Zahan's waiting eyes and then imagined Zoya's blood thirsty knives, the sight itself made him shiver evidently.

"Dont tell youve been telling all about me to some deadly assassin to get me killed soon" Zahan spoke sitting down on his chair and setting his sharp gaze back on Ahmer but the lad ended up chuckling uncontrollably making Zahan raise an annoyed eyebrow, he was surely loosing his charm of intimidating people.

"Mahtab" he heard his assistant mumble and he stared at him waiting for follow up explanation but when he didn't get any Zahan stood and so did Ahmer who was ready to make a run for it but Zahan pinned him to his place with a glare.

His silence was more intimidating than his voice, as Ahmer had concluded but he couldn't possibly just tell him that his wife that he had been looking for is indeed a psychopath who kills people for fun and he'd be another one of her victims if he said something right now.

"Mahtab usman, she's the CEO of usman production and fashion house" he said and Zahan raised his eyebrows for a better tale but Ahmer failed to make words, he kept opening his mouth to say something and he failed. One thing was for sure that Ahmer could hide things well but he could never lie, his body language gave him away very badly.

"Ahmer—"

"She's keeping tabs on you because she wants to take over the zultanite project we are aiming for" he spewed out the first thing that came to his mind and the look on Zahan's face was the one of true hurt.

"You've been leaking information and documents to a potential rival?" Zahan asked with barely composed rage, repeating his words in his head only then did Ahmer realize what he had just said and when he met Zahan's eyes he took a step back.

"How long have you been doing this for and why?" Zahan asked and Ahmer looked away.

"Just before your accident" he replied and Zahan recalled the file from his desk, even then he trusted him.

Zahan stayed silent, his eyes were full of rage and had turned a hue of red from the edges as he glared at the pathetic excuse of a liar, clicking his tongue he pulled out Ahmer's contract from his file.

"Mr Ahmer Zuhaib, i'll make sure you're not free to ever work anywhere else '' Zahan couldn't recognize his own voice as he pulled his phone out to call someone.

"W— who are you calling?" Ahmer asked and Zahan gave him a deadpanned look.

"The police obviously can't leave a threat to my work roaming around free now can i?" he said and Ahmer was soon on his knees begging.

"I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything" he could take her wrath but not the humiliation of being marked as a cheater in front of his colleagues.

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The night was silent, ust the sound of waves crashing against the rocks was evident and cold air of istanbul added more to her loneliness, her heart was heavier than usual especially after sharing that moment of silence with him over the phone, her eyes sprung with tears thinking just how easy it used to be to call him and tell him all about her day. How he had comforted her over the phone countless times during her trials and how his arms made her protected at all cost.

If only times were as easy as then but they weren't and now here she was overlooking the vast sea before her washing the life from her feet as the cold water made her skin numb. It was foolish of her but who was here to wrap his shawl around her and hold her till she felt warm again.

It was moments after the thought that she felt something being wrapped around her shoulder and on instinct her hand went to her mask to cover her face before she turned around to be frozen in her place.

"Long time no see"

 Assalamualaikum guys,

How are you all?I hope you're doing well.

So I guess were getting somewhere.

Here's another update, I've been trying to update more often and the fun part is I've gotten this urge during my finals.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy today's update.

Comment your thoughts and predictions.

Love,

Hafsa.