Chasing His Rose

5. The Thinking Tank

Zayan

Sitting on his office chair, with the cop radio playing in the background, Zayan leaned back and held Nyla's casefile before his face. He was chewing on a piece of mint candy, with his cup of steaming hot coffee placed on the desk before him. Only the table lamp, placed on one corner of his desk, was lit, and with the yellow-lamp light casting shade on his face, he was comfortably lost in his train of thoughts.

Nyla, her gaze...the mystery held in them had him continuously getting distracted. His wife's case had been such a plot twist in his life. Apparently, people with power, who had indirectly harmed Nyla, were sporting the same scars as the victims of the Embalian Killings, yet it was declared that their scars had nothing to do with Nyla. Emir, that college boy, he didn't hold a grudge against his sister's supposed murderer, and Nyla...a beautiful and sweet doe...she claimed to be capable of holding hate.

Zayan read the name of the asylum-she had once been kept in-and smirked.

'Central Mental Asylum for Embalians'

It was the same asylum he had stayed during his case trials-after five years of staying in prison in order to preserve a woman's lie. His lawyer had been nervous and an inexperienced guy who had the court consider Zayan's crime to be a consequence of mental health issues. After weeks of frustration spent in the asylum, Zayan had finally decided to defend his own case.

His first court hearing, with him as a lawyer, immediately convinced the judge of his innocence. In fact, the judge's niece, who had been part of the jury, later sent him a bouquet, expressing her interest in becoming his wife. He had smirked at such a proposal. He had continued receiving those bouquets for a long time; that woman had been thoroughly impressed.

Anyhow, his days at the asylum were actually coincidental with the time Nyla's stayed at the asylum. He wondered how he had never noticed such a devastatingly and captivating mystery being in such close proximity, but then again, if he had known about her existence, he would have probably decided to just stay in the asylum.

Chuckling while shaking his head at such a thought, he kept reading the case file until Bahadur (who had been sitting on a couch placed on a few feet before his desk; pushed against the left-side wall, with its right side facing the desk.) loudly shifted the open newspaper pages gripped tightly in his hands and spoke, "some Embalians disgust me. There is news about two Embalian men who killed some natives in Chandelia. They got caught by the Chandelain armed force at the airport. Turns out, these Embalians were working for our rebel team. Such shame for our country." He scoffed indignantly while reading the front page news.

Zayan placed the Nyla's case file on the desk and pinched his chin in a thoughtful way, eyeing Bahadur from underneath his eyelashes.

"Bahadur, you are an extremely patriotic man, right?" He mused, leaning further against the back of his chair as he silently observed Bahadur's reaction.

"Yes, sir..." Immediately, Bahadur's stance echoed pride and honour, as he placed the newspaper on the couch's arm and turned to face Zayan. " My great grandfather lost his life in the great Embalian's war fought against the Chandelians. My family has spent decades serving our country. I am working hard to do the same." He announced, momentarily shaking his fist while raising his chin to prove a point. This was a man from a pure army background

"Then, why is it you are too quick to believe in the news that believes our nation was shamed?"

"I-I-"

"The Chandelians have framed our people so many times, so why are you too quick to believe words instead of searching for the truth?" Zayan continued pointing out; his expressions innocent, nonchalant, as he took a quick sip of coffee and then folded his hands behind his head, gazing up at the ceiling as he listened to Bahadur's explanation.