Meerasim : Dastaan - E - Ishq

Aise Na Mujhe Tum Dekho

Samajh nahi aaraha ki usse haasil karke usse barbaad karna chahta hun ya uske ishq mein abaad hona chahta hun

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Ziddi.

Patthar - dil.

Magroor.

These three words were an apt summation of the man that stood addressing the panchayat. No one seemed to be under the illusion that the five men in the panchayat held any real power. It was him, all him. He had always been in control. The only time something seemed out of his control was his will too, he wanted you to think that you had some meagre power before he crushed you mercilessly without giving it a single thought.

Murtasim Shahnawaz Khan was a name that sent chills down people's back. It didn't matter if you had wronged him or not. It was always better to stay out of his way. His upbringing had molded him into an unrelenting leader who spared no one. He was the feudal lord who ruled over his people with an iron fist. Still, no one could complain that he had brought them any harm, even if someone could say so, they wouldn't stay alive to make such claims. The people who knew Murtasim intimately were the ones most scared of him- for others, he put on a mask of being a leader, all that he did was professional, no personal grudges.

Under the cloak of being a leader, he was a ruthless man willing to do whatever to get what he wanted. Perhaps the one thing that he had shown zero interest in were women. That was, until he met her. 

Murtasim and Meerab had been brought up in two different worlds and were never meant to cross paths. Anwar, thanking Allah for making him give Meerab to Waqas and Aneela when she was just a newborn, was glad that his daughter would never set foot in the same space as his nephew. As much love as he had for him in his heart, he knew that Murtasim Khan could be a woman's ruination. 

The fact that they were cousins seemed like a long forgotten legend. After Murtasim had began displaying signs of his real character, Anwar had entreated Waqas to never bring Meerab to the Khan house. Waqas, trusting his judgment had made all possible ways to keep the two away. After the age of 14, they had practically never met the other person and only a name remained as the proof of other person's existence. 

Even Maa Begum had expressed concern over the kind of man he was turning out to be. The only person who would show her affection unabashedly towards him was his cousin, Haya and he had zero tolerance for her. Her quests for attaining her one - sided love had annoyed him to such an extent that he had her married as soon as she turned 21. 

Sometimes, unknown to the rest of the world, he felt like his darkness would consume him and he was just death incarnate bidding his time on the dreaded planet. He felt like nothing could keep him engaged for long and he was always on the way to look for trouble. He made sure that the troubles he sought never interfered with his work. He was meticulous and precise about what he did and it was always his priority. 

Their meeting, the beautiful clash of fire and ice happened a year after Meerab turned twenty, an accidental meeting that spelled doom. Doom for whom was a tale time would tell. 

Her 21st birthday had been a harbinger of hope for her, she had finally managed to convince her parents to let her pursue law, something she knew she had in her blood. In addition to a respectable upbringing, Waqas Ahmed had given her an unflinching respect for morals and Aneela Ahmed had granted her valuable lessons in compassion. She owed everything to them and would give up her existence for them in a heartbeat.