"Akhir kesa aadmi hai ye. Itni akar. Dil to kr rha tha vahin khare khare iss ka gala duba doon." she said as she walked out of the Malik Haveli.
"Mein bhi Dilainoor hun. Nhe manoon gi." she said as her phone started ringing.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Dr, ap kahan hn." her colleague asked.
"Hospital hi aarhi hun, kiun kia hua?"
" Dr... um actually, Asif ki condition bahut critical hai aur we might need you to take over."
" Kia matlab uss ki surgery to 4 baje hai, abhi 11 bj rhe hn." she said.
" He needed surgery ASAP but abhi koi bhi senior doctor free nhe hai. I dont know what to do."
" Acha, I'll be there." she said and ran in to her car. Trying to bring the engine to life, she turned the key repeatedly but nothing seemed to happen. The car refused to turn on even after repeated attempts.
Noor was getting impatient. She had no time to fidget with the stupid car and calling a taxi would take time.
Now, she only had one option.........
I'm gonna hate myself for this, she told herself
" Sir, Dr Sahiba, wants to talk to you. " Ali, Mairaaj's secretary informed.
Mairaaj raised an eyebrow and walked outside to see her fiddling with her fingers, anxiety clearly lacing her face.
"Everything, alright?" he asked genuinely.
"I.......need your help." she said after contemplating for atleast a dozen times.
The same smug expression returned on Mairaaj's face as he said," acha?"
"A patient of mine is in critical condition and my car isn't starting, mujhe hospital pohnchna hai."
listening to that, Mairaaj's smile disapperead and was replaced by a serious look as he motioned to his secretary,"Ali, keys."
Taking the key from his hand, Mairaaj walked ahead while Noor followed behind.
He began driving fast.
Picking up the call," Dr, the patient has cerebral hemorrhage."
"Mujhe CT scan bhejo, abhi." she said.
Looking over at the scan, she quickly said into her phone," Patient ki AVM ruptured hai, get ready for the surgery."
" Lekin, Dr...."
"I'll call Dr Sahir." she said.
While a havoc was inside Noor, Mairaaj keenly listened to each of the things she said, a silent praise for her leadership.
As the car slowly started halting, she pulled the door open and ran, not looking back, a sudden realization that she forgot to thank him.
Pushing the thought to the back of her head, she got into her scrubs and got ready for surgery. It seemed that Sahir had already gotten to the rescue but seeing Noor, he let her take over while he assisted her.
After the excrutiangly long surgery, she removed her mask and gloves as she walked out of the OT.
Still thinking about how rudely she walked out on him after he helped her.
As she walked outside into the waiting area, there he stood, talking to someone on the phone, seeing him there surprised her especially due to the fact that the surgery lasted for 2 hours.
Did he really wait that long for her?
Slowly walking upto him, she could hear him say,
" Mne ap se kaha tha ke mein ap ki ye baat nhe manun ga." he said in a low but angry voice.
After a pause, he cut off the phone and turned only to find her standing behind him.
Keeping her face neutral, Noor said," Thankyou... meri madad krne ke liye."
" Ofcourse." he simply stated.
The electric sparks flew between their gazes, either for love or intrigue...... neither of em knew.
Sudden foot steps brought them out of their stance as Sahir walked out if the OT, a sudden smile on his face after looking at Noor.
Noor kept her face as neutral as she possibly could muster without seeming cold or arrogent, while Mairaaj felt a sudden urge to push the man's teeth into his mouth.
"Wonderful job, Noor. you did great today." Sahir said enthusiastically.
" Thank you, Doctor."
"Umm... this is Mr Malik and this is Dr Sahir." she introduced the both men to each other as Sahir again let out his teethy grin while Mairaaj tried not scoff at him as he took his stretched hand and shook it.
"I'll see you...... both later. I guess" she said trying to get out of the awkward situation.
" Dr Noor!" Mairaaj called her back.
" You left this in my car." he said handing over her phone.
oh, so thats why he had to stay.
Mairaaj took his leave knowing exactly where he had to go,
He got into his car, followed by two guard cars, he drove to the Khan Mansion.
His father waiting up for him as he sat with Moeen Khan in his lawn.
Mairaaj glared at the man who tried to stop him at the gate, looking at his expression, the guard let him pass at once.
With dominance, he strutted towards where the two men were sitting, no greetimg whatso ever.
He sat himself down while throwimg death glares at Moeen....
The three men talked about their family situation, a clear sense of hostility in the air.
Mairaaj held himself from murdering the man then and there because thats not how they worked.
His share of patience, having ended, he stood up with such intensity, his chair went flying backwards,"This is bullshit."he screamed.
" Iss bande ne meri zameen pr kabza krne ki koshish ki, mere docks mein aag laga di, mere logon ko nuksaan pohnchaya. Mera bas nhe chal rha ke mein iss ke sar mein goliyan utar doon and you want me to sign a peace treaty with him? Bhool gye iss ne kia kiya..... itna jaldi bhool gye."At his voice Shafi stepped forward as if to hurt Mairaaj and so did Mairaaj's men but Moeen motioned him to step back.
A sinister grin on his face as he uncrossed his legs further slumping into his chair," Bahut gussa hai na tumhare andar, sahi hai, tumhare waqt mein hum bhi aese hi the. kitne afsos ki baat hai ke iss gusse ki aag ziada der tak nhe jal paye gi." indicating to his death.
Mairaaj's men stepped forward, hands on their guns.
Mairaaj stopped his men when he got a stern look from Behraan.
"Mairaaj! Go!" Behraan motioned him to leave knowing his presence would only aggreviate the whole situation.
"Khan." Mairaaj said with a calmness in his voice, the kind before a storm,"Just know that tumhe apne jis hathiyar ka bahut ghumand hai na, uss ki gardan mere hath mein hai." a bluff but enough to wipe the grin of Moeen's face.
Then, he walked out without his father.
Behraan remained inside the room still trying to come to a peaceful conclusion though Moeen had other plans and he knew exactly how to execute it.
7Pm, Noor picked up her bag, smilingly saying her byes to her colleagues. Today, she was genuinely happy and she didn't know how to explain why.
Walking out of the hospital, her phone rang but it wasn't the one she was holding in her hand.
The one which only invited trouble. Noor halted and pulled out the phone, a quick glance to her surrounding.
"Bolo."she said.
"Meeting, 10pm, penthouse." the man behind the phone said and cut the line.
Whenever Noor starts to feel the least bit of human, Khan pulled on her leash to remind her who she was.
At 11, Reaper stood in the penthouse elevator, mask covering her face, a suit covering her body.
She walked inside the penthouse to be greeted with a shit load of guards outside the huge study.
Shafi stood outside, he came closer and whispered in her ear, "Miss Noor, you are late. Khan sahab bahut gusse mein hain. Aj Malik aye the, peace agreement ke liye."
Without replying the man, Noor's head shot up looking at Shafi, even with a whole black helmet covering her face, Shafi knew exactly what her expressions were. Sheer surprise.
Noor barged open the door and inside was Moeen Ali Khan sitting at his desk, the foul smell of alcohol in the air.
Noor despised this smell. She despised it so much because it gave her traumatic flashbacks but soon with time, she was able to stand straight without having a breakdown, evey time Khan pulled out a Whiskey bottle.
" Waqt dekh rhi ho." the man said, his voice indicating his state of intoxication.
Noor didn't reply him, instead she pulled out a file and put it infront of him.
It was the file of Kasim, whom she had killed not so many days ago.
" Ap ka aur mera contract apne ikhtimam ko aa rha hai. Behtar hoga, ke ap apne ghatiya kamon ke liye kisi aur ko choose kr len." she said.
The man started laughing, " Acha? Mere saare ihsaan bhool gyi kia? Bhool gyi keh uss Kamran ke bete ki zindagi ye mere haath mein hai."
Noor anticipated this line She knew the kind of trash her father was so she said, Ap ka khoon hai na mujh mein. Kese bhool sakti hun. Lekin ap bhi mat bhooliye ke ap ke saare underground business ki information mere paas hai. If you didn't stand your side of the deal, I wont stand mine either."
The man pulled out a gun, with wobbling hands, he aimed at her," Mein abhi ke abhi tumhara chapter yehin close kr sakta hun Phir tumhare Taimoor ka kia hoga."
" Lekin ap aesa nhe karen ge. Jab tak Mairaaj Malik zinda hai, ap mujhe nhe maaren ge. Akhir investment jo hun."
He laughed at her and put the gun back, " Ha ha pakra gya mein. Chalo theek hai maan lete hn ham tumhari baat, Lekin apne final mission kiye bager tum kahin nhe jaa sakti."
" Manzoor hai mujhe. Lekin written form mein chahye, keh iss mission ke baad ap na to mujhe dhoonden ge na Taimoor ko. " she replied to him.
"Zaroorat se ziada smart hona bhi acha nhe hota. Shafi se keh do vo tumhe detalils bhi de de ga aur contract bhi. Ab niklo mere kamre se." he said as he gulped another cup of whiskey.
She put the helmet back on and walked outside.....
" Mission file aur ap ka contract." Shafi handed it to her.
Noor knew Shafi would get the things ready but getting the contract and file ready, this fast only meant one thing.....
Khan anticipated that she would say this today.
"He won again."she thought.
She took the files from his hands and rode back to her appartment.
She opened it but she couldn't believe what was in the file.
It was a dinner reservation with its address and note saying, dress formally and be ready by 10 sharp.
" So he wants me to dress like myself and show up at a restaurant " she laughed sarcastically as the mission made no sense to her.
She grumbled in fraustration as she walked towards the freezer to pull out the vanilla icecream box.
"This is the only thing that can prevent me from going crazy rightnow."
She ate directly from the box until sleep engullfed her but not for soon, as the nightmares began too....
"Bhaago, Dil bhaago." a voice said to her. The face of the voice unclear.
"Mama!" the little girl screamed.
The noise of the train being clear, in her eyes as the little girl jumped onto the train, but the woman was unable to......
and suddenly, Noor woke up, covered in sweat.
She breathed loud but she couldn' t seem to hear anything but the noise of the train.
Not long after, a sleek black car came outside her appartment, as she got ready into a black long kurta and trousers pairing it with black heels exactly like he told her.
Soon when she walked down to the front, a man got out of the black car and said," let us go, Miss Noor. Mujhe Mr Moeen ne bheja hai."
" But I can drive myself." she said.
"Khan sahab ka order hai." the man said.
" That still doesnt explain the fact that I can drive myself." she said.
She got into her own car, that had come from the mechanic yesterday evening to her when she sat in her office.
"Tumhari gari ki keys aayi hn." Alia had said to her as she sipped her coffee.
Driving to the venue, she couldn't help but notice how the restaurant was a common ground between the Khans and Maliks.
Ignoring the nagging feeling, she strutted inside, employees giving her a brief curt.
"Miss Khan?" he asked. Despite wanting to say no she knew thats who she was, so as she nodded, the manager's face lightened up as if her being Miss Khan had some sort of advantage for him. He showed her to the private dinner lounge, her father already seated, a champagne glass quarter filled with water resting infront of him.
"I thought you won't show up." he said to her grinning, but she hated it, she hated when her father grinned knowing it meant that the man was upto no good.
She was about to seat herself across the table but he stopped her and told her to sit beside him.
No mstter how much she tried, she couldn't tell what Khan was thinking.
She sat beside him, "Ab btana chahen ge ke ye kia hai."
"Pata chal jaye ga tumhe, lekin hamari deal yaad hai na. You know what happens if you refuse to finish the job."
Remaining quiet, Moeen continued," Today,you're going to play the role of my daughter, so better not fuck it up."
She wanted to shout at him, I am your daughter, the one you treated like shit.
but remained quiet knowing, she would rather eat shit than admit she's related to him in the slightest.
Soon, the door slid open and in walked the two people she would have never expected.
Since Moeen Khan didn't stand up so Noor thought she doesn't have to stand either, but as she raised her head to see the intruders, the calm and composed face morphed into shock as her body moved on its own and she went shooting up on her feet.
She didn't have to look twice to know it was Mairaaj and his father, Behraan.
But it seemed, she wasn't the only one surprised, Mairaaj also raised an eyebrow.
Keeping his calm, he looked between her and Moeen as if confirming if he really was in the right room.
She sat down, looking at Moeen a silent question between her gaze.
She said,"Assalamualikum." mostly to Behraan, the older man who looked at her and gave a smile, a small but genuine smile.
The kind that creates a soft warm feeing in you heart.
"Kia naam hai ap ka beta?" Behraam asked, his sudden question catching Noor off guard.
"Dilainoor- Dilainoor Ali Khan." she said, her eyes going between Behraan and Mairaaj.
Hearing her name, Mairaaj tried to keep his calm but failed miserably as the rush of rage and surprise went across his face so fast, Noor almost missed it.
Noor suddenly felt guilty eventhough she hadn't done anything wrong.
"Acha, to abhi ap kia kr rhe hn." Behraan further asked.
Noor gulped," Mein Doctor hun, neurologist."
Behraan's face suddenly lit up,"Acha, wow! thats amazing."
"Thank you uncle."
"Well, ye mera beta hai, Mairaaj Malik." Behraan introduced him.
Looking at his face,Noor went, "Nice to meet you, Mr Malik."
Is she pretending to not know me, Mairaaj thought as he gave her the knowing look.
"The feeling is mutual, Miss Noor." an unsettling emphasis on Noor as if he was telling them that he knew her.
"Jese ke you both know that hamari family pichle kahin saalon se apus mein kaafi hostile raheen hn jis ki vaja se dono ko bahut sa nuksaan bhi uthana para hai. iss liye mein aur Khan iss nateeje pr pohnche hn dono families ke apas ke masaail ko khatam krne ka ik hi hal hai, aur vo hai dono families ka ik relation mein jur jaana." Behraan said.
Noor looked at him suspiciously, peace, apas ke masail ka hal?. she thought when he continued,
"Hum ne tum dono ki shaadi ka faisla kiya hai." the moment the words left his mouth, two faces shot towards him in surprise.
"Kia?" Mairaaj asked, his voice dominant.
Noor looked over to look at Moeen,anger rising up but her father's eyes reminded her of the binding contract she has signed.
"Vohi jo tum ne suna hai." Moeen said to Mairaaj.
"Mein ik Khan ki beti se kiun shaadi karoon ga?"
Noor scoffed trying real hard to not diss him on the spot.
"And how do we know ke ye issi ki beti hai. Pehle to kabhi nhe dekhi." Mairaaj continued, sitting back on his chair.
"security reasons ki vaja se Noor America mein thi abhi kuch saal pehle hi apni specialization ke liye vaapis aayi hai, Lahore." Moeen said.
"I call bullshit. I dont care. This is not possible, jab tak mein zinda hun, a Khan wont stay in my house." Disgust dripping from his words.
Noor looked at him, with an expression so neutral, he thought, she was being made to sit there on gun point.
She was.......