The ancient wooden flung open , waqas face filled with horror as he stared at a proud murtasim Marching arrogantly towards him with the petitie figure of his daughter that stood frozen behind him as he moved forward standing face to face with waqas.
A stream of hot endless tears raced down her pink plump cheeks as she stared still teary eyed at her helpless father who stood helplessly watching his worst nightmare come to life......
Flashback:
Murtasim: I'm not answerable to you... but still for your kind information I'm here to pick you up... you will now live in hyderabad ..... with me.....
Meerabs eyes flung open at his last sentence as he smirked back at her whilst looking at the steering wheel.....
Meerab's nose flared up in anger
Meerab: yeh kia baqwas hain.... how dare you ?... she yelled back at him completely disgusted and confused at his vile comment ....
Murtasims hands clenched hardly around the steering wheel as the loudly screeching tires came to a halt and meerabs heart stopped beating as she looked out the window to see the car had stopped at a a creepy abandoned road....
Murtasim slammed his fists on the steering wheel and turned back to glare at meerab who shifted uncomfortably in her seat.....
Murtasim sighed , despite his terrible temper he would never disrespect a women especially a women who was going to be his wife , his queen soon.....
Murtasim: seems like your father hasn't told you yet....
Meerab looked confusingly at him and then suddenly gasped as all the memories came flooding back in her head , her fathers strange behaviour since they past few days had made her worried and quite suspicious....
Meerab felt someone threw ice cold water down her spine as she saw the famous arrogant smirk return back to his face as he gazed at her confused and shocked and then terrified expressions.....
Meerab : w- what.... d-d--do you m- mean?.... she stuttered trying to act brave as she thought of her father and internally prayed for her family to be OK , she wasn't afraid of the powerful beast infront of her all she feared for was her beloved family.....
Murtasim took a deep breath.....
Flashback: 4 years back.....
It was a bright and sunny morning , the birds excitedly chirped , as the aroma of the freshly fried samosas circulated through the house ..........
Mirha: "uggh....when will the samosas be ready".... complained a cute 12 year old mirha as she happily rode on her pink bicycle around the round tea table placed outside their cleanly manicured and pretty garden....
Waqas chuckled at his daughters cuteness as she came rushing over as soon as Anila started serving the piping hot samosas whilst waqas read the newspaper whilst sipping on his daily afternoon tea........
Mirha : " finally " yelled mirha as she was about to devour the scrumptious samosas placed on her plate when suddenly anila lightly slapped the back of her hand....
Anila: aaram se beta , they're very hot , and let meerab come first we"ll eat together.....smiled Anila
Mirha prettily pouted.....
Waqas arched his eyebrows as he remembered meerab , he swiftly folded his newspaper and put his tea cup back as he excitedly turned towards Anila....
Waqas : meerab kidhar hain.... Aaj toh uska result aana tha na??....( where is meerab , her result was supposed to be here today)......
Anila gasped as she remembered.....
Anila suddenly got up from her seat and just as she was about to head inside she heard a loud
Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh from inside the house , both anila and waqas flinched at the loud scream but before they could react an over excited meerab swung the door open and ran towards her parents and engulfed them in a warm embrace.....
Waqas softly chuckled as he realised the reason behind his daughters happiness ....
As meerab broke the hug , anila patted her head and fairly scolded her....
Anila: pagal larki , hume daraa diya tha....( crazy girl ... got us scared for nothing ).....
Mirha who had suddenly lost interest from her all time favourite food looked curiously at her sister....
Mirha : kia hua api.... kia aap bhi meri tarah samosa ki wajah se khush hain... she asked in her baby voice ....
All of them broke out into a laughter as meerab tightly hugged mirha.....
Meerab grinned : no , my little baby , its not because of that .....
She turned back to her parents....
Meerab: woh , actually my result came today .... and... I GOT 1st position......
All of them gasped as a lone tear escaped waqas's eyes...
" meri beti" he whispered as he gently cupped both of meerabs cheeks and placed a kiss at her forehead.....
Anila also hugged meerab... both of them extremely proud of they're talented daughter.....
Anila: I also have another good news ..... salma aapa has asked for meerabs hand in marriage for her son Armaan ...Anila widely grinned....
All of them looked shockingly at Anila...
Waqas: salma appa??...
Anila: oh don't you remember, my big sister , they moved to London many years ago , Armaan used to come to our house when meerab and Armaan were little , infact you were best freinds.....
She looked towards meerab who was still processing all of that.....
Anila: aapa is coming to Pakistan in a week .... I asked aapa for some time to think about this.... I think we should say yes , what do you think??.....
Waqas : but the last time we saw him was years ago , things are very different now and people also change with time"...
Anila : waqas , Armaan s my sisters son , I'm sure she has brought him up very well and he also goes to one of Londons best medical schools , he's becoming a cardiologist..... and as far as meerab's studies are concerned, I talked to aapa , for now we will only do a simple engagement ceremony and a few years later when both of the children finish their education, we will marry them off....
Waqas hummed in response as he got lost in his thoughts, the proposal was very good but the thought of sending his precious daughter away from him ached his heart...
Anila: what do you say?... she turned towards a blushing meerab who looked upto her mother and nodded.....
Meerab : mama and baba , if your happy with this proposal then I have no objection however I have a condition... her eyes hesitantly darted between her parents as they nodded for her to continue....
Meerab: actually , woh... baba?.... I was wanting to tell you this since a long time now.... she anxiously bit her rosy lower lip.... I want to become a lawyer and study law in a good university .....
Waqas proudly smiled at his daughter.....
Meerab: baba , I have no objection with the engagement however I want the marriage to happen after I become a lawyer....and actually I got offered to study in the best law university of karachi.....
Anila: what?!... karachi??... law??... anila surprisingly gasped....
Whilst waqas proudly smiled at his daughter....
Waqas: Anila tell them if they agree to my daughters condition then we will continue with the proposal and as far as karachi and law is concerned , then I have no problem, I trust my daughter she will never let me down , and law is a great career..... he lovingly patter his daughter head as she looked at her father in awe.....
Anila thought for a moment and then agreed..... whilst mirha grinned as she watched the entire show whilst munching non stop on her samosas.....
Next week.....
Salma arrived at the Waqas Ahmed house with her son in her posh Mercedes , carrying baskets , boxes , crates full of fruits , mithai , clothes , chocolates.....
Waqas opened the door and warmly greeted them whilst mirha's face filled with greed looking at all of the colourful variety of sweets beautiful packed in a basket with a cute pink ribbon on top .... As soon as Armaan had handed over that basket that mirha had been eyeing since the time they entered the house, mirha had instantly declared him as her best best freind .....
Anila was rushing in the kitchen preparing all of kinds of chaats, dahi bhalley, samosas., pakorey whilst she dragged meerab out of the kitchen and forced her to get ready as Anila rushed out to meet her beloved sister and nephew after soo long.....
The rest of the afternoon , Anila and salma engaged in their own conversation catching up on everything whilst mirha walked behind her father to hide her chocolate smudged dress from her mother.....
Waqas had been genuinely impressed by the well mannered ,humble , sweet and smart young man handsomely dressed in a three piece suit.....
Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the door 🚪.....
Armaan nearly chocked on the juice he was sipping on as an absolutely gorgeous girl emerged from behind the door dressed in a cute yet eye catching baby pink suit with white beads elegantly hand -stitched on it , her wavy light brown hair waving with each elegant step she took , her lips rosy red , her big brown doe eyes looked deeper than the ocean , her smart slim model like cheek bones with a little plumpness which only added to her beauty, her smile had the power to kill an entire empire.... her perfectly curved slim body which was barely covered with the clear see through dupatta she had beautifully draped around her...
Salma: "Mashallah "... salma got up and took meerab in for a bone crushing hug as armaan looked down at his lap trying to control his surfacing emotions....
After a little talk , salma had convinced Anila to let the kids talk alone for a few minutes .......
Meerab led Armaan out into the beautiful lovingly builded garden ..... Armaans Hazel greeneyes didn't stop staring at her for a single minute , he was completely mesmerised by her beauty.......
They had walked together for a little , when suddenly Armaan broke the silence by asking the one question that bothered and ached his heart....
Armaan: "Are you happy with this proposal " , he nervously asked....
Meerab: yes... confidently replied meerab relieving him...
Armaan: "I know all of this is happening too fast ", he nervously chuckled , that's when meerab had looked up to be shocked by the handsome and well built man Armaan had become, his smile was contagious, his thin pink lips and perfectly lined straight teeth which showed off each time he smiled replacing the crooked teeth he had as a child even though meerab did find them very cute....
It was when meerab had realised she had been checking him out for quite a few minutes that she looked down at her lap and her face become prettier with the sudden blush that rose up her already rosy cheeks.... making Armaan chuckle even more.....
Armaan: you know .... he started getting meerabs attention as she looked upto him , his eyes filled with sincerity and another powerful unknown emotion as he gazed into her soul....
Armaan: I had asked mama to bring a proposal home for you..... meerab gasped in shock , it had been years since they both last saw each other and during this time they had never talked to each other....
Armaan: meerab today I want to confessed to you... I- I love you , he spoke sincerely.... I had always loved you meerab... only you.... even as kids I had always loved you , when we moved to London I was only 14 and you were 10 , but right then I had decided that I will only marry you.... you don't know how long and how patiently waited for this day.... his voice broke down as he continued and that's when meerab looked back at his eyes only to find out that unknown emotion was the love he had stored for her all these years....
Armaan: I love you meerab and yes I accept your condition , I will support you whenever and however you need it however I also have a condition....
Meerab looked hesitantly at him urging him to continue....
Armaan: this time when I leave for America , we will stay in contact .....you will talk to me everyday!!.....
Meerab who was now a blushing mess smiled sweetly at him ...
Meerab: it's a deal then.... they both chuckled together...
3 days later the engagement ceremony was done at Ar,aans House with only loved ones and some close relatives .....
It was now time for Armaan to go back and before going he gifted meerab a phone and convinced them to have lunch together in a restaurant alone .........
Soon it was time for meerab to go back to university ......
Meerab knocked on her parents door....
Waqas hummed and meerab stepped inside .....
Waqas : " meerab , you were telling me about going to a university that day , what happened about it , you didn't mention it again??".....
Meerab: woh .... baba... I have dropped the idea of becoming a lawyer..... she said teary eyed....
Waqas took his glasses off and worriedly rushed towards meerab .....
Waqas : meerab kia hua??... he worriedly questioned, till yesterday his daughter was adamant on becoming a lawyer...
Meerab: "kuch nhi".... she quivered....
Waqas gently lifted her chin up and gave her a " don't lie to me " look and meerab broke out into a sob....
Meerab: "baba , I had thought they were offering me a scholarship , but turns out they don't offer scholarships to anyone , and that is one of the most prestigious and best law schools of Pakistan, we won't be able to afford it...
Waqas felt someone had stabbed his chest as he hugged his daughter , he could tolerate anything but not a single drop of tear from his daughters eyes.....
Waqas : don't worry , you give me the admission form , I will arrange the money for it , its no big problem".... he tried to convince her......
Meerab stubbornly answered back: " no baba, you have already spent soo much at the engagement ceremony , I don't want to burden you and plus Ayla is also going to study English literature at the uni of hyderabad , and .... maybe I could too-.....
Waqas " NO" shouted Waqas.....
Waqas " you can't give up soo easily on your dreams , not until I'm alive.... I still have some money left and I'm sure I will be able to pay your fees with that , just bring me the admission form....
Meerab: but baba... sniffled meerab...
Waqas : " enough ".... he smiled as he wiped his daughters tears.....
That night waqas kept tossing and turning in bed ..... he had lied to his beloved daughter , all his savings had been spent on meerabs education and the rest of it was spent on the lavish engagement salma has arranged.....
The next morning ......
Waqas went out to get a few things Anila had asked him to grab from the market.....
As waqas was walking back home was stopped by a familiar voice calling his name....
He turned around and smiled at the elderly man walking upto him , he shaked hands with him....
Waqas : As salamo alekum... how are you??....
Bakhtu : what about you, haven't seen you in a long time waqas sahb ... the elderly men lightly smiled....
Waqas smiled back , bakhtu was the man who had saved him from a group of robbers who had tried robbing him... by wrestling with them.... just kidding... he had shot and the men had run away afraid of the sudden gun shot noise.... After that day waqas had respected him and was very grateful to him.....
Waqas : I haven't seen u in a long time either....
Bakhtu : what happened , u look a little worried?.....
Waqas : oh its nothing....
Bakhtu placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and after a little moment , waqas had finally given up and explained his entire situation to him...
Bakhtu: mashallah , may god make meerab beti successful... and about the money... don't worry , you can maalik, he will lend you a loan , you just have to sign a document and there will be no interest if you return it within 4 years...
Waqas : what - but....
Bakhtu: waqas , that's your only option .... bakhtu tried to persuade him.... our maalik is very generous, you can trust him....
Waqas sighed , and with no option left followed bakhtu as he led him to the panchayat where Murtasim khan sat arrogantly .....
Murtasim only smirked at him and within a blink of an eye handed the large sum of money to him and in return only asked him to sign a document....
Waqas hurriedly signed it without reading the last 2 lines of the document.....
Waqas had happily strolled back home and convinced everyone he had been saving all of this as he didn't want to make them worried..... he was given 4 years to return I, waqas was sure he would be able to return it....
However since the past few years the lands have started becoming infertile and the fruits and vegs produced by the land isn't of too good quality ......
Hence according to the agreement , he has to give all of his land to murtasim khan in compensation.....
///////////////////////////////////
So murtasim explained all of that to meerab in his own words and let's come back to the present now....
Waqas : meerab... his voice was below a whisper as he saw his dearest daughter drenched in tears , her eyes looking accusingly at him....
Mirha : baba , your taking soo long , who's at the -.... mirha stopped mid way as her eyes opened wide to see her sister suddenly at home and that too in such a state.... without wasting another moment she tightly hugged meerab....
Murtasim who had been quietly watching all of that cleared his throat.....
Murtasim: kese hain waqas sahb.... he asked in the usual arrogant murtasim khan style....
Waqas : "what have you done to my daughter..... yelled waqas , right now he couldn't care less who murtasim khan was , he only cared about his daughter....
Murtasim: "just the truth , you failed to tell her " he calmly replied......
Waqas gulped ..... Anila suddenly ran out panickingly as she heard the loud voices....
Meerab broke free from the hug and before Anyone could do or say anything a quivering however confident voice turned their attention towards her as she announced....
Meerab: I'm ready to marry murtasim khan.... she yelled stopping Anila in her tracks as waqas's mouth hung open in guilt and shock.....
Waqas: meerab beta-.... waqas pleaded however meerab was in no mood to hear anything....
Meerab:" I have decided baba"... with that she ran inside her room....with Mirha and Anila following behind.....
Waqas was trying his best from sobbing that too infront of the man that stood calmly yet powerfully infront of him....
Murtasim softened his tone.... or atleast tried to...
Murtasim : iss Friday ko humara nikkah hain , you may start the preparations"... actually the nikkah will happen at the khan mansion , the preparations will be done for you, a car will be sent to get you.... if you want to invite anyone , you may feel free to do so.. murtasim said in a respectful tone and lastly lightly patted his arm as he half smiled and walked out in his signature tiger walk....
Leaving waqas glued to his spot unable to accept what just happened....
Murtasim quickly hopped on to his Mercedes with an army of guards following behind him....
So how Did you guys liked the little surprise I gave you... I bet no one was expecting that or Mr armaans entry... there's also another surprise waiting in the next chapter... which I will update soon.... for now if u have sny suggestions pls tell me and I love reading and replying to comments so make sure to comment...