Immoral and Blackmail
"Either fix this within the next 24 hours or I'll find myself a new HR department head. You may leave now." I shifted my gaze away from the infuriating person in front of me to the documents awaiting my approval.
He simply fumbled with words before scurrying out of my office. Well, I hope my words gave him enough motivation to do it right this time. The phone on my desk rang, once more distracting me from the documents.
"Yes, Abdul?" I expected my assistant's voice to respond so I was surprised when my mother's voice came through instead.
"Hey, son. I thought I'd swing by your office to see you." Of course she did. "You've been refusing to take my calls ever since I told you about Sunday dinner."
"Mother, I told you, no personal visits during office hours. So, I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Knowing her, she's probably here to lecture me about getting married to the girl she chose.
"It's important. I'm not leaving till you come out and talk to me. Are you really going to behave like a coward and hide in your little office?" Her tone was quick to change from motherly to mocking upon my rejection. There's your actual self, mother. I was wondering how long it would take to appear.
"Ah, I was wondering how long it would take for your tone to change." I'm sure that caused her eyes to narrow while her nostrils flared.
"It's almost lunch time. I'll be free then. I'll meet you at the restaurant itself. I'll text you the address." My tone was final.
There was silence on her side until she finally responded, "You really are your father's son." and then she cut the call. Hmm, I guess I am.
I looked at the clock and saw that I have an hour till lunch time. Only one hour before I'm sure I have to listen to something infuriating. Might as well get some extra work done right now because I'll probably have to go to gym afterwards to blow off some steam.
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"Hello, mother. You said you wanted to meet me. Any particular reason?" I inquired as I took a place at the table, picking up the menu as I contemplated what to get for lunch.
Mother simply sat there, all poised and elegant looking. She opened her mouth to speak when the waiter arrived. She asked him to come back later but I was quick to interrupt that sentence. She might not be hungry but I definitely am.
Her eyes continued to narrow as I took my sweet time to order my lunch and drink. Usually, I would be quick to order to avoid unnecessary interactions but today, well, I have to annoy my dear mother too, now don't I. I'm sure she's here to say something that would infuriate me. In return, I can at the very least annoy her.
"You were saying?" I innocently inquired, as if I had not just taken 5 whole minutes to talk to the waiter.
She simply narrowed her eyes as her motherly mask left her face. That's what I was waiting for, for her to drop the act. All it takes is being away from the cameras and going against her wishes. Now I'm sure this conversation will end quicker.
"Why haven't you been picking Ayesha's calls?" Her icy tone as she questioned me was apparent.
"Ayesha called me? I wasn't aware of that." Why should I talk to her when I don't want to.
At first, I thought that girl might have some self-respect and would stop calling after the first time I explicitly explained to her that I'm not interested.
Imagine how surprised I was upon discovering that she's exactly like my mother in that regard when she kept calling. Spoiler alert, None.
When I didn't elaborate, she became angrier. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was for me when my own son disrespected my choice like that?" While she was careful to keep her voice level, I'm sure she would be yelling by now if we were home.
"Did I ask you to propose marriage to the Malik's? Did I say I'm ready for marriage?" I retorted, knowing quite well I explicitly said no to both.
"This proposal is a good thing. If you marry Ayesha, our power in the business world would become even stronger. Our ranking would become even higher and can you even imagine how many more clients we would get?" Her voice took on a persuasive tone, as she leaned forward to emphasise her point.
"Mother, I've done all of those things alone within the past 5 years. And I can assure you that I can do even better in the coming years." I kept my tone level, as I clenched my hands, trying to contain my anger.
"Ayesha is a good option for you. She belongs to an influential family, has a good public image and knows how she is expected to behave as your wife. If there was a better option than her, I would have found her by now." Her tone also became angrier as I continued to refuse.
"I apologise, mother, but I am simply not interested." Her eyes flared at my response. She opened her mouth to retort but was quick to mask her expression as the waiter arrived at our table with my lunch.
"Won't you eat, mother?" I questioned, as if our previous topic was closed, as she still only had an untouched cup of coffee in front of her.
"Enough, Zaviyaar!" She exclaimed, rejecting my effort to change the topic.
"You will come to dinner on Sunday. You will meet the Malik's officially. And you WILL say yes when asked about the wedding." She leaned back on her chair, bringing her cup to her lips to take a delicate sip, as if wasn't just ordering me to bow down.
I let out a sarcastic chuckle, as I threw my napkin on the table, leaning back to properly face her. How old does she think I am? Four?
"I think you're forgetting that I'm not a child anymore, mother. You cannot control me any longer." I stared back into her eyes, refusing to back down.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, I can. Between the two of us, You're the one who's forgetting who I am. I am not just your mother. I am also the shareholder with majority shares of Khan Technologies. I am also the one who owns most of the board of directors of Khan Technologies." She smirked, her eyes gloating as if she had won a victory.
"Are you threatening me... mother?" My voice displayed just how incredulous I felt as my eye slightly twitched.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare. I'm simply reminding you of the consequences of saying no to me. You seem to have forgotten." She continued sipping her coffee, smiling gently as if we're only talking about the weather.
"I've heard Mr.Ranveer's son wants to take part in the company as well. He's dying to be given a chance to lead." That idiot?! He can barely handle himself, he'll run the company into the ground within months!
"You would honestly hand over our company to that idiot? Are you really that desperate to control me that you would throw away all of the hard work that father and I put in to make the company flourish?!" She cannot be serious. This company is built on the blood and sweat of my father and our employees.
"Oh, I'm very serious. I don't care about any more income, I have more than enough money to indulge myself. But I can only imagine the faces of those poor employees when they find out that you could have saved them by simply saying yes." Her voice overflowed with mock sadness as she pursed her lips and let out a sigh, shaking her head for emphasis.
"But that's just a possibility. It hasn't happened yet, and you can stop it from ever happening. So, what do you say?" She smiled at the end as if we're talking about a fucking vacation.
I kept my stare fiercely connected with hers, on the precipice of losing my anger. My hands clenched, as a vein throbbed in my temple. Why would she even care about anything, she's never worked a day in her life and it shows from the way she spends to the way she talks.
She raised an eyebrow after which I finally lowered my gaze, forced to back down by the image of all the employees who would lose their jobs if that incompetent fool takes over the company. It wouldn't take him a month to lose everything.
"Great!" She clapped her hands and laughed, as if everything is normal. "I'll be expecting you on Sunday. Be on time and be respectful. We don't want anything to go wrong, now do we?" She got up, patted my shoulder and walked away.
I got blackmailed... by my own mother. Calm down, Zaviyaar, don't lose it here. Deep breaths, come on. Oh, Fuck it!
I slammed my fist down on the table, causing the people nearby to jump out of shock. They kept staring at me in fear as I got up, threw some cash on the table, and walked away. Guess I'm going to the gym without even eating. Fucking great!
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"Is this how she blackmails you?" Was my immediate question after Father picked up my call. Silence followed my inquiry, increasing my agitation.
I took deep breaths, trying to keep myself sane, as I leaned against the bonnet of my car, my phone held up against my ear. The gym was able to calm me down enough so I don't break someone, but not so much that I could relax. Fuck, just thinking about the afternoon made my blood boil.
I cancelled the rest of my meetings after the gym and drove to the mountains, knowing I wasn't in the state of mind to attend any more. Being away from people is necessary for me right now, lest I lose myself to my anger once more.
"What did she say to you?" Father's voice was blank as he questioned me.
"To let her fucking control me! Fuck!" I shouted at the end, closing my eyes and leaning my head back. I was sure that my harsh breathing was evident through the phone.
"Son, I need to take deep breaths, okay? Where are you? Tell me, and I'll come, okay?" Father's concern seeped through his voice.
"No. I want to be alone right now." My voice is evidently shaky. I finally slid down to the ground, calming down. "I'm okay, just angry... I'm so fucking angry, Father..."
"It's been so many years and she is still trying to control me. How far do I have to run for her to just leave me the fuck alone... I can't accept this, Father, but I also can't leave the fate of everyone in the hands of that incompetent Kabir!" I could feel I was getting riled up again.
I screamed as I punched the ground, bruising my knuckles further after I had spent an hour on the punching bag. I don't just hate, but despise the feeling of not being in control.
"I can't marry her, father. I haven't even met her and I know I'll hate her because Mother likes her. Her liking shows me all I need to know about her and her character." Mother can only ever like someone who is the same as her - selfish, controlling, arrogant.
A long pause followed, as we both contemplated what we could do. The only solutions I could come up with where I was a free man were also the ones in which thousands of employees ended up jobless.
"Son... Do you trust me?" Father's question puzzled me, his voice showing me how serious he was.
"Yes." And I did. If there is anyone in this world I could trust with my life, it's him.
"Then... say yes." I froze as I heard his words. No... no, please, no.
"I know this is not what you want; I don't want this either. But the only way to get out of this and shut down your mother as well is if we first take control of the narrative. And to do that...you need to say yes." His voice died down by the end, as if even saying this pained him.
"But how? Do you have a plan?" I questioned, finally seeing a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.
"Meet me at the golf club tomorrow at 9. We can talk then."
"I'll be there." I guess there is hope, after all.
"And to answer your first question, yes. That is also how she blackmailed me into this marriage." And then he cut the call. The more I find out about my parents, the more disgusted I become of my Mother.
Guess I'm getting 'married'. I just hope she's tolerable enough for me to get by.
I took in one last deep breath, the quiet mountains offering a sense of peace, and prepared myself for the challenges that awaited me. I will not lose, nor will I let Mother control me. Bring it on, Mother. Let's see who really ends up on top. I will never allow anyone to control me ever again.
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Hello, guys! I'm back with a new chapter, this time, showing Zaviyaar's perspective into everything that is happening.
You know, the reason I am included all these feelings in here, of Imani, Zaviyaar, their parents and everyone, it's because I want to try and show that everyone here is an actual being.
There isn't just a story about Imani and Zaviyaar. It's also about who made them who they are today, what their parents, what they had to face because of their parents and so on.
I really, really hope you like what I have written and do share your thoughts in the comments section.
Vote, comment and share with your friends and followers, guys.
Love you, Byeee. XOXOX.
PS. Double update alert.