dedicated to anam_shaz

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••••

"Sherry, we are in a bigger mess." Jiya's fearful voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Jiya, stop creating suspense. Just tell me what happened." Sheherbano irritatedly asked, as her patience dried off.

"Shams send the proposal for you." Closing her eyes, Jiya spurted out the words and put the phone away from her ear. Expecting Sheherbano's wrath.

"I.... what?" But Sheherbano cackle out a loud laugh and asked.

"Achha mazak hai..." Laughing, she added.

(Nice joke.)

"Sheherbano, Main mazak nahi kar rahi hoon." Jiya sternly called her.

(I'm not joking.)

"Mazak nahi hai toh kya hai? Shams ka rishta mere liye... I mean really?" Sheherbano also become serious but in end again laughed. But her laugh was now hallow and humourless.

(Then what it is? Like Shams really sent the proposal for me...)

"Really! Shams ne tumhare liye rishta bheja hai kyuki.... pata nahi kyu. Lekin maine itna suna ki unhe tumse nikkah karna hai." A loud gasp left Sheherbano's lips when she realized Jiya is telling the truth.

(Shams really sent the proposal for you..... I don't know why he did that but...

"What? Unhone waqai mein aisa kiya? How could... Achha, ab hum samjhe....." Her voice become undertone, as she asked herself these questions.

(He really sent the proposal for me? How could... Now I understand...)

"Kya?" Jiya couldn't understand what she was saying. Before Sheherbano could answer her, Sheherbano's female colleagues walked passed by her, talking about Shams Malik. Which made Sheherbano more annoyance.

(What?)

"Shams Malik! ab hum apko batate hain." She furiously whispered.

(I'll see you.)

"Samajhte kya hain yeh khud ko? Aise hi humare liye proposal bhejenge aur hum accept kar lenge? Inki toh hum abhi khabar lete hain."

(What does he think by sending me his proposal?)

"Sherry, tum kya keh rahi ho?" Jiya, who was listening to her jabbering, asked in confusion.

(What are you saying?)

"Jiya, main tumhe baad mein call karti."

(I'll call you later.)

"Magar, Sherry... Sherry, suno kuch ulta seedha mat karna...Sherry!" Jiya kept saying but Sheherbano disconnected the call.

(But, Sherry... Sherry, don't do anything stupid... Sherry!)

Putting her phone in her bag, rolling up her sleeves, she started going where Shams Malik is.

"Ma'am, kaha ja rahi hain?" The attendant stopped her on the door and asked.

(Where are you going, Ma'am ?)

"Shams Malik se milne." Sheherbano didn't stop for him, replying him, she barged in.

(To meet Shams Malik.)

"Ma'am, woh meeting mein hain." Behind her, he told her and also entered the board room.

(He is in a meeting.)

Six members of the board, four foreign clients and Shams Malik, eleven pairs of eyes turned to her. And Sheherbano Ali froze there. She was expecting him alone but the crowd there removed her all rage and replaced it by anxiety.

Shams Malik couldn't say a thing, as he stared at her motionlessly. He averts his eyes away from her to the board members, when he saw one of his foreign client looking at Sheherbano from her head to toe.

Shams clenched his fist. "Miss Sheherbano Ali." He called her in a low throaty growl.

Being in the centre of attention to everyone, Sheherbano couldn't see anything, neither hear him.

Shams cleared his throat and get up, other members present there were about to get up too but he showed them his hand, closing the buttons of his coat, he stood in front of her.

Sheherbano's eyes were fixed on his brown shiny shoes when she raised her head to meet his gaze.

"Miss Sheherbano, kya apko itna nahi maloom

ki iss tarah board meeting mein nahi atey." His voice was low, only she was able to hear him carefully just because if their closeness.

(Don't you know better than to barge in a board meeting like this?)

"I... I..." She meekly manages to speak.

"What I? Just leave from here." He raised his voice, which made her jump.

She didn't waste another second and ran away from there.

•••

"Ek toh rishta bhi khud hi bheja aur ab daat bhi khud hi rahe hain.... woh bhi sabke samne." Crying, Sheherbano complained to herself. She was sitting in the lounge area, tearing tissue paper in pieces and throwing it on the floor. The lounge was almost empty, except for the sweeper who was working in a corner.

(First, he sent ne his proposal. And now, he is the one scolding me.... in front of everyone.)

"Yeh bhi koi baat hoti hai..." Wiping her tears by her hand, she said. When someone put their handkerchief in front of her.

(What kind of behaviour it is?)

She was about to take it when saw who it was. Nawab Shams Malik was in front of her. Which made her gasp.

Her mouth huffed air in, as she looked at her left to avoid looking at him.

Taking the cue, sweeper left from there. Now, they both were alone in the huge area of the lounge.

"Le lijiye... your nose is..." Shams told her while pointing at her nose. This made Sheherbano sniffed.

(Take it...)

She quickly took some tissues out from tissue box and wipe her nose.

"Baat karni thi apko?" He sat beside her and asked.

(You wanted to talk about something?)

Sheherbano opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by sniff.

"Itna nahi kaha tha jitna aap ro rahi hain." Shams couldn't help but wonder.

(What I said to make you cry?)

"Mujhse... Mujhse kabhi kisine uchi awaz mein baat nahi ki." Sheherbano choked out her words in between her sniffles from crying.

(No one... No one raised their voice at me.)

"Main agey se dhyan rakhunga iss baat ka... Um! Water?" When he saw that her cries weren't stopping but only increasing, he asked and quickly got up to fetch a glass of water for her.

(I'll keep that in my mind.)

"Here!" Sitting beside her, he gave her the glass of water.

Taking it, she chugged down the water in one breath.

"Thank you."

"So, what you wanted to talk about?" When she calmed down, Shams again asked.

"I..." Sheherbano opened her mouth when got interrupted by Shams P.A

"Sir, Mr Affandi is here." He informed Shams.

Shams nod his head and dismissed him.

"Aap ghar jaiye. Jo bhi baat hogi hum ghar pe karenge." He turned to Sheherbano and told her. Not waiting for her answer, he left. Sheherbano's mouth was almost touching the floor.

(Go home, Sheherbano. We would talk about it later.)

"Baat bhi matlab ab inke hisab se hogi?" Sheherbano angrily asked.

(We will talk according to his mood?)

•••

"Dekhiye, agar aap meri baat se offend hue then I'm really sorry. But aap Sherry ko kyu beech mein la rahe hain." Jiya asked Shams on phone.

(If you are angry at me then I'm really sorry. But why did you send a proposal for Sherry?)

"Jiya, I think you are unaware of the pact which our fathers made. Your father agreed to marry his daughter to me, which were you. But now, I don't think it is appropriate for us to marry. This means Sheherbano is the ideal bride for me."

"Pa... Pact? What kind of pact?" Jiya's eyes widened because of this information. She never thought her marriage was a deal. This

proposal was nothing but for business benefit.

Jiya's breath was ragged but slow. Afraid Shams would hear it, she took the phone away from her ear and lips. A few tears rolled down to her cheeks, feeling deceived by her own father. She quickly wiped her tears and cleared her throat.

"Hello!" Shams call was still connected. Taking a sharp breath, Jiya again put the phone on her ear.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was feeble, which made him ask.

"I'm fine. We were supposed to marry na, then we should marry each other. Sherry ko in sab mein mat uljhaiye." Jiya made her voice hard and told him.

(Don't bring Sherry in this.)

"I'm sorry, Jiya, but mujhe uss ladki se shaadi nahi karni jiske dil mein koi aur ho." Saying this, Shams disconnected the call.

(I won't marry the girl who is in love with someone else.)

•••

"Hum kuch nahi kar sakte, Sherry." Jiya said. She was feeling most defenceless. Sheherbano was her little and because of her stupidity, she got stuck in Jiya's mess. But Jiya couldn't even help her.

(We can't do anything.)

"Par... Clear one thing for me, Jiya, how did Abba say yes? Why he didn't ask them to get lost? Why?" Sheherbano, who was munching sandwich to calm herself down, asked and picked the glass of soft drink.

(But...)

Jiya avoided looking at Sheherbano. She didn't want to break Sheherbano's heart. Poor girl thinks of Shahmir Ali as her own father and loves him like that. What will happen to her once she got to know her father fixed her marriage just for business. Her father doesn't value her feelings neither emotions. Jiya didn't want to crush the poor girl's heart.

"Waise Ammi aur Abba ne ab tak mujhse iss barey mein baat nahi ki. Shayad unn log ne rishte se mana kar diya." Sheherbano hopefully asked. Jiya shook her head

(But, Ammi and Aba didn't talk to me about this proposal yet. Maybe they refused The Maliks.)

"Meri abhi Shams se baat hui." She informed Sheherbano.

(I just talked to Shams.)

"What? What did he call you now?" Sheherbano put the glass on the tray and angrily asked.

"He didn't call me. I did. I wanted to know why he sent the proposal for you."

"Thank god you asked him. Because if I had, I would have lost my temper and would have said something foul to him." Sheherbano wisely nodded her head.

"Waise what he said?"

"He said... He said... Said that... That he won't marry a girl who loves someone else."

"He isn't wrong. But that doesn't answer why he sent the proposal for me." Sheherbano again nodded her head, agreeing with Shams.

"I guess because... Because the news of Nawab Shams Malik and Shahmir Ali's daughter is such a big headline... Maybe he is doing this for his reputation." Jiya said the first thing which came in her mind.

"Reputation? Then why did Abba said yes? He should have refused them."

"Maybe because Abba itna achha rishta khona nahi chahte."

(Abba didn't want to lose a nice guy like him.)

"Achha rishta? Woh bhi yeh? Jiya, woh jo shaks haina..." Sheherbano put the lock of her hair behind her ear and sat properly to face Jiya.

(Nice guy? Him? That guy is a...)

"Bohot khadoos hain... Din bhar office mein kabhi issey daat rahe hain toh kabbi ussey. Har ek minute pe kisina kisi ke daat-te rehte hain. Aaj toh hume bhi daata. Woh bhi pure board member ke samne." Sheherbano's eyes watered when remembered the insult.

(He is very rude. He is always in a foul temper, always scolding someone. He even scolded me in front of board members.)

"I don't want to marry him." She mumbled while looking down.

"I'm sorry, Sherry. If I had known... I would have never called him that day." Jiya hugged her.

"Call? Yes, call." Sheherbano suddenly becomes excited, as she broke the hug.

"What?" Jiya didn't understand the change in her mood and confusingly asked.

•••