. . .

. . .

~

"And mix not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know (the truth)." (Qur'an 2:42)

~

Zaki Ahmed smiles in satisfaction.

His PR manager gives him a withering glare. "I've told you the repercussions of that. I've told you what's at stake. I cannot force you to do anything; I can only warn you."

Zaki nods. "I understand. But I don't agree."

"What don't you agree with?"

"I don't agree that it will be detrimental for us."

"We would be risking confidentiality by trusting these low class reporters, and if the spies were to be caught and our name came out, it would result in an enormous loss."

"If," Zaki prompts.

His PR manager nods stiffly. "Yes. A big if."

Zaki spreads out his hands. "Well, then, they just won't get caught."

"You cannot guarantee — "

"I can, actually." He gives the man in front of him a smug smile.

The PR manager sighs. "Are you blackmailing them?"

Zaki stands and buttons his coat. "Not blackmailing. Just . . . taking certain measures. Everyone has something to lose." He strides to the door of his office.

"And the girl — Sumaiya? What will you do about her?"

Zaki shrugs nonchalantly. "The damage to Zameer has been done. Her loyalty makes no difference to me anymore. Rest assured that she will not speak of our business to anyone." He chuckles softly. "She too has something to lose.

"As for what we're about to do . . . this will be the last blow. I promise. Because it won't be necessary to do anything else after this." He stares thoughtfully into the distance.

"This will be enough to destroy Zoya Zameer."

. . .

Zoya feels as if she has been shoved forward brutally onto unsteady ground. More unsteady than the ground she had already been treading. Sumaiya's betrayal weighs down on her like boulders of rocks.

Somewhere in her, her alter ego is cackling, bent over while clutching her stomach. She always knew something like this would happen. She always knew shattered trust would never be repaired. She always knew it was a mistake to allow herself to place even the smallest amount of trust in anyone other than herself.

Zoya sits in the driving seat, unable to raise her eyes to the woman next to her.

Sumaiya sits there quietly, head bent towards her lap. Both women are tense and stoic.

"Why?" Zoya manages to speak, forcing all of her willpower into making this one word sound nonchalant. Not tortured, not like every wound ripped brutally opening in her is screaming quietly. Inhaling deeply, she turns her head to the woman in the passenger seat.

Sumaiya doesn't say anything, just continues to stare into her lap. Zoya's eyes rake over her pained face, her clenched hands. They settle on the hijab wrapped around her head, and Zoya has to contain herself from screaming and scoffing at the same time. She wants to spit, to throw up at the sight of the piece of cloth resting on this deceiving woman's head. Day by day, every single Muslim she meets gives her another reason to despise the whole lot of them.

Additionally, Zoya wonders whether Sumaiya and Zaki had silently giggled over her, wonders whether her pride at his launch party had been the topic of laughter in conversations with his employees.

"Why?" Zoya repeats firmly.

Sumaiya looks up into her eyes, and a stab pierces Zoya's mutilated heart. "He was threatening me." Her voice quivers.

"With what?"

Sumaiya inhales sharply. "He has pictures with me. We . . . " She pauses, cheeks flaming. "We had a sort of commitment. But it turns out it was all a lie, as it was with so many other women. And he threatened to release our pictures to the press. I could not have him ruin my reputation. I could not."

Zoya's fists shake, something in her unraveling at the fact that Zaki Ahmed committed himself to Sumaiya, too. How many more women has he attempted to deceive and charm with false niceties?

Her eyes rove over Sumaiya's attire and her lowered eyes. "You don't seem like the kind of girl who would make a commitment with Zaki Ahmed. But then again" — Zoya scoffs — "you didn't seem like the kind of girl who could do something like this either."

"I was a different girl before. Weaker, more naive. And . . . you don't know what it's like," Sumaiya whispers, her watery eyes piercing Zoya's icy gaze. "To have this need to protect your reputation — "

Zoya lets out a mirthless laugh. "I'm sorry? I don't know what it's like to have my reputation ruined? Sweetheart, I'm Zoya Zameer. I can't think of a time where my reputation hasn't been tarnished." The fire in her eyes burns brighter as she stares Sumaiya down. "You probably know all about that."

Sumaiya remains quiet.

A painful thought occurs to Zoya. "Tell me something. Is your engagement with Haroun even real?"

Eyes raised to the ceiling of the car, Sumaiya begins blinking rapidly. "He thinks it is."

A heavy weight settles on Zoya. Pure, kind Haroun. To have been backstabbed this brutally will not be a soft blow on this gentle man. The news will destroy him.

Haroun, who smiles happily at simply the mention of his fiancé.

"It wasn't at first," Sumaiya rushes to explain. " Zaki Ahmed just wanted to get under your skin. But . . . Haroun has changed my perspective on so many things."

Although Zoya senses she knows the answer, she asks anyway. "How did Zaki think to exploit Haroun?"

"I swear I had nothing to do with that, otherwise I wouldn't have allowed — "

"Answer my question."

"He . . . he's been observing you for a long time — "

"You mean you've been observing me." Her voice is ice cold.

Sumaiya's lips tremble. "He's been observing you for longer. Before my arrival. Anyone can tell with the way you look at Haroun that . . . " Trailing off, she bites her lip anxiously.

To this Zoya cannot seem to say anything. A nagging sensation in her had known this all along. Sameer — who scarcely speaks to her about non work-related things — had pointed this out as well. Even with all her careful actions, is it still blatantly obvious to everyone?

Thinking of Sameer, another thought comes to Zoya. "How come Sameer didn't know about this?"

"Zaki Ahmed is two steps ahead of you, Ms. Zoya. He has been aware that I'm being watched and has arranged for my protection. Sameer actually . . . saw me the other day and has been trying to tell you ever since. Today was . . . today I came to tell Zaki that I'm not doing this anymore." Her breath hitches. "I'm tired of this game. I want . . . " She begins to cry, And Zoya's jaw sets in a hard, merciless line. "I can't do it anymore."

When Zoya speaks, her voice is sharp as steel. "And where did this sudden change of heart come from?" She asks in a nasty voice.

"Haroun Suleiman is a good person. Too good." Her tears trail down her cheeks, but Zoya's tightened jaw remains unmoved. "I have learned so much from him. He deserves the kind of good that is equal to him. He does not deserve me."

"You're right. And — to put it more accurately — you don't deserve him."

Sumaiya continues to cry silently.

"The company will not take any legal action against you," Zoya says slowly, the logical gears in her shocked mind beginning to shift. "Because our reputation is tarnished enough as it is, thanks to you. The press will go wild knowing Zameer had a spy. No, Zaki has very carefully planned this out . . . "

Zoya suddenly slams her hand against the steering wheel in a mad rage and the woman next to her flinches considerably. "You have ruined everything, do you realize that?" she shouts angrily. "You have destroyed everything, you sick, despicable human being." Sumaiya's shoulders shake as she cries. "This man is used to threatening others — you fell into his trap and decided it was okay to ruin someone else's life in the process? Chalo, don't give a damn about me — I'm Zoya Zameer, nobody gives a damn about me — but at least you could have thought of Haroun. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this at all."

"I know, I know," Sumaiya sobs. "That's why I've stepped back. I didn't know what else to do. Zaki was — "

"Don't you dare tell me you had no other choice. Before ruining someone's life, you always have a choice."

A quiet, dormant voice is Zoya's head awakens suddenly at this and whispers in a taunting voice, "Oh, is that so?"

She shakes her head and clutches at strands of her hair to dispel the voice from her mind. But it continues to prod her, to nag at her. Forcing her to view her actions through a lens different than her own.

Is this what she has been doing to others? Manipulating them into helpless situations so that they are forced to do things that may not comply with their morality or ideology? She thinks of Ben from Walmart, of the manager from Panera Bread, of all the people of her past she has somehow bent to her will.

Even Sameer.

She hasn't been doing the same thing, has she?

She shakes her head slowly. No, she hasn't. Right?

Besides, she is Zoya Zameer. She does not need to be merciful with anyone who has done her wrong, and she will not be.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry — " Sumaiya starts again.

"I don't want to hear it," Zoya snaps. "Do you know what I want, dear Sumaiya?" The woman nods quickly, signaling for Zoya to continue. "I want you to vanish from my sight. I don't ever want to see your wretched, cursed face ever again in my life."

Sumaiya trembles, but nods all the same.

"And do you know what else I need from you? Remove yourself from Haroun's life." Zoya quiets for a moment before continuing. "And here's how you're going to do it: you're not going to tell him the truth. You're going to tell him you don't want to marry somebody who has an admirer already. You're going to say you don't want to compete with Zoya Zameer."

She gives a few more instructions before Sumaiya's eyes widen. "You — you're willing to — "

"After you speak to him about this, disappear from our sights. I mean it. Or I'll do you over worse than Zaki Ahmed ever could. Now get out."

Sumaiya pauses, hand resting on the car door. "Ms. Zoya, I'm so — "

"Get out!" Zoya screams, pointing to the door. "I said get out!" Her throat turns raw, Sumaiya opens the door and steps out quickly. "And don't you dare ever try to come back and beg for forgiveness at my feet. Because I'm Zoya Zameer, aur Zoya Zameer kabhi kisi ko maaf nahi karti. Leave, and if I ever see you again, I'll be no less than Shaitan. Leave!"

Sumaiya rushes away rapidly, bringing a hand up to stem the flow of her tears. To no avail, however, because she breaks out into another sob as she turns a corner and disappears from sight.

Zoya slams her steering wheel. Once. Twice. Surprising her, tears begin pooling out of her eyes. "Ugh." She swipes at her face hastily. "Ugh, what the hell, Zoya? What is this?" She rubs her face and takes a deep breath. "That's it, good. Inhale. Exhale." Following her own instructions, she breathes slowly and her breathing begins to return back to normal.

Until she thinks of Haroun Suleiman. The gentle man who trembled at simply seeing fake news about him and Zoya. The man who placed so much trust in this woman – his fiancé – who exploited him.

And her face crumples up all over again.

. . .