In their company, some workers were colluding with the HR Manager to sell information regarding very important projects to other companies. Hooreen investigated the entire matter and exposed them all with evidence. This was the reason she had insisted on coming to the office today. Mr. Jilani was sitting in his office with his manager, Anas, when Natasha entered with permission and spoke:
"Sir, Miss Hooreen has been coming late for many days and leaves whenever she feels like it. Seeing her, other employees will start doing the same. If you tell her anything, she ignores it. She even misbehaved with me."
At her blatant lie about misbehavior, Mr. Jilani looked at her with cold eyes and walked out of his cabin without saying a word. Anas and Natasha followed him. Addressing all the workers, he spoke:
"Listen Everyone!"
"Just now, Miss Natasha told me that my assistant arrives late and it might have a bad influence on all of you. Let me make one thing clear to everyone: punctuality is part of our company rules, and anyone who breaks this rule cannot work here. As for Hooreen, that is my matter. She holds a different status in this company, and for certain reasons, I personally gave her permission to come late. I don't want to see anyone talking to me about this ever again."
After completing his statement, he addressed Hooreen, who was standing by her desk with her head bowed.
"Hoor, child, please come into my office."
He then went into his office, gesturing for Anas to follow him. Meanwhile, Natasha left with a humiliated face, her hatred for Hooreen growing even stronger. Once Hooreen entered, he spoke to Anas:
"Anas, this is my daughter-in-law and the owner of this company. I am often not here, so it is your job to ensure she faces no trouble of any kind."
At his words, Anas looked at Hooreen in astonishment and stood respectfully.
"I am sorry, Ma'am. I didn't know... otherwise, I wouldn't have misbehaved with you like that this morning."
Anas immediately apologized for his actions earlier when she arrived late, as he had been influenced by Natasha and had insulted Hooreen. He couldn't fire her because that right belonged only to the owner. Hooreen spoke with a smile:
"It's alright. That was your job; I didn't feel bad. Just make sure that you are never influenced by others' talk; keep the authority of your decisions to yourself."
At her words, he bowed his head in shame, and Mr. Jilani looked at his daughter-in-law with pride. She walked a few steps forward when suddenly darkness began to cloud her vision. To save herself from falling, she grabbed a chair for support. Mr. Jilani immediately rushed toward her.
"Hooreen...!"
Mr. Jilani supported her and helped her sit on the sofa, speaking with concern:
"I told you to stay home and rest, but you just don't listen to me."
Then he addressed Anas:
"Anas, call the doctor and ask them to come here."
Anas replied:
"Sir, in the time it takes for the doctor to get here, we can take Madam there ourselves."
"Hooreen child, look at me... be brave. Can you hold my hand and walk down to the car...?"
At his question, she nodded. They supported her to the car and took her to the hospital. There, the doctor examined her, conducted some tests, and explained everything to Hooreen thoroughly. When the doctor, Madiha, called Mr. Jilani into her room, he became worried and asked in a concerned tone:
"What has happened to my daughter-in-law, Doctor...? Is she alright...?"
Doctor Madiha noticed the clear nervousness on his face and spoke with a smile:
"There is nothing to worry about, Sir. In fact, it's a matter of joy... your daughter-in-law is expecting. You are going to be a grandfather."
At her words, Mr. Jilani involuntarily raised both hands to thank his Lord and, right there where he stood, performed a prostration of gratitude. He then took out all the cash from his wallet, gave it to Anas, and told him to distribute money and sweets among the entire staff. After that, he gave a check to the doctor, which she happily accepted. His joy knew no bounds. He asked the doctor about taking Hooreen home, and she replied:
"Yes, you can take her home, but take great care of her because she is very weak. That is why she experiences such dizziness. Keep her away from every kind of stress, otherwise, anything could happen."
He went to Hooreen, who was touching her stomach, feeling the new life within. When the doctor told her she was pregnant, she couldn't believe her good fortune. Her eyes filled with tears of joy, and a smile appeared on her lips. Mr. Jilani placed his hand on her head. Seeing the tears in her eyes, he misinterpreted them and couldn't help but ask:
"Hooreen child... are you... happy with all this...?"
Fear and worry were evident in his tone. Understanding this, she spoke:
"Dad, I am very happy... I can't believe my luck. I thought my trials would never end... but my Lord has been so kind to me... He has blessed me with the exalted status of motherhood, so tell me, why wouldn't I be happy...? These tears in my eyes are tears of joy...!"
"You and Kayan have given me the greatest joy of my life. Child, may you live long and always stay happy."
Whatever happened with Kayan, this innocent one was not at fault. This new life developing within her was nothing short of a blessing, and she neither wanted to reject this blessing nor be ungrateful. On the other hand, Mr. Jilani was desperate to tell Kayan the news, but he didn't want to hurt Hooreen. However, he knew she missed Kayan all the time and hoped she might forgive him now. He was very angry with his son, but this news ended all his resentment. After some thought, he called Kayan.
It had been nearly two months of searching for Hooreen, and he hadn't found her anywhere. He had worked day and night, but she was nowhere. Day by day, his courage was failing; the self-confidence and pride he had that he would find Hoor were gone. Before he could completely shatter, God ended his trial. His phone rang. He immediately looked at the screen, hoping for news of his Hoor—perhaps a call from his men or Hoor herself. But when he saw the screen, it was Mr. Jilani calling. His hope broke, but he was also pleasantly surprised that his Dad was calling him, as he hadn't spoken to him once since Hoor left. He answered immediately.
"Where are you, son...?"
"Right where Hoor left me."
He spoke in a defeated tone.
"Fine then, come to Karachi to me right this moment. I have sent the flight tickets to Waleed, and I'll hear no excuses."
He hung up after giving the order. Kayan stared at the phone for a while, then took the tickets and his luggage—which he had already kept packed—and left for the airport.
After dinner, Hooreen came to the kitchen to make tea. After a long time, she felt like drinking tea made by her own hands. She was making tea when the doorbell rang. The servant opened the door, and Kayan was outside. As soon as he stepped inside, the scent of his cologne—though faint, as if applied many days ago—spread through the room. Feeling it, she immediately came out of the kitchen to look. Her suspicion was correct; it was Kayan. He had an overgrown beard, and his enchanting eyes held a pain and desolation that spoke of sleepless nights. His hair was messy across his forehead, and his clothes were wrinkled; he didn't look like the Kayan Zarrar she knew. She felt the intensity of her mistake and hid behind the kitchen wall to watch him. Seeing Kayan in this state brought tears to her eyes. On the other side, Mr. Jilani's heart broke; he moved toward him. Kayan hugged him and began to cry like a child. For the first time, they all saw tears in Kayan Zarrar's eyes. Hooreen's heart ached at his weeping.
"Dad... I... lost... her... forever... I searched so much... but she... wasn't found... I lost, Dad... Because of my... mistake... I lost my Hoor... I am dying every moment... without her... I don't know where she is...? What state she's in...? Get her back for me, Dad... bring my... Hoor... to me... You fulfilled my... every right and wrong wish... every whim... now get me... my Hoor... I don't want... anything else, Dad... I... will beg her for forgiveness with folded hands... I want to meet her once... I will win her over... Dad... tell her to come back... I can't live... without her... How could she leave me like this...? How can she stay away from me...? Please Dad... either bring me Hoor... or... kill me...!"
Kayan's tears and words were stabbing her heart like a dagger. Mr. Jilani supported him and took him to his room. He sat with him for a long time, then after letting him sleep, he went to his room with a heavy heart, but sleep was miles away from his eyes. In the last hours of the night, compelled by her heart, she came into Kayan's room. She watched him with moist eyes for a long time and spoke:
"I have forgiven you, Kayan... forgiven you for everything...!"
Saying this, she kissed Kayan's forehead with trembling lips and went back to her room to sleep. Kayan, who was in a light sleep, felt his Hoor's touch. He woke up, but no one was there. His heart became restless; he left his room and came out. He intended to go to the lawn, but seeing the light on in Mr. Jilani's room, he went there. His father was awake. He asked with concern:
"Dad, why aren't you sleeping...?"
He spoke with moisture in his eyes:
"How can a father sleep when his only son is in this state...? How can a father find peace when his son is in pain...?"
Kayan hugged him and slept there with him. He decided in his heart that he would pull himself together for his Dad. Waking up in the morning, he first fixed his appearance and then left for the office.
When Hooreen woke up, it was 11:00 AM. She was quite late for the office. She quickly showered and got ready. She wore a black top with black jeans and yellow joggers. The back neck of her top was a bit deep, so she left her hair open to cover it. Looking at herself in the mirror, she came downstairs where there was total silence. She asked the maid:
"Where is your master...?"
The maid assumed she was asking about Mr. Kayan, so she replied:
"He has gone to the office."
Hooreen thought she was talking about Mr. Jilani, so she said:
"I know about him, he is very punctual. I am talking about the other master."
"He is sleeping."
"Fine, you go and do your work."
Then she went to the office. On the other hand, Natasha was very happy to see Kayan at the office. She had wanted him from the beginning, but Kayan never paid her any attention. He spoke to Natasha in a busy tone:
"Natasha, bring all the account details and progress reports to my office right now."
As he started to leave, Natasha cleared her throat and spoke:
"Sir... those files are with Sir's assistant, and she hasn't arrived yet."
At this, he became angry and spoke sternly:
"Why are all the files with her...? and when will she arrive...?"
"Sir, she comes and goes as she pleases. There is no set time for her arrival or departure. She comes to the office whenever she feels like it."
This angered him further.
"What kind of way is this...? When she has no punctuality, who gave her this job...?"
"Sir, the elder master gave it to her. Because of him, no one can say anything to her."
Natasha spoke, venting her hatred. Kayan said:
"Fine, when she arrives, send her to me."
She happily walked out; finally, she had a chance to get Hooreen insulted. When Hooreen arrived at the office, it was 12:00 PM. Natasha immediately went to Kayan. Kayan was in his Dad's cabin instead of his own; he rarely used his own. She entered with permission. Kayan was sitting with the chair turned away, holding a file. With Kayan's back to the door, Natasha spoke:
"Sir, the assistant has arrived. If you say so, should I send her in?"
At this, Kayan looked at the watch on his hand, which showed 12:00. He was furious and spoke in a cold tone:
"Fine, send her in, I will talk to her myself... Dad has spoiled his workers far too much. First that Anas, and now this...!"
She came out and spoke to Hooreen:
"Sir is calling you to his cabin right now."
There was something in her tone and manner that made Hooreen pause, but then, ignoring it, she entered the office without knocking and spoke:
"Yes, you called, D...!"
Upon entering, she felt the scent of Kayan's cologne throughout the cabin. It didn't take her a second to realize that the person sitting with the chair turned away was none other than Kayan. By the time she realized this, Kayan had already turned his chair toward her. Hooreen's feet refused to move. On the other hand, Kayan was so lost in thoughts of Hooreen that he hadn't paid attention to her voice. At her entering without knocking and addressing him, he turned his chair toward her in anger, slammed the file on the table, and spoke:
"No manners before entering...!"
Seeing Hooreen standing before him, the rest of his words died in his mouth. He closed and opened his eyes twice to make sure he wasn't seeing a beautiful dream. When she didn't disappear, he spoke in a tone mixed with wonder and disbelief:
"Hoo...r...!"
He immediately went to her and hugged her. Then, after madly kissing every feature of her face, he imprisoned her in the circle of his arms again, as if afraid that if he let go, she would vanish. For a long time, he held Hooreen in his embrace. She too leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She felt peace descending into her heart and mind. When she realized Kayan's hands were on her waist, she immediately pulled away and started to leave, but Kayan caught her hand, stopped her, and sat on the floor on his knees with folded hands.
"Please Hoor... forgive me and free me from this punishment... I will go mad. The feeling of losing you is fatal for me... I am ashamed of my actions... please forgive me...!"
Seeing Kayan like this gave her a massive shock. Hooreen couldn't speak out of shock; the man who never bowed before anyone was sitting before her like this, begging for forgiveness. Her mind went numb. She watched Kayan sitting there in disbelief; she felt as if someone was lashing her. Her legs began to tremble. She wanted to stop Kayan, to lift him up, to tell him she had forgiven him, but she could neither speak nor move. Before he could say anything more, Mr. Jilani entered the cabin and was also stunned to see Kayan like that. Then, controlling himself and considering Hooreen's state, he spoke:
"Kayan, what are you doing...? Get up from the floor!"
"No Dad, let me apologize to Hoor."
He spoke while remaining in that position. Hooreen also came to her senses. She immediately went to Mr. Jilani and whispered:
"Dad, please... make Kayan get up. I can't see him like this... seeing him like this is very agonizing for me."
Saying her piece, she ran out crying without listening to anything. Kayan started to follow her, but Mr. Jilani caught and stopped him. Seeing her leave the office crying, Natasha was very happy while everyone else was worried. She came home without saying anything to anyone. Mr. Jilani sat Kayan on the sofa and spoke:
"Kayan, you are agonizing Hooreen by behaving like this in front of her. Her forgiving you must be her own decision. You have to solve this whole matter with love and a clear head now, not by being emotional. Instead of improving things, they will worsen, and I don't want that. That's why I called you here without telling Hooreen."
"Hoor... was... here...? With you...? That's why I couldn't find her anywhere... Because I searched everywhere except my own home...!"
He spoke looking at his Dad with surprise, to which he replied:
"Yes, she was here in Karachi... she didn't want to return to you, nor did she want to go back to her parents. In such a situation, I couldn't leave my daughter-in-law alone, so I brought her here."
"Dad... how could you do this... to me...? I was searching for her everywhere like a madman, dying every moment... my breath would stop thinking where she would be, in what state...? Whether there would even be anyone to take care of her or not...? My condition, my agony and restlessness were all before you, yet you didn't tell me about Hooreen even once...? At least you could have told me she was okay...? How could you do this to me...?"
He spoke in a tone mixed with anger and helplessness. Mr. Jilani spoke in a heated tone:
"I did exactly as you did to that innocent girl... if I hadn't supported her then, she wouldn't be standing alive before you today. To me, she is more important than you. she considers me her father, so how could I not support her...? She needed time to get over all this, and when I felt everything would be okay now, I called you. And anyway, it was necessary to suffer the punishment for what you did."
At his words, he bowed his head in shame but also smiled thinking that his Dad had protected her life, kept her in his shelter, given her so much love, and taken such care of her. He spoke with a smile:
"So your darling is that assistant whom you've spoiled more than necessary, and she comes and goes to the office as she pleases...?"
He spoke, hiding his smile:
"Beware if you say anything about my daughter coming late... go home and talk to her."
"I will go and do that right now, but I don't understand why, being the owner of the company, she is doing an assistant's job...? and this branch was suffering such a loss, so how did it suddenly get so much profit...?"
"The first reason was that if she worked as the owner, the news would reach you, so she was working as an assistant because you didn't come to this company because of Anas... and now, thank God, you came to this company too. The most important purpose was to find the reason for the loss occurring in this company, which Hooreen did very well."
Then he told him of Hooreen's achievement. Hearing this, he was both surprised and happy, and spoke in a proud tone:
"Your son's choice cannot be ordinary!"
He smiled at his remark, and Kayan hugged him. He was satisfied, and so was Kayan. He came back home. He was very happy that his Hoor was back; now he just had to win her over.
She was lying face down in her room, weeping. The scene of Kayan begging for forgiveness kept flashing before her eyes, intensifying her agony. She had never imagined he would do something like that. Kayan checked every room in the house and finally found her in the room directly across from his own.
Kayan entered the room quietly, closed the door, and stood a short distance away from her. She had already sensed his presence through his scent. Without turning or making a move, she spoke while lying in the same position:
"Kayan, please leave from here right now."
"How do you know I've come...?"
He asked in a surprised tone, to which she replied:
"The scent of your cologne announces your arrival..."
She remained lying face down. Kayan sat beside her, gently brushed her hair back with his fingers, placed his burning lips on her back, and spoke:
"Did you come to my room last night...?"
At this gesture, she turned around as if struck by an electric current and tried to get up, but Kayan didn't let her. Now she was facing him, and his warm breath was scorching her face. She wanted to feel Kayan and his touch, yet as soon as he came close, she wanted to distance herself; she couldn't understand her own feelings.
"Please leave me alone...!"
Kayan placed his hand over her mouth to silence her and spoke:
"I simply cannot leave you... You don't know what I've been through in your absence, what my state has been, nor can you imagine how I endured this distance... But enough, no more of this punishment, Hoor... We both love each other, so let's make a new beginning together...!"
Saying this, he placed his lips on Hooreen's forehead. Beads of moisture began to appear on her brow. He was incredibly close to her; Hooreen's heart began to race. Sensing this, Kayan placed his lips over her heart. Hooreen felt as if her breath would stop; she began taking deep breaths to normalize herself. With a captivating smile on his face, he spoke:
"I can clearly hear this heartbeat of yours whenever I come near you; even when I am away from you, I can feel this pulse. It contains only me, and no one else. Every part of your being, your breath, your soul, this heartbeat—all of them find peace in my proximity. So why do you go against your own self by fighting all of them...? Why don't you admit that you have become addicted to my closeness, my touch, my affections, my intensities, and the madness of my love? Tell me, it's true, isn't it...?"
Hooreen, who had been struggling to escape his grip, became still upon hearing his words because this was the very truth she was running away from. However, she never expected that Kayan would be aware of these feelings of hers. Her face began to turn red with embarrassment and she started biting her lip. For a moment, she lifted her trembling lashes; a clear confession was written in them. Seeing this, the smile on Kayan's face deepened, and Hooreen lowered her gaze again.
He spoke again in a regretful tone:
"And for whatever I did... I apologize from the bottom of my heart... For God's sake, forgive me... and stop fighting yourself and your feelings like this, Hoor...!"
She, who had been under the spell of his words and had forgotten everything while looking into his mesmerizing eyes, was startled by his apology and remembered everything. She gathered her courage, pushed Kayan back, and stood up from the bed. She just wanted to run away from there. She bolted toward the door without a word, but Kayan grabbed her wrist and stopped her, pulling her toward him with a jerk. Before she could collide hard against his chest, she steadied herself by placing both hands on his chest. Encircled by Kayan's arms around her waist, he spoke:
"You can't leave like this without giving an answer, Hoor."
Feeling weak in front of him, she spoke:
"Kayan... please stay away from me...!"
"I cannot stay away from you, you know that very well. And you can't stay away from me either."
"You are doing the same thing again, Kayan... You cannot impose your will on me... It isn't as you think... I want to stay away from you, I want to stay away from your proximity... right now, I just want to be alone... Please let go of me and leave. If you want me to forgive you, then stay away from me...!"
Her tone did not match the expression written in her eyes, yet Kayan was hurt by her words. He released Hooreen and asked her in disbelief:
"You want me to stay away from you...? You want to be away from me, Hoor...? Do you truly want that...? Fine then, Hoor, if that's how it is, let it be... I have suffered enough punishment, but no more... Every time I come near you, you reject me like this... Every time I come to you forgetting everything, but... you do the same thing again... So... it is better that I stay away from you and leave you to yourself... I will never cross your path again; you stay alone...!"