PREVAILS
"Life was never meant to be a fairytale, but still we chose to believe that ours would have a happy ending." Honest, straightforward, pretty and a hell of a temper, that was Gauhar Siddique. Passionate about serving the right cause and ensuring that nobody could defile the pure tenets of justice. She was a warrior of the law, and you were in deep trouble if you ever found yourself on the wrong side of her fist. Little does she know that trouble was brewing within the paradise her father has worked hard to build. "A little bit of deceit in the grand scheme of things never hurt anyone, especially if it were to uphold the shaky pillars of Justice." Charming, kind, friendly and handsome a deadly combination that would lure even the best in. Altamash Ahmed Quadri was a spider who's expert manipulation wove you right into his web. And once you were in, you could never escape. That was how Youngest Director of the Fairfax and Co Solicitors worked. How would these two opposites clash when Altamash forces Gauhar to marry him? There would be sparks and fireworks for sure. But why did Altamash force her to marry him? And most importantly, could these opposites ever fall in love? ••••••••••• "It's not him, it cannot be him!" I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, but his face stayed resolute. As he slowly walked towards me, I stepped away. I couldn't let him smash everything I'd known to the ground, to wreck havoc to every notion I had held as true. As the back of my head hit the wall behind me, I sucked in a breath. The sight of the animalistic smirk on his face scared me, he looked like he had won. Like I was exactly where he wanted me to be. Pushing his hands in his pockets he approached me, and stopped only when there was a hairsbreadth between us. I could feel the warmth of his breath fan my forehead. And I couldn't breathe. Leaning in his lips ghosted against the sensitive skin of my earlobe, "Deception my love." His voice was a smooth whisper against me, as warm as the blazing fire in his eyes and as smooth as the honey that reminded me of the colour of them. My pulse hammered erratically on my throat and he noticed, because he chuckled softly, "it's not easy to act in a way that is against what you actually feel Gauhar. He had you fooled, just like i have your body fooled into thinking that I am going to ravish you." "That's false." I bit out through grit teeth, my voice a vehement hiss. He placed an arm beside my head, caging me in and looking straight into my eyes, his own were dark the amber of orbs almost eclipsed. "It's not false and you know it, let's not deceive ourselves darling." Leaning in he inhaled a deep breath, "our bodies currently believe that we like eachother, when that's as far away from reality as could be." He abruptly stepped away, "it was all an illusion the same way Gauhar, he had spun a lie around you. Just like I had spun one around us." ••••••••• PS: The beginning of this book is super slow, because you guys gotta get acquainted with the characters, but I promise it'll get Interesting as the story moves on. And be warned this is a slow burn novel so if your expecting instant fireworks and sparks...this is not the book for you. But if you like to feel pain and emotions (masochistic?) and bit of solving cases of law, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. P.PS: The book is written in the POV of the four protagonists Anyways, you should go read the book cuz that's obviously what your here for. Happy Reading!
Exam Distress?
Daniya's POV
"I have no idea how you can bear to leave London, knowing that you have exams in a couple of weeks." I felt Gauhar's gaze that was filled with what I could only describe as awe fix on me " truly, I commend your confidence."
I rolled my eyes at her in exasperation. I knew how obsessive she was about studies, I also knew that beneath that awe was concern for me.
And I hated how she felt guilty about bringing me here and I hated it even more that she kept reminding me and herself of the things that I had left behind there for her. What she didn't understand was that I had absolutely no regrets about leaving all that behind. And most importantly I was completely aware that it wasn't permanent.
It wasn't like I was letting go of my life's goals for her. But her sensitivity to even small acts of sacrifice that others performed for her made her curl up in a ball of guilt and shame.
I felt a twinge of pain on her behalf as I thought about what had brought her to become as strong, yet as sensitive and vulnerable as she was.
I always wanted to ask her why she was so scared to lean on someone else, why she was so determined to shoulder the burdens of everyone around her but disregarded herself.
But I couldn't, because I saw how she'd close up. I could see the darkness shroud her gaze, the pain marring the lines of her beautiful face. So I stopped myself and focussed on making sure I was there for her even if she didn't want me to be there.
Masking the dark thoughts swirling inside my head I looked at Gauhar wryly, ensuring that I kept the mood as light as I could "I know it's difficult for you to control yourself but Gauhar I'm afraid you've developed a severe case of selective amnesia.
"I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as selective -"
Growling at how she seemed to know about literally everything I cut her off "How many times should I remind you that I don't want to talk about my exams? Do you enjoy reminding me of the pain in my life?"
"Obviously not."
"Then why do you insist on bringing this crap up every three hours?"
"Because I don't understand how you are going to prepare yourself for it, you hardly have any time." She looked at me with concern, seeing my expression she quickly added "I mean, I just wanted to know your secret, because I can't stop freaking out about my own examinations."
"Gauhar can you give the girl a rest?" Muqeet called out from the front "Not everyone likes to obsess over their exams and maniacally peruse their books. Normal people usually don't like to continuously be reminded of the hardships in their life."
"Exactly" I chimed in "The secret behind being as carefree as I am is not to give a single damn about your studies, if you fail you fail. It's not like your life's gonna end if you flunk at some boring ass subject that you won't have a use for in life."
Enjoying the horrified expression on Gauhar's face at the prospect of failing at any subject I gave her a meaningful and continued "like history,I know how much you hate it Haru."
"I don't hate it per se.."
"Stop right there Gauhar, all of us know you can't lie about this. Anyway, I agree with whatever Pinky said."
Smirking at Gauhar who was eyeing both of us with disbelief and incredulity I added "See even he gets me. Another perk of letting go is that I enjoy my life, I don't need to carry my books everywhere to get ready for my exams"
Giving Gauhar a pointed look I continued "Unlike some people I know. And don't worry I won't actually fail or give up on my tests, I'm leaving in two days anyway."
Gauhar gifted me with a sour expression, as I watched Muqeet smile in satisfaction at the front of the car. Weren't friends such a great blessing?
I couldn't help but notice how the smiles on both the siblings' faces dimmed and how the lively atmosphere in the car suddenly turned heavy and uneasy as we approached the house they had left years ago.
Their expressions had darkened, Gauhar was tapping her foot anxiously as she looked out of the window and Muqeet had his jaw clenched hard enough to make me worried about his teeth. His hands had the steering wheel in a death grip as the whites of his knuckles stood out against the black wheel.
I placed my hand on Gauhar's as she closed her eyes, most probably fighting against the flood of unpleasant memories. She stiffened her back and squared her shoulders as she took in a deep breath.
Noticing the concern on my face she looked at me and smiled, as if trying to reassure me that she was in fact perfectly fine.
I smiled right back at her, knowing that if anything she was a warrior and no matter how much I worried, she could fight for herself. And I knew she'd always come up as the winner.
As we walked out of the car, the mellow scents of the earth hit my nostrils. The fresh smell of fresh grass filled my lungs, calming me down. The soothing sounds of the trees moving in the breeze surrounded us, making me feel light and expectant.
It was difficult for me to imagine that this beautiful place held memories dark enough for people as strong as Gauhar and Muqeet to stiffen up, an expression of darkness settling itself on their features. A stark contrast from the serenity that washed over me.
The sounds of the laughter of children as they played down the street and the faint tinkling of bells from the handcarts people pushed to sell there wares wafted into my ears. People around us were busy, the poor and the rich, the young and the old alike. All of them had a destination they had to reach, a role they had to fulfil.
Muqeet took Gauhar's hand in his, as if silently comforting her and taking comfort from her. I couldn't help but feel jealous of how they provided each other with strength as they took in the quaint little house.
I set my gaze on the house that was painted a calming cream colour, with large windows that promised the notion of a cool breeze as it flowed through the gulmohar trees surrounding it. The bright orange flowers of the trees caught my attention, as its little petals fell and littered the path towards the house.
As we let ourselves through the simple black kissing gates, our eyes landed on the veranda. It elicited images of enjoying evening tea with the family as you watched the sun settle behind the horizon in my mind.
We all silently walked in through the teak wood doors, which creaked in welcome. Lost in our own thoughts nobody spoke a word, and I couldn't help but revel in the serenity of the place. Though the house had been abandoned for years, it still managed to hold its charm.
Muqeet sat down on the plush sofas coloured a comforting beige in the drawing room which overlooked the open style kitchen, checking his phone for messages.
Gauhar walked towards the walls that were lined with beautiful Arabic calligraphy dating back to times where people still had to communicate through letters and having a prince on horseback at your doorstep wasn't as impossible of a fantasy as it was now.
The room was bathed in the golden light flooding through the large windows, which gave you a beautiful view of the green trees outside. We all silently admired the beauty of the old place, which held the tales of the people who lived there years ago, the walls that witnessed the happiness, the births, the sadness and the deaths of its inhabitants.
"Gauhar can you please show Ayesha and Daniya their room?" Auntie Hadiya said, cleverly wording her command as a request. Her keen brown eyes similar in colour to Muqeet's severely lacked the warmth that was present in his, and the firm set of her mouth made me feel slightly wary of her.
Before Gauhar could as much as open her mouth, Muqeet jumped up from his perch on the sofa "Let Gauhar rest Mama, she must be tired after wasting her energy by carrying the shi- crap she'd packed because of her severe lack of organising abilities. I will escort them to their room Mama, don't worry."
It couldn't help but notice how he had censored himself in front of his mother. Be it because of his respect for her or because he was terrified of the consequences of cursing in front of his mum. I found it incredibly cute either way, which was bad bad news for me.
Gauhar's eyebrows reached so high on her head, they threatened to disappear into her hair at Muqeet's voluntary act of kindness. A silent look of understanding passed between both of them where I felt that a seal had been struck between them as Gauhar nodded her head. Putting on a grateful smile on her face.
Their Mother flashed an adoring look at Muqeet giving me the impression that she was probably proud that her son was such a gentleman. Gauhar however, wasn't so lucky, she was gifted with a glare which made me feel thankful that looks couldn't kill. Or else I would have had to clean up her smouldering pile of ashes.
Picking up our bags Muqeet flashed mom a smile that showcased his white teeth, which I was afraid would blind her with its brightness. I shook my head as I stifled my laugh when I saw that mom did look quite dazed as he guided her towards our room.
Auntie Hadiya wisely decided to follow them. I think she knew that her son could not be trusted, she was his mother after all, she knew her children better than they knew themselves. And no matter how much she might adore him, she knew that he was trouble.
Hell, even I knew that he was trouble. But there was something about him that you just couldn't resist and that was made him dangerous.
Gauhar gave me a look to stop back as everyone moved towards their rooms to freshen up and rest after the exhausting flight.
I followed her as she led me through the back doors of the house, to reveal a beautiful garden that looked like it was maintained in pristine condition. The orange flowers of the gulmohar littered the grass over here as well.