FF: Web of Lies - COMPLETED on p80 - Page 18

its thursday

it's friday

Originally posted by: MjhtFan_Mahima

it's friday

the update day

😊

Remember I'm in New York. It's Thursday afternoon here! Chapter is ready. I just need my betas to bless the current revision. 😊

Originally posted by: PalyGirl

Remember I'm in New York. It's Thursday afternoon here! Chapter is ready. I just need my betas to bless the current revision. 😊

CHAPTER FIVE

Zoya walks into the K-7 Consulting Group office. Her cheeks are still flushed and her eyes are a bit swollen but she's otherwise composed. She nods to Surita who nods in return and looks past Zoya.

"Where is your gorgeous boyfriend?" Surita looks to the still-open door with a hopeful expression.

Zoya shuts the door with more care than it needs. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Really?" Surita raises her eyebrows. "Does he know that?"

Zoya is about to respond when she sees Dev sitting at her workstation. He and Kesavan are deep in conversation and unaware of her presence. She crossed the room to them.

"Hello." She smiles brightly. "What's going on?"

"Oh, hello, Zoya." Kesavan straightens and smiles back at her. "Nothing, nothing at all. Dev was just giving me a report on his progress." He looks puzzled. "What are you doing here? Didn't you go to Asad's office?"

She nods. "He had to take care of an emergency. Since he didn't need me, I decided to put in more time here."

"That's wonderful, Zoya. We have a lot for you to do." Kesavan nods to her and Dev. "Keep up the good work!"

He retreats into his office and shuts the door.

"Why are you at my desk?" Zoya asks Dev.

"It's closest to Mr. Nair's office." Dev gets up and stands very close to Zoya, as though trying to intimidate her. "You don't own this chair."

"No, but this is my workstation." Zoya doesn't back down an inch. "Respect it."

Dev snorts and goes back around to his own workstation. Zoya sits down at her desk and frowns at her blank computer screen. She goes through her files but nothing appears disturbed. Finally she takes a deep breath and opens the top file folder from her stack.

Her cell phone rings. The name "Jahapanah" shows in the display window. She presses the button to ignore the call.

"Stop calling me," she mutters to the phone. "I'm not speaking to you."

"Zoya, what are you doing here?" Malak comes out of his office. "And where is your annoying, controlling shadow?"

She takes extra care putting her phone away, hiding her face. "I've had a change of plans. I can work here this afternoon."

"Really?" Malak perches on her desktop. "How did you get to the office if Asad "My-Way-or-the-Highway" Ahmed Khan didn't drive you here?"

"I took a taxi." She pauses. "How do you know he didn't drop me off?"

"If he had, he'd be in here right now, testing the thickness of the window glass or the temperature of the cappuccino machine. What is up with that dude and his God complex?" Malak huffs.

Zoya bites into her lower lip but doesn't reply.

"Zoya?" Malak leans down and looks at her face. "What's wrong?"

She ducks her chin but Malak crouches down so he's level with her. She turns her head away but he leans over and sees her expression. He releases his breath on a heavy sigh.

"What did the jackass do?" he demands.

Zoya shakes her head. "It was nothing. He didn't need me in his office this afternoon so I decided to come back here. Where I'm wanted." Her voice trembles a bit at the end.

Malak is quiet for a moment then he takes her hands and pulls her out of her chair.

"Let's have lunch first."

"I...I'm not hungry," she insists.

"Well, I am."

Malak turns for the door. Dev looks up from his workstation.

"She just got here and she's already taking lunch?" he says snidely. "Doesn't she do any work around here?"

Zoya flushes with color and looks away from him.

Malak stops in his tracks. "Speaking of work, aren't you supposed to be doing some?"

Dev narrows his eyes but turns back to his computer. Zoya looks between them as Malak tugs her out of the office. She turns to him while they wait for the elevator.

"How can he talk to you that way?" she demands. "You're his boss."

"Kesavan hired him," Malak mutters. "Never mind Dev. Tell me what's going on. Why did Mr. "I-Rule-the-World" let you out of his sight?"

She shakes her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Malak's mouth tightens but his voice is gentle. "Okay."

They're quiet as they go down to his car. Zoya's cell phone rings again. She takes the phone out of her bag and looks at the readout. She puts the phone away without answering it. Malak gives her worried glances as he drives but doesn't say anything. Her cell phone rings twice more during the drive and again she ignores the calls. Malak is quiet until he parks in a restaurant parking lot.

"Is this place okay?" he asks. "I don't know the area yet. There are a lot of cars in the lot, so it seems popular."

"It's fine." Zoya doesn't even look around as she gets out of the car.

Her cell phone rings again as they walk across the parking lot. Zoya doesn't even bother to take the phone out of her bag.

"It's him, isn't it?" Malak demands.

Zoya presses her lips together and doesn't answer.

Malak places his hand on her lower back as he gently guides her into the shop. The place is filled with people and the low hum of conversation. He waits until they're seated before he ducks his head to look directly into her eyes.

"Okay, spill," he says. "What's going on? Why does he keep calling you every other minute?"

She shakes her head and looks away. Malak watches her for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together. Then he sighs heavily.

"Let me guess. You did something, Mr. "I'm-King-of-the-World" didn't like it and he told you off for it." Malak crosses his arms. "How close am I?"

Zoya sniffs and blinks back fresh tears but it's a losing battle. "I didn't do anything wrong. He did but still he blamed me."

Malak leans in close, his eyes soft and worried. He's silent as she gathers her thoughts. Zoya bites into her lower lip then her face crumples. Tears spill down her cheeks as she tells Malak what happened. Malak hands her clean napkins but remains quiet as she cries out her hurt and humiliation at Asad's treatment.

"He didn't give me a chance, Malak," she sobs. "It wasn't even my fault but I tried to fix it. He didn't listen. He just screamed at me and made me look like an incompetent idiot in front of his whole staff. Now I can never face them again."

"Of course you can." Malak takes her hands and holds them tightly. "You did nothing wrong. They all saw, Zoya. They all saw Asad take the file out of his briefcase. They know he was at fault and even more, they know he wasn't man enough to accept blame for his own mistake. He's the one who looks like an idiot. If anybody's lost face, it's him."

Zoya's phone rings again. Malak grits his teeth.

"Why don't you just turn your phone off if you don't want to answer it?" he demands.

Zoya brings out her phone. "I can't. We have an agreement that we never turn off our cell phones. I don't want to risk missing an important call from Phupee or Najma."

She looks at the display sadly then presses the button to ignore the call. Malak shakes his head, his lower lip curling, but refrains from commenting.

"This filing system, I created it to help him." Zoya takes a deep breath and dabs away the last of her tears. "Because I wanted to do something nice for him but he doesn't appreciate it. He doesn't appreciate me. I'm nothing but musibat to him."

"He said that?" Malak demands. "He actually said you're nothing but trouble to him?"

Zoya nods and looks down. Malak mutters a string of American curse words that has the patrons around them staring at him. Seeing them, he calms himself but still holds onto Zoya's hands.

"I'm sorry, Zoya. I know it's been hard for you here, but I didn't realize it was this bad."

She shakes her head. "It isn't all bad. Phupee and Najma are amazing. We have such fun together. And Mr. Khan has his good points. Just a few weeks ago he---"

"No, Zoya, it's okay," Malak interrupts. "You don't have to protect him."

"Protect him?" Zoya blinks. "Mr. Khan doesn't need me to protect him. Trust me. Other people need to be protected from him."

"Including you." Malak leans closer to her. "Zoya, you've been under his control so long you don't even realize that he's wrong. No one has the right to hurt you, to try to diminish you in any way. You are an amazing, talented, incredibly intelligent person who is a gift to the world. If Asad "I-Know-Best-for-Everybody" Ahmed Khan can't see that then he doesn't deserve to have you in his life."

Zoya's mouth drops open and fresh tears well in her eyes. Seeing them, Malak hurries into speech.

"Please don't be angry with me, Zoya," he pleads. "I'm not trying to upset you. I just want you to see the truth."

"Malak, I'm not angry with you." She shakes her head. "It's just that it's been such a long time since anyone believed in me unconditionally. I haven't had that since my Jijuji went back to New York."

She begins to cry in earnest. Malak comes out of his seat and kneels beside her. He hugs her to him and Zoya hangs on like he's a life raft on storm-tossed seas.

Her cell phone rings again. Malak snatches it up from the table.

"Malak, no!" she cries and reaches for the phone.

Malak evades her hands and answers the call. "Haven't you done enough damage for one day? Stop calling her!"

He disconnects the call and turns off her cell phone.

"Malak! I'm not supposed to turn off my cell phone," Zoya protests.

"You didn't. I did." He gives her back the phone. "Asad "My-Word-is-Law" Ahmed Khan can blame me all he wants. I don't have to follow his rules."

She looks at her cell phone uncertainly. Malak sighs and leans closer.

"Zoya, I know you're feeling alone and helpless but you're not." He smiles gently. "I'm here and I'm going to get you out of this. I promise."

She takes a shuddery breath and frowns. "What do you mean?"

He wipes away the last of her tears. "You don't have to stay with him, Zoya. You can move out soon."

"Move out?" Zoya pulls free of him. "I can't move out."

"Yes, you can." Malak takes her hands again. "We're going to make a lot of money soon. So much that you can afford to live anywhere you want."

"Malak, I can't move out," she protests again. "I don't want to leave Phupee and Najma. Plus, I still have things I need to take care of here. And...and...Mr. Khan..." She trails off, pressing her lips together.

Malak nods. "I know, I know. I understand. Don't worry anymore, Zoya. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here now and we'll work it all out. I promise." He slips back into his seat. "Don't worry about the details now. Let's have a nice lunch and talk about New York. I bet you want to hear all that's going on in the office, don't you?"

Zoya gives him a watery smile. "Thank you, Malak."

He squeezes her hand again. "You don't have to thank me, Zoya. Friends take care of each other. That's what friendship is all about." He gives her an encouraging smile. "Now, do you want to hear about Abigail and Donald's baby news?"

Zoya's eyes widen. "Ohh! They're having a baby? That's so wonderful especially after they had that cancer ordeal." Her smile lights up her face. "I'm so happy for them. They're such kind people. No one deserves this blessing more."

Her face brightens with animation and interest. Malak smiles as her watches her relax. As is her nature, Zoya pushes her own troubles aside to concentrate on enjoying her friends' good news.

***

"Zoya, are you sure you want to go back to work?" Malak parks the car in the office parking lot. "You can take the rest of the afternoon off. We didn't plan on having you here today anyway."

"No, I want to be here. I want to work, do something productive." She looks down, her hair swinging forward to hide her expression. "Plus, where would I go? It's either be here or be at the house with---"

"Asad," Malak says, his voice harsh.

Zoya nods. "Yes, I don't want to talk to him yet."

"Unfortunately, he's already here." Malak nods to Asad's SUV in the parking lot.

Zoya looks up and her entire body stiffens. Seeing this, Malak puts the key back in the ignition.

"You don't have to see him, Zoya." He prepares to turn the key. "Just give me the word. If you don't want this, we can go."

She looks from his determined face to the empty SUV. She sighs heavily.

"No. There's no point in putting this off, Malak. I have to face him sometime."

Even as she speaks, Asad appears in the building doorway. He throws open the doors and stalks over to them, his face set and expressionless, his hands clenched into fists and his body fiercely controlled. He looks like a lion scenting prey, every cell of his being emanating tightly leashed menace.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Malak's voice is so angry his words come out like a hiss. "Is he trying to intimidate you?" He wrenches open the car door. "Well, I'm not some sweet girl imprisoned under his iron fist. He doesn't scare me."

"Malak, no! Wait!"

Zoya reaches for him but he's already out of the car. She hurries out herself and rushes forward to stop the impending confrontation. Luckily, she is closer to Asad than Malak and is able to come between them.

"Stop, both of you!" She puts her hands out like a police officer directing traffic. "Don't you dare come any closer!"

She looks to Asad who stops a foot away from her hand. Malak stops on her other side and both men assess each other. Asad's glittering eyes betray his rage and loathing as he looks at Malak. Malak curls his undamaged hand into a fist, disgust wiping away his normal affability, his feet planted wide and his frame locking in the age-old fighter's stance.

"Back off!" Zoya's hair swings wildly as she looks repeatedly between the two. "Both of you, back away."

Neither man backs down. Malak even takes a step closer.

"Who do you think you are?" he demands of Asad, his face darkening. "How dare you come to my office and try to intimidate my friend?"

"It's my office and she's my responsibility." Asad's voice is low and even, testimony to his tightly-leashed control. "How dare you take her away without informing me?"

"So this hostility is for me?" Malak puts his hands out wide. "You want a piece of me? Well, come and get it."

"I don't take a piece."Asad steps forward so that Zoya's hand rests against his chest. "When I beat someone down, I crush them so there aren't any pieces left."

"No!" Zoya puts her other hand on Asad's chest, too, using her slight body weight to try to hold him back. "Stop it! This isn't necessary."

"Don't worry about me, Zoya," Malak says. "I can handle myself."

"But you can't handle me," Asad taunts. "I've taken down bigger and tougher men than you -- all at the same time."

Zoya's mouth drops open as she recalls Asad beating up five men to protect her at the bus station. Her eyes are wild with desperation as she looks at Malak. Biting her lower lip, she does the only thing she can to stop Asad. She wraps her arms around his torso and slumps into him. For an instant, Asad is frozen still. Then he looks down at her, their gazes tangling together. It takes Zoya a few seconds to find her voice.

"I'm not letting you go," she says, her tone low and fierce. "Don't even try to push me away."

Asad continues to stare at her, the glittering fury fading as his eyes darken and soften. He blinks as though dazed.

"So, Asad, you're such a tough guy you need to hide behind a five-foot-four-inch girl?" Malak taunts.

Zoya turns to look at him, her arms still locked tight around Asad. "Malak, please go inside. I'll take care of this."

"No, Zoya. I'm not leaving you with him."

"Trust me, Malak. This is for the best. Please."

"Zoya, you don't have to do this," Malak insists. "I can protect you."

Asad blinks rapidly, as though coming out of a stupor. He wrenches his attention away from Zoya to glare at Malak.

"She doesn't need your protection," Asad snarls. "She has me."

"A lot of good that does her," Malak snaps back. "She spent the last hour crying her eyes out because of you."

Asad sucks in his breath on a harsh gasp and goes rigid. Zoya still clings to him like a limpet, keeping him from moving. Her eyes are wide and desperate as she looks at Malak.

"Go, Malak," she orders. "Please, as my friend, let me handle this."

Malak clenches and unclenches his fist. Zoya looks at him pleadingly, her cheek pressed against Asad's shoulder. Malak looks from her wrapped around Asad to Asad standing stiff and unyielding in her arms. Finally Malak nods briefly and stomps past, throwing a look of impotent fury at Asad as he enters the building.

For a moment, there is only the sound of Zoya's ragged gasps and Asad's harsh breaths as they stand locked together under the hot midday sun. Then, in slow motion, his hands come to hover at her back, almost but not quite touching her.

Finally Zoya relaxes and releases him. She has to push his arms away to step back. He shudders and his body sags, as though it was only her holding him upright.

"Where were you?" His voice is low and harsh, with only the slightest quiver to betray the depth of his emotions. "My staff and I practically tore the office building apart looking for you. I even had the parking attendants and ground crew searching."

Zoya looks away. "I came here."

"I figured that out," Asad growls. "I called you every five minutes. Why did you shut off your phone?"

Zoya crosses her arms and faces him. "Because I had enough of you yelling at me and accusing me when all I tried to do was help you!"

Her voice breaks at the end and she turns away so he doesn't see she's close to tears again. There's another moment of silence before Asad steps so close to her that she can feel his body heat, even stronger than the Indian sun.

"I was wrong and I'm sorry for that." Asad's voice is rough and hoarse. "But what you did to punish me...I...you...I can't..." Asad stops as his voice also breaks.

"Punish you?" Zoya whirls to look at him.

Her mouth drops open as she stares at him. The enraged, defensive predator is gone. In his place is a man who looks exhausted, strained and deeply vulnerable. Asad's shoulders are slumped, his eyes unfocused and hazy, his jaw slack, and his body sways as though only sheer willpower keeps him standing.

"How could you do that?" His voice is hoarse. "How could you leave knowing what it does to me to not know where you are or if you're safe?" His voice cracks again and he looks down.

She blinks hard to push back her tears. "You didn't want me in your office anymore."

Another shudder passes through him. "I was angry and I didn't think. That was wrong of me but you did the same thing. In fact, you did worse. You left even though you knew I'd go insane when I couldn't find you." He looks up, his eyes dark and haunted. "How could you do that to me?"

"I didn't do anything to punish you." She shakes her head. "I left because you made me look bad and feel horrible. You humiliated me in front of your staff when I didn't do anything wrong."

He nods. "I did worse to myself. None of them think any less of you. They were there. They saw what I did. They saw how I reacted when we couldn't find you."

"That's what Malak said, too."

Asad hisses out his breath between his clenched teeth. "Do not discuss me with him. He knows nothing about me. He'll try to twist you against me."

"Why would he do that?" she scoffs. "Malak is my friend. What would I have done if he wasn't here? Who could I have turned to?"

Asad controls his temper with visible effort. "You would have stayed in the office or you would have gone home, where you were safe. You wouldn't have turned off your cell phone and taken a decade off of my life!"

"I was safe with Malak." She crosses her arms. "He listened to me. He didn't judge me and he was there for me."

"Well, I'm here now. I apologized for the way I behaved. Let's go back to the office and put this behind us."

"Why?"

"Why?" He looks confused. "Because my office is a mess. There's files everywhere and paperwork in no order whatsoever. No one can figure out where anything is."

"That's your fault, not mine!"

"I didn't say it was your fault. It was my fault. But that doesn't change the fact that I need you to fix it." He pauses. "I need you. Please, Ms. Farooqui, come back to the office with me."

Zoya stares at him for a long, long time before she finally nods. She walks past him, towards his car. Asad reaches for her then stops himself from touching her. He crosses his arms behind his back, hands tightly clenched. Still, he takes large steps to catch up with her, walking so close that their shadows merge into one.

Author's Notes: As always, all mistakes are mine and made accidentally. This story is not intended to hurt anyone's feelings, culture or beliefs. HUGE thanks go out to my wonderful beta readers!

I hope you're enjoying my story, especially with all the craziness on the show. Thank you for reading.

Paly

I loved the update! Every time I read your fanfiction, it gets more interesting! 😆

This is a great story! Thanks so much for sharing it.

I really love the way you're exploring Asad's negative treatment of Zoya through Malak's perspective, without losing sympathy for Asad. I'm really, while reading this, torn between wanting Zoya to get away from Asad and wanting him to change to be worthy of her. She shouldn't have to live her life dancing around someone else's temper and being thoughtlessly insulted. I can see why Malak just wants her away from Asad, and yet also see that Zoya truly loves being part of the family and wouldn't want to leave what she now considers her home. And of course, her feelings for Asad and loving nature keep her reaching out to Asad, whether he deserves to be forgiven or not. But does that mean, for instance, that she should live by his restriction that the only places she's "safe" are at home or with him, and she must keep him informed of her whereabouts? It's a sign of how much Asad cares about her, but it's also really controlling and kind of creepy in the guise of "protection."

I also liked how you showed how far Asad has to go -- he hurts her and then is more concerned with his own pain then hers; he's unhappy that she has anyone else to turn to when she needs someone; once he's said he's sorry, he wants Zoya to completely forget about everything and make things better for him. And you also showed how vulnerable Zoya is to being needed, even when she should be more concerned with her own hurts. I dunno, it's really fascinating the characters you've drawn, built on the elements we see in QH, and I really look forward to reading more! Thanks again.

Beautiful story, love your writing.the way you elaborate each character.. although I have to admit,I hate this Malak guy, for some reason he does not seem like a good friend, something fishy about him...

Asad has finally taken baby steps

For me it was a huge step

Your update took away the sadness of the episode

Thank you for tat

Thank you for also sticking to the date of upload

I loved the way Zoya stopped Asad

Malak is trying to take Zoya away... Asad won't allow that



Best part was Asad saying that he needs Zoya

Awesome update overall

Thumbs up

Update soon please