Inferno-A FF by Arabflower. Chapter 19 page 36 - Page 2

Title: Inferno

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

Characters: Asad / Zoya / OC (Other Character)

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Summary: Love is ignited and so is anger, but when the latter stirs the former suffers. Both emotions create and both destroy but for how long can one blame their love for their anger.

Authors Note (A/N): This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

XXX

CHAPTER 6

Dinner was over when the clouds had unloaded their burdens; it was around this time when Zoya had returned. Asad not used to being the one who waited around for someone to return from the office was pacing in the foyer when the elevator dinged, announcing Zoya's arrival. When the door opened, he made eye contact with her. He began drowning in the depths of her eyes and for some reason she did not look away. They stood in the foyer completely mesmerised with one another when suddenly Zoya's expression changed, it was though she just remembered something important. Hurt, anger and then guilt had washed over her face before she had broken eye contact. This puzzled Asad for a bit until he was called by his Ammi who sweetly asked him if he would like some coffee, on the other hand Esmerelda was furious, she stood in front of Zoya, tapping her foot on the floor eyes burning with a motherly anger and a vein threatening to burst on her forehead.

Esmerelda: "You haven't eaten all day and now you skip dinner?"

Zoya: "I'm not hungry..."

Esmerelda: "You can't live off coffee Zoya... it's not healthy... Go sit in the lounge, I'll heat up some Kheer for you."

Asad and Dilshad were still in the foyer and to say that Asad was surprised at Esmerelda's grasp of English was an understatement, he looked at Dilshad who mere chuckled both stayed rooted to the spot, waiting to see the stubborn Zoya Faarouqui lose to a the tenacious Latino. Isabella was playing a lullaby to Maahir on the Piano when Zoya had entered the lounge, she watched them with great interest, Maahir seemed Fascinated with the Piano keys and constantly tried to reach down and touch them. She was brought out of her admiration for her nephew when Esmerelda placed the bowl of Kheer on the side table. She thanked Esmerelda but did not touch the Kheer. Esmerelda walked into the Foyer and stood next to Asad and Dilshad and spoke

Esmerelda: "I may not like what you did, but it doesn't mean I can't look past it."

Dilshad: "Okay... but Zoya won't eat the Kheer..."

Esmerelda: "Mrs. Khan if I know Zoya as well as I think I do then she's either already forgiven you or will forgive you soon, your estpido(stupid) son I make no promises about..."

Asad: "Ok, Ignoring that last part... How do we know if Zoya's warming up to us again?"

Esmerelda: "Watch on Mr. Escptico (Sceptical) you might just learn something..."

Dilshad, Asad and Esmerelda had turned their attention back to the lounge, Isabella had put Maahir down and he began to crawl towards Zoya. Once he reached her she picked him up and cuddled him, she then took a spoonful of the Kheer, checked its temperature and once it was deemed safe, she proceeded to feed Maahir. However something odd had happened afterwards, when she was trying to feed him his second spoonful, he refused to take it and began miming something to Zoya which puzzled her for a second. It was only after he pointed to the Kheer and then to Zoya did Zoya truly understand what the little boy wanted

Wow... if anyone ever doubted that he's Aapi's son, then his stubbornness is all the proof needed to clear their doubts, he's a mini Jeeju but with aapi's personality...' and with that in mind she had taken a spoonful of Kheer and ate, the last remaining Faarouquis sat together and enjoyed a moment while Isabella made her way into the foyer and stood beside her mother and their new houseguests each one taking in the adorable sight before them. They watched in silence each not wanting the moment to cease and in this silence Asad had once again dreamt of his future with Maahir in his arms and Zoya by his side. His dream is once again interrupted but this time it's by his choosing, he turns to Esmerelda with a new found determination and spoke

Asad: "Esmerelda, you know Zoya best..."

Esmerelda: "Yes, I'd like to think I do..."

Asad: "Can you please help me earn her forgiveness?"

Esmerelda: "Well you did hurt her so why should I help you?"

Asad began to ponder at her words, it was true that Asad had give this woman absolutely NO reason why she should help him so he said the first thing that came to mind

Asad: "...because I love her..."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

While her brother and mother were downstairs probably cursing their fate' she thought. Najma had taken out her laptop and began to SKYPE her other brother Ayaan in one of the many rooms of the Penthouse. It took a few tries to establish a clear connection with India but Najma's eyes lit up the moment she caught a glimpse of her brother's messy hair and lopsided grin.

Ayaan: "Salaam Najma..."

Najma: "Wa Alaikumus Salaam Bhaijaan..."

Ayaan: "So what news do you bring from the other side of the world..."

Najma: "Well the good news is that we found your Mona..."

Ayaan: "What!! You found Mona! That's great..."

Najma: "bad news is I don't think she'll want to come back to Bhopal with us..."

Ayaan: "But Why? I know... It's because of what Bhaijaan and Dilshad Ammi said to her right?"

Najma: "Well that is a contributing factor...Ayaan, Zoya has been through a lot in these past years."

Ayaan: "How bad is it?"

Ayaan may have only met Zoya a handful of times, but the girl had clearly made an impression and Ayaan could not forget all that Zoya had done for him and all her attempts to bring him closer to his brother so if Zoya was hurting or in any trouble then Ayaan would do anything he could to help her.

Najma: "Ayaan did you know that Zoya was living with her Aapi and Jeeju ever since her mother died?"

Ayaan: "Yes, she came to India to search for her Abbu..."

Najma: "Well they've passed on and now Zoya is raising their son...he's adorable Ayaan, his name is Maahir..."

Ayaan: "That's both incredibly sad and incredibly sweet...Trust Mona Darling to be all Mother Theresa-ish'... where is the little guy?"

Najma: "probably napping... Ayaan, the reason why I called is that now that Maahir is in the picture we can't just uproot Zoya's life and bring her back to Bhopal, every decision we make will affect Maahir as well."

Ayaan: "I understand Najma, now that there's a child involved we can't take any rash decisions, I for one think that Bhaijaan needs to redeem himself in Zoya's eyes before we should try to bring them together..."

Najma: "Actually I think that Zoya deserves better than Bhaijaan..."

Ayaan: "Najma, Zoya would not find a better person than Bhaijaan, he loves her..."

Najma: "He had a funny way of showing it Ayaan, he constantly fights with her, he doesn't trust her and now Maahir is in the picture. Should we really put Zoya through all of that again? Because Asad's track record of hurting Zoya doesn't exactly work in his favour..."

Ayaan: "I know what you mean, so now we have to choose between Zoya's happiness and our Brother's?

Najma: "I know this is going to be hard Ayaan and both of us want to see Asad happy but IF Asad is not the right man for Zoya and there is someone else who can make her happy then we should encourage her to be with that guy instead of forcing her to be with Asad. Agreed?

Ayaan: "Agreed."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Esmerelda and Isabella had stared at Asad, each having a different opinion about his intentions. While Isabella thought that Asad was being incredibly romantic to have flown half way across the world to be with Zoya, Esmerelda was a little sceptical about whether or not Asad was worthy of Zoya's forgiveness. Asad knew that the younger Latino was already on his side but without the approval and blessing of the elder Latino he would never be able to be with his love

Asad: "Esmerelda please help me... I know I messed up and I know I've hurt Zoya but please help me this once and I swear I will never bring tears to her eyes again..."

Esmerelda: "Right now you would say anything to get me to agree with you... how do I know that your word is genuine? How do I believe that you will never hurt her again?"

Asad: "Give me this one chance, and let my actions speak for itself..."

Esmerelda deliberated for a few minutes before she gave a slight nod in agreement. Isabella squealed with delight and Dilshad had tears of happiness trickling down her face. Esmerelda turned to Asad and spoke

Esmerelda: "Well the best way to prove that you will keep your word is through a test, Zoya's birthday is coming up and in true Upper East Side style there will be a grand party to celebrate. You will have to be on your best behaviour during the entire evening and if the New York's upper crust accepts you then so be it. These Upper East Siders are very territorial, one wrong move or one bad impression and then even I won't be able to save you..."

And with that, the four people in the foyer had began planning one of the grandest parties of the year

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Najma had just hung up on Ayaan when she heard someone cough behind her. Suddenly realising that she was in Zoya's bedroom and not her own she began immediately coming up with reasons as to why she was there. She was relieved however to come face to face with her BFF, who smiled at her discomfort

Zoya: "You know the nickname Tamatar does suit you... I thought it was impossible for anyone to turn that red..."

Najma: "Zoya...You startled me..."

Zoya: "If I remember correctly... the first time you snuck into my room was after I got arrested for beating up those boys at your college..."

Najma and Zoya shared a serious look then broke out into side splitting laughter. Najma began taking in her surroundings and couldn't help but notice that something was wrong there were subtle changes in the room elements were added in that one would not attribute to Zoya but blended in beautifully with Zoya's taste. Overall the room seemed perfect, cosy and inviting an it began to annoy her because she could not figure out what exactly was wrong and as the minutes passed Najma's face had become more comical as she puzzled her way through the problem so stifling a laugh and deciding to put her friend out of her misery Zoya spoke up

Zoya: "The room's neat..."

Najma's eyes widened and then she took a quick look around wow, it's weird to see everything in its place...' thought Najma. She chuckled and exclaimed

Najma: "Who are you and what have you done with Zoya?"

Zoya: "Allah Miyan! What's wrong with You Najma? I'm still your Zoya...just neater..."

Najma laughed at this, stood up and began walking around the room in an attempt to get a better look, she found some photo albums and began to browse through them at first she had seen pictures of Zoya with some friends, casually dressed outside some of New York's Landmark sites, like the statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Met etc, gradually the people in the pictures changed into their uniforms and began laughing and joking in the Courtyard of Constance/ St Judes or on the sports field (Najma at this point exclaimed "You played sports?" to which Zoya just nodded in reply and said "Field Hockey... I didn't do much though..."), it was clear from the pictures that Zoya was popular amongst her peers but the next set of images Najma was not expecting. Pictures of Teenagers dressed in Black Tie formal wear, elegant evening gowns and it appeared from the images that the pictures were taken while the teenagers were dancing. Knowing Zoya to be a clumsy sort of person, Najma was a little surprised at how graceful Zoya seemed to be in Dancing in the arms of her handsome partner. Najma stared at the picture and her mind began to understand how different Zoya's life was from hers. Najma pointed at Zoya's Dance partner and Asked

Najma: "So who's your partner?"

Zoya took the picture, looked down at it, smiled then replied

Zoya: "That's Arbaaz, my oldest friend in the world... we grew up together, went to school together..."

Najma: "So you guys were close?"
Zoya: "We still are..."

Najma began looking at the rest of the pictures, clearly Zoya's life was filled with elegant parties and Gala Dinners and Najma began wondering which event went where...

Zoya looked at Najma and sensed that her Tamatar wanted to know more but didn't know how to ask... She looked at the Picture where she was dancing with Arbaaz and said

Zoya: "This was Cotillion, Arbaaz was my date."

Najma: "You are a Debutante?"

Zoya: "Why do find that so hard to believe?"
Najma: "Well because... you are kinda clumsy..."

Zoya laughed at this while Najma began looking at more pictures, nearly all were pictures of Zoya looking amazingly beautiful in various evening gowns and elegant dresses smiling and standing next to or dancing with the handsome man that Najma now knew was Arbaaz. He was dashing in his various tuxedos with a mischievous smile being boyishly good looking and he seemed to be a perfect match for Zoya, their body language and demeanour suggested that there was more between these two than friendship and Najma began to become uneasy

What if Zoya has already moved on? Is Arbaaz the right guy for Zoya or is Bhaijaan?'

She shook these thoughts from her head and picked up another picture, again with Zoya and Arbaaz but this time they were slightly younger posing for a picture and not dancing

Zoya saw Najma looking at the picture and said

Zoya: "that was during junior prom. Arbaaz was my date. Now that I think about it Arbaaz was always my date to these events, Spring Formal, Cotillion, junior and senior prom...people thought that we were dating, gonna get married as soon as school was over, Aapi and Jeeju were thrilled about this but to me he's always been my good close friend, my best guy friend..."

Najma: "Did you like him?"

Zoya: "We are close and yes I like him, he's been my rock over the past couple of years..."

Najma: "oh, So when do I get to meet him?"

Zoya: "well if he knows what's good for him, he'll be here on Saturday."

Najma: "What's on Saturday?"

Zoya: "well my birthday and your first Upper East style party...Najma Can I ask you something?"

Najma: Sure go ahead..."

Zoya: "Why are you guys here? What changed? Why now?"
Najma: "Zoya... we found out that you were innocent... That Tanveer set you up..."

Zoya: "So you guys flew half way around the world to what? Apologise?"

Najma: "well I kinda missed my BFF..."

Zoya: "So who figured Tanveer out?"

Najma: "Well I kinda teamed up with an old partner of yours... Raabert"

Zoya: "No way! You and Raabert outsmarted Tanveer?"

Najma: "Well we had help... at first we thought that we were the only ones who believed that you were innocent but turns out Abbu was doing his own investigation into the matter because he refused to believe that his dost would do such a thing so eventually the Three of us teamed up and we took her down together..."

Zoya: "thanks Najma... for believing in me..."

And with that Zoya left the room to check on Maahir. Najma left soon after, she needed to talk to Ayaan and fast. If I am right then there's something more between Zoya and Arbaaz. There's NO way that Zoya is raising Maahir on her own and now that I think about it... it seemed as though Zoya shares that room with someone, what is going on? If Zoya's happy then I'm happy for her but what about Bhaijaan? Najma rushed back to her room with her laptop and immediately SKYPE'd Ayaan...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dilshad, Asad, Esmerelda and Isabella had began discussing Party details and Asad had wanted everything to be perfect, he wanted Zoya to be happy throughout the party, creating the perfect time afterwards for him to ask for her forgiveness. Everything about the upcoming party was elaborate, a type of extravagance that Asad was used to seeing in parties that were for bigger occasions than just a birthday. If it makes Zoya happy then I'll do it...' and it turns out that Asad Ahmed Khan had an eye for this sort of thing, he handled everything so efficiently, throwing the power of his name around so casually that by the end of the evening all arrangements were made and the guests invited. A party that would have taken weeks to plan was planned in an evening and a very exhausted Isabella and Dilshad had retired to the rooms for the night. Esmerelda had been staring at Asad for quite some time clearly he wants Zoya to forgive him; maybe I should give him a chance?' Esmerelda had walked up behind Asad and spoke

Esmerelda: "You know, when you were throwing your name around like that you kinda act like these Upper East Siders..."

Asad: "It's nice to see that my name and power extend outside of Bhopal..."

Esmerelda: "Listen Asad, I don't know exactly what happened to Zoya in India but listen carefully... These Upper East Siders may fight amongst themselves but if any outsider has to mess with one of theirs they will leave no stone unturned in destroying that person. Their lives may be champagne wishes and caviar dreams but they are tough when they want to be. Take Zoya for example, at first glance Zoya doesn't seem to be this Upper East Side pampered princess... these people are masters of manipulation and deceit and if you mess with one, you mess with all of them..."

Asad: "Are you trying to scare me? Because Asad Ahmed Khan is not afraid..."

Esmerelda: "you may not be, but they mean everything to Zoya and if They don't like you... then its game over..."

She gave him a glare that said I-am-not-kidding' and walked off, but Asad being Asad was not worried in the slightest

Zoya belongs to me...she is mine, only mine and nobody will take her away from me...'

Title: Inferno

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

Characters: Asad / Zoya / OC (Other Character)

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Summary: Love is ignited and so is anger, but when the latter stirs the former suffers. Both emotions create and both destroy but for how long can one blame their love for their anger.

Authors Note (A/N): This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

How I Imagine Arbaaz to look

:

These are Asad and Zoya's outfits for the party (the same outfits that they had worn for their Jashn-E-Saugat:

XXX

CHAPTER 7

The venue was breathtakingly beautiful after Asad, Dilshad and Esmerelda had completed decorating it. The Faarouqui Penthouse was stunning as it was but that was not good enough for Asad so he spent the greater part of the day turning it into a dream come true for the woman of his dreams. The party was in the evening and Isabella and Najma had taken an extremely excited Maahir and a weary Zoya for a day of shopping, lunch and some quality time at Central Park, Najma was amazed that Zoya could handle the clearly hyper active toddler on her own but the nagging suspicion that there was someone else in the picture would not leave her. Her Brother had shown her the gift he had bought for Zoya this morning, a beautiful tennis bracelet from Tiffany's, her Bhaijaan was clearly trying to revive the old feelings but Najma knew that without his apology Zoya would not go further than playing hostess as she still felt a little uncomfortable with two of the Ahmad Khans in her home. Her mother on the other hand was slightly luckier than her brother, while her brother merely received nods of acknowledgement her mother was lucky to hear a few words from Zoya even if it was Zoya asking her how she was in the morning. Maahir Faarouqui, unlike his aunt, was very comfortable with the Ahmed Khans presence, he spent most of his day being cooed over by his new favourite aunty, Najma and the rest of his day he cuddled up next to Dilshad as she read by the fire place. Najma stared as she watched Zoya take Maahir to the duck pond and watched as the two had a blast feeding the ducks, Isabella was on the phone with someone, clearly excited about something. Najma had only caught a bit of the conversation but the little bit that she caught was enough to cause some panic with in her

"You have to be here...she'll kill you if you don't come... I have the present you sent over, it's beautiful! I'm sure she'll love it, Maahir misses you... she's angry with you. Take the first flight back if you know what's good for you... Oh the party? It's tonight, you should surprise her...Oh and Some of Zoya's relatives from Bhopal are here... The Ahmed Khans... You can meet them in the evening..."

After Isabella had hung up, Najma was about to ask her who the mystery caller was but Isabella had become very knowledgeable about Najma and answered the question before she could ask it

Isabella: "That was Arbaaz, I won't spoil it for you... you can meet him tonight. Just don't tell Zoya he's coming... he wants to surprise her."

Najma heard Maahir laugh as Zoya picked him up and began to kiss him, Zoya seemed happy in her little world and Najma did not want to take her happiness from her. Sure Najma had known that her Bhaijaan would keep Zoya happy, but she had also seen first-hand the pain he caused her, she began recalling her last conversation with Ayaan

*Flashback-the previous night*

Najma rushed to her room, laptop in hand and began SKYPEing Ayaan, it didn't take long for Ayaan to pick up, but this time he was not alone, her Abbu's face had appeared on the screen along with her half brother's face. They exchanged greetings and she smiled at both of them but before she could speak her father began firing questions at her

Rashid: "How is Zoya? Have you told her the truth? Is she coming back? Did Asad apologise? Did he confess his feelings?..."

Najma: "Whoa Abbu, easy...Zoya is fine, yes I've told her the truth, She might not want to come back, Bhaijaan didn't apologise and he definitely didn't go past Woh... Actually' and tell her that he loves her...Why I called, I think we might have a problem..."

Rashid: "If you're worried about Maahir, I fully accept him as my grandson..."

Ayaan: "And I fully accept him as my nephew..."

Najma: "it's not that... I am worried that Zoya will not choose Bhaijaan because there is someone else..."

Rashid and Ayaan: "What?? Who? How can there be anyone else?"

Najma: "The thing is...ever since we got here, I've been hearing stories about how close Zoya is to this friend of hers, Arbaaz Omar, I've seen pictures of them together and I think Zoya may have moved on..."

Rashid: "Zoya loves Asad, she has never said it out loud but her eyes give it away..."

Najma: "But Bhaijaan had hurt her, how do we know that she still loves him?"

Ayaan: "She does Najma... if she didn't slap Bhaijaan across the face already for all that he's put her through, then you can safely say that if she doesn't love him, then she at least can't see him get hurt...Besides whoever this new guy is, I'm sure Bhaijaan will win her back..."

Najma: "It's just that I'm worried, usually when Bhaijaan and Zoya fought by the next day they were friends again, now it's taking longer and I'm starting to think that maybe she's distancing herself from us for some reason, she isn't behaving normally... even with Ammi."

Rashid: "Najma, it's just taking her some time to adjust, I'm sure everything will be fine..."

Ayaan: "Haan Najma, Zoya will come around soon... I mean she still hasn't found her Abbu yet so one day she will have to return to Bhopal..."

Rashid: "Zoya's looking for her Abbu? Why is it the first that I'm hearing of this?"

Ayaan and Najma began explaining to their father about Zoya's search and how every lead became a dead end, Najma also tells them about Zoya's nightmares about a huge building on fire, where she's trapped and calling out for her mother. Something about this dream of Zoya's does not sit well with Rashid, he begins to have flashes about that event nearly twenty years ago where his act of arson had not only burned the doll factory but had taken the life of a woman. Ya Allah? Could this be the same incident that haunts Zoya's dreams?' Rashid Ahmed Khan began to panic slightly, but could not reveal anything to his children until he was absolutely sure, he had to check the facts before he gave anyone false hope because if the two events were linked then he would have to live with the guilt of destroying Zoya's life...

Rashid: "Najma, Zoya's Ammi...Where is she?"
Najma: "She passed away in a fire years ago"

Rashid: "any idea what her name was?"
Najma: "Zainub...Zainub Faarouqui"

*Flashback ends*

Why does Abbu need the name of Zoya's mother? Is there more to this than meets the eye? Ya Allah! How much more must my friend suffer?' Najma's internal monologue was interrupted when Zoya announced that it was time to leave as she wanted to put Maahir down for a nap before the party in the evening, while Isabella reasoned that if they didn't leave now, then they would never get ready in time.

Meanwhile Asad had surveyed the decorations and double checked the arrangements, tonight twenty-five of the most prominent members of New York's elitist community (Who also happened to be Zoya's close personal friends) were joining them for a Celebratory dinner in honour of the love of his life's birthday. He had to admit, if Esmerelda was not there coaching him, this party would be a train-wreck waiting to happen. He walked over to the elder Latino and hugged her

Asad: "Thank You... Thank you for everything..."

Esmerelda: "I didn't do this for you; I did it for Zoya... Once she forgives you she can move on with her life, you know her she can't stay mad at anyone for long and this is the first time that she's held a grudge, her anger at you is what's keeping you in her life, I just want her to move past that and live her life without a negative influence shadowing over her..." she broke away from his embrace and headed off to the kitchen, leaving Asad to his thoughts.

The grand dining room was set and the kitchens busy preparing for the party this evening; his mother had walked up behind him and expressed her admiration of his handiwork

Dilshad: "Asad... everything is beautiful..."

Asad: "Do you think she'll like it Ammi?"

Dilshad: "I'm sure she'll love it... Asad we should go get ready..."

Asad had allowed his mother to lead him away, his hopes rising as the minutes ticked by; little did he know that all his dreams will be shattered before Zoya blew out her candles...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The party was in full swing, guests mingling and the band playing all waiting for the birthday girl to descend the grand staircase. Dilshad was chatting to some of the guests, while Najma was talking up a storm with Zoya's friends from High school. It was clear that the Upper East Side had accepted the arrival of the Ahmed Khans and Dilshad had no idea how powerful her son was until this evening. Many of Zoya's business associates were also associates of Asad's and as the evening progressed, New York's elite became more accepting towards them. Silence fell throughout the room, and all eyes turned to the grand staircase. If Asad had to describe it, he would say that he was witnessing an angel descend from heaven. Zoya was a vision in a Salwaar suit of blue, white and silver, with the guests giving praises over her beauty, charm and presence. One could not take their eyes off her. Asad had seen the outfit that Zoya had chosen to wear for the evening and decided to match his outfit with hers. His Black Sherwani had blue trimmings which complemented his Zoya nicely. Subtly he tried to show the world that they belonged together and he hoped that some of the morons drooling over her would take the hint. She descended the stairs with a grace that Asad had not known Zoya possessed and once she had completed her descent, she was bombarded by well wishers and hugs from friends. After the pleasantries were exchanged, guests began inquiring about the youngest Faarouqui. The little tyke's got a fan following' thought Asad he had noticed many of the female guests had glanced appreciatively in his direction but he ignored them because his focus was only on his love, his Zoya.

Zoya was enjoying the party but her eyes were scanning her surroundings looking for someone. He didn't pitch...I'm going to kill him...' Zoya was angry, but hid it well. Once or twice she shared an eye lock with Asad but broke eye contact and looked away out of modesty; she accepted the birthday gifts and wishes from her Phuphi and Najma. Her Phuphi was making an effort to get close to her, but she knew it was for fear of Dilshad Ahmed Khan's safety that she distanced herself. After dinner was served Zoya had left the party for a few minutes to gather herself, she walked away from the noisy celebration and found herself in the nursery of her nephew, who was wide awake waiting to meet his adoring fans. Zoya walked over to him, lifted him from him crib, got him ready for the party and walked over to the desk in the corner, took out to all too familiar laptop and with her nephew in her arms they began to watch a one of the many video diaries Zoya had created.

Zoya: "My dear Nephew or Niece today is my birthday and I'll explain what a birthday is to you when you get here. Today I want to pass on my wisdom, a sort of rule book' if you will. Rule number one: your Aapi, i.e.: me, is always right and will always be there for you. Rule number two: If your Ammi asks about whether or not she picked up weight, DO NOT look at her, just say No she hasn't and that she looks beautiful. Rule number three: Your Abbu can only buy so many Fake stories and knows when you recycle excuses so be careful. Rule number four: If you're going to be a girl and want to sneak out and meet your friends or boyfriend, your Aapi Zoya will be more than happy to cover for you and shelter you if your Ammi suspects anything, and if you're going to be a boy then I'm sure your Abbu will help you out, but if your Ammi finds out that your Abbu helped you and you get into trouble than my door is always open... oh and if you squeal and tell your Ammi that I helped you in any way I will vehemently deny any association with such liaisons and leave you to face your Ammi's wrath. Rule number Five: When you fall in love, and I'm sure you will don't hide it from your Ammi...she'll figure it out. Rule number six: IF your Ammi chooses a bad life partner for you and on the day of your Nikaah you need an escape plan, your Aapi Zoya has many tried and trusted methods that you might find useful so tell me if you don't want to get married and I'll handle the rest."

Unknown to Zoya her Aapi and Jeeju had appeared behind her and were watching her talk to her future niece or nephew. Her Aapi was pregnant and glowing, leaning on her husband's shoulder while her Jeeju was using the door frame to support himself as he silently shook with laughter from Zoya's crazy advice. They both walked up towards her and added themselves into the frame

Zeenat: "Rule number seven little one is that if your Zoya Aapi can't help you then no one will..."

Anwar: "And rule number eight is ALWAYS remember, we love you..."

The video ended, and Zoya began to tear slightly. She looked at her nephew, kissed his cheek then said

Zoya: "let's go join the party..."

She walked downstairs with Maahir just in time for dessert with everyone cooing over the adorable baby no one noticed a new guest arrive. Asad who was standing closest to the entrance of the dining room was gazing lovingly at Zoya and for once it seemed that Zoya was looking back at him with the same love. She left Maahir in the capable hands of Isabella and started to make her way towards the entrance of the dining room and towards me...'thought Asad. Asad's smile began to widen and his heart began to race as Zoya drew nearer to him, she smiled as she neared him and once he caught sight of her smile he became oblivious to everything else and in his oblivion he had missed the sound of Footsteps behind him. His heart rate increased as she drew nearer and all his dreams were flashing before him. Her eyes appeared to be locked onto his, her smile appeared to be only for him but instead of walking towards him, she walked passed him and into the arms of another man. All he heard over the sound of his breaking heart was her voice

Zoya: "Arbaaz! I missed you my love... "

Title: Inferno

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction adapted and based on other works of fiction .I only hold the copyrights to my imagination

Characters: Asad / Zoya / OC (Other Character)

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Summary: Love is ignited and so is anger, but when the latter stirs the former suffers. Both emotions create and both destroy but for how long can one blame their love for their anger.

Authors Note (A/N): This does not follow the Current Track and Characters will be slightly OOC (out of Character)

XXX

CHAPTER 8

Zoya was elated that the one she waited for had arrived, sure she was angry with him for not being here sooner but once she had seen his face she could not restrain herself from leaping into his arms and kissing him passionately. He twirled her around each caught up in the wonder that is the other that they retreated into their own world and became oblivious to the gathering around them. Few party-goers cheered when they had kissed each other passionately others began clapping. But three of the large number was neither happy nor sad. Two of the three were confused while the third was both confused and crestfallen. Confused because the angel belonged to him and only him and crestfallen because his angel was in the embrace of another, kissing another when her embrace and kisses were to be solely for him.

Dilshad Ahmed Khan stood watching Zoya being affectionate with the new arrival and her son's heart breaking in front of her. Her daughter didn't seem surprised but clearly there was some open secret that the Ahmed Khans were not privy to. Dilshad's mind began to wander

Who is this man? What relation does he share with Zoya? He must be a friend... but if he is a friend she wouldn't be that affectionate with him. Maybe he's her Fianc? No... Even with her fianc Zoya wouldn't behave so boldly with him... it's just not like her who is he? Is Asad to late? Ya Allah! Please give Asad strength...'

The New Arrival had no name yet to Dilshad and Asad but Najma had recognised him from the pictures she had seen... She let out a breathy whisper, saying a single name Arbaaz' either of fright or sudden realisation but either way her mother had strained to hear her.

But Before Dilshad could process her daughter's whisper a party-goer had called out "Arbaaz! You finally made it! Zoya there'll be plenty of time to smooch your hubby later... we all wanna see you kill him for being late..."

Instead of saying anything to the partygoer or lash out at Arbaaz, Zoya just merely blushed and buried her face in the crook of her husband's neck, to which he engulfed her in a protective and affectionate embrace. Dilshad and Asad were taken aback at this but for Najma everything suddenly fell into place. Zoya was married, and by the looks of it, happily married. Another person sensed the arrival of Arbaaz as the youngest Faarouqui began squirming in the arms of Isabella, clearly excited to see his uncle, Arbaaz. Asad gave him the look over, his green eyes, roguish smile, boyish charm and handsome features would ensnare anyone but it was very obvious that Arbaaz Omar had eyes for only one woman, his beloved wife Zoya. Zoya was beaming as Arbaaz made his way through the crowd and took his darling nephew in his arms, kissed him greatly on the cheek and began cooing over the little tyke.

As with every birthday party, it is tradition to blow out the candles make a wish and cut the birthday cake. So when Asad had planned this evening he had pictured himself (and not Arbaaz) with his arms around Zoya's waist as she made a wish and blew out the candles, his hand (not Arbaaz's) over hers as she cut the cake, his hands (not Arbaaz's) feeding her the first slice and afterwards she would kiss him (not Arbaaz) appreciatively on the cheek and whisper sweet nothings into his ear. Now his carefully planned dream turned into an unintended nightmare, but Asad was true to his name sake. A lion will set its sight on its prey and will stop at nothing to ensnare it. It just so happens that this lion fell in love with his lamb and now that an eagle has set its sights on his prey, he will do everything in his power to make the lamb his. His mother was watching him from across the room, clearly worried about his well being. There was something that broke within him on this night but it wasn't his heart, what broke on this night was his fear of losing Zoya because seeing her in the arms of another only increased his desire to make her his. An Inferno was ignited, stirring both love and hatred in his heart and soul, love for the object of his affection, his life, his Zoya and hatred for the man that stood between them...Arbaaz. But Asad was true to his namesake and when a lion hunts, it bides its time waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

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Arbaaz's arrival had unsettled Dilshad, she knew nothing about the man and here he was as the husband of the woman she considered a part of her family, so like any good mother Dilshad began investigating this Arbaaz Character' within a short while of his arrival she had found out that he and Zoya are childhood friends, they schooled together and got separated when they went off to college then somehow they reconnected and had a huge fight when Zoya wanted to come to India, they separated again but something happened in India which drove Zoya back to the states depressed and distant, something she could not share with her Aapi or Jeeju (this Something' Dilshad knew all too well, with her and her son being the cause of it) whatever it was drove her into the arms of her long time friend who pulled her out of her depression. Then tragedy struck taking away Zeenat Faarouqui and giving the world Maahir, with Anwar in the hospital for multiple surgeries Arbaaz donned the cap of new parent' and helped Zoya through this troubling and confusing time. Zeenat and Anwar Faarouqui may have brought Maahir into the world but his true parents were Arbaaz and Zoya. Taking care of Maahir had only brought them closer and one Thanksgiving, unbeknown to Zoya, Arbaaz had approached Anwar Faarouqui and asked for Zoya's hand. They were engaged the following week and married under the first snowfall. Sadly it was not long after the festive season was over when Anwar succumbed to his injuries, but he passed on leaving his family in capable hands. Dilshad was happy that Zoya had found someone like Arbaaz but was worried about what her son might do with the new development. So she kept an eye on him for the entire evening as if though her gaze would prevent him from doing anything rash or incredibly stupid.

After the guests had left, the party cleared and most of the residents of the Penthouse retired to their bedrooms there were only four people who remained roused. Two of the four were out in the balcony, in each other's embrace swaying to the music playing on a nearby iPod, bathed in the light of the clear moon dominating the night sky. The third was gazing enviously upon the couple, determined to make his love his under any circumstance the inferno raging within him making him blind to his love's happiness. The fourth gazed upon the third worriedly, pondering how much more will the Lord test her children.

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Arbaaz had left to kiss his nephew goodnight leaving Zoya alone with her thoughts; she sat at the corner of her bed crying silently. With her back facing the door she opened the bedside drawer and removed a very old and charred photograph placed in an elegant frame. She gazed upon the occupants of the photograph and caressed their faces gently. On the right side of the frame stood a young Anwar Faarouqui with his then Fiance, Zeenat Faarouqui in the centre and to the left was a woman whose features were similar to that of Zoya's but this was a fact Zoya would never know because of the damage sustained to the photograph had all but eliminated the woman's face, this woman was her Ammi Zainub, the cousin of Zeenat Faarouqui. Zoya was told by her Aapi that this picture was taken while her Ammi was expecting her. Her tears began to fall and cascade down the frame and through her sobs she spoke

Zoya: "Why?... Today's such a special day for me and none of you are here to wish me? What have I done to offend any of you so greatly that you left me? What have I done to deserve this? Am I jinxed? Doomed to never have any form of parental guidance or to know the love of a parent? How much more will I be tested? If I was not destined to have a parent why bring Phuphi into my life and take her away? Now, she has returned... Is this your way of taunting me? I couldn't live with myself if anything happens to her... If I lose her...If she dies because of me, like what happened to the three of you. Ammi you died to save me, Aapi and Jeeju I was supposed to die in that accident, not you. Death has been following me since the night I lost you Ammi but would never take me, instead he would take those closest to me... I want this to end but look at my misfortune, If I leave I'll be bestowing my grief onto an innocent and undeserving Maahir, he doesn't deserve to go through what I did... Aapi and Jeeju, I promise to fight, to be there for Maahir. I am indebted to you and if raising your son lessen my debt in anyway then I'm willing to bear anything for him but please... I only have one request... don't let Phuphi fall prey to my Jinx... Mr. Khan and Najma need her and I know that if she gets closer to me... she was shot in Bhopal because of me, because I helped Mariam... please don't put Mr. Khan and Najma through what I'm going through...please..."

While letting her deepest fears surface, Zoya Faarouqui had not known that she had an audience. Dilshad Ahmed Khan was standing in the doorway, tearing up at Zoya's every word. Not wishing to let Zoya know that she had intruded on such a private moment, Dilshad Ahmed Khan had stifled her sobs and left.

She found herself moving towards her daughter's room. Her daughter was on her laptop, on Skype with someone but cut the conversation short when she had seen her mother's devastated state.

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The moment Najma Ahmed Khan had retreated into her room, she pulled out her laptop and SKYPE'd her brother in India. Ayaan had answered immediately and Najma had asked him to find their father because she had news for both of them. It took Ayaan a further minute to locate his father and when both of them had appeared in the frame Najma decide to drop the latest bombshell on them, so without warning she blurted out...

Najma: "Zoya's Married!!"

Rashid and Ayaan (In unison): "WHAT!! When??? To Who???"

Najma: "Well remember I told you about Arbaaz..."

Rashid: "She's married to Arbaaz..."

Najma: "yup..."

Ayaan: "how's Bhaijaan taking it?"

Najma: "Dunno... I don't know whether to be happy for Zoya or to weep with Bhaijaan."

Rashid: "Najma... are you sure? Are you sure that Zoya is married?"

Najma: "Yes... I'm pretty sure."

Ayaan: "Well this won't do... Zoya belongs with Bhaijaan!"
Rashid: "no Ayaan... she's married now, we can't just destroy her life because Asad is unhappy..."

Najma: "besides Ayaan didn't we agree that only if Bhaijaan deserves Zoya will we interfere, what if Arbaaz is a better match for Zoya and if we take him away from her she might hate us forever? Ayaan I don't need to remind you how much Bhaijaan has hurt Zoya..."

Ayaan: "but he's our brother... we can't just let him be sad..."

Rashid: "Ayaan Najma is right, we can't just destroy Zoya's life to build Asad's plus we don't know how Zoya feels about Asad."

Ayaan: "but we do know that Bhaijaan loves Zoya!"

Najma: "But that hasn't stopped Asad from hurting Zoya before..."

Rashid: "No it hasn't...Zoya has done a lot for this family and it would be no way to repay her if we destroy her life..."

Najma nodded in agreement but before she could say anything, she felt another's presence in the room and turned around to see who it was. Her mother was standing under the door frame, sobbing. Najma quickly ended the call and rushed to support her mother who collapsed in her arms. After wiping her mother's tears and walking her over to the bed Najma let her curiosity surface...

Najma: "Ammi...what's the matter?"

Dilshad: "Najma, you blame your brother for Zoya's state... but I'm equally responsible..."

Najma: "Ammi, calm down... please tell me what happened?"

Dilshad: "All Zoya ever wanted was a family...and when she found one with us... I threw her out; I broke an already fragile girl... I trusted the wrong person and now Zoya feels that she cannot come close to me again because she is afraid..."

Najma: "afraid that you won't accept her?"

Dilshad: "No...She's afraid that she will be the cause of my death..."

Najma: "Ammi that's insane..."

Dilshad: "Najma when I was shot, Zoya risked herself to save me...Najma I brought Mariam home that day...Did anyone blame Zoya for my injury Najma? ... Najma! Tell me! Did anyone blame Zoya?"

Najma: "Well Ammi..."

Dilshad: "Najma tell me!"

Najma: "Ammi that day...while you were in theatre... Zoya had gone to speak to Bhaijaan... Ammi he... He..."

Dilshad: "Najma what did he do? Did he yell at her again? Asad is just impossible... He can't control his temper and says anything in anger... then afterwards he-"

Najma: "Ammi he didn't say anything to Zoya... He slapped her..."

Her daughter's words echoed in her head and she began cursing the upbringing she gave her son. She had raised him to be better than that and now she was ashamed of him.

Dilshad: "Najma...Will Zoya ever come back to us?"

Najma: "Sure Ammi... Zoya will forgive you soon then she'll happily become part of our family again..."

Dilshad: "Najma... Zoya has already forgiven me..."

Najma: "Really!!! That's great news Ammi!"

Dilshad: "She may have forgiven me Najma but she's afraid..."

Dilshad had began telling Najma about Zoya and how Zoya believed that she was jinxed and with each passing moment, Najma's heart broke for her friend. Najma could not fathom the fact that Zoya could be so strong after all that she's been through. So not knowing what else to do, Dilshad had held her daughter and cried herself to sleep. Najma on the other hand remained wide awake, a plan formulating in her head. She knew that there was a person who could bring Zoya closer to her Ammi, and right now he was probably sound asleep in his crib...

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Zoya had put down the frame and dried her tears. She took once last look at the frame and then proceeded to change into her night clothes, while brushing her hair, a strong arm snaked itself around her waist pulling her into a muscular chest. She looked into the mirror before her and saw her husband burying his face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent while leaving light kisses on her neck. Zoya smiled at his antics and began running her hand through his hair, encouraging him. It seemed that privacy was not something that Zoya would be granted tonight, as she once again looked into the mirror and her eyes made contact with those belonging to Asad Ahmed Khan, who had left hurriedly once he realised she had caught him staring. Breaking out of his embrace and kissing Arbaaz on the cheek Zoya left the room with some excuse and went to find Asad.

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Asad was on the balcony, the cool air was exactly what he needed to calm himself down. Images of Zoya in the arms of Arbaaz kept swarming through his head and he couldn't take it. Zoya is MINE! No one can take her away from me!" Asad's mind roared at him in frustration while his knuckles turned white from his death grip on the railing. He wanted to shout it from this balcony that Zoya belonged solely to him, he wanted all of Manhattan to know that only HE had a right over Zoya but his voice was lost in his throat and amidst all his anger he couldn't say anything... some might call this stunned silence but others who knew Asad Ahmed Khan would rather call this the calm before the storm. Asad Ahmed Khan was a stubborn man, he would do anything to get what he wants and when the object of his desire was out of reach he would obsess over it until it became his. He was about to get up and confront Zoya when a hand bearing a mug of coffee was placed in front of him...