ONE

AYRA’S POV:

“If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your heart then you’re allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind.”

My sister used to say as she was a book nerd well philosophical nerd as she thought she was old enough to read the fiction ones. I never understood this quote because I could never stop myself doing exactly what she was negating by that quote.

I couldn’t understand her as I used to read fiction books but she liked to enhance her knowledge but now when I think about that I could get easily that her life was far better than a fictional world. She had everything. A happy life which included a healthy relationship with her parents and the most important element, for which people divert towards fiction world, was the person she was immensely in love with when she was in twenties. I couldn’t get to the depth of their relationship as fate didn’t give me the chance for doing that.

I lost her and my parents when I was nine, old enough to know what was happening in my surroundings but naïve enough to not take any step for my loved ones but now after ten years I am capable enough to avenge the death of my family. The tragedy which didn’t even. Leave me the chance to lighten my heart with the fiction world.

I was glad I was strong enough to be standing right in front of the Durani Villa. Where the journey of my revenge was about to start. I had to drag myself to these people who seemed like living their lives happily above the graves of my parents and my beloved sister with whom I used to fight a lot but also shared my grieves and joy with her. The people of Durani Villa didn’t leave me the chance to share anything but tears whenever I saw them buried deep down.

Shaking my head, I moved towards the main gate as there were guards as if people living inside were celebrities or what. Nobody had the audacity to stand against the Durani’s but here they had guards as if someone would think of coming inside their Villa and steal something. Can’t they use proper locks? But again, there aren’t any locks in this world which can’t be broken.

“Hey. I am Ayra Mirza.” I didn't like how my voice was so soft and weak as according to my uncle my voice was too fragile and a girl who is hungry for revenge shouldn't talk like this but I couldn't help as it was the genes. I introduced myself as I walked towards the guards as they looked down on me from top to bottom as if they were looking at a tiny ant for which they needed magnifying glass. I smiled sheepishly.

I wasn’t small they were extremely tall as for god’s sake I was 5’3. That’s one inch more than the average height and that meant I was tall enough to not be called as a shortie.

“The therapist?” The guard raised an eyebrow as I smiled while nodding my head. I was proud of my career as I studied hard for it.

“Yes. I thought I would have to tell…”

“You are late.” The guard said making me shut up that I did gracefully. In no second, he ordered he guard standing inside against the huge water fountain in the middle of the entrance to guide me inside.

He gestured me to follow him as I did bite my lower lip. He was extremely tall too.

“Why you guys are so tall?” I mumbled as I didn’t expect him to hear that but guess all of their senses were sharp enough to guide the Durani Villa.

“The reason why you are short.” He retorted back without looking at me as my mouth hung open. I WAS NOT SHORT.

But I got the answer as it was genes.

“Sabreena.”

“There she is.” The guard entered the kitchen from the back door as there were staff working in their uniforms as he gestured towards a girl few years older than me as she was Sabrina who looked at me from top to bottom.

“Salam Dr. Ayra. You are late.” She said with a smiling face as the guard glancing at me mistakenly departure from there.

“Yes. I am sorry for that. I directly came from the airport.” I tried to explain as my luggage was already picked up from the staff from the main entrance.

“Don’t give this excuse to our sir. He doesn’t like them.” Sabreena said as she seemed sweet and kind to me. She gestured me towards the stairs while she explained. “We needed therapist for Johara ma’am but she doesn’t like anyone. That’s why you are the twenty-seventh therapist coming here and I hope you don’t get kick out but you shouldn’t keep your hopes high…” She was explaining when I ascend the first step of the stairs only to get breath stuck in my throat when I craned my neck upwards only to meet with darkness. Sheer darkness that could absorb the light into it as it wasn’t even there before.

He was standing at the edge of the stairs looking directly into my emerald eyes with phone in his hand. It seemed like he was typing something but his fingers were in the air while his deep hawk like eyes were on me that made my feet crumble while my spine shudder. I forgot to take further step while I couldn’t even divert my eyes from him.

It was the eyes or it was his handsomely sculptured face with chiseled jaw and perfect features along with his toned body that didn’t let me glance anywhere else. Or may be it was fact that I hadn't seen such intensity in someone's eyes before. 

“Sir doesn’t sleep with employees. He has a strict boundary between personal and professional relations.” Sabreena whispered near my ear as I snapped out of thoughts in a shocking gasp.

“What? Why would I sleep with him? I though you would give me a separate room.” I gasped as my eyes rounded making Sabreena to look at me with dumbfounded expressions. I was going to live here as a therapist in the Durani Villa as they should give me a separate room for that.

“No, I meant…” Sabreena was saying when she was cut in between.

“Nobody is interested in that and you are late Miss Mirza. Make sure to arrange for someone else before she departure from here.” I didn’t know when he came downstairs as I couldn’t even take a breath when his woodsy scent hit my nerves making me engulf into its aura but I soon came back to realization when in the end he addressed Sabreena at the end.

“What?" I exasperated with widened eyes.

 You can’t fire me? I directly came here from the airport. It’s not my fault.” I blurted out as soon as he walked past us looking at his phone as he seemed ready to go out for his work. He halted in his steps as he raised an eyebrow without any expression on his face. His face was more attractive with his smooth even voice as it seemed like he knew how to lure someone into his trap just the way he speaks and then he narrowed his eyes at me as if he was a model shooting for the front page of Vogue.

“I-I m-mean y-you I-I d-didn’t…” Feeling his eyes burning my insides as if he knew every secret folded in my soul that made the connection between my tongue and brain to break. I gulped. He indeed was scary. My uncle should have warned me about him but it was too late now.

“You sure about her? She herself need a speech therapist.” He addressed Sabreena again as without waiting for any other second, he stormed out with an expressionless face which showed how much a stone-hearted person he was.

“He can’t fire me…”

“Nobody has fired you.”

“I mean there wasn’t any fault of mine. It’s the plane. The pilot should be fired but wait he has a family to feed but I also… What?” I asked as soon as I came back into senses when I looked at Sabreena who was trying to hide her smile making me feel more embarrassed than I already was.

“We haven’t fired anybody yet because we didn’t feel the need to do so.” Sabreena explained as she was smiling along.

“But you said there were twenty-six therapists before me.” I said as I was a little breathless because of all the shock I got in those two minutes.

“Yes. There were but they weren’t fired. They resigned before we could do anything like that.” She explained.

“Why? Is it because they were scared of him. Oh my God! Is he a womanizer? I heard these rich people have someone in their family who is a womanizer and they are always the handsome ones.” I said as I couldn’t stop my tongue which refused to work in front of him few minutes ago.

“No.” Sabreena said acting with patience. “You will find the reason soon.”