Chapter 4

Men were chattering in a dark room with only flickers of colorful lights, ladies stood behind each opponent, encouraging them with a gentle massage on the shoulder as they concentrated on the cards, gambling.

“You shouldn’t have risked your pounds for this,” one of the opponents stated. He had a stick of marijuana in his mouth.

“You shouldn’t look down on your opponent, that might be your end,” the other man said, shuffling his cards. “Whoa! Who else is watching?!” he exclaimed as he flung the cards on the table. He just won.

At the entrance, Rayan entered with two of his bodyguards. “Welcome, sir,” the other guards on duty in the casino welcomed him. He walked past them with just a wave of his hand.

“Hey, people!” Rayan exclaimed, and all eyes turned to him.

“Look who we have here,” another man from the casino said, walking to Rayan with open arms. He did a bro-hug with Rayan and they walked around.

“I haven’t been seeing you in the game,” Rayan said, taking a shot of a cocktail from a female server. “Are you sure you still know how to play?”

“You want to bet?” the man asked, stopping to face him.

“Not before telling me about your business. How are the girls?”

They began walking again. “The girls are ready for deport to Greece in two days.”

“Wonderful!” Rayan laughed.

“You still haven’t changed after many years,” the man teased.

“We don’t grow old in business!” Rayan declared and they both laughed.

Later on in the same casino, Rayan opened a door to another dark room. The muffled crying sound of a lady penetrated the darkness. Rayan turned on the light. The lady was tied to a chair, weak and helpless with a piece of cloth tied to her mouth. She had bruises all over her face. Her under eye had a dark spot like she received heavy blows. Her hair cascaded all over her in a ruffled mess. The moment she saw Rayan, she began struggling to move back with the chair. Her breathing was hitched. She was shuddering. Every step he took toward her makes her heart pound harder against her ribcage. She was still in hot tears. Rayan moved closer and stood in front of her. She dropped her head immediately, feeling her sweat drench her. He lifted her chin and forced her eyes on him.

“How are you doing, baby?” he asked, a minacious smile crossed his face.

“Uhh…uhh…uhh!” the lady’s heart kept pounding. She couldn’t say a word.

“You miss your husband?” Rayan asked, freeing her chin and standing up straight. “You know he was worthless, right?” he continued, bringing out his handgun and cleaning the tip. He looked at her. Her heart flew out of her. “I know you miss him a lot. I am not such a bad guy so, I will send you to him,” Rayan pulled the gun on her. She began shaking her head vigorously. She struggled with the chair. She shouted, but only muffled sounds escaped from her mouth. Rayan moved closer to her. He dragged her hair back, lifting her face. He stared into her teary eyes.

“It’s not going to hurt. Trust me,” he declared mendaciously, pressing the gun to the side of her stomach. He squeezed the trigger. The lady’s eyes bulged out as her body quivered on the chair. He let go of her hair as she struggled on the chair. She became still and cold. He kissed his gun and headed out.

At the Khawaja family firm, Mr Asad, the CEO of the company was relaxed on a swivel chair in his office, looking sad. His mood had never been better since his reckless son has refused to adhere to his marriage advice. The man turned a pen on the desk, keeping himself busy. The doorbell rang, but Mr Asad was too moody to permit entry. The doorbell rang again and the visitor had to enter without permission. It was Mr Hamdaan Shah, Liyana’s father. He works as a personal driver for Mr Asad. He came to pick Mr Asad up for an appointment.

“Greetings, sir,” Mr Hamdaan saluted, but Mr Asad didn’t respond. He wasn’t even looking at him. He was staring at his office window. “Sir?” Mr Hamdaan called, moving closer and Mr Asad jolted on his seat before turning his eyes on Mr Hamdaan. “Are you fine, sir?” Mr Hamdaan asked.

“Welcome, Hamdaan, have a seat,” Mr Asad offered, swiveling to face him as he sat down on the opposite chair. “Why are you here?”

“Uh, have you forgotten, sir?” Mr Hamdaan asked. “You told me to come pick you up for an appointment this morning.”

“Oh, that!” Mr Asad sounded off. “It’s canceled.”

“Oh, um, okay, sir, I will be outside,” Mr Hamdaan said, standing up. He hesitated to go as he wondered what was wrong with his boss. “Um sir, I have noticed you have always been wearing a long face. Is everything alright?”

“Hmm! I’m bothered, Hamdaan,” Mr Asad said, sitting up.

“Why if I may ask?”

“You know, it’s about…” Mr Asad paused. “Never mind. I will be fine,”  he declared, relaxing back on the chair.

“All right, sir. Just don’t think too much, OK?”

“Thank you,” Mr Asad commented and Mr Hamdaan left.

The relationship between Mr Asad and Mr Hamdaan extends more into a close friendship. But Mr Hamdaan never misused the privilege. He was a loyal, respectful, and punctual driver.

During the weekend, Liyana went to meet Sofia in a hotel where she works as a chef. She was led to the kitchen by one of the waiters. After exchanging pleasantries, the two friends began chatting. Sofia moved around, fixing a dish while Liyana stood over her, bringing up all topic for a gist.

“You are indeed the best chef, Sofia,” Liyana said, beginning to walk around the kitchen and touching everything touchable. “The sweet aroma of your cooking is gradually suffocating me. mmm!” she declared and swooned.

“You have started with your unending praises, Liyana,” Sofia smiled. “How I wish people comment on my food the way you do.”

“Who says they don’t?” Liyana asked, moving close to her. “When I was entering the hotel, I heard one woman telling her husband that they should be coming here more often. When the husband asked why. Do you know what the woman said?” Liyana asked, placing her hand on Sofia’s shoulder. Sofia shook her head. “Their food taste so delicious, I don’t mind coming here all weekend. Who is behind the delicious meals?--- Sofia Naqvi, AKA, world best chef,” Liyana praised blissfully and they both laughed. At that moment, they began hearing noises. They stopped to listen. “What’s that noise about?” Liyana queried.

“Um, I think…” Sofia stopped as Ehsan, one of the waiters came along. “Um, Ehsan, what’s the noise about?” Sofia asked.

“It’s the boss’s friend again. He is turning one lady into a stripper in front of everyone,” Ehsan replied, dropping down the tray he was holding on a counter.

“What?!” the two friends exclaimed, rushing out to witness the scene.

The boss’s friend was no other than Rayan Khawaja. He was in the club room with all his guards and some other people of his clan. They were all drinking and hollering with some ladies flirting around them. The room reeked of alcohol and the smokes of marijuana. They were a lady on a platform in front of everyone. She was crying non-stop. As the music boomed, she was made to dance out of her will. She was crying while whirling across the platform. Sofia and Liyana watched from a corner.

“Who are all these people?” Liyana asked.

“That man over there…” Sofia pointed at Rayan, “…is Rayan Khawaja, popularly known as R K. He is a friend to the owner of this hotel. Anytime he comes around, he always makes sure to display his kind of hostility. This is the least of what he does most times,” Sofia explained.

“OMG!” Liyana exclaimed. “Then he is a monster.”

“Time to strip, bi*ch!” Rayan groaned. His voice shook Liyana off her balance, thunderous and frightful. The lady on the platform shuddered with fear. Her dance steps were a confused one. She fumbled as she held the edge of her saree to strip off. “What are you waiting for?” Rayan yelled out and the lady shook vigorously again. Tears flooded her cheeks.

“This is outrageous!” Liyana commented and dashed inside, resisting Sofia’s decline. As she stepped into the room, a murmur arose among the folks. She didn’t look at them as she headed to where the music player was and turned it off, raising more questions of curiosity and surprise. Rayan adjusted on his seat, carefully watching Liyana’s steps. She went onto the platform and secured the lady’s saree.

“Who are you?” the lady who stood in disbelief asked.

“Never mind, just go,” she said. The lady stood for a minute. Liyana gave her a reassuring nod and she ran out.

“Who is this daughter of Jezebel?” one of Rayan’s friends questioned, standing up.

“You are all super shameless, outrageous, and insane,” Liyana ventured out angrily, pointing a finger at them. “You all sit there to watch the integrity of a woman being dragged down into the mud. The same women that gave birth to your monsters. You are all sons of ancient beasts with no hearts. And to all women here, you are a disgrace to womanhood. The next time you try to demean the dignity of a woman, think of your mothers!” she reprimanded. As she stepped down from the platform to go, Rayan’s men pulled their guns on her. Before Sofia could shout out to her friend, Ehsan covered her mouth and pulled her away. Liyana stopped, staring at each of them with no sign of fear in her eyes. Rayan raised his hand to stop his men. Liyana walked out like a heroine. Rayan didn’t mind the questions thrown at him by his folks and dashed out. His men followed up.

Liyana returned to the kitchen where Sofia was catching her breath. Ehsan was there calming her down.

“What happened, Sofia?” Liyana queried, moving close to the tensed Sofia. Sofia embraced her.

“I thought they hurt you, Liyana, you shouldn’t have interjected,” Sofia sobbed. She disengaged the hug, examining Liyana carefully.

“Calm down, Sofia, I’m not hurt,” Liyana assured. “It’s just that it hurts. I am not the best I can be, I don’t even perform namaz completely most times. I hope God forgives me though,” Liyana said, turning away from Sofia and taking a few steps forward. “But what I can’t take is to watch the dignity of a woman be demeaned in the presence of many men. I don’t mind getting hurt for that,” she declared, turning back to face Sofia.

“I admire you, Liyana,” Sofia smiled.

“You are selfless, Liyana,” Ehsan commented and Liyana smiled.

“But it’s not over yet, Liyana. Rayan will come after you, he is that evil, you know?” Sofia expressed sadly. Liyana patted her on the shoulder.

“I will be careful, don’t worry,” Liyana assured.

Author’s note 🌟🌟🌟

Hello, my lovely readers. Are you liking the story? What do you think about it? I want to know. Leave your review on your thought on this story. I will honestly be grateful and encouraged to continue writing. Thanks for reading.