"The nerve!" the man roared as his fist raised for another strike. But this time Zayaan's hand shot up, catching the man's wrist mid-air.
"What the hell is your problem?" Zayaan snapped as his grip tightened around the man's wrist.
"You have the nerve to ask that after degrading a girl from my family?" the man snarled as he reached for the collar of his bathrobe and tried to yank him forward. But Zayaan didn't budge.
"I'll make sure you know what hell feels like on earth today."
"Be my guest." without a pause, Zayaan lunged at him, punching his face and his nose began to bleed.
"Stop!" Alizey shouted amidst her tears, her eyes wide in horror.
At the sound of her voice, her youngest uncle, Rehan who was about to retaliate paused mid step and turned toward her.
Alizey could feel a knot in her stomach as all eyes swung toward her.
"It's... it's a misunderstanding," she stammered, forcing herself to her feet. The room swayed beneath her, but she held her ground. "Please, hear me out."
"Shut up!"
Alizey's breath hitched.
"Don't you dare say a word!" Her eldest uncle, Jabeer Usman, hollered as he stepped forward in a fit of rage. "After all these years, this is how you repay our kindness? It would have been better to pet a snake than to raise a traitor like you."
"No... please... I—"
"And this bastard lured her in!" Rehan snarled, charging toward Zayaan again.
But before he could reach him, a firm hand shot out, stopping him mid-step.
Alizey's gaze snapped to the figure who had intervened.
Her grandfather stepped between her uncle and Zayaan, his eyes fixed solely on her and a sob escaped her lips.
"Grandpa please hear me out, it's.. it's a misunderstanding"
"What Grandpa? Do you take us to be stupid?" Jabeer Usman was frothing at the mouth.
"Uncle Jabeer, please prepare Amina for the nikkah as discussed earlier"
Alizey's breath caught in her throat as her gaze drifted to the doorway searching for the the source of that voice. There, standing at the threshold, was Faizan dressed in his groom's attire with his eyes fixed on her like she was a stranger, the man she was about to get married to, the man who just announced to marry her cousin sister, Amina.
"No... No, Faizan, please, listen to me!" Alizey stumbled forward. "I don't even know this man!"
But without a word, Faizan stormed out of the room. As soon as he left, Jabeer ahmed Strode forward and slapped her across her face.
"Jabeer!" Her grandfather admonished.
"No, father. Not today" Jabeer shot back.
Her uncle's anger knew no bounds: if he could he want to strangle this girl.
Alizey's palm flew to her stinging cheek, "Uncle, I didn't do anything... please, hear me out."
"I told you to Shut up" Jibreel hand shot forward again but this time his wrist was caught mid air.
"Don't interfere in my family matter"Jibreel said through greeted teeth as his seething gaze clashed with Zayaan's now eerily calm eyes.
"Trust me I'd rather do anything but to interfere in your family drama. But since you lack basic manners, so i had to step up"
With a jerk, he shoved away Jabeer's wrist, "You won't let her speak? Fine, then let me do it"
"I have no relation whatsoever with her. Heck, i don't even know her. So hold your horses before jumping to any conclusion." Zayaan's eyes swept over the room.
"Hah this bastard!" Rehan snapped, "Now he wants to shrink away from his responsibility? See to it if i don't break your bones today"
Zayaan rolled his eyes as a bitter laugh escaped his lips: God he'd do anything to get out of this circus.
"Marry her."
There was absolute silence in the room for a next few minutes. Zayaan was dumbfounded and Alizey...she seemed to have turned into stone. She stared speechlessly at her grandfather, as though she had forgotten how to breath.
She knew how conservative her family was, how they clung to rules and held their honor above else. After waking up in that room, the fear of them reprimanding her, questioning her, did crossed her mind but never in her wildest dream, had she imagined this, that too by her grandfather.
"You're out of your mind" Zayaan exploded.
"Father"Rehan spoke up at the same time.
"He is right" Jabeer intervened, "What face did we have left after the disgrace she'd orchestrated infront of groom's party. I won't let her humiliate us anymore. I won't let the world question us."
"You can't force me" Zayaan declared.
"Then I'll shoot her"
Alizey's leg gave up as she crumpled to the floor.
"How does that concern me? Do whatever you want" Zayaan scoffed.
"You bartard, I'll kill you" Rehan roared as he lunged toward Zayaan but halted midstep as his eyes fall on his brother standing few steps ahead of him.
"Have you lost your mind" Zayaan yelled, alert as he stared at the gun Jabeer had pulled from beneath his shawl.