chapter 13
1699 Words
Zulfishan sat on the edge of her bed, holding her father’s note in her trembling hands.
"If anything happens to me, Azfar is behind it… Protect my daughters."
The words kept echoing in her mind.
She looked at the closed door of her stepmother’s room. That woman had been cold, distant, and heartless ever since her father's death. But Zulfishan had always assumed it was just bitterness or grief.
Now, she wasn’t sure.
There was something more.
---
Her heart beat fast as she walked slowly toward the room. Mawra was still sleeping in the living room, weak and exhausted after being found in the basement.
Zulfishan knocked on the door once, then pushed it open.
Her stepmother was sitting by the dresser, brushing her hair as if nothing had happened.
“You found Mawra, didn’t you?” she said without turning.
Zulfishan froze. “How do you know that?”
A slow smile crept onto the woman’s face.
“I heard the noise. I was hoping she’d stay quiet a bit longer.”
Zulfishan’s throat tightened.
“You locked her in there? Why?”
“She was poking around in your father’s things. Found something she shouldn’t have.”
Zulfishan held out the letter. “You mean this?”
Her stepmother’s face fell.
“So… you know everything now.”
Zulfishan’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know everything. But I know enough. You helped them, didn’t you? You let them silence him.”
Her stepmother stood up and faced her. “Your father was stupid. He tried to stand against powerful people. He thought justice mattered. He didn’t think about us — how we’d survive if he crossed the wrong men.”
“He was trying to protect us!” Zulfishan shouted. “And you let him die scared and alone!”
“I protected you in my own way!” her stepmother snapped. “I stayed quiet. I obeyed. That’s how I kept food on the table after he was gone. You think your pretty morals can feed you?”
Zulfishan stepped back, shocked at her coldness.
“I’ll never forgive you,” she whispered.
Her stepmother’s voice turned harsh. “You don’t have to. Just stay out of it now. Don’t make the same mistake your father did.”
---
Zulfishan stormed out of the room, tears falling down her cheeks.
Aabi was waiting outside the house. When she saw him, she broke down.
He hugged her tightly, whispering, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
She gave him the letter again. “We have to stop Azfar. My father tried. Now it’s our turn.”
Aabi nodded. “I have someone digging into Azfar’s side business. There’s more — much more than I thought.”
---
Later that night, Aabi took Zulfishan and Mawra to a quiet apartment far from their neighborhood.
“I don’t want you going back there, not until it’s safe,” he said.
He handed her another folder.
“This was emailed to me anonymously today. It’s about something called Unit 9.”
Zulfishan opened the file. It was filled with secret company records — showing fake names, hidden funds, and off-the-book employees. The unit was disguised as a charity program. But it wasn’t helping people.
It was monitoring them.
Her father’s name was there — listed as “Removed from Access.” The date matched two months before his death.
Aabi looked grim. “Azfar was running surveillance — collecting personal data, tapping phones, maybe even blackmailing certain people. Your father found out. That’s why they marked him.”
Zulfishan’s stomach turned.
“All this time… this danger… and we didn’t even know.”
---
Just then, Mawra walked into the room, pale but alert.
“I remember something,” she said.
They both turned to her.
“The night Papa died… I saw Azfar at our gate. I thought I imagined it. But now I know it was real. He didn’t come inside. He just… looked at the house. Then he left.”
Zulfishan’s eyes widened. “He came to threaten him.”
Aabi clenched his jaw. “And your stepmother let him in on everything.”
There was silence.
Then Zulfishan stood.
“We have to end this. We need to expose Azfar — no matter how big he is, no matter how powerful.”
Aabi looked at her proudly. “You’re your father’s daughter.”
“But we need help,” she said. “Someone from inside. Someone Azfar trusts.”
Aabi hesitated. “There may be one person. But it’s risky.”
“Who?”
Aabi looked serious.
“His own brother.”
---
The city lights flickered through the window as Zulfishan sat beside Mawra on the small sofa in the safe house. Aabi was on the phone in the other room, his voice calm but firm. He was talking to someone important.
“Do you think we can trust Azfar’s brother?” Mawra asked softly.
Zulfishan shook her head. “I don’t know. But we have no choice. We need someone from inside.”
Mawra looked at her with admiration. “You’re stronger than I thought, Zulfishan. Even after everything, you’re not backing down.”
Zulfishan smiled sadly. “I’m scared every second. But my father gave his life trying to expose the truth. I won’t let his sacrifice go to waste.”
---
Aabi entered the room, his eyes serious.
“Azfar’s younger brother, Saif, agreed to meet,” he said. “Tomorrow. But not at the company — somewhere neutral.”
“Is he safe?” Mawra asked.
Aabi hesitated. “He’s... complicated. Not like Azfar. But he has his own reasons for helping us.”
---
The next day, they met Saif at a quiet rooftop café far from the city center. He was younger than Azfar, with sharp features and a quiet confidence. He didn’t greet them warmly — just sat across from Zulfishan and watched her carefully.
“You’re his daughter,” he said. “The man who died two years ago… the employee who ‘found too much.’”
Zulfishan nodded. “He was my father. And I want to know why he had to die.”
Saif leaned back. “Azfar runs more than just a business. He built a system — one that keeps people in line. He doesn’t like rebels. Your father was a rebel.”
Zulfishan clenched her fists. “What do you want from us?”
Saif smirked. “I want to see my brother fall. But I won’t do it for free.”
Aabi stepped forward. “What do you want?”
“I want immunity. If this goes public, I don’t want my name involved. And I want shares of the company once he’s gone.”
Zulfishan was disgusted, but Aabi nodded slowly. “We’ll consider it. But first, we need the evidence.”
Saif’s eyes gleamed. “Then you’ll need to go into the server room. That’s where he hides the backup drives — names, payments, projects... and deaths.”
---
That night, Zulfishan sat alone on the balcony, her father’s picture in her hands. She remembered his voice, his warmth, his quiet strength.
“I miss you, Baba,” she whispered. “I wish you were here to guide me.”
Just then, Aabi came outside. He sat beside her, his face softer than usual.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said.
Zulfishan turned to him. “I feel like I’m losing myself. Every time I learn something new, I lose another piece of who I was.”
Aabi reached out, gently holding her hand. “You’re still you. Braver, smarter, stronger — but still the same heart. And I’ll be here… for as long as you want me.”
She looked at him — really looked at him. For a moment, the pain faded.
---
The next morning, Zulfishan and Aabi met with someone else from the company — a former friend of her father’s. His name was Hashir, and he worked in IT.
When he opened the folder they brought, his face turned pale.
“This is serious,” he whispered. “Unit 9 wasn’t just spying. It was deleting people — removing anyone who found out the truth.”
Zulfishan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Hashir showed her a list. Her father’s name was marked in red. So was another.
Her heart stopped.
It was her old teacher, Miss Mahira — someone who had once protected her from bullies in school, someone kind and caring.
“She used to work here part-time,” Hashir said. “She helped your father translate some documents. She disappeared six months before his death.”
Zulfishan felt cold.
“They silenced her too.”
---
Back at the safe house, Mawra was acting strange. She kept checking her phone, pacing the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Zulfishan asked.
Mawra looked nervous. “I think someone’s following us. I’ve seen the same black car twice outside.”
Zulfishan stood quickly. “We need to move.”
Just then, a knock came at the door.
They froze.
Aabi peeked through the peephole and relaxed slightly. “It’s Salman.”
Zulfishan opened the door, and Salman stepped in, looking breathless.
“You need to leave,” he said. “Now. There’s a leak in the company. Someone knows you're getting close.”
Zulfishan stared at him. “How do you know?”
Salman looked guilty. “Because someone followed me after I visited you last week. I didn’t realize it… but they tracked me here.”
---
Aabi cursed under his breath. “We’ll have to split up. I’ll take Mawra. Zulfishan — go with Salman for now. Trust him.”
Zulfishan hesitated. Her heart told her to stay with Aabi. But logic said safety first.
“Okay,” she whispered.
As she stepped out with Salman, the air around them was tense.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Salman promised.
Zulfishan gave him a faint smile.
But deep down… she wasn’t sure if anyone could keep that promise anymore.
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- Writer
