Cut off
671 Words
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Chapter 15: Cut Off
The message came at midnight.
Not from the university.
Not from the board.
From the bank.
Transaction Declined.
Zayn stared at his phone.
That didn’t make sense.
He tried again.
Declined.
His jaw tightened.
He didn’t need to guess.
He already knew.
⸻
The next morning, he drove to the estate without calling ahead.
When he entered, the atmosphere was controlled.
Too controlled.
His father was in his study.
Waiting.
“I assume you’ve noticed,”
Mr. Kareem Al-Hassan said calmly.
“You froze my accounts.”
“I restricted access.”
“You cut me off.”
“I corrected your behavior.”
Zayn’s hands clenched slightly.
“You think money controls me?”
“I know it has always protected you,” his father replied.
Silence stretched between them.
“You embarrassed this family publicly,” Mr. Al-Hassan continued. “You chose defiance over loyalty.”
“I chose fairness.”
“You chose a girl over legacy.”
Zayn stepped closer.
“I chose not to be like you.”
That landed hard.
For the first time, something flickered in his father’s eyes.
Not anger.
Disappointment.
“You will return when you remember your position,” his father said coldly. “Until then, you will experience life without this name shielding you.”
Shielding.
Or suffocating?
Zayn turned without another word.
Because if he stayed—
He might say something unforgivable.
⸻
By afternoon, rumors spread again.
“Did you hear? He lost access.”
“His father suspended him from the company.”
“They’re fighting.”
Vanessa heard it too.
And this time—
She didn’t smile.
This had gone further than she expected.
She wanted Aisha pressured.
Not the entire empire shaking.
⸻
Meanwhile, Aisha was unaware.
She was in the library again.
Studying.
Fighting to act normal while her scholarship still hung in uncertainty.
Zayn walked in.
But something was different.
No car keys spinning in his hand.
No quiet confidence.
Just calm.
Too calm.
“You look tired,” she said softly.
“I’m fine.”
She studied him.
“You’re lying.”
He gave a small smile.
“I’ve been cut off.”
The words were simple.
But heavy.
Her stomach dropped.
“What?”
“My accounts. My company access. Everything.”
Her voice lowered.
“Because of me.”
“No,” he said immediately. “Because I refused to bend.”
She shook her head slightly.
“This is what I was trying to prevent.”
“And this is what I was willing to risk.”
Her eyes filled — not with tears.
With frustration.
“Why?”
“Because some things matter more than comfort.”
Silence.
The library suddenly felt too small.
“You shouldn’t lose your future because of me,” she whispered.
“I’m not losing it,” he replied calmly. “I’m redefining it.”
She looked at him carefully.
“You’re serious.”
“I’ve always been.”
That scared her more than anything.
Because this wasn’t rebellion.
This was transformation.
⸻
That evening, Zayn left the estate.
Not temporarily.
He packed a bag.
Minimal.
Quiet.
The staff watched but said nothing.
The heir had stepped outside the kingdom.
And no one knew if he would return the same.
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Across the city, Vanessa stood on her balcony.
Watching the skyline.
The war had escalated beyond control.
A scholarship girl.
A public confrontation.
Financial retaliation.
If this continued—
The damage wouldn’t be repairable.
She dialed a number.
Slowly.
Carefully.
If things were going to explode—
She wanted to control the explosion.
⸻
Meanwhile, in her small room, Aisha sat on her bed.
Her scholarship still suspended.
The hearing unresolved.
And now—
The boy who defended her had lost everything.
She looked at her phone.
Typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Finally sent:
We need to talk. Not as fighters. As us.
Because distance was no longer protection.
Now it was avoidance.
And avoidance was becoming dangerous.
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