‘Did you really think you could come and steal everything from me?’she smirked, grabbing the baby from Swara’s arms
‘-No!’
Ayesha hugged the baby closer to her chest and then pushed Swara with her foot further away, on the slippery floor
‘You can’t have my baby!’
Swara cried desperately
‘Stop calling it that! It’s not yours,it’s mine. Mine and Don’s. It’s time you went back to where you belonged’ she paused rocking the baby left to right smilingly then turned to yell back at Swara ‘In jail!’
‘No!!! No!!! You can’t have my baby! Give me back my baby!’Ayesha was walking further away with Swara’s baby in her arms, and she could even hear it cry forher already
‘My baby! Give me back my baby!’ she yelled desperately, crying her heart out Suddenly, Don was holding her tohis chest, on the floor
‘Swara!’
‘She took my baby!’
She cried hysterically
‘swara, wake up!’
‘Give me back my baby’ she couldn’t stop yelling after Ayesha, but she was long gone my now
‘Stop, you can’t have my baby!’
‘Swara! Swar! Wake up!’
Swara woke up trembling all over, her eyes wet, her throat sore, Don hugging her tight to his chest
‘My…my baby…she took it’
‘Shhh’ Don soothed her, holding her tight
‘You had a nightmare’
‘No’ she sobbed
‘Ayesha took my baby’Don tightened his arms around her protectively, inhaling sharply.
This was the first time Swara had ever brought Ayesha up after he’d arranged for her never to leave jail for as long as she lived. But he wasn’t surprised that Swara was correlating her miscarriage to Ayesha.
‘Sweetheart… you know that’s not true. Come on, look at me… breathe… come on, darling’
But she was still sobbing. She couldn’t get the image out of her mind. Don gently rested against the bed frame and held her against his chest until she fell back asleep, but he didn’t shut an eye again that night.
‘Good morning’ Swara smiled shyly as she entered the kitchen.
Don was waiting for her to have breakfast together, as usual He realized she was intending to act as natural as possible, avoiding talking about her nightmare, but he looked hesitant to go with her plan
‘Swara…’She looked at him in a strange manner, almost pleading with her eyes for him not to open the subject, and he sighed
‘Good morning’
She smiled and came towards him, circling his neck from behind and hugging him
‘Thank you’ she whispered and then sat on her bar stool opposite him.
He squinted at her and then smiled
‘You look quite cheerful today’
‘I am’ she grinned
‘I had the most amazing time last night, Don’
she placed a strand of hair behind her ear, busying herself with her coffee mug He removed his reading glasses and leaned over the counter touching the tip of her nose slightly She giggled ‘Kya?’
‘I love seeing you like this’
Don’s cell rang
‘Haan Sam. Hm?’ he looked over at swara
‘Can’t it wait?’
She gestured for him to go along and he furrowed his brows slightly
‘Chalo, I’ll be down in 5’
‘You know how excited Sam gets’ she said He shrugged
‘He knows we’re off-duty, so to speak…’
‘Must be something worth your while’
He tapped his mouth with his cloth and then caressed his stubble, as if lost in thoughts She reached over to him, and squeezed his hand smilingly
‘Go. We’ll meet up later’
He looked at her
‘With your blessings’ and then kissed her forehead, and went to change into a more appropriate attire She looked over at her dashing husband. Luxury oozed from his every pore yet he still looked relaxed and extremely confident. She smiled at him one more time and then he was out the door.
As they drove to the respective location, Sam kept fidgeting in the driver’s seat
‘Don…It’s really not my place, but… are you sure you want to do this?’Don looked over at him
‘What’s with the sudden inquiry?’
‘It’s just that…after all these years…to go back to that, I mean… how come,why? You are doing extremely well as it is’
‘Sam, if I wanted to hear your opinion on it I would’ve asked for it. As it is, though…’
‘Yes, but… Don… I can’t just sit back and watch this, I mean it’s… it’s like a bomb waiting to explode’
‘Pull over’Sam wanted to protest but his boss had sounded clear enough. Don got out of the car and so did he.
‘Do I need to tell you that you are not to tell anymore about this?’Sam sighed
‘Of course not, but…’
‘Sam. You know who I mean by “anyone”. Swara is your friend, I get it, but she is my wife.What I choose to tell her or to keep from her is my decision, and mine alone. Is that understood?’Sam blinked slowly a few times and looked away
‘Yes’
‘I wouldn’t have thought I needed to set the records straight with you’ he cleared his throat then placed an arm around Sam’s shoulders
‘Listen, I know you mean well. But I am testing the territory as of yet. I haven’t decided, to tell you the truth’ he then patted Sam’s back and went back to the car
‘And if you decide to go for it, toh?’Don looked away and placed his sun glasses on
‘Then I’ll figure things out with Swara. As of now, though, there’s no need to trouble her for nothing’
‘I’m glad you’re aware that it would mean nothing but trouble’ Sam added in a small voice
‘Sam. Let’s get going’ Don added coldly and they both entered the car and drove away
Swara was waiting to meet Don at a chic bistro downtown Berlin, later that afternoon. She wore white denims and a satin emerald dress shirt. She’d curled her hair and wore a gold Tag Heuer watch Don had gifted her a while back. She wanted to match her elegant husband. She’d even gone for a manicure and gotten her hair curled as well.When Don arrived she looked at him puzzled. He caressed a strand of her hair lovingly before sitting next to her at the table of the elegant terrace.
‘And how’s my beautiful wife doing this afternoon?’ he flashed a dimpled smile
She smiled back but still confused ‘You didn’t say you would be going back by the apartment’
‘Why?’ he was interrupted by the waiter and he ordered coffee, water and a pack of cigars.She was taken aback by his odd request
‘Well, I feel overdressed now’Don had changed into a pair of light denims and a simple white dress shirt, his hair tied back into a ponytail. He chuckled and then kissed her hand
‘You’re always overdressed for my liking’She rolled her eyes. Ever the mischievous. He took a call and lit a cigar as he did so.As she looked over at him she felt strange, all of a sudden. As if she was actually dreaming, and not living what was happening. It felt surreal, for no particular reason. She couldn’t shake the feeling and was wondering what was making her feel that way.
‘No, Varun, I told you my price and it’s non-negotiable. Who do you think you’re talking to, anyway? Well, it’s one thing to have heard about me and another to do business with me, so unless you man up I’ll forget your credentials and your name for that matter’Swara frowned. Suddenly paying attention to his conversation, something didn’t add up.
‘Sorry about that, sweetheart. I’m all your now’ he said, hanging up and exhaling the black smoke But she was too distracted now
‘I was thinking… let’s meet up with Sam and Yana’Don raised an eyebrow and before he could say anything she dialed Yana’s number
‘Hey. How’s visiting the family going?’ Swara smiled
‘Nice. No, we’re not doing anything special. Wanna grab dinner together? Sure, I’ll let you know. Ciao’
‘Actually’ he said
‘I was thinking it’d be just the two of us this evening’
‘Oh, do you want me to call her back and cancel?’
‘No, it’s alright, we’ll catch up later’ he winked at her and she sipped on her coffee as she blushed, stealing glimpses of him smirking in his own seductive manner
Walking hand in hand on the streets of Berlin brought back some beautiful memories. Yet Swara couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different, but in a very familiar sense. She couldn’t pinpoint it. Maybe it was the fact that they were back to where everything kind of started between them, but she felt as if they really were back towhees they were just getting to know eachother.It felt nice and very intriguing.
Swara could never say she fully knew and understood Don’s ways. He was an enigmatic man, 24/7. She used to wonder whether she would ever get used to him and his presence, whether she’d get to know him well enough to be able to read his body language, understand his intentions, anticipate his reactions. But it had been so long yet he was still a mystery to her. Sure, she grew to know him well but she could never say she was familiar with him in that sense. Looking at him that day, she realized this would never change. She didn’t feel sad about it, in fact, she loved that about him.
‘What’s on my wildcat’s mind today? You’re awfully quiet’ he pointed out as they strolled hand in hand the various alleys of Berlin, aimlessly.
‘Kuch nahin. I was just thinking really that nothing muchh as changed since we were last walking the streets of Berlin like this’Don looked at her as if searching her eyes for something
‘Interesting that you should say that. Considering everything we’ve been through, I’d say that’s a good thing’ he smiled ather She smiled back
‘It is’
As they reached the restaurant they were supposed to meets Sam and Yana at, Don picked her up and sat her on the edge of a fence nearby, as she giggled. He then leaned in and kissed her cheeks The way he was really taking his time with her was making her unwind. Whoever might have passed them by would’ve thought them to be two lovebirds and not a married couple with a lot of heavy baggage to sort out.
Someone whistled appreciatively and as they looked in that direction they saw Sam and Yana grinning at them. Sam even grabbed Yana and posed for a Hollywood trademark kiss. They all laughed and eventually entered the restaurant.
‘Sam, you know, you always stare at the menu as though you’re going to order something intricate and then you end up ordering the same thing all the time’ Swara joked and Yana laughed
‘It’s true!’
‘Haan yaar but it’s only because I can’t get myself to try all these dishes, like who would pick escargot over tandoori chicken? Seriously now’
‘Well nobody’s saying you should try something that off-beat, but don’t you ever get bored of the same thing?’Sam smirked
‘Real men eat meat’
‘Oh-oh. Careful there, dangerous territory’ Swara whistled playfully hiding behind her menu, hinting at how Don was such well versed in international cuisine Don cleared his throat
‘Anything you’d like to add to that statement, Sam?’Sam hid behind his menu sinking into his chair as well
‘I’d like to delete it’
They all laughed and Don chuckled
‘But he’s right, though. Remember Avinash Chaudry?’Sam’s eyebrows raised immediately
‘Oh, the bald guy? The one that only ate salad?’
‘That’s what you remember, him being bald? All I can picture is his overall roundness’
‘Arre but didn’t you just say he only ate salad?’ Swara furrowed her brows questioningly Sam laughed
‘Yea.To which he added tons of olive oil, Dijon mustard, bread crumbs…’
‘Sushi’ Don added amusedly, whilst reading his menu.
‘Oh my God, yea, he used to ask them to put sushi in his salad yaar… like everything they had on the menu,”could you chop it up and put it into the salad? thanks” ‘They all laughed
‘Gosh’
‘Yea, he was a real tough guy as well. What with all his business ventures…’Yana still laughed but somehow the rest didn’t really seem to find it as funny
‘Oh. Oh! Sorry’Swara nodded as to indicate it was alright. They didn’t really talk about their spouses’ underworld background.
‘Waise how was the meeting today,you sounded really excited over the phone’ Swara asked Sam He hesitated, then scratched the top of his head
‘Uhm, alright…I guess. Great’She furrowed her brows slightly but then the waiter came to take their order.
‘So did you like, seal the deal?’ she asked as the waiter was filling up her glass of red wine he cleared his voice
‘Yeah sure, Don? It went alright na?’Don raised his left eyebrow slightly, stroking his opposite temple calmly
‘Haan’
‘Uff oh, so secretive all of a sudden’ Yana giggled
‘Swara I think you ought to expect a gift soon from the looks of it’But she was not getting that vibe. She began feeling uneasy, for some reason. She decided to change the subject
‘So how is visiting your family going?’ she smiled, but in reality she didn’t really want to hear about how nice it must have been to visit her family, and to have Maya reunite with all those who loved her so. It was a sensitive subject, but for some reason words just came flying out of her mouth.Yana smiled sweetly. She knew better than to go into details, so she just filled her in briefly and then went on telling her about a new boutique she discovered in her old neighborhood.Sam had to take a call and when he got back the waiter had brought in their dishes already
‘Chalo your tandoori chicken is getting cold’ Swafa laughed
‘Actually, it’s kind of urgent’ he looked straight at Don Swara looked at Don waiting for his reaction. What could possibly be so urgent, she thought.
‘This better be good, Sam’ was all he said before standing and taking out money from his wallet to pay for the meal they didn’t even get to taste.
‘Wait, you can’t be really going?’ she asked incredulously
‘Sorry, sweetheart,but you heard the man’Yana also looked at her husband but Sam was avoiding eye contact with anyone.
Swara caught holdof Don’s hand and looked straight into his eyes ‘Is something wrong?’He chuckled calmly
‘Of course not. But I wouldn’t want to lose this offer. You girls finish here and maybe go see a movie or something and we’ll pick you up when we’re done, alright?’ he kissed her cheek and then they left leaving them speechless.
‘Has Sam mentioned any of this to you?’ she asked Yana
‘No. Must be reallyspecial I guess’Swara stared down at her food. She didn’t feel like eating all of a sudden. The way they’d left like that really spiked up her uneasiness..her cell vibrated in her purse, she fished it out in the darkness of the cinema theatre. 7 missed calls. She bit her lip and immediately made her way through the seats and out towards the bathrooms
‘Sorry, I just now felt it vibrate’ she could already hear Don fuming at the other end
‘Where are you?’ he asked coldly She froze. She didn’t expect him to be that upset with her
‘Kino International’
‘Be out in 5’
‘Lekin…’ she sighed. He’d hung up. The movie wasn’t even halfway through.She went to get Yana, who was just as bummed out as she was, and waited for the two outside the building. They were surprised to see each stop by in their own cars. They smiled sympathetically ateach other, hugged and parted.
‘Don…’ she said As he opened the door for her, but he hurried her inside.When he got back into the car he immediately drove away.
‘Why did you get so mad? We were at the movies, for God’s sake, you’re supposed to turn your cell off na?’
‘Swars. It’s really not the time for this argument.’She jumped
‘We were watching a movie, couldn’t you have at least let us finish? What the hell is wrong with you today?’He looked at her for a mere second and her heart began pounding rapidly. She looked away but couldn’t get her heart to settle down. That look, it gave her goosebumps and made her blood freeze. She began hyper ventilating. She tried to open the window but there was no such feature on this car’s door, she needed to ask him to lower it. She tried to look for the button herself on the panel, but her fingers were trembling.She sank into her seat, covering her face. She sensed him pull over.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked immediately
‘Air. I need air’ she uttered He quickly got out of the car and helped her out, holding her steady. She clung onto him as she inhaled deep breaths.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked carefully She looked at him,hesitant
‘I should ask you that’He furrowed his brows questioningly. He finally said
‘I’m sorry I overreacted… you know how much I dislike it when you don’t pick up your phone’She sighed, rubbing her forehead
‘I don’t know, I got this weird feeling today… like something is off, like something is really wrong’He embraced her
‘Maybe we should be heading back home. I don’t’ want us to ruin the progress we’ve made here’ he said calmly She nodded, silently.
‘Everything is alright, sweetheart’ he reassured her, holding her tight she had no choice but to take his word for it. After all, she didn’t understand why she felt the way she did. She would get weird, unexpected moods wings all the time ever since the miscarriage.
In reality, she feared that going back home would erase all the progress they’d made in Berlin, but staying, it was equally as likely. They couldn’t run away and pretend forever, Don had a job back home, she had … nothing. That realization frightened her. She didn’t want to be home alone again. She mustered up her courage and stopped pretending to read her book. Don seemed very absorbed into his lecture, on the other hand.
‘Don…’
‘I was wondering when you would get tired of reading the same page’ he said, a hint of amusement on his lips
‘I’m sorry about today’
‘What for?’ he furrowed his brows
‘I’m the one that’s sorry, I know I overreacted. Shouldn’t have left you at the restaurant in the first place. We didn’t come here for business, I shouldn’t have let it interrupt our time together’ he kissed her knuckles She smiled
‘It’s alright. Did you at least get to seal the deal? You seemed really keen on getting it done’He looked straight into her eyes
‘No’
‘I’m sorry’ she caressed his cheek
‘Don’t be upset about it’He leaned into her caress and closed his eyes, placing his palm over hers and keeping it there, as he breathed in.She suddenly felt the urge to get closer, so she did, softly touching his cheek with the tip of her nose, nuzzling around his ear slightly He turned more towards her, slightly opening his eyes.
She loved it when he looked at her through his thick eyelashes like that. He touched the tip of her nose with his. She remembered him telling her once sweetly that this is how the Eskimos kissed.She lowered her gaze to his lips and her heart ached, just at the memory of their soft touch from the previous night.
But that already felt like such a long time ago.She felt him pull back slightly, but she didn’t want to lose the moment so she went for it, kissing him. This time, she kissed him more ardently, encouraging him to allow her deeper access.He instinctively tossed the book aside, and embraced her, laying her on top of her pillow.She was still afraid to let things go too far, but she felt secure in his arms. She knew he wouldn’t push too far, unless she clearly hinted that he could.
The s*xual tension was extremely palpable, but they were enjoying it, none the less.As they slowly parted, she panted and looked into his eyes
‘Back home…’
‘Mhm?’ he asked kissing her down her jawline
‘I… I really wanna go back to teaching my martial arts classes’He looked up at her
‘Please don’t be mad’ she kissed him repeatedly he smiled slightly
‘Sweetheart…it’s your decision to make. I won’t lie… I’m not thrilled about it’She kissed him again
‘It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine’
‘We’ll be fine’ he said looking her straight into the eyes She smiled wholeheartedly
‘I know we will. Take me home’
________________________________
Home. Entering their mansion back in London, she really could feel, at last, that this was her home. It was the first time she could really associate the two,wholeheartedly.She got out of the shower and proceeded to make herself some tea.She looked at her handsome husband busying himself around the house and her heart swell with pride.
He was wearing his reading glasses, making important phonecalls, rubbing his forehead and stubble pensively while discussing something on his oh-so-businessman tone.She watched him further as he poured himself some whiskey, in his study, and then sat on the edge of his massive desk.
He undid another button on his dress shirt exposing more of those taut pectorals. He raised his voice slightly and as he held his phone between his ear and shoulder, he undid his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves.Swara bit her lower lip. Her pulse was picking up and she felt her heart pounding violently.
And then he laughed. Not his laughter she had grown to love, it was rare that he laughed at all, but when he did- it was wholeheartedly. Not a chuckle. But the very laughter that could turn any blood cold and send shivers down anyone’s spine. His laughter didn’t reach his eyes, and it sounded almost as dangerous as he looked.As she retreated into the kitchen to busy herself, she couldn’t shake the uneasiness off.
‘Careful’ he warned in a calm manner, but managed to startle her so that she dropped a crystal glass on the floor, causing it to shatter to hundreds of tiny pieces.She panted looking at the mess she’d made, and he looked at her attentively
‘I was just about to tell you not to push that plate off the counter’ he pointed out, and she looked over at the plate that was sitting right on the edge
‘You scared me’ she whispered He got closer, crushing the pieces of crystal under his shoes ‘What happened? Why are you so jumpy?’She took a step back, instinctively.He narrowed his eyes and slightly frowned
‘Sweetheart?’She shook her head, averting her gaze
‘I don’t know.I don’t feel like myself’
‘We could always go back, we don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to’
‘No, no, that’s not it. It really felt good coming home. It’s just, I don’t know…something’s off, and I can’t figure out what it is!’she felt like chocking suddenly.
He placed an arm around her, caressing her back slightly ‘Tomorrow we have our appointment with Carol’ he then inhaled sharply ‘I’ll let her have a piece of my mind since she feels the need for me to express it. So much for her off-beat approach’She felt his muscles tense around her, and she placed a handover his chest reassuringly
‘Now,there’s no need to overreact Don… And I don’t think she did anything wrong’ she half smiled
‘I loved it in Berlin…’ but she got distracted as she caressed his naked skin under her fingertips, as he had unbuttoned his dress shirt quite a bit.She slowly looked up at him and deep into his mesmerizing eyes. He was looking at her from underneath his thick eyelashes in such a seductive manner that it almost turned her knees week.She clung onto his shirt and lowered her gaze but he lowered his face towards hers,searching for her lips.
She didn’t require much persuasion. In one swift motion, and never breaking their passionate kiss he placed her on top of the counter, and she circled his waist with her legs.She couldn’t think about anything other than how good it felt to feel him all over. He intoxicated all her senses, conquering them one by one.
Suddenly, his phone rang and for a while they both completely ignored it, but when it rang a second time she slowly parted, nudging him to go see who it was.But he was not leaving her sight. He took her into his arms and led her towards the master bedroom.
The phone rang yet again. Furiously, Don picked it up along the way and was preparing to turn it off but text messages popped up on the screen along with the missed calls.
<> Sam had texted, seemingly in a hurry
‘Kya hua?’ she saw Don’s face expression suddenly shift entirely He placed his hand over her mouth gently, silencing her
‘Someone is here’
Swara widened her eyes as Don planted her on her own feet, and then silently grabbed a revolver from a nearby bookcase, never leaving her side.He once again gestured for her tokeep quiet.
She hid behind his back as they slowly began pacing the corridors, paying extra attention to any possible noise.Swara felt strange hiding behind Don’s back like that. She wasn’t used to him protecting her in that manner.
After all, she used to be a highly trained officer that worked for the Interpol. But she was unarmed and there was no time to spare. They needed to make do with what they had on hand, and she knew headstart that it would be foolish to try and persuade Don intohanding over the revolver.
They heard a sound, and they both stiffened. Realizing it was a car, pulling over, she searched Don’s eyes and he mouthed that it was Sam.
She felt uneasy. Sam, on the other hand,was not properly trained. How does a hacker defend oneself? She panicked.
‘Don, we need to find another gun’ she whispered He frowned at her‘Sam doesn’t… matlab, he can’t-‘
‘swara!’ he whispered on a deeper tone ‘Keep silent’She placed a handover her heart. She feared for Sam.They walked the corridors for a while longer, but she felt her heart on the verge of breaking free out of her ribcage.
As they passed the master bedroom, she stopped tiptoeing and silently opened the door. Don immediately turned around but she was already inside, and the glimpse she caught of him as he turned to see where she’d went was… intense, to say the least.She rushed to her walk in closet and quickly searched for her green Versace shoebox. She almost wanted to laugh realizing how ridiculous the hiding spot had been for her revolver. But nonetheless, she grabbed it and proceeded to exit the closet when she heard a noise.She froze. Don hadn’t had the time to reach her yet. She didn’t know whether it was him or Sam or… someone else,whoever was there, in their very house.
She felt her heartbeat pick up, but she remained cool. Adrenaline kicked in.She positioned her gun and began walking slowly towards the bedroom. Just as she was about to exit the closet and have a better view of the room, she distinctly heard the balcony door close.She froze. Was it closing from the inside or from the outside?
Suddenly she saw Don, who gestured quickly at her for her to know that it was just him. She jumped on her toes but quickly shifted back to her previous alerted state. She gestured for him to know that the sound he had probably heard as well was from the balcony door. He nodded. Of coursehe already knew that. She also didn’t miss his aggravated look. He was more than furious for her leaving his sight like that earlier.They both headed towards the balcony, as Don had secured the bedroom. The was also the en suite master bathroom that she hadn’t checked, and neither had he.
But one look at Don and she knew that she’d better not part ways again. He signaled for the balcony and also for her to hide behind him and also cover the are as that were not in his sight.Don slowly dragged the curtains and checked behind them, and that’s when a trigger snapped into her brain.
She lost the ability to focus for a few seconds, as the feeling was overwhelming. As Don was placing his hand on the balcony doorknob,she felt it even stronger.
“That smell!”
was all she could think of. Her nose had picked up a scent that was indistinguishably familiar, but she couldn’t pin point to whom it belonged.As Don opened the door to the balcony, she covered him, but was lost in thoughts at the same time, her mind racing to figure out whose scent it was. Soon, the scent was no longer there, she had either grown accustomed to it or the fresh air had blown it away.
Suddenly she heard a noise and before she realized, she fired her gun on instinct.
_________________________________
What Do you think who is the person…who got shot from gun…what he has to do with swara and Don…how did Sam get to know about it…
Don’t know how was the chappy I tried my best to make the scene clear hope u all like it…
Thanx for all your encouragement and support I love it too much…love you all take care n wait for the next part I’ll update it soon…