Damsel In Distress (COMPLETED✓)

CHAPTER: 78 |THE ECLIPSE (PART-3)

As promised.
A chapter, after Eid.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to all the Zeeshan girlies out there. Our boy is finally getting some screentime.

★★★

Zeeshan knew Aariz wouldn't want to go to Melbourne with his mother, nor would he want to stay back home. Aariz would likely prefer to go somewhere else, alone, a prospect his father and uncle were adamantly against. They had strictly instructed Zeeshan to either convince Aariz to go with his mother or bring him back home.

He did everything in his power and said everything that needed to be said to persuade Aariz, who in return was on the verge of punching both Shah and Zeeshan, as they refused to give him his passport.

Zainab Othman's attempts proved futile as anything she uttered only fueled his anger.

They found themselves in the middle of the road, debating and arguing at four in the morning, with time ticking away for their flight.

Zeeshan was at his wit's end with Aariz, close to giving up, when Burhaan came up with an idea. He called Faheem Othman and had him talk to Aariz.

If there was one thing Faheem Othman excelled at, it was emotional blackmail.

He was Aariz's weakness. He could brush off anyone's feelings and emotions, but not his father's.

They had no clue what he said to Aariz during the call, but fifteen minutes later, Aariz reluctantly stomped inside the airport with his mother, looking like he would punch someone in the face if they dared to speak to him.

As he departed, Zeeshan and Shah released a synchronized sigh of relief.

With Burhaan at the wheel, they both drifted off to sleep in the back seat, unknowingly resting their heads on each other's shoulders. Smiling at the rare sight behind him, Burhaan captured a picture of them and shared it in the group chat for all to see, with a caption that read, 'Who could have thought? Zeeshan and Shah together in a team.'

The Othmans barely had time to savor their small victory because even before Aariz and his mother reached their destination, they met with yet another challenge that demanded their immediate attention.

It was later that afternoon when Faheem Othman, Yusuf Othman, and Zeeshan were in the conference room in the right wing, having a discussion with Yusuf Othman's team members regarding an important project which was originally assigned to Aariz and his team but now that he was gone, Zeeshan and his team was taking over.

"Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I promise I won't take much of your time," Zeeshan said confidently, making eye contact with everyone seated at the table.

He reviewed the work that Aariz and his team had done so far and proceeded to negotiate the budget. The investors, who were seated at the table, submitted their bids. Shah and his lawyer were signaled to begin the paperwork, and the deal was nearly finalized when one of them questioned, "Where is Aariz? I thought he was the one working on this project?"

Zeeshan's gaze shifted to his father and uncle, who were already expecting this moment. They had decided to hand over the project to him but Aariz had been the face of the project since its inception. They braced themselves for the inevitable backlash from the clients, knowing that the sudden change would test their professionalism and strain client relationships.

While Zeeshan stuttered to give them an answer, waiting for either his father or uncle to speak instead, when Shah cleared his throat.

"He's on his honeymoon." He said, making everyone turn their attention to him.