The room was dimly lit, the flickering bulb overhead casting restless shadows across the dust-coated walls. The air smelled of damp paper and something faintly metallic—perhaps rust, or maybe something more sinister.
Abrish's fingers trembled slightly as she flipped through the aged ledger, its brittle pages crackling under her touch. The ink had faded in places, smudged by time, but the names, the transactions—they were still legible enough. She had been expecting to find records of business dealings, bank transactions, maybe even evidence of corruption. But this? This was something else entirely.
Her breath hitched.
A name.
Not his full name, but enough for her to recognize it. Enough to send a cold shiver down her spine.
Zayan...
She stepped back instinctively, the wooden floor creaking beneath her weight. The room suddenly felt smaller, suffocating. A hundred thoughts raced through her mind, each colliding with the next in a tangled mess of confusion and fear.
Haider, standing beside her, watched her reaction carefully. "You recognize it, don't you?" His voice was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something close to regret.
She swallowed hard, trying to steady her thoughts. "What is this, Haider? Why is this name here?"
Haider hesitated. "Because this isn't just any ledger. This is proof of everything that's been hidden from you. From both of us."
Abrish's grip on the book tightened. "I don't understand. Why is this connected to it?"
Haider exhaled slowly, stepping closer. "Because this ledger isn't just about business. It's about blood. Betrayal. And debts that were never repaid."
A heavy silence hung between them.
Abrish turned the page. More names. Some crossed out. Some underlined. And then, another familiar one—her own.
The room tilted slightly as the weight of realization settled upon her.
She wasn't just searching for answers anymore.
She was a part of the story.
And He—whether he knew it or not—was too.