12, 2 stories
During break time, Zayd sat at the restaurant, barely touching his food as he stared at Anaya. She was seated opposite him, completely engrossed in her tablet, working non-stop.
After spending two days with Anaya, he hadn't expected work to be her biggest obsession. He never imagined he had married a workaholic-or an overly ambitious woman. Was this how she would be for the next two years if she managed to secure this project? The thought worried him.
"Anaya, your food is getting cold," Zayd reminded her. "We've been here for almost thirty minutes."
"Just a few more minutes, and I'll be done," she replied without even looking at him.
"You've been saying that since we got here," he sighed.
She had been working non-stop since morning, pausing only for prayer before they came here. Checking his watch, Zayd realized their break time would soon be over.
"Anaya," he called again.
She remained silent, still focused on her screen.
Then, Zayd did the unexpected-he stood up and swiftly snatched the tablet from her hands.
"What the hell, Zayd?!" Anaya gasped, standing up immediately, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "Give it back!" She reached for it, but he held it away from her.
"Eat your food first, then you can have it back," Zayd said, nodding toward her untouched plate.
"Please, Zayd, just-"
"The sooner you eat, the sooner you get your tablet," he cut her off firmly.
Anaya clenched her jaw. She wanted to argue, but given their surroundings, she knew making a scene wasn't an option. With a huff, she sat back down and began eating in silence.
"Good," Zayd teased with a smirk.
Anaya shot him a glare but said nothing.
They ate quietly. Just as Zayd picked up his glass to take a sip, it suddenly slipped from his hands and crashed onto the table.
His entire body tensed.
"Zeenat," he muttered, his face paling.
A sudden wave of unease settled over him. This always happened when something bad was about to happen-or had already happened.
Zeenat was in trouble.
___
The conference room buzzed with quiet conversation as Rayyan sat at the head of the long table, his sharp gaze moving between the documents in front of him and the employees seated around him.
"We need to finalize the project proposals before the end of this week," Rayyan stated firmly. "I expect you all to submit your reports by-"
The sudden crash of the conference room doors swinging open cut him off mid-sentence.
Every head turned toward the entrance.
Zayd stood there, his posture rigid, his face dark with tension. Without hesitation, he strode inside, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
"Meeting dismissed."
A stunned silence filled the room. Confused glances were exchanged, uncertainty flashing across the employees' faces.
Rayyan's jaw clenched, his patience thinning. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as his cold eyes locked onto Zayd.
"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was sharp with irritation.
Zayd ignored him. His expression remained unreadable as he repeated, "The meeting is dismissed."
The authority in his tone left no room for argument. The employees hesitated for a moment before hastily gathering their things and filing out of the room, leaving only Rayyan and Zayd.
Rayyan slowly rose from his chair, his stance firm.
"You better have a damn good reason for this," he said coolly.
Zayd didn't waste time. "Where is Zeenat?"
Rayyan blinked, momentarily thrown off by the question. "Did you just dismiss my meeting to ask me that?"
"Yes," Zayd said flatly. "She's missing. If not you, who else would I ask?"
Rayyan exhaled sharply, irritation flickering across his face. "Missing?" He repeated the word as though it were ridiculous. "Zayd, stop this nonsense. Zeenat is not a child for you to barge in here and cause a scene."
The casual dismissal was the final straw.
Zayd's temper snapped.
His jaw clenched, his frustration mounting. He now understood the kind of man Zeenat had married-one who didn't even seem to care that she was missing.
Before he could stop himself, he closed the distance between them, his hand gripping Rayyan's collar in a tight fist.
The action caught Rayyan off guard for only a second before his instincts kicked in. His hand shot up, gripping Zayd's collar in return.
Now face-to-face, their breathing was heavy, their gazes locked in mutual fury.
"Where. Is. My. Sister?" Zayd's voice was low, deadly.
Rayyan's grip tightened in response, his eyes flashing with restrained anger.
The tension in the room thickened, both men on the verge of exploding.
Just as they were about to clash, the doors to the conference room burst open again.
"Stop right there!"
The authoritative voice of Mr. Abbas cut through the tension like a whip.
Both men froze, fists still clutching each other's collars, as their gazes shifted toward the entrance.
Anaya stood beside Mr. Abbas, her eyes wide with shock.
"Let. Go." Mr. Abbas' voice was calm but firm, laced with undeniable authority.
Rayyan and Zayd hesitated, their muscles still taut with anger, but still they slowly release each other.
"Now, someone explain to me," Mr. Abbas continued, his voice dangerously low, "why my conference room has turned into a battleground?"
Mr. Abbas' voice rang through the conference room, his fury palpable.
___
"Rayyan! I told you to go with Zeenat-why did you leave her alone?"
Rayyan clenched his fists. "I didn't leave her. She left on her own," he said firmly.
Mr. Abbas' eyes darkened. "Do not talk back at me," he warned, his voice low and dangerous.
Rayyan bit his tongue, forcing himself to remain silent. He didn't understand why everyone was panicking. Zeenat wasn't missing. She was probably just trying to create unnecessary drama, and he refused to play along.
After all, that woman was just being foolish-it ran in her blood. How could his father be angry with him just because Zayd had a feeling that his sister was missing? And worse, his father actually seemed to be considering it. Rayyan scoffed internally.
Across the table, Zayd sat rigidly beside Mr. Abbas, his patience hanging by a thread. He didn't want to sit here talking-he needed to be out there looking for his sister. But out of respect for his father-in-law, he stayed put, even though every second wasted felt unbearable.
Still, it was obvious to him. No one else believed Zeenat was missing. That's why they were wasting his time.
Zayd had tried calling Zeenat countless times-her number was unreachable. He had even called her best friend, Mariya, who confirmed that Zeenat had left with Rayyan but hadn't heard from her since.
So where was she now?
Anaya, sitting beside Rayyan, swallowed hard. She had been the one to call her father earlier. When Zayd stormed out of the car, shouting that he would kill Rayyan if Zeenat wasn't with him, she knew things were about to get out of control.
Thank God she had arrived with Mr. Abbas before things turned bad.
"Zayd, are you sure she's missing?" Mr. Abbas asked, his voice softer now. "What if she's at a relative's house or just needed some time alone? Don't assume the worst."
"She's safe, in shaa Allah," he added.
Zayd didn't answer. His jaw tightened as he exhaled, barely holding his temper. His instincts had never been wrong. And right now, they were screaming that Zeenat was in trouble.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
He pushed his chair back and stood.
"I'm going," he announced, his voice cold.
Mr. Abbas studied him carefully. He could see Zayd's frustration-the man was barely containing himself. And that worried him.
"You're not going alone," he said finally.
Zayd frowned. "I don't need anyone."
"Rayyan will go with you."
Rayyan's head snapped up. "What?"
"I don't need him," Zayd said sharply.
Mr. Abbas' expression darkened. "You do not have a choice." His voice was steel. "Rayyan, I am giving you one hour to find Zeenat and bring her back. If you fail-don't bother showing your face to me anymore."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Anaya gasped. Even Rayyan, who had been indifferent until now, stiffened.
Zayd, however, didn't wait for another word.
He was already out the door.
___
They had been driving through the city for over an hour. Zayd gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. Anaya sat beside him, her anxious eyes scanning the streets, while Rayyan remained in the back, silent, still uncertain if this was all just a misunderstanding.
They had checked every possible place-friends' houses, restaurants, anywhere Zeenat might have gone. Nothing.
Zayd muttered silent prayers, his heart pounding. Even Mr. Abbas had called multiple times, asking for updates. The longer they searched, the more the truth became undeniable-Zeenat was really missing.
"Shouldn't we report this to the authorities?" Anaya asked, voice tight with worry.
"No, Anaya. It hasn't been 24 hours yet," Zayd replied firmly.
"So what? She could be in real danger!"
Zayd didn't respond, his grip on the wheel tightening.
Just as Anaya glanced at Zayd's phone, the screen suddenly lit up in her hands.
A name flashed across it.
Zeenat.
Zayd's heart nearly stopped. Anaya gasped, turning the phone toward him.
"It's Zeenat!"
Without hesitation, Zayd slammed the brakes, yanked the phone from Anaya's hands, and answered in a rush.
"Zeenat! Are you okay? Where are you? We've been looking for you everywhere!" His voice was frantic.
A shaky breath. Then, a choked sob.
"I... I don't know, brother," Zeenat's voice was weak, trembling. "I just woke up in a strange room... I don't know where I am..."
"Are you hurt? Where are you?" Zayd's voice broke as he asked the question he was most afraid to hear the answer to.
A brief silence.
"No, I don't know... I haven't even seen anyone since I woke up and the door is locked," Zeenat whispered.
Zayd felt like the air had been knocked out of him. His worst fear had come true.
"Look around! Can you recognize anything?" Zayd asked desperately.
"No, I don't-" Zeenat started to say, but Rayyan suddenly cut in.
"Zeenat, listen to me. Can you share your live location?" His voice was urgent, sharp.
"Yes, Zeenat, no time to waste!" Anaya added, her hands shaking as she snatched the phone back from Zayd. "Press the share button now!"
Zayd took the phone again. "Zeenat, hurry! Please!"
A pause. Then...
"Okay, I'm sending it now."
The line went dead.
Anaya quickly checked the phone. A message popped up.
"Live Location Shared: Zeenat Muhammad."