Duplus

Chapter 48

—-Third Person's POV—-

Jaber stared back at his uncle for a while, internally debating himself on what to tell him. He had a million questions on his mind and his train of thoughts were misleading him everywhere. He looked at Sumayya, who had jumped back from Usama finally feeling the after-embarrassment of flinging herself on him in front of everyone.

"Don't worry. Sumayya didn't tell me anything. We were waiting for you to cross this path so we could have a little family reunion." Amir saw right through Jaber and instantly figured out that he was trying to hide something from him. He was a shady businessman and that earned him years of experience as a great face reader. Jaber, on the other hand, did not approve and felt somewhat annoyed that he couldn't hide from him.

"I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with the law and order set up I was working on in the Nuristani community. What changed your mind, uncle?" He questioned bluntly.

Amir further relaxed into his seat, taking a quick look at everyone in the room. "I'm concerned for your safety, of course. Even though I think your efforts to establish a working law and order system are futile, when I heard there was some ruckus going on there, I felt worried for you." He said.

Jaber didn't believe him. Not that his uncle couldn't be concerned about him but the fact that he suddenly decided to show up after so long made him more skeptical than ever.

"So, what's up? It sure looks like something serious is going on." He asked again, giving a gentle smile.

"We're not sure ourselves." Jaber finally answered. "My teammates informed us that someone was trying to make our people rebel. We sent Sumayya before us so she could take a good look and keep us updated."

Amir cocked an eyebrow at him. "And who might be behind all this?"

It took Jaber a minute to think of an explanation when Amaani came to the rescue, thinking it was high time someone jumped in between the two and break the intense air forming around them.

"Our sources are very limited, sir. But we believe it may be a person sent by the Kazefaandrian government. We're being targeted by the army which is also why we had to flee in such a hurry. It's all very unclear at the moment." She made up a story, for once not being too obvious as she lied to his face. "Our teammates are also being held hostage in the department and we can't get a hold of them."

Lexie held back the urge to congratulate Amaani on making up a flawless story, mentally jotting down notes on how to divert the situation in such circumstances.

Amir's gaze diverted to her and he started to nod in acknowledgement. "Someone from the Kazefaandrian government? I see." He said and then turned to his original spot of interest.

"Why don't you introduce our guests here, Jaber? I know Usama. What about the others?" He asked after a moment and smiled as he left the backrest of the chair and sat straight. His eyes stopped at Camari, who had a loose scarf around her but her bright blonde hair brought out her distinctive appearance. "And a Kazefaandrian? She looks like someone from the religious temples. Am I right?"

Amaani was taken aback by his instincts. He was a clever man and the twinkle in his eyes suggested that he could effortlessly guess that they weren't being completely honest with him. Camari perked up at his correct assumption and suddenly started to feel like the spotlight of everyone's attention.