Damsel In Distress (A Wattpad Featured Book✓)

CHAPTER: 4 | AFTER STORM (PART-2)

OTHMAN HOUSE was reputed for being an absolute architectural brilliance. It was originally designed by the senior Othman brothers(Faheem and Yusuf Othman) and later revamped by the junior Othman brothers(Aariz and Zeeshan), adding on the necessary trendy 'in-vogue' touch.

The contemporary two-storey luxury house was built on about 1000 sq m of land with an underground garage, infinity pool, terrace garden, cobblestone driveways/pathways on a vast sweeping lush-green courtyard, tall wrought-iron fences and a humongous gate. The exterior of the building was a combination of greyish natural stone and wood whilst one-third of the house being the window walls. The mood of the interior was set up by an ample amount of warm tone lighting complimenting the white-pristine marble flooring in correspondence to taupe walls. The decor was minimal with geometric furniture, indoor plants, rugs and drapes of neutral hues, an electronic fireplace, an indoor waterfall wall and smart-home gadgets. Every room was a master suite with inbuilt walk-in closets and spa-like bathrooms. The modular kitchen had shiny granite countertops and high-end appliances.

However, the best part of the house was not its lavishness but the people who resided in it.

Three families under one roof.

First, it was Faheem Othman(the eldest) and his children, Aariz(26), Areesha(26) and Burhaan(17). His wife and their mother, Zainab didn't live with them. She was in Melbourne and rarely visited them.

Then, it was Yusuf Othman(second son), his wife Jahanrah and their son, Zeeshan(25). Their daughter, Urooba(27), was married and lived happily with her husband and their three-year-old daughter, Mehek.

And the third family was of the youngest Othman, Zaara, whose husband happened to live/work in abroad. On her brothers' insistence, she was residing with them in the Othman house with her three children; Habeeba(20), Maha(15) and Essa(10), temporarily.

According to the Othman house's handbook of rules and regulations, Aariz had woken up unbelievably late. He wasn't supposed to be sleeping until '2' in the afternoon, he wasn't supposed to miss salah-tul-Fajr that morning or his breakfast with his family and he definitely wasn't supposed to be not at work.

Unlike other members of his family, he had not always been a law-abiding resident of Othman House. In fact, he abhorred his uncle, Yusuf Othman for trying to control and dominate every one of them.

He was the only one in the family who was man enough to go against his Uncle. And it was also true that he, often did it, just to spite him.

He liked to push his buttons, just to see what he would do about it or how far he was willing to go to punish him.

Drudgingly, Aariz descended the staircase, clad in an oversized off-white hoodie, a pair of black trousers and flip-flops. His left hand trailed the black railing balustrade as he stepped down with heavy, tedious steps. He rubbed his eyes and ran his hand over his ash-brown hair which fell back messily on his forehead.

He had a massive headache and was in an extremely foul mood. Perhaps the aftermath of his last night shenanigans.

At the last step, he almost groaned when he saw his father and uncle entering the hall, returning home from the office for lunch. His head was throbbing and an encounter with them was the last thing he wanted right then.

He spun on his heels and made his way towards the kitchen-cum-dinning hall that was adjacent to the staircase. The hall was booming with noise. The sound of his cousins chattering and laughing with the noise of utensils greeted him.

He halted at the threshold, watching his siblings and cousins with all smiles and laughter at the dining table while the ladies happily served them food. It was a usual sight and an every-day-reminder that his life would never be like theirs. He would never be like them.