Divulging Remorse ✔

Chapter 39

Zayn Harroun was being escorted by an army, handcuffed. He was sentenced to prison for a lifetime, in addition to a fine of a few billion dollars. 

He looked at his old, sick father for one last time. He was being carried by two men back home. He had almost killed him when he had found about his devious son's treacherous deeds; to seek more truth, he had confronted Zayn. To not risk his security, Zayn had shot his own father in the head. Too bad, his scheme had failed. 

It was Zayn's father in the hospital bed when Moutasim and Riya had gone to visit him a couple of days back in hopes of him being conscious enough to lead the case further as a prime witness and several other important testimonies. However, he became stable in a few days and it seemed like, they were lucky enough because God Himself and everyone else weighed their existence to help make Moutasim succeed the case. 

Riya stood there, rooted to the ground. She had just worked on her first-ever case and she had also won it. What an outstanding start to her new career, she had thought sarcastically. She had helped the authorities to put Zayn behind bars, the most wanted criminal in the whole of Middle East was finally gone for good. Also, she had sent her father in jail. Not like she did it on purpose or she had a choice. She had to. She did well for herself and her scruples, it was high time that things were supposed to be done for what was right. 

As for Moutasim, he was the star of his agency. Success was doing him outstandingly, he was grateful to Riya as well, of course; without her taking over the case, it wouldn't have been worked out the way he had imagined it to be; purely dramatic. He could have hired a top-listed professional lawyer in the city, well-experienced public prosecutors were quite everywhere. Then why did he want a newbie like her to do it? 

He wanted to extinguish that fire in his heart. The one that had been put in this same courtroom. He wanted the same pawn to finish the game. Zayn and Riya's father had started it, using her to be the false witness against Moutasim's hit-and-run case. Today, years later, he finished off the chess game in his own style; the only thing similar was, the Queen. 

He looked across the room at her, she stood there with a frozen face, it was hard to tell what she could be feeling at that moment. He walked over to her and signalled her to leave, she quietly followed and left, without saying a word or even looking at him for once. Even he couldn't meet her in the eye, not like he felt guilty for sending her father and her ex to jail. He didn't want to look into those eyes, not right then. 

When Riya reached home, she heard some angry voices bursting from the living room. As she went closer, she was shocked to find Agha Jaan there. She knew Hufaiz had flown in from London early that morning, but her grand father's arrival was too unexpected. Nevertheless, he had just had to come, he was the major backbone of her family and she could sense that it was already tearing apart. 

Hufaiz gave her a poisonous glare and wagged his finger at her, trying to push her away. Somehow, Agha Jaan got in the way and stopped him, giving him a nudge in the shoulder to stay off limits. 

Hufaiz  yelled at her, "You just proved that you're not one of us, didn't you?" He stared at her as if he'd kill her right there, "You're a snake, Riya Barham Jahangiri!".

She knew that a tornado of this sort would hit a blow at her when she'd face everyone at home, but what perked up her ears was that middle name.

"Barham?" She looked at Agha Jaan in confusion. Hufaiz had possibly blundered her name while in anger. His brain must be fuming, of course. 

"YES!" He shouted again, "You, filthy little cheater, aren't good for nothing. You're not our sister."

"Hufaiz!" Agha Jaan bellowed with his face turning crimson; his temper flamed.