A Whole New World: A Desi Disney Anthology

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—"Faint hearts never won, fair lady."

She reached home through the same transport she'd used before, having told the old man to pick her up after a few hours. It'd been convenient when she'd spotted his animal grazing with him, stalking here and there in wait.

As soon as she stepped foot in the house, she was greeted with the sight of her cousin walking fast-paced around the room like an animal in captivity. The lights in the living room were low, the air charged with eeriness.

"Where were you?" Hamza inquired tersely, eating up the distance between them as if he'd been waiting for her to come back so he could fire his questions. He trailed behind her as she slipped off the boots, her toes red and chaffed. Socks bothered her, an irrational irritation. The cold floor was like a balm.

"Out and about. Nowhere in particular," She responded stiffly, not in the mood to go through his intensive interrogation and after everything Mikail had told her today...she'd rather not see any of their faces until she knew they had no hand in the atrocities.

She remembered each detail of her Uncle landing in trouble and her father rescuing him through his influential connections, top-notch lawyers, and the flexible law that bowed to well-moneyed people.

It'd been like that her whole childhood—like father like sons would not be an inappropriate statement.

She stepped into the house, intending to retire to her room. To dream, swoon, fawn, and giggle, to be happy. To bask in the delight of finding...him.

"You've been gone for six hours, Mahrosh," He gritted out from behind her, his displeasure obvious.

"And?" She stopped beside the dining table, popping a juicy red grape in her mouth.

"I'm asking, where were you?"

"Hamza, you're not my father. I do not owe you any explanations." She whirled around to put him in his place only to find him too close to her—much too close than was allowed, and much more than she'd ever permitted.

His gaze was like an animal that has his eyes set on the carcass a lion leaves as leftovers.

"You damn well do. As my future wife, you do. Were you with Mikail Durrani?" It burst from his mouth like flames.

She took a step back from him in unease. she didn't like the liberties Hamza was taking unwarranted. When his words penetrated the pane of overjoyed optimism, she reeled in shock.

"Future what? Have you lost your mind?" She voiced her outrage, her eyes blazing, and body poised to refute all such claims.

She belonged to another.

"Uncle will talk to you about this soon." He had the audacity to smirk like a sly fox.

"Yes, and I'll tell him a big fat NO, Hamza. Get that through your thick skull." Mahrosh lost her cool, flaring with vexation.

Where was everyone else?

"Is there a reason behind your refusal, Mahrosh?" The evilness in his orbs was disguised by the forced display of being understanding. Like he really just wanted to know what was wrong.

Yes, there is. You're far too old for me. She felt like retorting that poisoned arrow but she controlled herself, it was no use to get into an argument with Hamza. He would find a way to twist and turn everything into maliciousness.

Her eyes wandered around, trying to find her family and best friend once again but they were nowhere to be seen and after the exchange with Hamza, she wasn't going to ask him about it.