Zeeshan's Pov

Again, she did not look at me. Heck, she did not even notice that I was present except when I was giving instructions during training.

She is ignoring me.

And it is affecting me.

Scratch that. It is making me lose my mind, so much that all I want to do is slam her against this damn wall and give her a show of what would happen if she keeps ignoring me. And that's why, today I had something planned for her.

“Miss Ayesha Mehra, a document of yours is missing. Please stay back; we need to talk about it,” I said firmly, causing her to pause and the rest of the students to leave.

Great. Just what I wanted.

“Miss Ayesha Mehra, are you done acting like a mannequin?” I snapped, pulling her out of her thoughts and making her turn around.

“What document is missing, sir? Please let me know; I will submit it tomorrow,” she asked formally, eyes on the floor.

Goddamn it, this girl is testing my limits.

“Come here,” I said, remaining where I stood.

“Sorry?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“I said come here. Trust me, if I come there, it won’t be an easy exit for you,” I warned. She rolled her eyes but still started walking toward me, stopping ten steps away. I moved closer, closing the distance between us.

“I would appreciate it, if you maintained some distance, sir,” she muttered, stepping back. I took her hands and gently turned her to face me completely.

“You were saying…” I stepped closer, and she immediately took a step back.

“What are you doing?” she stuttered.

“What am I doing? Huh? What are YOU doing?” I emphasized the word you.

“Huh?” she asked, confusion lacing her voice.

“Why are you ignoring me?” I gritted my teeth, trapping her against the wall, my hands on either side of her.

“My eyes. My choice. My free will,” she replied with a sarcastic smile.

Oh, really?

I raised an amused eyebrow and moved my face closer to hers,close enough to make her heartbeat race, yet distant enough to keep my sanity intact. “What on earth are you trying to prove, huh?”

“Probably something along the lines of ‘You do not affect me,’” she replied, staring straight into my eyes.

Our faces were only inches apart. Her eyes burned fiercely into mine, while I tried to stay composed, though her scent was driving me insane.

“"Why? Does it bother you-me ignoring you?” she asked, her gaze still locked on mine.

“Yes. So much that all I can think about right now is kissing you so hard, so deep, that every time you even dare to think of ignoring me, this kiss will burn in your memory and haunt you." I whispered, leaning closer. My breath fanned against her neck as I took in her intoxicating scent.

“Well, bad luck. You cannot do that because you are nothing to me,” she whispered and pushed me away.

I grabbed her hand and jerked her back against my chest. Pushing her hands behind her, I murmured, “You don’t know how to lie, baby. It’s written all over your face that I’m not nothing to you.”

She was flustered, which only amused me more. The effect I had on her was undeniable.

“Fuck you, Zeeshan Kapoor,” she whispered, freeing herself from my grasp.

“Oh, please do, baby,” I teased, finally letting go. She shot me a hard glare and stormed off.

“What did you do? I saw her slam the door and walk off like a blasting volcano,” Vidit said, entering the hall.

This nosy bitch.

“Nothing you need to know,” I replied, packing my things.

“Oh come on, darling, tell me,” he said, whining in a girly tone.

Can I kill him and throw him off a mountain?

“Shut up, idiot,” I snapped. He dramatically pouted and said, “You don’t love me anymore, not since she came.”

Eww.

“Do you want me to call Riti and tell her that you finally came out of the closet and told me you’re bisexual?” I said with a sarcastic smile. His pout vanished instantly, and he cleared his throat. “Don’t even think about it. I was joking.”

I smirked. Riti always works. To shut his irritating mouth, I just need to mention her name.

He scoffed and said, “Why am I friends with you again?”

“Ask yourself,” I replied and walked out.

I had no meetings lined up with the seniors today, so after the training, I drove straight home.

As I rang the doorbell, my phone rang too. Mumma opened the door, and after handing her my bag, I picked up the call.

“Hello,” I said, waiting for the other person to introduce themselves.

“Hello, Zeeshan beta.” A male voice. My father. The man I hate the most in this entire world.

“Hello-”

“What do you want?” I cut him off firmly.

“How are you?” he replied. Was he really going to act as if we were a loving father and son?

“Just get to the damn point, or I’m hanging up,” I snapped.

“Sreedha wanted to meet Veeranshu, so can we…” he asked hesitantly, and that was when my anger erupted.

“No. You cannot meet him. Not you, not your new wife. And don’t even try anything behind my back. I put a restraining order for a reason, and if I ever find out that either of you tried to meet him, I’ll make sure you both end up in prison,” I warned, my voice cold as ice.

“You cannot stop a mother from meeting her own damn son!” he shouted on the other end.

“Oh, I surely can. The same mother who tortured her son to the point a 7 year old tried to take his own life and ended up mentally devastated is no mother,she’s a criminal. You should be thankful I didn’t have your new wife locked up for it. Stop interfering in our lives,” I replied flatly.

“Don’t call me again.”

With that, I hung up and blocked the number, just like all the others he had used before.

Sighing, I walked inside and went straight to see my brother-my stepbrother, to be precise- Veeranshu Kapoor.

He was asleep, hugging his favourite teddy bear. Gently, I sat beside him, tucked the quilt around him, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Zee bhai,” he murmured softly in his sleep. A genuine smile tugged at my lips without me even realizing it.

“Hi, Veer,” I whispered. “Your Zee bhai will go to any lengths to keep that filthy woman away from you. I promise.”

After a few minutes, I quietly walked back to my room to freshen up.

Just as I stepped out, a knock echoed through the room.

“Come in,” I called out. Mumma entered, holding a plate of food.

“Here, I reheated it for you,” she said, placing it on the bedside table.

“He called today,” I said. She stayed silent but sat on the bed, waiting for me to continue. “His new wife wanted to meet Veer. I snapped at him and warned him.”

“You did the right thing, bachha. Mera Veer seh nahi paega firse,” she said with a sigh, her face expressionless.
(My veer can't go through it again.)

“Chal, tu khana khakar rest kar. Main jaati hoon, mujhe ek do kaam se bahar jana hai,” she said, getting up. I nodded.
(Okay, You rest, I'll go, I need to get some work done.)

“Viraya se baat hui aapki?” I asked as she started walking away.
(Did you talk to viraya?)

“Yes, she called yesterday. Both of them are doing well. It’s just very cold there,” she replied with a faint smile.

“Baat kar le na beta, kyu muh fula kar baitha hai usse,” she added.
(Please talk to her son, why are you mad at her?)

“Jarurat padhne par jab usne bhai ko kuch nahi samjha toh humara kya rishta, Mumma?” I said, sitting down to eat.
(If she could not talk to her brother when she needed him, then what bond do we even have, Mumma?)

“But—”

I cut her off. “Uss haramzyade ko jaan se maar deta, sirf ek baar bolti mujhe toh. Lekin woh toh ghar hi chhod kar bhaag gayi.”
(I would've killed that motherfucker, if she'd said once but she simply ran away from home.)

She sighed in understanding and nodded. “Khana kha lena,” she said before leaving.
(Have your food.)

I finished my dinner in silence,just how I liked it. No noise, no disturbance, only my thoughts. It always helped me pull myself together after everything.

After dinner, I washed my plate and went straight to my desk to work.

I had been investigating something for a while, but I was too late. He had already flown out, probably to another country.

My private investigators were looking for him, but all I had was an old photograph,too old to be of much help now.

My thoughts were interrupted by a call from one of my investigators.

“Sir, he’s not in Thailand. It’s been two months since I’ve been tracking him. I searched the entire country with the help of my sources. It’s confirmed,he’s not there,” he said after the usual greetings.

“Did you check his property in Phuket?” I asked.

“Yes, he sold it to someone else, but we still investigated it thoroughly,” he replied. I hummed in response and ended the call.

Let me find out where you’re hiding. I swear I’ll drag your body to her feet. Whatever game you’re playing, I’ll return every move with interest, that's my promise to you.

“Zee bhai, you came,” came my brother’s sleepy voice, Veeranshu, my eight-year-old stepbrother.

“Hey, buddy. What are you doing here?” I asked, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

“I had a nightmare. I was scared to sleep after that,” he whispered, clutching his teddy bear.

“Hey, look up,” I said gently, kneeling in front of him. The sight of him broke something inside me. His eyes were filled with fresh tears, his face still streaked with dried ones.

“Shhh, stop crying.”

As if on cue, tears started rolling down his cheeks. I immediately pulled him into a hug, holding him close against my chest. He hid from his demons in the crook of my neck, and I just kept rubbing his back silently. After a while, he calmed down.

“You know, I was thinking of going out for ice cream with my Veer, but now that he’s crying, I guess it’s no use,” I said, pretending to be sad.

I probably looked ridiculous doing that, but anything for this kid.

“No, Veer is not crying, Zee bhai. Veer’s eyes were leaking on their own. I think something is wrong with Veer’s eyes,” he said, his eyes wide. His reasoning made me chuckle quietly.

“Really? Then I guess we need to take Veer to the eye doctor to get an injection so his eyes stop leaking,” I said with mock seriousness. His eyes grew even wider.

“No, Zee bhai! Veer scolded his eyes. They said sorry and promised they wouldn’t leak anymore,” he said quickly. I finally burst out laughing, which made him glare at me.

“That was amazing, Veer. I’m proud of you for scolding your eyes. Now come on, let’s go have your favourite ice cream.”

He crossed his arms and gave me a side-eye.

“Aap has rahe ho?” he scoffed.
(You are laughing?)

This dramatic ass.

“Nahi toh, main toh bas…” What do I do now?
(No.. I was just..)

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Veer. I was laughing at your eyes for getting scolded,” I said carefully, hoping he’d take the bait.

He narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly. “Ice cream?”

“Let’s go,” I announced, picking him up and carrying him to the kitchen. I sat him on the counter, scooped out his favourite strawberry ice cream into his favourite bowl, and listened as he talked about his cartoons and school.

After he finished, we went to brush his teeth, and then I tucked him into my bed. After freshening up, I lay down beside him.