Let me Hate you by Anjaani (the reading list .TXT) 📗

Asmaira was confused hearing that and couldn't stop wondering, how did I offend her? She always thought to steer clear of any trouble in the mansion and quietly went to Kabir's room mentally, noting not being around Mehwish. 

“Is this what you called a presentation?” Salar howled at his youngest son, throwing the reports he submitted a minute ago.

Amaan didn't answer, clenching his fist, trying to ignore the embarrassment in front of his team members.

“Jamshed! What were you doing? Didn't I ask you to assist him?” Salar said, turning his gaze towards his elder son.

Jamshed was speechless; knowing Amaan's business expertise, he was confident he would be able to pull up the presentation. Much to his shock, he never thought to be disappointed at the end.

“Two days, I am giving you, I don't know how, but get an actual presentation and not some disgust made by a 3-year-old”, Salar warned and before leaving added, “or whoever is involved in this project can submit their resignation.”

“And you,” pointing towards Amaan, “Come to my office right now.”

He slammed the conference room door, much to everybody's relief.

When Amaan went to the cabin, Salar was standing near the glass railing of his office balcony.

“If you are thinking, by submitting a lame presentation like that, I will let you off the project; then you are highly underestimating your father.”

Amaan cleared this throat and replied, "I thought you called again to threaten me.” He clearly wanted to irritate his father, and yes, he underestimated him.

“For you, it might be a trick to get off the project, but for your team, it's their future. For once, think about how life is unfair to them, yet they diligently support their families. Your stubbornness will impact them. If one fails, the entire team fails. Think about it, and you may leave now”.

Though his words were plain, his message was clear. For his mistake, the rest of the team will be impacted. He didn't use a threatening tone but also made his message clear. He sighed, seeing his son's retreating back.

While Amaan was contemplating, he received a call from Mehwish; seeing his sister was back, Amaan could not be more than happy. “See you at home,” he said happily.

“Amaan, umm..come to my room first. I need to talk to you,” with that, she disconnected the call, leaving him bewildered.

With Mehwish's arrival, he felt at ease as the sudden change in his parent approach made him irk.

Both the brother and the sister were sitting in her room where Amaan told her how he ended up marrying Asmaira and how things started being difficult for him. While listening to him, Mehwish fury was rising, thinking how her parents forced him to marry someone like Asmaira and why they were so persistent for her. She didn't need a reason to hate Asmaira on top of it; she thought it was Asmaira who was the mastermind behind his brother's misery.

He is still the same emotional fool, first Raina and now Asmaira can also play with him, she thought.

She always hated Raina, but she was smart enough not to fall into her brother's bad books, but now she won't back down. She won't let him get entangled with middle-class filth. Listening to Amaan's side of the story, she realized that he doesn't want Asmaira to be near Kabir, and he was unaware of her closeness to Kabir. Her eyes flash as she thinks of a scheme.

“I am sure Amaan, Ma has given a thought about her, and she was right. I can see Kabir was happy with her. She is good at taking care of him. Why don't you let things be how they are?” she said while sounding concerned.

“What?” he replied.

“She is good—” Mehwish was interrupted by Amaan’s next words, “What did you say, she was with Kabir?”

Amaan was infuriated because of what was happening in the office; it completely slipped out of his mind that Asmaira will try to be near Kabir. He suddenly stood up and strode towards Kabir's room.

‘Well, good luck with that girl, Mehwish was beaming, and now she has to wait for the results.

Inside Kabir's room, Asmaira was trying to calm him down as he was cranky due to a high fever. He was continually crying in her arms while she was rocking him to make him sleep. She herself was worried and was on the verge of crying seeing him in such agony.

Finally, much to her relief, he closed his eyes not before murmuring “Mumma.”

The room was silent, and hearing him, Asmaira froze. Her eyes were already welling up with tears, and after listening to him, she couldn't control herself from crying. 

I don't deserve to be your mother; how can I be your Mumma when I am the reason she left you? She could not stop crying, thinking.

The moment Kabir called her Mumma, Amaan happened to be at the door, and when he heard it, he lost his cool.

“AMBER!” he yelled at the top of his voice, startling both Asmaira and Kabir. 

Kabir started crying again, and for Asmaira, she stood like a statue while Amaan was glaring at her. She, at that moment, was blank and didn't know how to react. When Amber came, Amaan was still at the door, glaring at Asmaira, and commanded, “take Kabir with you.”