THE DARKER SHADES OF WHITE (BOOK 2)

Chapter 8-Challenging

"Those seats should be placed here," I ordered. The man took the whole stack of seats to the front of the stage. I continued to help with the curtain adjustment and the dais. I had personally decorated the dais with gold leaves and velvet cloth. It truly was a work of art if I say so myself. I have been working nonstop since the last couple of days and what's even worst, I cannot remember the last time I ate a perfect meal. My stomach was practically growling now, my muscles ached and my head was bursting with a migraine and all due to lack of sleep and over exertion.

"Miss. Atish, the President is here," someone informed me. I glanced up from the ledger to a smiling Blacksmith, who had flanked his arms and looking at me amusedly. I raised an annoyed brow at him. I closed the ledger and buried it in my arms and walked to him.

"Do you have any business here?" I asked dryly.

"Yes, I'm here to see how everything is going and also if you need my help." He stated. I sighed. "No thank you, I think that I have everything under control." I said and rubbed my forehead; it felt like the vessels in my head were pressing against my skull. I felt nauseous.

"Hey, are you alright? You don't look so hot?" he asked with genuine concern lacing his tone. My vision blurred so I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep the bulk of nausea in my stomach but my nerves were so shot. "Yeah, I'm alright." I mumbled and before I could say anything, I feel on my knees and my brain shut down.

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My eyes opened and I realized what had happened to me. By the look of my surroundings, I was in the nurse's office. I collapsed.

I stretched my limbs and filled my lungs with air—I tried to sit up straight but my back ached, thankfully I was feeling alright now. Maybe that is all I needed, a good sleep. I glanced at my wristwatch and jolted up when I saw that it was 11p.m.

"Oh my God," I murmured to myself and hung my head in my hands as I was beginning to ache. I cannot believe that I have been asleep for over

"You're finally up," I cringed at the sound of Joshua Blacksmith, sitting at a little distance away from me. My hands instinctively went to my head and I breathed a sigh of relief on the touch of the soft woolen scarf on my head.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked skeptically and pulled my legs out of the warm quilt. I saw him shrug innocently. "You know, I cannot leave a fellow student all alone especially when she was so tired and collapsed in my arms." He winked at me.  My mouth hung open and my cheeks flared up. I rushed out of bed and donned my boots and my jersey. 

 "I don't have time for your stupid jokes," I remarked and slide my bag on my arm. "Why didn't anyone wake me up when the school closed?" I enquired. He walked a little closer to me, staring me in the eyes but I tried my best not to make any eye contact with him. "We tried but you were so out that the nurse said that it was probably due to over exertion and weariness. I volunteered to stay behind." he explained. I controlled a scoff. So much for having friends who actually don't care and in the hour of need, a complete stranger comes for your aid. "And you get Friday off," he informed.

"Okay, I suppose that I deserve a day off. And thanks for waiting up," I said rather nervously and made my way out of the door. Now that I think about it, this person has helped me for the third time now. Maybe he is a good person after all. I heard the doors being locked behind me and his fast steps approach.

"Want me to give you a ride?" he inquired politely.

"No thank you." I replied immediately. Poor Arnold must be waiting for me. "Is my bodyguard still around?" I asked.

"Yeah, the poor guy has been sitting in the doorway for over four hours," he informed. I felt so sorry for the poor guy, I ran outside. I apologized to Arnold, who with a poker face simply nodded and went away to fetch the car.

"He's pretty loyal," I heard Joshua remark. I crossed my arms around my chest and snuggled my neck and chin into my muffler. "Yes he is,"

"Unlike mine, he always nags or lectures me if I make him wait to long." He said. I shook my head and yawned. I was still so sleepy and this cold weather wasn't making things any better either. If only I was in Karachi right now, I wouldn't have to face this harsh winter here.

"Um, I wanted to ask you something Atish," he said and stood beside me. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was staring at the sky, his Adam's apple moving upward.

"Have we ever met outside of school?" he inquired. That was a bizarre question.

"Um,"

"Because if we have, than it's a strange coincidence." He said and looked at me. I removed my eyes from his direction. Right now isn't the safe time to confess.

"Why do you ask?" I said, feigning ignorance. His eyes narrowed. "Because I swear, I feel like I have met you some time ago. You look just like that person when she was sleeping." He implied. I swallowed hard. He is so close to figuring out the truth and I suppose that I won't be able to do anything about it even if he does discover that I am Dia.

"Um," before I could answer, I was saved by the arrival of the car. I quickly slid inside and rolled down my window. "I'll see you tomorrow." I said and we were on our way out. I saw from the rear mirror that Blacksmith was still staring at us. I sighed and slumped into my seat. I was so hungry. There wasn't even a single restaurant open at this time of night.

As soon as I got home, I quickly offered my Isha' prayers; when I was done, I thought to fix myself something to eat when I heard the elevator doors open. Strange, who could come in without my permission? A chill ran down my spine and I dashed towards the bedroom door. It was foolish of me to leave the whole house dark and not even remembering to put back my security lock up password. Ya Allah, please help me.

I quickly went to the bathroom and retrieved my viper. I couldn't hear any sound outside so I slowly moved out, my hands were shaking in terror and my heart was pounding violently against my chest. When I heard low footsteps, adrenaline pulsed through me and in a fir of panic; I swiped the viper until it hit something hard in the dark.

"Ow," a male voice exclaimed. "Damn it," The lights turned on and Shehzad stood in front of me, holding his forearm with a slight pained frown.

"That was completely uncalled for. What the hell were you thinking?" He exclaimed and rubbed his arm. I sighed in relief and placed the viper on the floor.

"Damn it, couldn't you knock or at least inform me first hand. I thought that you were a burglar or something" I yelled and grabbed my forehead and pulled my hair from my scalp in frustration. "Oh come on, you are in the safest most sophisticated place in the world with millions of dollars worth of technology spend on security and here you are worried about some i***t burglar who would dare to rob this place." He also half yelled at me but then composed himself quickly.

"And besides, I didn't think that I would need permission to come and visit my own wife." He reasoned gullibly. I sighed and folded my arms.

"Do you need something? . . . it's not weekend yet," I exclaimed rather harshly though I didn't mean it to come out that way, it's just that outwardly, I might look annoyed but inside, I was so happy that he had finally come and visited me. I was so lonely and there wasn't any substitute for my loneliness except for the companionship of my beloved.

I quickly retreated to the kitchen to hide the wide smile that was forming on my lips. I tried to distract myself by working on my dinner.

"What are you here for?" I inquired. I felt his hand on my shoulder as he turned me around. I quickly put on my poker face and gazed at his face. He looked well rested and at ease and so much more handsome with the stubble gone; though I must admit that with the stubble on, he looked twice as mature and old for his age. Right now, he looked like any other misunderstood innocent, simple twenty one year old kid that he was.

"I'm here to spend some with you. I thought that I should let you have a taste of my hand made stuff," he said and brought forth a plastic bag.

I raised a brow at him. "Wow, what are you going to make?" I asked with evident interest and curiosity drilled in my tone. He chuckled and caught my chin.

"Wait and see, in the mean time, why don't you go and freshen up, you look extremely exhausted." He said, his warm minty breath fanning my face and his gorgeous turquoise eyes staring intently into my brown one.

I grimaced but did as he said. I came to my room and closed the door slowly. As soon as I locked the door, I ran to my walk in closet that was as big as my bedroom, I took out a white satin lace lingerie that could cover all of my body and reveal only my chest and my shoulders. I smiled wickedly at myself. Oh I was about to enjoy seducing him and playing around with him just like he played with me.

I quickly showered and washed my hair. After having my hair half dried, with water still dripping from the tips, I wore a light red lip gloss and thickened my lashed with mascara. I smiled to myself; I feeling pretty good after such a long time. I cannot wait to see that dejected expression on his face.

I want to ignite some l**t and s****l desire in him so that he may never look at another woman again. I remembered what Tommy Jacobs had told me regarding men; Men are d***s, but they love a good challenge. Don't go after them but let them chase after you. This way, you aren't hurt and his ego dies down a little.

Yes, I need to present him with a challenge. I need him to feel love and longing for me. I know that he brought me back for the Chairman's sake and now he's seemingly trying his best to reconcile with me but I will not let this slip by so easily. And just like how Suzan had described it, my rejection really hits him hard so that is exactly what I'm going to do. This is a challenge that I'm going to instill on him.

I breathed in deeply before unlocking the door and when I stepped out of the room, I very strong delicious buttery smell indulged my olfactory senses.

"Hmm," I came forward and found Shehzad cooking passionately; wearing my apron and his sleeves folded up. He was the definition of sexy in my world. I never realized that the person who was acting and behaving so carefree and blithely and cheerfully was once the man who had taught me my horrible worth as a woman who was helpless and naïve but now, I see a different man; it almost makes me want to let go of my small intrigue and my tantrums and just jump into his arms and tell him that I have forgiven him.

I touched my lips; I wanted his lips to touch mine, but I knew that wasn't about to happen anytime soon.

"Hey," he saw me and gave me a small childish smile. I smirked and swiped my hair over my shoulder that caught his eye—he discreetly scrutinized my figure from a distance.

"Wow, you look great. It's almost as if you are trying to seduce Me." he exclaimed nonchalantly; that stroke a nerve. I quickly strode to his side and leaned on his shoulder.

"Why . . . aren't you seduced?" I whispered in his ear in an alluring tone of voice. He almost dropped the bowl in his hand which he placed on the shelf and diverted his attention to me. He caught my waist with one hand and with the other; he began to caress my shoulder and then my cheek. His fingers twirled with one of my loose tendrils and he brought it near his nose while his eyes stayed on mine. I pouted my lips and that's when I saw him sweat a little as his eyes told me that he was having a hard time controlling himself. He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

"I have something for you." He murmured against the skin of my hands. I flushed.

"What?" I asked in a low voice. He smiled and released me from the full intensity of his gaze. He walked to the lounge counter and brought back a slender black velvet box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful necklace with diamonds set in a star, rimming sapphires at the middle. I almost gasped and arched a knowing brow at him.

He took it out and led me to the nearest lounge mirror. He stood behind me and locked the necklace behind my neck. His fingers softly caressed the nape of my neck as well as my shoulders; his heat passed through me and it felt hot wherever he touched. I stretched my neck to examine the antique on my neck while I enjoyed watching Shehzad stare at me in the mirror.

"Do you like it?" he asked and began to stroke my neck with his soft lips. I almost lost myself at his intimate touch as his hands as reached my bosom.

"It's okay," I exclaimed nonchalantly and released myself from his grip. He looked at me irately. It was beautiful indeed but I didn't want to give him any pleasure at the moment.

 I clasped my hands together."So, what have you made?" I asked to dodge the present predicament. He grimaced and approached me.

"Well, I thought that I should have you taste the king of all sea foods so I prepared custom made Alaskan king crab." He told. I licked my lips in anticipation as my stomach growled, I was glad that he brought seafood since it's Halal otherwise I wouldn't have been able to eat any other meat. I sat at the table and waited for my entrée. Shehzad placed the plate in front of me on the table which held beautifully decorated white crab meat along with a colorful bell pepper salad and glass noodles. I quickly popped the food in my mouth. It melted and all the flavors burst onto my palate.

"Hmm . . . . this is great." I complimented cheerfully. He gave me a genuine warm and inviting smile. "I had no idea that you could cook. This is amazing." I remarked and popped another fork full of food in my mouth.

"Yes well . . . it seems that there's a lot that we don't know about each other." He said. I nodded.

"Indeed. But I don't see how we can accomplish doing that now? When I had tried to know you, you had always shut me out." I told firmly. He pursed his lips and didn't say anything. We ate in silence. When we were done, he began to wash the dishes. It felt nice that someone was taking charge for a change. I helped him to reorganize the dished and the utensils in their places.

"Khadijah, come back home with me," he said all of a sudden. I almost flinched but retained my self control. "I am at home," I replied casually.

"No, I mean with me," he said. I sighed. "Are you forgetting my conditions? I'm not ready yet." I told and stood a little far from him. I sighed as well and began to wear his coat and scarf. I escorted him to the doors but he turned around and looked at me very seriously.

"Okay than at least let me take you on a date." He said. I frowned.

 "A date?

"Yeah a date . . .  I mean that's the conventional way isn't it? We can have fun, go places and at the same time, get to know about each other as much as possible." He asserted. I bit my lower lip. The idea wasn't bad. The elevator doors opened but he was still waiting for my answer.

"What about your work?"

"Screw that . . . just give me your answer." He said.

"Okay . . . I will think about it." I said and lightly pushed him n the elevator. He smirked. "Okay I'll take your word for it. Oh . . . and you better not be dressed like that when you go to bed okay," he instructed. I crossed my arms and stick out my tongue at him like a ten year old.

"Dream on," I said. The elevator doors closed with him chuckling lightly. I upgraded the security and switched off the lights and the fire. I sat in front of my dressing table and touched the piece of jewelry on my neck. I took it off carefully and examined it more closely. I held it close to my heart. this was the first time he showed some sentiments and gave me a gift (asides from the Aston Martin).

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I was relaxed and refreshed when I woke up the next morning. I prepared myself some breakfast and offered my fajr prayers. I was almost ready for school when the intercom began to ring violently. The noise was so annoying so early in the morning. Who the hell could it be at this time?

"Hello," I almost yelled on the screen. I saw Shehzad's angry face in the screen. What's he doing back here again?

"Open the damn doors right now," he shouted at me. A cold chill ran down my back and I quickly passed in my code to allow him in. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he stormed out and caught me tightly by the arms.

"What the hell Khadijah? You collapsed yesterday and you didn't even tell me?" he spat angrily at me, his eyes piercing through me, his hands digging into my skin.

"You're hurting me, let me go." I cried. He realized what he was doing and he quickly released me.

"f**k," I heard him mumble to himself. "Why the f**k didn't you tell me, huh? Don't I have the right to know?" he shouted.

"Don't shout at me so early in the morning or use that tone of voice with me." I countered and squeezed my eyes shut because my head was aching now because of all the screaming.

"What made you collapse? I have a right to know!" he demanded. I sighed, giving in. "I over worked myself okay. Will you please leave now?" I insisted irritated.

He stared at me for a brief moment and then went straight to my bedroom.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I enquired when I came in and found him throwing my things in my suit cases. "Hey!" I shouted and tried to stop him. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked and tried to take the things that he had in his hands.

"You're coming back with me. I only agreed to have you live here because of the conditions that you imposed on me but not anymore. f**k this, your coming back with Me." he ordered. I snapped and hit his chest.

"Get lost . . . I'm not going anywhere?"

"Shut up Khadijah . . . . I didn't leave you here so you could work yourself to death. I thought that you might take care of yourself but that clearly isn't the case right now is it?" he said in a loud tone. I stop taking my things from his and folded my arms across my chest.

"An just why do you care?" I asked. It caught him off guard. "Don't start with me, Khadijah."

"Why do you give a damn about me? I mean, after, you didn't when I was in so much pain." I inquired. He sighed and threw the things in his hands forcefully on the bed.

"What could you have done if I had told you? I know that your work is more important to you so I didn't want to cause you any trouble." I blurted. He came to me and cradled my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes.

"Please come back with me."

"No,"

"Why? . . . . Do you hate me that much?" he asked. I sighed and pulled his hands away from myself. I went to my bedside and took my bag.

"At least let me make it up to you." He assessed. I exhaled deeply. I turned on my heals and faced him. "I don't hate you . . . . And if you want to make amends, then sponsor the school's Charity function." I told. He seemed unwilling at first but then he nodded. I went to the kitchen to have my tea. I left Shehzad to clear up the mess he made in my bedroom. I mean, what was all that charade about? It almost looked like he actually cared about me.

But I know that his heart wouldn't be stirred so easily. There is still a lot of hard work to be done on him.

When I was done with breakfast, I called for the elevator. Shehzad also came. We were silent during the whole ride down. When we arrived outside, Arnold held the door of the car open for me and when I walked towards it, Shehzad had caught my hand. I turned to look at him staring intently but solemnly at me.

"You really don't hate me?" he asked. I pulled back my hand; we were in public and he was making such a big mistake.

I shook my head and hopped inside the car without looking at Shehzad.

"Drive Arnold," I ordered and hugged my bag to my chest. What a bad way to start a day.

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