"Yes, follow me. I want to talk to you," he told and walked to his study while she followed behind, feeling nervous already. She was feeling queasy and after what Alizeh told about him, she found him utterly dominating.
"Sit," he commanded, pointing towards a sofa in his large study which also had a large shelve full of books.
She sat on the sofa he pointed at whilst he closed the door.
He moved towards his desk, placing his phone on the table as he sat on one of the two office chairs infront his mahogany table and swiveled the chair to his left, where the sofa was, facing her.
"Are you good now?" His tone wasn't cold as it was just a few seconds ago neither it was warm and welcoming.
"Yes, thanks," she mumbled.
"I would just ask you some questions and I want you to answer them truthfully. Okay?"
And she nodded her head.
It'd be over soon. She told herself in her mind.
"So let's start...."
"Roshanay," she told.
"Yes, Roshanay. Why were those men running after you?"
"I lived in a village nearby. There were rumors around that the terrorists group had gotten activated again. They weren't rumors though. It was a confirmed news. And they were using their prior techniques, raiding different houses and collecting girls to sell them so they could get money. I thought I'd be safe until one day they came to my home. I hid myself so they couldn't stop while....they took rest of my....family members," she told, deliberately cutting the part that she belonged to a brothel.
"Which included?"
"My mom, my uncle and uncle's family," she told, her eyes moving away and he slightly frowned.
"And your father?"
"He is no more," she replied.
"How did you reach in the middle of a forest?"
"I was about to cross the gates of the village when those four men began to run after me. It was revealed that they were also one of them and said that they wanted to sell me too but I ran away and I don't know when I fainted,"
"Hmn," he nodded, his eyes getting narrowed as he looked nothing at particular, in deep thoughts. He was well aware what was happening and how did those men recognize him.
"Four?" He questioned, because as far as he remember, they were total of three men.
"Yes,"
"So your uncle provided for you and your mother?" he asked after a short while.
"Yes,"
"What's his occupation?"
"He was some businessman or something. I wasn't quite interested in his affairs,"
"His name?"
He was interrogating too much.
"Sufyan Waleed,"
"I've heard this name before," he said more to himself and she felt her heartbeat speeding up.
What if he came to know he also held a brothel where she was employed as a prostitute. This thought just made her paralysed with anxiety and she tightly curled her toes. She just somehow wanted to change the topic before he could reach the point in his memory as to know who his uncle was.
"What were you....you doing in the middle of a forest?" She asked.
"Nothing special. Thanks for your time. Within a few days, one of my men would come and take you to any of my NGO's. You can stay there and my men would help you to get a job too,"
"Oh okay. Thanks."
"Until then you can stay here. But there's something I want you to know,"
"Yes?"
"The basement, its a prohibited area. You can't roam around wherever you want but don't go down there. Got it?"
"Okay," she replied immediately, wanting just to go away from his presence. He had those danger vibes.
"Good. Thanks for your time. Now you can go to your room," he stated, dismissively.
She gave a nod, standing up and moved towards the door. Her frargrance cursorily reaching his olfactory bulbs for a millisecond when she walked passed him and he suddenly felt nostalgic. He felt like he had had a whiff of this fragrance before.
It had a sense of familarity.
"Wait," he said. His voice halting her and she turned around, looking at him expectantly.
That look on her face reminded him of a certain someone.
Standing up, he walked to the front of his desk and retrieved a bag which she recognzied immediately. He forwarded it to her and she walked to him, taking the bag, her fingers slightly brushing against his.
He didn't know why, he liked the touch.
"Your bag," he muttered and she just gave him a smile.
"Thank you," she replied to him before turning around and leaving the study. Her voice soft like shallow music, reaching the pit of his ears, registering her tone there.
He suddenly felt nostalgic. Her voice. echoed again and again in his ears
It had a sense of familarity.
....
A few days passed just like that and she didn't cross his path much. She was just waiting for that man, as he told him to come and take her to his NGO. She would happily spend the rest of her life there.
While she and Alizeh became great friends. Most of her time was spent in Alizeh's room as she was still grounded so she gave her company.
Alizeh didn't dare ask her brother when her punishment would be over, after the scolding he gave her last time. She was more than fine by having Roshanay in her company.
One thing which Roshanay noticed was Alizeh's mother. She didn't know why but she thought his mother didn't quite like her. She'd have that contemptous look on her face. Apart from that, she felt there was something weird about this mansion. One day, she literally heard screams coming from basement and she thought she was hallucinating. When she confronted Alizeh, she somehow dismissed the topic. She felt like Alizeh was hiding something. And the other day, she heard some gunshots, when she told about this to Alizeh she again dismissed the topic saying it must be someone from around, firing shots in air.
She frowned because she clearly didn't buy what Alizeh said. Yet, she had to believe what was being told her.
That night, she couldn't sleep there was this one thing, which had been bothering her for days, she had the feeling that she had seen Moosa somewhere before too, Him or someone like him.
A deadly thought almost froze her.
What if he was one of my customer?
It was enough to make her breathless within seconds. It meant, he might know her reality. She sat up from the bed and began to pace around the room. She was still staying in the guest room which he had given her.
As more and more negative thoughts began to eat her, she felt the walls of room getting close in on her. Her claustrophbia clicking in.
That much she was afraid of revealing her true identity to anyone. It was like a black spot on her. Rather she felt like a black spot itself.
She left her room immediately and began to walk where her feet took her too. She was now standing in the middle of lounge when suddenly she felt screams coming from somewhere.
The screams.
It seemed like someone was in immense pain.
And the sound was similar. She felt like she had listened to these screams before too.
She began to follow those screams. Now, it was becoming like a mystery to her, she was sure she heard the sounds of screams and gunshots.
Shivering, she kept on walking down the endless corridor, the grunts of the man were turning almost quiet, resonating from end of the hall. Every instinct inside her was telling her to turn around and sprint far away from the hidden truth.
But, what was a cat without curiosity?
Halting infront of the dark door, she slowly creaked it open and swallowed a gasp, seeing cemented stairs going down to basement. The hidden creepy basement in middle of lavish mansion have her dread, danger bells ringing in her ear. For once, she decided to listen to her instincts. Without thinking much, she turned around to rush to her safe space but her feet paused, on hearing deadly deep yet familiar voice from down.
Moosa.
His thoughts weren't giving her positive vibes. She had already guessed there was something shady about him. And now, his voice mixing with painful grunts of man, were giving her nothing but shivers of horror. Gulping, she stepped down a stair, then another and another until she was past the last stair and was now standing in dark cellar type place, infront of it, a wooden door, from where the hisses of man seemed endless.
Swallowing a lump, Roshanay looked through the small hole of the door, and what she saw arose series of goosebumps all over her skin.
Her heart froze with dread.