83.

Faraz pushed open the door to the small, dimly lit room. The air was stale, thick with an oppressive silence broken only by Taliya’s shallow breaths. She was slumped over, her head hanging, the once-vibrant spirit in her dulled by hours of deprivation. Her wrists were tied to the arms of the chair, red and raw against the harsh bindings.

He paused, a cruel smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he took in her weakened form. Striding forward, he crouched down, leveling himself with her. Taliya’s eyelids fluttered, a faint reaction as she registered the faint presence beside her.

“Wake up,” he muttered, voice laced with mock concern as he uncapped a water bottle. “Can’t have you dying on me, now, can we?”

Her head lolled slightly, and she blinked, her vision swimming as she tried to focus on his face. Faraz tipped the bottle to her lips, the cool water touching her cracked lips, and instinctively she drank, greedily, desperately. He pulled it back abruptly before she could get too much.

“Easy,” he said, a chuckle slipping through. “There’s plenty of time. You’re going to be here for a while, after all.”

Taliya swallowed, her throat raw and aching, and she managed to look at him, her gaze defiant despite her weakened state. “Why…why are you doing this?” Her voice was little more than a whisper, but the accusation in her tone was sharp.

Faraz scoffed, leaning back as he screwed the cap back onto the bottle. “Why? Oh, Taliya, it’s nothing personal.” He shrugged, feigning casualness as he paced around her. “You’re simply… leverage. A very effective one, at that.”

Her eyes widened, and despite the fatigue, a spark of fear flickered to life. “Leverage… for who?”

Faraz’s gaze darkened, and his smile faded. “Murad, of course,” he said, voice dropping to a sinister whisper. “The golden boy, the one everyone loves. I’ll finally make him pay.”

Taliya’s face twisted with horror and confusion. “Murad… Murad wouldn’t hurt anyone! What do you want from him?”

He chuckled, low and bitter. “This isn’t about what he’s done. This is about balance, about making things right.” He crouched again, his face inches from hers, voice dripping with malice. “You see, Murad took everything from me, even if he doesn’t realize it. Now, I’m simply taking it back.”

She turned her head away, but he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You don’t get to look away, Taliya. You’re part of this now. You’re going to watch Murad crumble. You’ll see him beg, knowing he’s powerless to save you.”

Taliya’s voice trembled, but she managed to speak. “Murad… he’ll find me. He’ll stop you.”

Faraz’s laughter was cold, echoing off the bare walls. “Let him try. By the time he even realizes where you are, everything he values will already be destroyed.” He released her chin, wiping his hands as if brushing off dirt. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure you stay alive to see the end of it. Can’t have you passing out on me.”

He lifted the water bottle again, pressing it to her lips, more forceful this time, making her drink even as she tried to turn away. “Drink. You’ll need your strength for what’s coming.”

Coughing, she sputtered, but he didn’t relent, forcing her to swallow before he finally pulled the bottle away.

“Why are you doing this?” she managed, voice cracking as she fixed him with a pleading gaze. “This isn’t who you are.”

Faraz sneered, his eyes hardening. “You don’t know me, Taliya. Don’t pretend you do. Murad’s been the golden child, the favorite, always in the spotlight. But that ends now. I’ve lived in his shadow long enough.”

She shook her head weakly. “This… this won’t bring you anything but misery. Hurting Murad, hurting me—it won’t fix whatever you think it will.”

He scoffed, standing up. “That’s where you’re wrong. For the first time, Murad will know what it feels like to be utterly helpless, to watch something he cares about slip through his fingers. And that’s all I need.”

With one last, chilling glance, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving her slumped and exhausted, but alive.

As he closed the door behind him, his voice echoed back to her, cold and final. “Get comfortable, Taliya. We’re just getting started.”

♤

The next few hours blurred together as Taliya drifted in and out of consciousness. The dim light of the room seemed to pulse with her heartbeats, and the ache in her body felt like a heavy weight pressing her down into the chair. Each time the door creaked open, her stomach twisted with fear, expecting Faraz to enter and deliver some cruel punishment. But each time, he was absent, leaving her with nothing but the sound of her own ragged breathing.

Finally, the door swung open, and Faraz stepped inside, a smirk playing on his lips. He was dressed casually, but the intensity in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.

“Time to move, Taliya,” he said, his tone light, as if they were merely going on a pleasant outing rather than escaping from the horrors that awaited them. “We have a little journey ahead of us.”

Before she could respond, he grabbed her wrists, unbinding them from the chair. The relief flooded through her, but she knew it was only temporary. She was still at his mercy.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she rubbed her sore wrists.

He chuckled, leading her out of the room and down a narrow, dimly lit corridor. “To my private island,” he replied, pausing at the entrance to the building. “It’s much more secluded, and I prefer to keep my affairs… private.”

Taliya’s heart raced. “Your affairs? What do you mean? What are you going to do to me?”

He turned to her, his expression almost amused. “Relax. I’m not interested in you, Taliya. This isn’t about you. It’s about Murad.”

The words stung, and she couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and anger. “So, I’m just a pawn in your game, then?”

Faraz opened the door, leading her outside to an awaiting helicopter. “More like a piece on the chessboard. But you’re not even a queen—just a knight. Important, but not the main focus. Keep that in mind.”

Taliya felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she followed him, feeling utterly trapped. He gestured for her to step inside, and she hesitated. “What if I refuse?”

He shrugged, his smile vanishing. “I wouldn’t recommend it. It’ll only make things worse for you.”

With no other choice, she climbed into the helicopter. Faraz settled next to her, his demeanor shifting to something colder, more serious. As the helicopter roared to life and lifted off the ground, she stared out at the landscape disappearing beneath them.

The wind whipped through her hair, but it was the thought of what awaited her that made her shiver. The sea stretched out before them, a vast expanse of blue under the fading sun. She could see a small dot in the distance—their destination.

“How long do you plan on keeping me there?” she asked, trying to mask the fear in her voice.

Faraz looked at her, the humor gone from his eyes. “As long as it takes. But don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. You’re not my type.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Not your type? So, you’re just going to keep me there while you plot against Murad?”

“Exactly,” he replied, a hint of amusement returning to his voice. “You see, Taliya, I have a plan, and you’re part of it. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to play with you. I have no interest in you beyond what you can provide.”

She felt a strange mixture of relief and irritation. “And what do you think I can provide?”

“Emotional leverage,” he said simply, as if that explained everything. “Murad will do anything to save you. That’s the beauty of this. You’re his weakness.”

Taliya’s heart sank. “You really think this will work?”

Faraz shrugged, a nonchalant gesture that made her skin crawl. “It has to. I’ve spent too long planning this. He needs to learn a lesson, and you’re the key to making that happen.”

As they approached the island, she could see the glimmer of sunlight reflecting off the water surrounding it. The sight was breathtaking, but the beauty was lost on her. They landed on a secluded beach, and Faraz gestured for her to follow him out of the helicopter.

She took a deep breath, the salty air filling her lungs as she stepped onto the sand. “What now?”

“Now, you’ll stay here while I prepare for the next phase of my plan,” he said, surveying the area. “It’s safe and secluded, just how I like it. You can think of it as a vacation—albeit an unexpected one.”

“A vacation?” she scoffed, incredulity spilling from her lips. “I’m a hostage!”

“Only if you choose to see it that way,” he said, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You could always try to make the best of it. Who knows, you might even enjoy the scenery.”

As he led her toward a small beach house in the distance, Taliya couldn’t shake the feeling of dread settling in her stomach. This was no vacation; it was a prison disguised as paradise. And she was stuck in the middle of Faraz’s twisted game, waiting for Murad to find her before it was too late.