— ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧ Ashan's POV :

I was sleeping in my room after a long, tiring day, my body finally relaxing after hectic work and the investigation I had to do after Lorenzo's death. It was so hectic, all of it.

There is something about this girl I can't figure out. Lorenzo got killed because he was hired to protect her. Who are the people behind her?

I heard a knock on my door, waking me from my sleep. I stroll towards the door to find Hareem, Seerat, and Rasha standing there.

I raise my eyebrow. "What's wrong? Do you guys need something?" I ask.

"Bhai!" Rasha whispers.

"Hmm?" My brows furrow.

"There are noises coming from the guest room. We three were sleeping but woke up all of a sudden to the noise of something breaking," Seerat informs, her voice barely audible.

"First thing, why are you all whispering? You guys can speak normally, can't you?" I shake my head.

"I think we should check up on Aizal! I think something's wrong." Hareem says.

"Bhai, I think your girlfriend is a ghost." Seerat says while acting like a ghost and making noises.

"What nonsense, she's not!" I yell.

"A ghost?" Rasha smiles.

"Your girlfriend?" Hareem smirks.

"Both!" I grumble.

They three laugh in sync and start their nonsense teasing again. "Stop it, guys!" I scream, making the three of them shut up.

"Let me make sure if she's okay!" I inform as the four of us are now walking towards the guest room where Aizal is.

Hareem knocks on the door, but she doesn't open. We knock again, but there's no response. So the girls decide to check up on her themselves and walk in.

"Oh my goodness, Aizal, are you okay?" Hareem says.

"Fuck," Rasha curses.

"Bhai," Seerat screams.

I enter the room as soon as the three of them start panicking. When I enter the room, my eyes fall on Aizal, who's lying on the ground.

Her breathing is stiffening, it's like she can't breathe. Tears are streaming down her face.

Her whole body is shaking.

She's having a panic attack.

A fucking panic attack.

All the girls gather around her. Hareem keeps Aizal's head on her lap. While I run towards the jug of water, only to find it broken and scattered with water on the floor. I guess she tried to take the water, but it slipped away from her since she's shaking.

"Aizal, breathe!" Seerat blows on her hand and caresses it.

"Calm down, Aizal," Rasha strokes her palm.

"I'll get water." I stride towards the kitchen and bring a glass of water.

"Here," I hand it to Hareem, asking her to make Aizal drink it. As Hareem was about to make Aizal drink the water, she moved Hareem's hand away, making the glass fall and break.

"Zeher, zeher," she cries, while hiccuping.

My eyes widen, followed by everyone's.

"He will poison me," she says while looking at me, her eyes reddened and teary. She looks so weak, so weak as if someone just broke her into pieces she can't fix. She never looked so vulnerable.

I don't know what she is trying to say; I can't quite react to her words. Why would she think I want to poison her?

"Aizal, what's wrong?" I approach, bending down towards Aizal.

She breathes heavily as her eyes meet mine, her chest heaving up and down. "Stay away, go away," she panics more.

The girls are worrying more, not knowing what to do. "You want to kill me, I know, but I won't allow that," she cries, her whole body shaking; she looks disheveled.

"What are you talking about?" I move closer.

"Don't come near me, go away," she screams in terror, her eyes popping out.

"I want to live, I don't want to die, Ashan Hussain!" She screams my name with so much anger and rage, with so much hatred that it feels so heavy.

"You can't just kill me, I'm not that bad. You don't know me, please, my life is important. I want to live." Her words break me.

What does she mean? Is she in trouble? Is there something she is hiding? Why does she feel so scared of me? Why does she think I'll kill her? Why did she say she's not that bad?

I have no answers for any of these questions.

I don't know what to do.

"Look, listen to me," I say moving towards her as she gets up from Hareem's lap, her form looking disheveled and vulnerable.

I move my hand to hold her when she throws her hand in the air and starts screaming.

"I know this is your plan, you are here to kill me, Ashan Hussain," tears flowing uncontrollably from her eyes.

For now, I knew only one thing to do. Something out of the box. I break all the boundaries in between and wrap my arms around her petite form.

Her soft flowery scent filling my lungs.

She wriggles and tries her best to push me away, screaming my name. But I hug her tightly and caress her hair.

"I won't hurt you, Aizal. Trust me, I won't," I say soothingly, my words softer than usual.

She stops wriggling in my arms, in my hold. "I promised to protect you, remember? Then why would you think I will harm you?" My eyes close as I hug her tightly and caress her hair.

"Harming you is the last thing I would do. You don't have to be scared of me, Aizal. I'm here to protect you, remember? Calm down, okay? You can trust me and count on me." I draw circles on her back with my fingers, trying to ease her tension.

"You don't have to be scared of me. I would never even touch a hair on your head or let anyone do that. Me harming you is the last thing you should think." I spoke calmly, trying to assure her.

I don't know why I said all those words, I don't know why I feel such a strong protective feeling for her, but I do. I don't have any answers to my questions.

And with Aizal wrapped in my arms, my heart beating against hers, I promise to protect this pure soul at any cost. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I am ready to do anything for her.

But then again, she's just a mere stranger.

Why do I feel a strong connection with her?

A connection as if she's someone I know, someone related to me somehow?

I don't know what this feeling is, but I'll protect her at any cost, even if it means risking my life. Because at this point, I know that the harm she's under is really dangerous, and Ashan Hussain will make sure she's away from any harm around her.

"Bhai, she's asleep," Rasha says.

"In your arms," Seerat teases, making me sigh.

I gently pick her up and place her on the bed, put the blanket on her while the girls clean the room before we all leave.

"Why was she saying you would kill her?" Hareem asks sharply, while we walk in the hallway, as if she's doubting something.

"Are you an abusive boyfriend, bhai?" Seerat asks angrily and grumpily.

"Tsk tsk, didn't expect this from Ashan bhai," Rasha says with a disgusted look.

"What the fuck!" I curse.

"Mujhe toh aapko bhai bolne mai bhi sharam aarahi hai," Hareem rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

What in the world.

My jaw is on the floor.

"What the fuck did I do, huh?" I'm perplexed.

"Dekha nahi aapne kaise dar rahi thi wo Bechari aapse, aisa koi karta hai bhala," Rasha crosses her arms around her chest.

"Mujhe toh bohot taras aaraha hai uss pe, bhai ki wajah se panic attacks aarahe hai usse," Seerat shakes her head while holding it.

"Stop!" I yell loudly.

"You guys should stop assuming things and accusing your older brother. You guys forgot what respect is?" I step into my role as the elder brother, the three of us standing silently, looking at me.

"Let me make it really clear to you guys, she is not my girlfriend. She's a girl who asked for my help, and I'm helping her. I have nothing to do with her. No relation. I'm here to protect her from some people. And I brought her here because something bad happened at her place. No more questions, go to sleep."

"And if you guys bring this topic up again or call her my girlfriend, then mujhse bura koi nahi hoga," I announce before striding towards my room.

I enter the room and ask some officers to gather information about Aizal. I have to find her brother and the people he sent to harm her. She's so traumatized that she even thinks I can hurt her.

"It's going to be morning in two hours, I need sleep," I fall asleep not so easily, with so many thoughts swirling in my head.

I woke up a little late today, the sun hitting my face as I walked out of my room. My sleepy eyes greeted the kids near the kitchen. The girls were preparing food, and the boys were roaming around, looking for breakfast.

"Good morning bhai, where's bhabi? Still sleeping or what?" Hadi says cheerfully, teasing me while winking.

I could see Rasha glaring at Hadi while the other two shushed him with the finger-on-your-lips action.

"Hadi beta," I walk towards the 23-year-old kid. As he smiles, not knowing what's gonna happen next.

"I'm not sure if Aizal is sleeping or not, but if you dare to call her bhabi again, I'll make you sleep for the rest of your life," I smile widely, a huge annoyed and sarcastic smile.

"Samaj gaya," Hadi gulps, saluting me.

I mumble a good morning and walk towards the kitchen, "Girls, please make sure my kitchen is safe and alive, it's very dear to me."

"Surely we'll make sure your kitchen counts its last breath," the girls reply, offended.

"Hey Aizal, good morning!" Hareem says, and my head snaps really fast to gaze up at Aizal.

She was standing in her uniform, but it's Sunday today. Her eyes were reddened, and her form was a little better than before.

"Come have breakfast with us," Seerat invited.

"Thanks, but I'll have to go now." She softly smiles at Seerat and then looks at the door.

"Where are you going?" I stand in front of her as soon as she was about to get to the door.

"Home," she replies coldly.

Her beautiful sea blue eyes held no emotions, and her voice was colder than ice.

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