Episode 3 — Yes

Silence settled over the drawing room.

Mahnoor's fingers tightened around the edge of her dupatta.

Marriage...

The word echoed inside her mind.

She had always imagined this moment.

Just not like this.

Her mother gently placed a hand over hers.

"If you'd like," she said softly, "you can think about it first."

Mahnoor nodded faintly.

Nawab Rahman looked toward Zayan.

"Would you mind if I spoke to my daughter alone?"

"Of course."

Zayan stood from his seat.

"I'll wait."

His calm voice revealed nothing.

He walked toward the balcony overlooking the garden, leaving the family behind.

---

A few minutes later...

Mahnoor sat beside her father in his study.

The room smelled of old books and sandalwood.

Nawab Rahman removed his glasses and looked at his daughter with unusual gentleness.

"I've never forced you to make a decision."

"I know, Baba."

"If you don't want this marriage..."

"I'll refuse it."

Mahnoor looked at him in surprise.

"You would?"

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Your happiness comes before everything."

She lowered her eyes.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Do you trust him?"

Without hesitation...

"Yes."

"Will he respect me?"

"I believe he will."

She hesitated before asking one last question.

"Did... he agree to this marriage himself?"

Her father nodded.

"He did."

Mahnoor fell silent.

She wasn't deeply in love.

She barely knew the man.

But she trusted her father.

And somewhere in her heart...

She believed love could grow after marriage.

A small smile touched her lips.

"I trust your choice, Baba."

Nawab Rahman's eyes softened.

"So..."

"Is that a yes?"

Mahnoor shyly nodded.

"...Yes."

Her mother embraced her immediately.

"My little girl..."

Mahnoor hid her face against her mother's shoulder, laughing nervously.

"I never thought I'd say yes this quickly."

Her mother smiled through misty eyes.

"Sometimes life chooses for us."

---

Meanwhile...

Zayan stood alone on the balcony.

Rain dripped from the marble roof onto the garden below.

His expression remained unreadable.

Footsteps approached.

His trusted right-hand man, Sameer, quietly stopped beside him.

"Boss."

"Hm."

"If she refuses..."

"She won't."

"You sound certain."

"I am."

Sameer glanced toward the brightly lit windows of the mansion.

"Do you ever wonder if she's innocent?"

Zayan's jaw tightened.

"Innocent?"

He let out a humorless laugh.

"She's Nawab Rahman's daughter."

"That doesn't answer my question."

A dangerous silence followed.

Finally...

"My mission isn't about her."

"It's about her father."

Sameer said nothing more.

He had served Kaizar Shah for years.

He knew better than to argue.

Still...

For the first time...

He wondered if this revenge would destroy more than one family.

---

The study door opened.

Mahnoor and her parents walked back into the drawing room.

Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone.

Nawab Rahman smiled warmly.

"Mr. Zayan."

Zayan turned.

"My daughter has made her decision."

The room held its breath.

Mahnoor slowly lifted her gaze.

For the first time...

She looked directly into his eyes.

They were calm.

Dark.

Impossible to understand.

She lowered her gaze once more and whispered,

"...I agree."

A quiet smile spread across the elders' faces.

Congratulations filled the room.

Prayers were offered.

Mahnoor could barely process what had happened.

She was engaged.

Just like that.

While everyone exchanged greetings, she gathered the courage to glance toward the man who would soon become her husband.

He acknowledged everyone's congratulations politely.

But when his eyes met hers...

He only gave a slight nod.

No smile.

No warmth.

Nothing.

It stung more than she expected.

Perhaps...

He was simply a reserved man.

She smiled to herself.

"It's alright," she thought.

"One day... I'll make him smile."

She didn't know...

That the man she had just accepted as her future husband...

Was hiding behind a false name.

And she certainly didn't know...

That long before she had whispered "yes"...

He had already declared war on her family.

Outside...

The rain grew heavier.

As if the sky itself mourned a future no one inside the mansion could yet see.

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