Hakim ran his hand through his hair, rolled up his sleeves, and said coldly,
"I'll do whatever I want. So tell me, what's this meeting about, Shahram Hakim? Weren't you the one planning to kill me?"
Shahram's words hung in the air like a loaded gun. Hakim burst out laughing.
"Oh my God. You'll take the desire to kill me with you to the grave."
Mehr interrupted, trying to lighten the mood.
"Enough talk of killing and dying. Let's eat."
The atmosphere relaxed. Everyone shared a rare moment of ease. The presence of so many guests meant the household staff dined separately. That day, Areeba rarely saw Mehr, and truthfully, Mehr didn't want to see her either.
As they ate, Mehr put her spoon down, smiled, and said,
"Nawaf, Hakim — thank you both for helping me."
She turned to Zoran, Shahram, and Azlan across the table.
"And to the three of you… from the bottom of my heart, thank you for leaving everything behind and coming here — for me, for my father."
The three men bowed their heads, accepting her gratitude. The mood was still good — but only for a moment.
And as everyone knew — Hakim couldn't tolerate happiness.
"Instead of thanking them," Hakim said with a smirk, "just thank me. If it weren't for me, they'd be eating biryani in your name today."
The room fell silent.
"Hakim, how stupid can you be?" Shahram said, glaring.
"Why? Just wanted to hear something from you," Hakim replied with a snap.
Mehr's smile vanished. She looked Hakim dead in the eye.
"Are you insane?" she said sharply. Then, turning to Nawaf, she added,
"Didn't I tell you this man has a mental problem? Get him treated. I'll pay for it."
Everyone laughed — except Shahram, who laughed loudly.
"You're too much, Hakim."
But Hakim didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on Mehr.
Then, without warning, his tone darkened.
"What else can a foolish girl do besides laugh?"
Everyone froze. Faces turned pale. Eyes darted from one to another.
"We're here risking our lives for a girl who does nothing but cry against the wall."
Hakim stood and walked out, not looking back.
"You all enjoy your meal," Mehr said quietly, pushing her chair back. She disappeared into her room.
Now all eyes turned to Hakim. He kept eating, unnervingly calm.
The three men rose silently. As they left, Zoran glanced back.
"Nawaf, you're the sensible one. Tell him how to speak to a woman."
They stepped outside, taking their posts for the night watch.
Inside, Nawaf turned to Hakim.
"Why do you always do this?"
Hakim shrugged.
"Ask Siren. She knows."
Nawaf stared.
"Who's Siren?"
Hakim's smile faded. His voice dropped.
"Siren is the girl who made me like this. A cruel girl."
He raised his hand to the sky.
"God will ask her."
Nawaf's voice turned serious.
"Hakim, you know what Mehr's going through. She's a girl — a girl, Hakim."
"So what? She gets to humiliate me because she's a girl?" Hakim snapped.
Nawaf sat back down.
"No. But she has no one left. She says what's in her heart. And you — you call her crazy for that? She's delicate, Hakim. You know that. Girls are delicate — their hearts are like glass. One harsh word, one wrong move… and it shatters."
Hakim said nothing.
"Mehr's heart is already broken. And now you're breaking it again."
Nawaf leaned closer.
"Didn't we learn that even in war, women were never to be harmed? And yet you hurl cruelty at them without reason. Look into their eyes, Hakim — they tell you stories. Silent stories. You may never understand them… but the least you can do is not add to their pain."
Nawaf stood up and left.
Hakim remained seated — but Nawaf's words echoed in his mind. For the first time, they struck something inside him.
He walked up the stairs.
Outside Mehr's room, he stopped. He could hear her crying — quiet but piercing, like the sound of something breaking.
"This is all my fault," she wept. "I deserve to be humiliated."
Hakim didn't knock. He couldn't. The sound of her pain cut through him. He turned back and descended in silence.
He clutched his chest.
"Since when did you start competing with a girl?" he whispered to himself.
"Since when did you become someone who hurts a girl?"
Suddenly, the house felt suffocating. Hakim grabbed his car keys and walked out. No goodbyes. Everyone saw him leave, but no one stopped him — they knew he wouldn't care.
That night, Mehr didn't sleep. She cried until the Fajr call to prayer.
"Is it my fault?" she asked into the darkness.
"Yes," she answered herself. "My fault. He humiliates me… and calls me foolish."
---
"Why does Allah not want women to grieve?" she thought.
In Surah Al-Ahzab, He says:
"So that their eyes may be cooled and they do not grieve."
In Surah Maryam, He said:
"Do not grieve."
In Surah Al-Qasas, He said:
"Do not fear, nor grieve."
Because grief in a woman — destroys her beauty, her strength, and her soul.
---
Outside her room, Yousuf stood holding breakfast. He knocked gently. Mehr opened the door. She was dressed and ready.
"Breakfast?"
Mehr looked at him, paused, then walked past.
"No thank you, Yousuf. I'm not hungry."
Nawaf was already downstairs, waiting. As Mehr descended, she saw the three men standing together.
"Nawaf? What are you doing here?" she asked.
Nawaf turned, tried to smile — but couldn't.
Zoran stepped forward.
"Sultana, are you alright?"
Mehr put on her sunglasses.
"Yes. I'm fine."
She looked again at Nawaf.
"So you've come to pick me up? The rest will follow later?"
Nawaf nodded.
Mehr sighed.
"So this foolish girl is going to ruin your lives now, too."
She walked out. Nawaf followed.
Behind them, Zoran, Shahram, and Azlan stood still.
"Did you see her eyes?" Shahram asked quietly.
Azlan replied,
"Yes… she looks like she cried all night."
Zoran could not say anything. He intended to talk to Mehr later, so he remained silent.
"Zoran, let's go now. Calm down. We have to go get Sultana tonight. Come on, well done."
They were all on night guard duty. Now it was Mehr's turn to stay composed.
On the way, Nawaf told Mehr, "There's a very important meeting today that you have to attend. We need to convince them to make the deal."
Mehr replied with a slight nod.
"You have to try to make this deal happen, Sultana," he added while driving.
They reached at the same time as Hakim. She saw them approaching him. She looked at him once, then walked ahead and shook hands.
"How are you, brother?"
"I'm fine. You tell me," he replied as they walked in.
She didn't speak to Hakim again. She focused silently on her work.
When Nawaf and Hakim returned from the meeting at eight o'clock, Hakim and the others were sitting in silence, visibly disturbed.
Hakim stood beside them.
"Hakim, what happened?"
"Hakim, say something."
"You try," Hakim said, looking at Mehr. "Explain to her properly."
Mehr was tying her hair at that moment. "I tried my best, but she had no intention." She sat back in her place.
"What do you mean you tried? I've been after this deal for days, and now you're telling me it didn't happen? What kind of joke is this, Hakim?"
"I tried my best. If the deal didn't go through, how is that my fault?"
The other three stood up.
"We're coming from the canteen," they said and left the room. Now only Nawaf, Mehr, and Hakim remained.
As soon as they left, Nawaf said, "Hakim, my friend, we treated her well."
Hakim pointed at Mehr and snapped, "If she was treated well, why didn't she accept it? She needs to get out of her foolish mindset and do something!"
"Don't talk to me like that," Mehr said sternly.
"Why not? If you had any sense, you wouldn't be in this situation today."
Mehr stood up. "Enough. You have no right over me. You don't deserve even a word from me."
She picked up her purse and, while leaving, said, "You're not worthy of being in front of me. I'm Hakim—I'll tear your head off."
She left the room. Nawaf stood in her path.
"Hakim, what was the point of explaining things to you last night? You clearly don't care."
Mehr had already left the office. Zoran was waiting outside with her car. She got in and drove home.
Hakim: "I didn't do anything wrong."
Nawaf: "Yes, of course. You're right, and the whole world is wrong."
They were arguing when Zoran entered the room. Shahram and Azlan followed him.
Looking around, Zoran asked, "Where is Sultana?"
After hearing his question, Nawaf and Hakim both fell silent.
"She came to you, didn't she?" Nawaf asked.