Chapter Thirty Seven – Friends turned foes

“He wasn’t! He wasn’t in a good shape. It was as though some kind of situation had over-run him. Or some people had to have blackmailed him. Heard such a thing on the train that day…” Alaya said, trying her best to reach a conclusion. She remembered clearly how the first thing she heard that day about that man was that he was the hotelier of Raphael’s company. She had assumed that he committed suicide because the company he was working for was in such a bad shape. But then she’d heard some other rumours on the train to which she hadn’t paid much attention. There were rumours that the man was kidnapped before he ended up at the station.

But then again who was she to be thinking about such rumours? This isn’t a movie where she was the Head of Intelligence in CIA. Though it would have been cool if she was. Right now she is the wife of a man she never thought she would love. It would be best if she came to terms with it. What a fate she has! Alaya thought as she looked back. For the first time in her life, she took a chance to take a risk for her ‘freedom.’ She even eloped from her engagement and yet she ended up marrying the person she ran away from. She facepalmed herself in her thoughts as she realized that.

“Hmm….blackmailing is quite a thing these days isn’t it? Sad to hear what happened to the man….anyways I’d be leaving early today. Love ya!” Layaan said as he got up and planted another kiss on her cheek. Alaya just sat there forcing a smile on her face as he left the dining room.

Life became quite mundane for Alaya as she spent day in and day out with Layaan. For some reason, Layaan never stayed in the house at night saying that he had a project to work on. Alaya began to doubt those words the third time she heard them. It hurt her just a bit to even think that Layaan was cheating on her. But then again she hasn’t seen their relationship as one with love. Despite the charisma Layaan had shown her weeks before their marriage. Layaan’s lack of interest in her reminded her of Raphael every once in a while. The way his father had described about how he’d planned for their future still gave her shivers. She couldn’t bring herself to even see Raphael’s father though he lived in the same house because she knew what he would ask her to do. He would ask her to help him which leaves her clueless on what to do. Though she knew Raphael was in danger, she simply wouldn’t know how to fight against Layaan or whoever his assistants were. And though she had multiple confrontations with Layaan about it in her head, she couldn’t bring herself to do it for real as she was always afraid of taking any chances. What if Layaan made it all a lie? What if he came with puppy eyes saying that he can’t believe that his wife doesn’t trust him? Her gut told her that that’s exactly what he would do but that’s the last thing she wanted to see. She doesn’t want to show even an ounce of sympathy to Layaan, knowing what he was up to against Raphael.

She was restless as the days passed by. The words ‘within 4 days’ kept ringing in her her head all day and all night. What was going to happen to Raphael, within 4 days? No one knew, except Layaan and his assistants. And one more person who was going to foil his plan without him even realizing.

**4 days later**

It was Thursday night and Raphael was in his room, getting ready for the shareholder’s meeting to be held that night. The meeting was made into a grand event, as he would be selling his shares to some influential people whom he was forced to make agreements with. That kind of forcing doesn’t even come to him as a surprise anymore. In fact, he has even decided to give up all of his wealth, if that’s what would cost him peace of mind. The only thing stopping him from doing that was his father who was in need of him. He knew that if he submitted even just with his wealth, it wouldn’t end there. His enemy hated him too much to let him be and earn another living. So he was utterly stuck in between.

As Raphael took his tie and tucked it underneath his collar, he heard someone entering the room. He looked back to find Laana in a blue dress that reached up to her knee. Laana would usually wear something fancy and would often do touch up of her make up when she is about to go to events such as the one she’d be going tonight. But for some reason, Raphael found her face groomed with dull colours and unusually she wasn’t on her phone either when she walked into the room. Her facial expression was the same since the past 5 days. She was acting different and gloomy ever since Raphael found out that she was having an affair with Layaan and Raphael had reminded her of everything he’d done for her. He didn’t mean to make her this way though and he’d never even thought Laana would act as though she came to her senses. Little had he known.

The day Raphael dragged Laana into the house and reminded her of the favours he did as her husband, she’d gotten a call from Layaan. Hearing the harsh words from Layaan at that moment did make her heart incline towards Raphael. But she didn’t want that to happen. So she tried hard to forget about what Raphael said and remember all the happy moments she’d spent with Layaan. She went to the club all by herself in hope that a few drinks would help her do so. But as she sat at the bar and gulped down her third drink, she thought she heard Layaan’s voice. She looked to the side and saw him just 4 seats away from her. At first she thought she was imagining things because of her drinks. But what she saw wasn’t changing even after she squinted her eyes and opened them wide. She still saw Layaan sitting at the bar with a bright smile. Wondering what Layaan was doing without any other person related to business, Laana got off from her seat to go to him. But just then, she saw another woman stand right next to Layaan calling him ‘Babe.’ As Laana’s feet stopped just where they were, Layaan grabbed the young woman by her waist and brought her closer and gave her a light kiss. Laana immediately felt her eyes well up with tears as she saw the scene. Her sight blurred and she felt like throwing up then and there. She remembered the number of days she’d asked Layaan to marry her and yet he refused every single time. They’d met through their fathers one of whom is a lawyer while the other is a judge. They happened to like each other’s company when they met each other at her house while their fathers were having a meeting of their own about 3 years ago. Since then, they were friends and soon Layaan had proposed and she’d gotten in a relationship with him. Through that relationship, Laana got to know all about Layaan. Beginning from his first love Alaya to his rage and jealousy towards the well-known business tycoon Raphael. Layaan shared with Laana about his passion to get revenge on Raphael by getting all of Raphael’s business on his own fingertips. Since they both didn’t have any sense of morality or justice just like their fathers, Laana got her hands dirty just for Layaan’s planned revenge against Raphael. She’d gotten married to Raphael against her will a few months ago as part of the plan too. She’d proposed Raphael just so she would know about his weaknesses and she could keep Layaan informed about them. She was touched by Raphael’s character from the first day though. He’d told her honestly about how he’d loved just one girl all his life and how he was having a difficult time forgetting her. He only agreed to marry Laana on the condition that she was okay with that. Laana tried to test Raphael’s patience after marriage by getting close to him. But never did Raphael raise his anger with her though he was clearly disturbed by it. Laana had gotten to know that the Alaya Raphael loves is the same girl that Layaan wanted revenge over. After that point, Laana began to raise her voice with Raphael as she only saw Layaan’s side of the story. From Layaan’s perspective, Raphael was the bad guy trying to steal the love of his life.

But as Laana stood there in the club that day, with music blasting in her ears and tears rolling down her cheeks, she realized who of them was the bad person. She realized that she was crossing the oceans for a person who wouldn’t give her the time of the day while turning her back on the one who could have shown her what true love is.

With a pain and a rage building up in her chest Laana began to take steps towards Layaan with her fist clenched as she tried her best not to break down. But just then, she heard him speak.

“Oh Babe! You don’t know much about me do you. When I hate someone, I do it till the very end. I don’t just hold a grudge. I make sure they regret what they did or if they don’t…..I still don’t stop until they stop breathing the same air as I am.” Layaan said, as he arrogantly looked into space with a half smile. Hearing Layaan’s words reminded Laana of what he had planned against Raphael. That would literally be his last and final blow on Raphael. Laana felt shivers down her spine as she saw the plan coming to be. She couldn’t bring herself to imagine Raphael in that position so at once, she went out of the club knowing which side she was going to take this time.

“Laana…what’s wrong?” Raphael said with a blink as he looked at Laana who was staring into space longer that he’d expected. Laana looked at him as she brought her thoughts back to the present. She gave Raphael a smile.

“Its…nothing. Just feeling a bit sick within the past few days. Must be because I was just too busy with the hosting script for the event…may I?” Laana asked as she reached Raphael and grabbed the two sides of the tie. She began to tie it as Raphael nodded surprisingly at both her gesture and what she said.

“Scripts aren’t supposed to be that hectic for you though….as a writer at a TV station.” Raphael said doubtfully. Laana gave a light laugh.

“Who knows? Things you usually find easy could become hectic. Just like the people whom you loved so much, could become a reason for a major heartache.” Laana said while tying the knot on Raphael’s tie, then again losing herself in her thoughts. Raphael furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out what was up with Laana. He was about to say something when she spoke again.

“Can I ask you for something, Raphael?”

“Yes?”

“It’s just…..I think that I’m not going to be around here after a while…when I’m gone, please go back to Alaya will you?” Laana said, as she slowly tightened the knot of the tie around Raphael’s collar.

“What? Why are you saying this to me? Wh….where are you going?” Raphael asked curiously, partially thinking that all of this could be part of an evil plan.

“Can’t tell you that Raphael….to be honest I don’t even know. I just know that you are one of the best men I have ever come across my entire life and you deserve happiness like no other. And Alaya deserves to have your love since she wouldn’t be one to cheat on you….”

“What is this about, Laana?” Raphael asked again, clearly knowing that Layaan would never want him to be with Alaya. He wondered what he was planning with Laana.

Laana laughed again.

“Can’t trust a hell of a woman like me anymore can you? Damn! If you would, I would have eloped with you somewhere far away right now and pretend like no one else existed. But I guess it’s just too late and I lost my chance…” Laana said and slowly slid her hand down Raphael’s chest before moving away, turning her back on him and walking out the door. Raphael was still left in wonder about the words she said.

**

An hour later, Raphael was seated on the front row of the huge hall in which the shareholder’s meeting was going to be held. He shared the row with Laana next to him and other the notables of the event while other guests were still arriving from the main door of the hall. Raphael looked at the stage with the podium in the middle and fully lit with the unnoticeable lights hung at the top and decorative round lamps, large and small that were arranged alternatively around the stage except for the front edge where the podium was kept.

“Pretty lamps aren’t they?” Laana asked out of the blue.

“Pretty….but I guess it’s too much light though don’t you think?” Raphael asked.

“Apparently the people who prepared the stage didn’t think so…” Laana said. With that, silence fell between them. Raphael was at ease, still looking around the hall making sure everything looked okay. While Laana was hesitantly looking at Raphael as though she was considering to say something.

“Aren’t you going to tell Alaya, Raphael?” Laana asked.

“About what?”

“The truth, that is keeping you away from her.”

“Which truth are y…..” Raphael’s words paused there as he realized what Laana was talking about. Within an instant, he pictured Alaya’s father giving some instructions to a group of men. Raphael sighed as he remembered what he was doing that day.

“I know its hard Raphael, but you can’t keep it from her. The more you do, the more it will hurt her. And after a while when I’m gone you have to go to her anyway. You have to help her through….”

“Can we not talk about this?!” Raphael said, frustrated to a certain point. He would have been utterly furious if he hadn’t the hint of realization that what Laana was right. He needed to tell Alaya the truth. He should have told her, a long time ago. But he didn’t, out of fear. Fear of losing her for good, if she thought that he was accusing her father. He’d thought that she would absolutely hate him, if he spoke the truth. And that was too harsh of a reality that he didn’t want to face. That was a chance that he wasn’t willing to take.

Laana was about to say something further, when her phone rang. She took her phone from her small handbag and as soon as she saw the number, she looked at the side of the hall. There was a young man all in black, with a cap, shirt, jacket and jeans. He carried a laptop bag as he walked by. Laana excused herself from Raphael as she began to walk in the opposite direction as that man through the middle of the hall. When Laana reached the main door, the man disappeared into the back stage. Laana answered the call as she stood near edge of the door.

“Are you ready to do what I told you to do?” Laana asked. She immediately received a positive answer from the other end.

“Good! All you have to do is make them work right at the end of the hall event when people start leaving. That way, you won’t be in trouble either…just say that there was a malfunction and it happened to get delayed.” Laana said. Then again she got a yes from the man and she ended a call with a smile. Just then, she got startled when Layaan appeared from the outside, right in front of her. She was overwhelmed with fear as she saw the smile on his lips but a rage in his eyes. Just as she wondered if he heard what she said, he spoke.

“Hi!” he said.

“H..Hi..” Laana said nervously.

“It’s been a while. How have you been babe? How about catching up after the event?” Layaan asked with a wink.

“Y…yeah let’s do that.” Laana said, trying not to think about how she’d seen Layaan with another woman and hoping he didn’t hear her just now. Layaan smiled and gave her a light peck on the cheek.

“You go ahead…I’ll come right behind you. We can’t be seen together now can we?” Layaan said putting his hands in his pockets. Laana agreed and began to walk back in, trying to steady her breath.

As Laana went out of his sight, Layaan picked out his phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and put the phone on his ear with a furious look on his face.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare do as that woman said if you want to be alive…I’ve changed my plans too. Press the damn button when the host of the event gets on stage. I better see that happening tonight!” Layaan said in a lowered yet enraged voice.