CHAPTER 71

CHAPTER 71 : Happily Ever After

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"baba...at least have one spoon" Fawad insisted with pleading eyes.

"No, I don't want to eat" Safia grumbled in annoyance .

"Ismail...watch your sister-she's refusing to eat!" Fawad sighed .

"She won't eat unless you do that dance . Just do it and get over this drama . My head is aching due to you both" Ismail said as he sat on the couch pressing buttons to change the channels on the dvd . He was thankful to the smart tvs otherwise , these French channels would go over his head .

"I made a huge mistake by being your friend . You are of no use" Fawad said and then started to follow behind Safia with a plate in his hand .

After shifting to France , Safia remembered the sweet promise she made to Fawad to make him meet Ismail , so the meeting didn't go as planned but the astonishing look on their faces as they sat in the cafe with the revelation was surprising.

Since that day , they both had been trying to spend as much time together as they could to remember their childhood days . To Fawad's content , Ismail held no grudge against him due to their childhood incident and blamed Khalid for what happened with him .

Khalid was now one of the many abandoned people on this earth. His grave was in some corner of a local graveyard in India , with no visitors . Everything he earned in his life was now gone and his name was slowly diminishing from the heads and hearts of the people - except one .

Fawad was now chasing Safia as she slowly made her way upstairs.

"Fine, I will do that Mickel Jackson dance . Stop going upstairs like that" Fawad said feeling scared at how she was hopping the stairs .

Safia excitedly turned around . Her baby bump was on full display .

"Do it ! Do it ! Do it!" Safia chirped but before he could , her mother twisted her ears and dragged her down .

"Ouch ammi!" Safia whined , and Fawad chuckled.

"That's what you get for blackmailing my son" Safia's mother said with a huff.

"Ammi!!" Safia cried dramatically and seeing this Fawad came to her rescue . He gently held her in his hand and looked at his mother in law ,"I think this much lesson will be enough for her" He said and Safia glared at him .

Since the time they shifted here , her mother and Fawad had teamed up to tease her . But she wasn't any less . She and Ismail would ruin their works or start to create trouble and fuss out of the blue. The home was a battlefield with Safia's father as the mutual general who would keep the place under order and control.

Safia pouted, rubbing her ear, "why are you interrupting now , my ears are already hurting. You should have stopped her earlier!"

"I would have done that, but you deserved a lesson, Madame Blackmailer." Fawad chuckled.

"Someone has to keep you in check, beta." Safia's mother smiled.

"I'm going to get you back, Fawad." Safia playfully rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots."Fawad grinned.

Ismail, who was still sitting on the couch, laughed, "This is like a daily soap opera. Can I get some popcorn?"

Safia's father, who just entered the living room sat next to Ismail, chuckling, "I think we need to start charging tickets for this drama."

"Of course, you can add additional charges , after all we have a monkey in this drama too ." Safia's mother smiled.

"Whose the monkey?" Safia put her hands on her waist .

"You are the monkey my darling...we should totally add more fees after we get the prettiest monkey in the entire world ."Fawad teased.

Safia blushed, "Mr Siddiqui.."

"Yeah, Fawad, you're making us all uncomfortable with your lovey-dovey talk." Ismail joked .

"Then go back to India" Safia frowned . Everyone was with Fawad when it came to teasing her , but he praised her a little and Ismail couldn't even bear that .

"I will be going in one month anyways and that's good , because I don't have to bear your cupie-cake romance" Ismail sarcastically said . He was having the best time of his life. He used to spend half of his time here and the rest in India with his parents, who were currently busy traveling the world .

Safia's father laughed, "I think we need to have a 'no romance' rule in this house."

The room erupted in laughter, and the playful banter continued, with Safia and Fawad teasing each other, Ismail making jokes, and Safia's parents enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere.

In the evening, Safia decided to take a tour of the city . She was wearing a headband over her head along with a long floral gown. Fawad was pairing her yellow dress with a lemon yellow shirt. Safia's baby bump was visible more than ever . The child was due one month later.

"Mr Siddiqui.." she called him .

"Yes darling?"

"What do you think it's going to be ? A boy or a girl?" Safia asked with a wonderful look.

"It can be anything. A boy , or a girl-I don't mind as long as our child is healthy" Safia smiled hearing his words . It was comforting.

"Want to go and grab some hot chocolate with a croissant?" Fawad and as Safia gave a quick nod . They entered the store .

The fresh scent of the bakery filled their noses and Safia's stomach growled in hunger at the sight of the delicious pastries .

They were about to sit on a chair and Fawad's eyes went over a quote.

Partager de la nourriture avec un autre être humain est un acte intime qui ne doit pas être pris à la légère.

M.F.K FISHER

It was the same quote he saw around 2 years ago in his first dining meet with Safia . After looking around , he then turned towards Safia .

He watched with amusement as Safia's eyes widened in delight at the taste of the Paris-Brest. She took another bite, and then another, each time trying to be subtle, but Fawad noticed. He pretended to be engrossed in his drink, taking small sips, all the while keeping an eye on Safia's sneaky bites.

Safia, feeling like she was getting away with something, became bolder, taking slightly larger bites, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Fawad's lips twitched, but he maintained his poker face, not wanting to ruin the game.

As Safia continued to sneak bites, her cheerfulness grew, and she started to giggle to herself, clearly enjoying the thrill of getting away with something. Fawad's amusement grew, and he found himself playing along, slowly moving his plate closer to her, making it easier for her to take bites.

Safia's eyes crinkled in happiness as she took another bite, and Fawad could see the joy radiating from her. He was happy to see her so carefree, and he continued to pretend he didn't notice, letting her think she was getting away with something.

The game continued, with Safia sneaking bites and Fawad pretending not to notice, until finally, Safia let out a contented sigh and leaned back in her chair, her eyes shining with happiness. Fawad couldn't help but smile then, and Safia caught him, her face turning pink as she realized she had been caught.

"Ops" she smiled awkwardly.

"You ate my dessert.. shouldn't I have yours now?" He asked with a raised eyebrow .

"You could have it, but...As you can see it's already over" Safia cheekily said .

Fawad's eyes fell on her plate and the crumbs of the croissant were laid on the plate . He narrowed his eyes playfully and Safia just laughed to shrug the matter of, " c'mon , you didn't mind when Mr Patel took your food, why mind when I am eating?" Safia asked.

"I actually minded it a lot" Fawad said , "Hmm, now that I think that's true-you called him the bald gorilla with a big mouth" Safia told him , but then she tightened her lips realising that she and Fawad never actually talked regarding it .

'Is my secret out?!' she thought but Fawad didn't seem to mind it . She took a deep sigh in relief realising that Fawad wasn't aware or hadn't caught her slip of tongue . Seeing her relieved face , Fawad just bit his smile .

'Let it be our little secret' Fawad thought to himself .

As his eyes turned at Safia , who was ordering one more dessert for herself . She looked at Fawad , "do you want one too?" She asked.

"No , I am full" Safia gave a little nod to her words and continued to sip her coffee . It was over and she tapped on the bottom to slip some coffee drops out . Seeing it , Fawad poured half of his coffee in his wife's cup.

"Huh?" Safia frowned .

"Don't be shy.  Have some more . I will order another cup for me" Fawad told her and she cupped her half cheek "If I keep eating like this , I am sure I will grow into a watermelon"

Safia had gained a lot of weight in the past month and her slightly chubby cheeks had turned into round cheeks and her body had got plump . There was no single day , Fawad spent without carrasing her hair and telling her how pretty she was . The maternal glow was shining on her , more than anything else.

"You won't . Stop worrying about it" Fawad told her , placing a hand on her hand.

"But what if I turn into a watermelon?" Safia asked and Fawad was sure that it was another episode of Safia's dumb questions .

"Then I will keep you in a pretty glass box and sit beside you narrating the wonderful tales " Fawad answered . Satisfied with it , Safia started to drink the coffee again .

Fawad smiled and his eyes fell on the window . He stared outside , a small kid was holding his father's hand and dragging him towards another shop . A smile appeared on his lips looking forward to his own child too .

5 Years Later

"BABA !! Kitee !! Kitee !!" The small boy yelled , as his light brown eyes stared at the sky where many kites were flying . Fawad ruffled the light brown hairs of his son with a smile who was staring at his son's excited face .

Today , everyone came here too . India was not the safest place for Fawad , yet he was here to celebrate a get together with his friends.

The kites kept flying . Safia was on another rooftop flying her kites with the other girls . Zeheb's yellow kite was cut off by Fawad's kite . He was cutting the thread of everyone's kite , with his kite .

"That pink one !" Rudhra said and without thinking, Fawad cut the pink kite too, and turned towards his son to get his excited reaction, but this time his son's mouth was parted in shock .

"What happened?" Fawad asked .

"Wrong kite baba !!" Shams warned his father , and Fawad was still clueless and he stared at the other rooftop where Safia was glaring at him.

The pink kite belonged to her .

Fawad smiled sheepily and cut the thread of his own kite with his own hand. The white kite with stripes fell on the ground slowly . With each second , Safia's face turned into a smile at this moment .

Rudhra smiled and turned his head towards Augustus, " Note this down , that my kite is the winner "

That was when it clicked Fawad . Only Fawad's kite could defeat Rudhra's kite , and Rudhra tricked Fawad into this .

Some people never change .

But Rudhra's victorious smile was soon replaced with a frown as his kite's thread was cut too.

"Who is this?" Rudhra asked in annoyance .

"My wife.." Seth proudly said, Rudhra couldn't believe that he had forgotten that Sabrie was in the competition. She was simply flying her kite away from everyone to avoid the competition.

"That's not fair !" Rudhra whined .

"It's fine dad , you did well" Adhikrit comforted his father . He had grown taller , and he was resembling his father more and more with each passing day . But his temper was quite the opposite of Rudhra . He was a quiet and mature kid, who rarely got angry .

"If the competition is over, let's get down and eat something" Seth told them , pointing at the small checked mat which had laid on the ground for their miny picnic .

"Who can refuse food?" Rudhra asked while holding his son's hand in his own . Adhirkirt turned his head around , to glance at Mahfuzah who was holding her baba's hand as if her life depended on him.

"Let's get downstairs" Adhirkirt told her and she passed a little nod , but still didn't move . Shams jumped happily seeing this , and grabbed her hand , "Come ! Come!" He said slowly dragging her down excitedly .

Deep inside his heart , he considered her his best friend and Mahfuzah couldn't just refuse the sweet boy . Adhirkirt shook his head slightly ,and started to head down while holding Seth's daughter's hand . She was 2 years old and resembled her mother .

As the kids were leaving, the group stared at each other's with a smile . Niya was about to follow them , but her leg twisted , before she could fall Ismail quickly held her from her waist stopping her from falling down.

Niya's eyes widened and she quickly brushed her clothes , "Is everything fine?" Ismail's voice made her heart flip and she gave a little nod .

"Don't forget to invite me to your wedding" Rudhra said following the kids down making Niya scoff with a laugh , "Stop with your comments already!"

She was shy , but Ismail just sighed and turned towards Zeheb , "My sweet sister , please handle your twins , they are beating me for fun"

Hearing Ismail's plea, Zeheb's face turned red in embarrassment and she rushed down to get her chaotic twins , and Augustus followed her .

After everyone left , Fawad turned his head towards Safia . They were the only ones left on the rooftop .

"I am sorry again.." he apologized , making Safia smile and she shook her head " It wasn't that much of a big deal...it was just a competition" Safia replied .

"Not for that...but rather this" He said , pulling out an expensive diamond ring from his pocket which Safia had been eyeing, but she refused to buy it because of the money. Despite being rich , Safia disliked wasting money on unnecessary things .

"NO YOU DID NOT!!" She gasped as she stared at it . Her cheeks were hurting from the huge smile spread across them.

"Yes , I did" He said and put the ring in her finger which was perfectly fitting . He smiled and kissed the back of her hand , while lowering his own head .

Their eyes met and before they could lean towards each other —

"AMMI !! BABA !! YOU LATE!!" shams's voice chirped making them both laugh .

"COMING!" They both said at the same time , and looked at each other with smiles . The initial irritation they felt was replaced with a rain of old memories from the time they met .

The night turned deeper as they sat and chatted . Safia was laughing a bit too loudly at Zeheb's joke . Shams was sitting in her lap and handling the sweet nimcoris to Mahfuzah. She kept taking small bites of them , making the little boy smile .

Safia turned her head towards Kalyani who was now asking about her aunts and cousins "Well...their punishment turned a little too long and went for around 2 years...but hey...they are doing well now—and they are now better than ever with no tactics up on their sleeves"

She laughed while remembering how they called her apologizing . Fawad who was busy in his own friends group , just spared her a glance . A smile formed upon his lips again as he saw her smiling under the neem tree . It was like the first time they saw her , but grew from strangers , to people who couldn't spend a day without each other.

Everything had formed its complete circle , just the sorrows were replaced with happiness and the bitter moments with the moments of content.

Feeling the gaze , Safia turned towards Fawad . As their eyes met , they knew that their contract had long ago expired , but their love will never .

And They Lived Happily Ever After

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Sooo here was the last chapter . I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing this . Each and every character is very dear to my heart . But their story hasn't stopped yet—although Fawad and Safia's story and their friends have come to a sweet end , yet the stories of their children will continue. Each book is a standalone but obviously the characters are repeated because they are set in the same universe.

I will publish it tomorrow. This story follows the story of Shams , Arzang and Mahfuzah . Their story is darker than Ceo's contract wife , but yess I think you will like it because it has the dramaa , the fairytale type love , and the pure friendship (not so pure friendship)

The next story in the series is :

Mahfuzah's life was a fairy tale, with luxury and love at her fingertips. But when her parents arranged a meeting with a charming Frenchman, her world turned dark. Trapped in a toxic relationship, she endured unimaginable pain until she found the courage to escape.

Shams, a captivating and desired man, had his heart locked away after losing his childhood sweetheart. He thought he'd never love again, until his eyes met the enigmatic waitress, Mahfuzah. Her mysterious gaze captivated him, but he sensed she was hiding secrets and he was ready to unveil them all-even if they came at a risk of opening the doors from his own sealed past .

Growing up , Arzang only saw one dream-to snatch everything from the culprits of his father's death , like they did with him . So he did that-He married their beloved daughter and made her life a living hell . He swore to hate her with every inch of his body but she escaped . His heart filled with fury seeks for her , but what happens when the new encounter stirs unexpected feelings in his heart .

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So see y'all in another story ! And yes Arzang is the boy Khalid rescued 😉 And thanks again to everyone who read this story and continued this journey with me ♥️