Khadija walked towards her father's room, nervousness racking every system in her body. She knew why they'd summoned her, she'd overheard both her parents talking about it, she was going to take the place of her younger sister and get married to Asahd Al-Dimashqi.
Asahd the ruthless, domineering and cold profiled heir of the Al-Dimashqi's Empire, she was going to get married to him and in exchanged, her older brother would be pardoned for his crime.
Why can't my life be any easy?
First I lost my mother, the only relative I'd and Farooq, the one person that cared mostly about me and now, I'm about to lose my life, my identity and my freedom.
To take back the tears that were about forming in her eyes, she took in a sharp breathe and exhaled after a few seconds, took another and repeated the same action again.
You can do this Khadija, you were born a fighter and you can fight through this.
With a halfhearted assurance, she sauntered towards her father's chamber.
From the door, she heard their whispers, even if they were faint, should still make out what the voices and what they were saying.
"Neither Asahd nor his family members would never find out she isn't our Zara." That was her mother's voice convincing her father,
"They're almost same age and a face surgery done by Dr Kemal to get her look like our Zara won't cost us what losing our son would cost us. I can't let my daughter into that family knowing the situation on ground between ours and their family, neither can I lose my son." The woman cried coercively to her husband who Khadija believed stood there and listened to her.
She isn't doing this for any of them, she's only doing it for Farooq as he's the only person in the family who'd actually cared for her.
Faizhan and Zara are actually alike, like two peas in a pod and only what they ever get to think is of themselves.
Farooq had been the one who cared for her all those times she'd been sick, when she needed financial help in school and hadn't want to tell their parents, he'd gave her more than enough cash to tide her over. He's the only one interested in reading her literature works, the one who she'd turned to when she needed someone to talk to and with the allegation against him and his current situation, she was ready to do anything to salvage his condition.
"Oh, here she comes." Their mother, Nadira Malik, aired out upon seeing Khadija walk into the room, a fake smile plastered on her face as she walked towards her.
"You sent for me mother." Khadija muttered and the woman nodded, with the still obvious fake smile on her face,
"Yes I did, your father and I want you to do something for us."
Khadija needed not to be told further, she knew already what they want to tell her and she'd already made her decision on it.
"You know the condition the family's currently in, your brother Farooq...." She paused, faking small crying sound that sounded rather too real to be called fake.
"My beloveth son is in police custody and he's going to rot in jail for a crime he hadn't committed..."
"It's okay Nadira," Hamid consoled his wife,
"Heaven wouldn't let any harm come to our Farooq."
Khadija watched the two people she'd called her parents for the past ten years and she exhaled,
"Father, mother," She called them and they averted their attention to her,
"Don't worry, I'll go on with the surgery and marry Asahd Al-Dimashqi..."
"My daughter," The woman left her husband and rushed to Khadija, embracing her into a hug,
"Thank you so much." She cried as she hugged her.
Khadija needed not to be told the appreciation was nowhere near sincerity, after all, they never really cared for her. She was only doing this for Farooq, she just wanted him to be free and out of that police cell, he's the only one she was concerned about.
Her mother, Dariya, was Nadira's distant cousin and had birthed her out of wedlock. After her parents
Khadija's grandparents
chased her out of the house for bringing shame into the family's impeccable repuation, she'd come to live with her cousin and her husband and that was where she'd Khadija.
Khadija had lived with the Malik all her life and after her mother's death twelve years ago, the Malik decided to confer their last name to her and make her their daughter since she'd no family left except her grandparents who obviously doesn't want her.
Although this decision wasn't made public, so apart from a few close family friends, the public doesn't know about Khadija as their daughter. Everyone knew Zara as their daughter as she was the biological daughter of the family and was quite infamous around town for her promiscuity and being a brat.
Khadija they don't know as she rarely shows up with the family during functions.
Khadija and Farooq were actually the exact opposite of Faizhan and Zara. Although they were biological brothers, Faizhan and Farooq aren't alike unless for a few physical features. Farooq was more calm and collected while Faizhan was the hotheaded and very aggressive, he's selfish, an egoist and a narcissistic jerk who for some odd reason thinks everything in the world should revolve around him while Farooq was the reverse of him.
While for Khadija and Zara, it was no secret mere looking at them that Zara is the outgoing one while Khadija is the nerdy introvert who would prefer to sit at home and read twelve chapters of a book than be in a party filled with boisterous and noisy youths.
Zara is beautiful, overconfident, fashionable and is among the infamous kids in college, no one could've ever guessed she and Khadija were from the same home as both girls were two worlds apart. Actually no one knows they even know each other, talk more of being related to each other. Zara and Khadija hardly cross path in school and when they do, Zara pretended never to know her and she's ever contented and prefers it that way. She'd never found the need to crave for popularity and attention like Zara does, while Zara is among brat pack and mean girl's clique, Khadija is among the school nerds and she would care for even the smallest creatures. Apparently, both of them are very much incompatible, like two people from different world.
With her obeisance to replace their daughter, Zara, Nadira and Hamid made appointment with the cosmetic surgeon that had done Nadira's facials months ago, he was going to do a surgery on Khadija and make her look more Zara, in a way the Al-Dimashqi's family won't suspect she wasn't her.
Meanwhile, because of the situation on ground and not to cause any single flaw in their plan, it was decided Zara would travel abroad to further her education. She never liked the idea leaving home to some unfamiliar country where no one knows her, a country where she wouldn't be popular like she's at home but not like she'd any option.
Her parents arranged her passport, got her her visa and a boarding pass, then the also made arrangements for a night flight and spent a great deal of money hiring a private jet to take her and the few maids she'll need in the new location, as she knew little to nothing about handling house chores or working.
The night her flight was to leave, Khadija had helped her pack all her stuffs and was coming to help her take the last of her bag to the car when Zara intercepted her from the hallway, it was clear to Khadija the girl doesn't like the whole idea of her playing 'her'.
"Mom wants you downstairs, the driver is ready to leave." She informed her politely but the girl casted her a disdainful glare,
"See, you better do a good job at being me," She warned Khadija fiercely,
"I won't want to find out you ruined my reputation with your Ms Two Goody Shoes behaviors." Khadija stood there, listening to her harsh words but said nothing.
"And don't go throwing yourself at Kabir, my boyfriend, you can have my face but you can never have what's mine, so just enjoy being Asahd's slave cause that's exactly what I'll call you." With those words, she hissed venomously at her and left, while Khadija sighed and went to get the bag from her room.
