Chapter 18: The Mastermind's Game
[Flashback: Three Hours Before the Party]
The interior of Heer's luxury sedan smelled of expensive leather and nervous energy. Aslam sat in the passenger seat, his new suit feeling like armor. The silence was broken by Heer, who cleared her throat, a rare blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Aslam..." she said, her eyes fixed on the road. "How do I look?"
Aslam didn't even look at her. "Easy. A 4 out of 10."
Heer slammed on the brakes for a split second. "What did you just say?"
"I mean... if you add 4 to 10," Aslam corrected quickly, his heart racing. "That's 14."
"Oh," Heer muttered, her grip on the steering wheel loosening.
Aslam looked out the window, hiding a smirk. Out of 100, he thought to himself. He turned back to her. "And me? How do I look?"
Heer glanced at him. "A 2 out of 10."
Aslam waited. "So... you mean if we add 2 to 10, right?"
Heer looked at him with a dead-serious expression. "No."
Aslam's smile dropped. "Oh. You weren't kidding."
They both looked away, their hearts pounding. Why does she look so hot ? Aslam wondered. Why is he looking like a K-Drama lead? Heer thought, her palms sweating.
"It's... it's getting hot in here," Aslam muttered, reaching for the window button. "Let's open the window."
"No," Heer snapped, locking the windows.
Aslam's hand drifted toward the display panel to play some music, but Heer glared at him. "Don't touch the panel. Just... sit still."
Aslam quickly pulled his hand back, feeling like a kid caught in a cookie jar.
"There's a file in the drawer," Heer said, her voice turning professional. "Check it."
Aslam pulled out the documents. "What's this?"
"The script for your survival," Heer explained.
[The Secret Strategy] Heer revealed her plan. She had personally asked Mr. Charles earlier that day.
"Mr. Charles," Heer had commanded over the phone, "send that photo you took of us to my father. Tell him Aslam is my boyfriend. But—and this is critical—do NOT tell him I told you to do it."
"I also planted the stock information," Heer continued. "Last time I was home, I overheard my father and his business partner. They were talking about a company called Palaria Electronics. It's about to rise. I needed you to mention that so he thinks you're a genius."
Aslam was stunned. "You planned all of this?"
"I also expected him to offer you money," she said. "I knew he'd try to buy you off. But there's one thing I didn't expect..."
She pointed to the photo of them on the rooftop. In the photo, they were clearly kissing. "We never did that," Aslam whispered.
"My father's fixer," Heer said darkly. "He's the same man I use, but he works for the highest bidder. He used AI to modify the photos to make it look like we were kissing. He wanted to provoke my father's anger."
"Ooh," Aslam breathed. "So we're walking into a trap?"
"No," Heer said as she pulled the car into the grand driveway, her eyes reflecting the glowing lights of the mansion. "We are walking into a war."
Aslam looked out the window as the valet opened the door. "Wait... what's this? I thought it was a family dinner. This is a full-blown party!"
The silence in the garden was so thick you could hear the flickering of the torchlights. Jamshed Rahmani scanned the faces of the elite, his gaze lingering on Aslam for a fraction of a second before he turned back to the crowd.
"The new CEO of Queens Group International," Jamshed's voice thundered, "is my brilliant daughter... Heer Rahmani."
A wave of gasps rippled through the audience. Arslan, standing near the front, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace of pain. He wanted the position, but a small part of him was genuinely happy for Heer. The Board members, however, weren't so kind. Their faces turned a deep shade of red, their whispers filled with venom. Several of them didn't even wait for the applause; they turned on their heels and marched out of the party in a silent protest against the "New Era."
But Jamshed wasn't done. He raised a hand to silence the remaining guests.
"And," he continued, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I have one more announcement. To celebrate the new leadership, we will be hosting another grand event next week... for my daughter's engagement. You are all invited to witness the union of two great legacies."
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, but for Aslam and Heer, the world went silent.
They stood frozen, their faces slowly turning toward each other. This wasn't in the script. Heer hadn't "planted" this. Her father had just played a card she didn't know he had.
Heer's hand trembled. She flagged down a passing waiter, her eyes cold as ice. She reached for a glass of champagne, draining the entire thing in one jagged swallow. The burn of the alcohol didn't even come close to the fire of rage in her chest.
Asia slipped through the crowd, leaning into Heer's ear. Her voice was a sharp, terrifying whisper.
"Heer... you thought you were playing him?" Asia muttered, looking at Jamshed as he smiled at the cameras. "Your father is ten steps ahead of you. He just gave you the company—and took away your freedom in the same breath."
Aslam looked at the Chairman, realizing for the first time that the 50 million offer wasn't the test. This was.
[End of Chapter 17]