My Billionaire Wife

ABRAR’S POV

The soft gentle wind carried the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass from the garden beside Zoya’s family house.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I stood at the front door of Zoya’s family home, and my heart was pounding like crazy.

I was so confident while on the way here but now that I was here I was so nervous I could hardly breathe.

Tonight was very important for the first time I will Finally formally meet Zoya’s family as well as her extended family.

I was not able to make It here the last time but now I know I have to do a good job to win them over just like Zoya wants. I combed my hand through my hair and adjusted my shirt.

I was dressed in casual pants and a shirt hoping not to look too serious as per Zoya’s request.

Zoe, sensing his anxiety, placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Relax, Abrar, you are not going into a battlefield, it’s just my family,” Zoya teased with a smile on her face as she noticed how tense I was.

I had a feeling she was enjoying my misery right now but I couldn’t blame her I was at fault for missing the first appointment, now it was time for me to face the consequences.

“I sure hope it is not a battlefield because I definitely would not know what to do” I replied with the right smile

“Come on, stop being a baby put on your big boy pants, and let’s go in,” she said grabbing my hand and pushing open the large door.

We walked into the house and I have to say it is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The house was so finely decorated and Mr Ali was right at the entrance.

It felt odd or see my boss in such a casual outfit as I have only seen him at the office but here I was with his daughter for a formal introduction.

Mr Ali had a broad smile on his face, and his eyes twinkled with warmth it felt good to see a warm familiar face.

“Abrar! Welcome son” Mr Ali greeted, extending his palm for a handshake “It’s so good that you finally made it. I am super excited to introduce you to everyone,” he said with a broad smile but in oils only smiled back in return.

I took his offered hand, grateful for the firm, friendly grip. “Thank you, Mr Ali, for inviting me to your lovely home. It is exquisitely beautiful. It’s an honor to be here. And I am sorry I could not make it I er the last time”

“No worries son, you are a very hardworking man, and from what I heard you were the one who resolved the issue at the site the other day”

“Oh, yes Sir” I replied nervously.

“Oh no need for too much formalities I am not at work, don’t be so tense,” he said clapping my back “Come let’s meet everyone else”

“Well since I am now invincible I will just go and look for Mom” Zoya interjected.

“oh! My princess, you can never be invincible. Come let go in” he said pecking her lovingly on the cheeks as he led us further into a ginormous house.

As soon as we stepped further I could not help but notice how cozy the house was, family photos lined the walls and everywhere just felt homey. It was a familiar feeling inhad not felt in a long time which made me miss my parents so much.

The scent of home-cooked meal wafted from the kitchen and then the chatter and bickering of children made me almost teary-eyed.

Zoya had such a big family and they seemed tightly knitted together whereas inwas and orphan.

“Come sit down” Zoya directed me to a chair in the living room area where some men and women were sitting. They all looked unfamiliar.

“Wait here I will go and get my mum” Zoya instructed.

I grabbed her arm in panic as she was about to leave me all alone with people I knew nothing about.

“You can’t just leave me here” I whispered.

“I will be right back, before you know it my child” she teased, walking away.

I was all alone and was so nervous and sweating.

I bowed my head and greeted the group of people seated as their eyes were on the whole time. I cannot come off as rude insight not knowing who this people were but since they were in Zoya’s house they were clearly Zoya’s relatives.

“Welcome son,” an elderly man greeted me with a warm tone.

“Abrar, I want you to meet my mother” Zoya introduced as Mrs Ali came into view.

I had seen her for the first time during the day Zoya announced us as a married couple but it was the first time I was getting a good look at her. She had an air of elegance about her and she definitely had a striking resemblance with Zoya. One could easily see they were family.

“Mother this is Abrar and Abrar this is my mother and your mother-in-law Mrs Ali” Zoya introduced.

“Good day Mrs Ali” I greeted her, but I couldn’t help but notice she did not look too pleased to see me.

To be honest I can’t blame her. She set up a date to meet her family and I did not make it this was also after marrying her daughter without permission so I wondered if she was totally not happy with me.

Mr Ali assessed me with her eyes moving through the full length of my body. “Good evening, Abra, welcome to our home,” she said, her tone polite but also slightly distant.

“Thank you, Mrs Ali, for inviting me into your lovely home” I replied, as politely and well manners as possible.

“Please, call me Deepika,” she said.

“Oh I cannot possibly call you that ma’am ” I refuse politely.

“Okay if you say so,” she said with a smile.

Mr Ali guided me back to the living room. ” Come, Adam, have a seat, let me introduce you to everyone while we wait for dinner to be served,” Mr Ali offered.

I looked over at Zoya who gave me a nod of encouragement before walking back to the kitchen with her mother.

I sat down with a nice and polite smile plastered on my face as Mr Ali introduce me to his brother and cousins as well as other distant relatives.

“So Abrar what do you do?” Mr Ali’s brother who I have come to know as Mr Yusuf asked.

“He works at the company, he is a smart boy you see. I am so happy that finally he was the one Zoya chose” Mr Ali interjected before I could reply and I could not help but feel relieved.

“Wow, you work for your father in law company? Was that how you met Zoya?” Another asked.

I was now placed in a situation where I had to lie. “Yes but worked at the site before her at the site” I responded.

“So you knew her father was your boss?” Another person asked.

It felt like I was being interrogated for a crime I was bombarded with questions left and right from different people but I had to still be polite.

” No, I had no idea she worked for the company as well not until I met Mr Ali and she introduced me as her father. It was quite a shock to be precise” I explained.

“When i heard Zoya was married, to be honest, it was quite a shock I had to call Ali to confirm. I was happy because we all worried that that girl might not settle down one day but the fact that she did not introduce her husband to the family was also very disappointing, i was angry with my brother for a while but he also told me he was also shocked by the news and they both of you caught him off guard. So I want to ask you, Abrar, why would you get married to a girl without asking her parents for her hand?” Mr Yusuf asked with a stoic expression on his face.

“I am sorry for how everything went down but we were both not thinking straight I acted with my emotions and quickly realized I was wrong” I apologized.

“I am sure he panicked you know we planned a marriage ceremony for Zoya she did not show up to I am sure they planned on eloping, Zoya could very much do that but Abrar here brought her back home. I cannot forget that sight he held her hand tight with a determined look on his face which quickly faltered when he saw though” Mr. Ali said laughing at his last statement

“Food is ready” Zoya announced and I could not be happier that the conversation had come to an end.

I sat down beside Zoya while arrays of beautiful dishes lay elegantly on the table.

We said some prayed and everyone began digging into the food.

“Come on eat” Zoya ordered when she noticed I was not moving.

I grabbed some of the dishes and placed it on my plate, it smelled amazing and even tasted better.

It had been so long since I had a nice home cooked meal.

Everyone chatted between themselves laughing and having a good time while I watched Zoya chat happily with her cousins.

“So how long have you been seeing each other?”Mrs. Ali asked from the opposite side of the table and the noisy chatter quickly quieted down.

“About six months now” I replied looking at Zoya for help but she only nodded her head in response. “I knew she was the one for me the moment I saw her,” I replied.

“So, Abrar, do you have any family nearby?”Mr. Yusuf asked.

“Uhm no, I am an orphan and any of my relatives stay very far away from here as I am not from this province,” I said.

“Oh so sorry to hear that dear” Zoya’s grandfather sympathized.

“So you do not have any family member to stand for you?” Mrs. Ali asked.

“I do but they live far away, and I am not exactly too close with them so I am not sure they would want to make such a trip” I replied.

“A man who is not family-oriented is not good in a marriage I hope you work on that,” Mrs Ali said in a cold distant tone.

The atmosphere suddenly became tensed and I found it difficult to swallow the beef in my mouth.

“All that doesn’t matter, we are big enough to share. From now on Abrar we are all your family, you don’t need to worry. You can call me father if you want to” Mr. Ali offered.

I knew being an orphan might cause commotion as this was also how Nikhat’s family reacted when I told them I was an orphan. Nobody wants their child to associate with anyone with no family.

But I am grateful to Mr. Ali for trying to make me feel welcomed and loved.

“Family is very important,” Mrs. Ali mumbled.

“Son, what is your plan for the future after the wedding?” Mrs. Ali asked.

“Well I was thinking of moving to a new well-refined apartment, the house we currently stay at is quite far from work takes a lot to commute every day” I responded.

“Just an apartment what about children?” She asked and it choked on the water I was sipping.

“Mother, if we want to have children we will” Zoya finally interjected.

“Darling please stop interrogating the poor boy we invited him here to have a good meal,” Mr. Ali said trying to call Mrs. Ali down.

“Well I invited him to get to know him more” she responded.

Dinner quickly came to an end and Mr. Ali gave a tour around his house, his eyes gleaming with pride.

“One day you can also have something like this, everything can be achievable with hard work and dedication, and that I know you have” Mr. Ali encouraged me but it felt like a far-fetched dream to me.

As the evening wound down it was time for us to go back home and Zoya and I walked to the exit hand in hand we had to look all lovey-dovey.

“Thank you for having me,” I said, shaking Mr. Ali’s hand and nodding to Mrs. Ali. “It was a pleasure coming over to your magnificent home”

“You’re welcome anytime, son” Harold replied, “Take care of our girl, bare with her too in know she can be quite and handful.” Ali teased.

“I will,” I promised “Goodnight”

Zoya offered her mother and father a peck and a hug before we walked out.

I let out a sigh of relief as soon as we were outside and out of view.

“Was it that bad?” Zoya asked.

“Well, no it was just quite suffocating and I think your mother does not lie to me.”

“No worries with time she will warm up, now let get ready for the wedding”