The first light of dawn had barely touched the sky.

Dark grey clouds hovered above, hiding the sun behind their embrace, while a cool breeze danced through the towering trees surrounding the mansion.

The sound of birds echoed softly...

Blending beautifully with the soulful Azaan of Fajr drifting through the peaceful morning air.

As the city slowly awakened...

Khan Mansion had already come to life.

House helps hurried through the grand hallways.

The aroma of freshly brewed Kahwa and breakfast filled the air.

Fresh flowers were carefully arranged in crystal vases.

Every corner reflected royalty.

Every wall carried a legacy.

Every silence spoke louder than words.

To the world...

Khan Mansion was the pride of the Khan bloodline.

A symbol of honour...

Respect...

And unmatched prestige.

But behind those magnificent walls...

Lived a family bound by traditions stronger than emotions.

Where responsibilities outweighed desires.

Where every decision carried the weight of the family's name.

And where hearts...

Were expected to obey before they could ever feel.

Because in Khan Mansion...

Love was never a necessity.

Respect was.

And once the elders made a decision...

No one dared to question it.

Meanwhile...
Far away from the grandeur of Khan Mansion...

A house filled with warmth was still wrapped in silence.
The sky remained covered with dark clouds, while the cool morning breeze gently swayed the curtains.

Inside one of the bedrooms...
Two girls were sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that the entire house had already woken up.

One had wrapped herself tightly in the blanket...

While the other had almost occupied the entire bed.

The bedroom door slowly opened.

A woman entered quietly...

It was Zaisha's Chachi... and Ayesha's Ammi.

She stood there for a moment...
Looking at the two sleeping queens.

Then her gaze fell on the pair of slippers lying near the door.

A mischievous smile appeared on her face.

She picked them up...
And walked towards the bed.

"Zaisha..."
No response.

"Ayesha..."
Still no response.

She sighed.

"Ya Allah... in dono ka kya karun main?"

Without another word...
She lightly smacked the blankets with the slippers.

THAP! THAP!

"Utho dono! Fajr se lekar ab tak poora ghar jaag gaya aur tum dono abhi tak khwab dekh rahi ho!"

Both girls jolted awake.

"Ya Allah, Chachi!" Zaisha exclaimed, clutching her blanket.

Ayesha rubbed her eyes.

"Ammi... bas do minute aur..."

"Do minute ke chakkar mein roz aadha ghanta nikal jaata hai."

Zaisha immediately pointed at Ayesha.

"Chachi, pehle isko uthaiye. Main toh isko akela feel na ho isliye so rahi thi."

Ayesha glared at her.

"Drama queen!"

"Tumse hi seekha hai."

The room instantly filled with laughter...

A chaos so familiar...
That every morning in this house began exactly the same way.

A few minutes later...

The cheerful chaos upstairs slowly faded...

Only to be replaced by the comforting warmth that filled the entire house downstairs.

The aroma of freshly brewed tea blended perfectly with the smell of hot parathas drifting from the kitchen.

Grey clouds still covered the sky outside, making the morning feel pleasantly cool.

Inside the kitchen...

Ruhi and Zaisha's mother were busy preparing breakfast, effortlessly managing everything while exchanging occasional smiles and light conversations.

Every now and then, one of them would glance towards the staircase...

Already aware that the two sleepyheads would come rushing down any moment.

Meanwhile...

At the dining table...

Rehman nd Yasin khan were deeply engrossed in a discussion.

Business files lay neatly spread across the table, accompanied by a laptop, a diary, and two steaming cups of tea.

The conversation was calm...

Serious...

Yet familiar.

It was evident that business wasn't the only thing they shared...

Years of trust and brotherhood reflected in every exchange.

The peaceful atmosphere of the house was soon about to become lively once again...

A few moments later...

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the house as Zaisha and Ayesha finally made their way downstairs.

As soon as Zaisha stepped into the dining area, a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Assalamualaikum."
("Peace be upon you.")

"Wa Alaikum Assalam."
("And peace be upon you too.")

Everyone replied with a smile before turning their attention back to the two girls.

Rashmi placed a bowl on the table before folding her arms.

"Uth gayi dono maharaniyan? Ye batao mujhe... tum dono kab sudhrogi? Thoda jaldi bhi utha karo."
("So, the two princesses are finally awake? Tell me... when are you two going to improve? At least try waking up a little earlier.")

Ayesha immediately pointed towards Zaisha.

"Badi Mummy, saari galti Appi ki hai! Raat bhar padhti rehti hain. Areee bhai, ek hi toh zindagi di hai Allah ne... usse bhi bas padh-padh ke guzaar do. Meri tarah bano... full enjoy karo life ko!"
("Badi Mummy, it's all Appi's fault! She studies all night long. I mean, Allah has given us only one life... and she wants to spend all of it studying. Be like me... enjoy life to the fullest!")

She ended her sentence with a cheeky grin.

"Hehe..."

Before anyone else could respond...

Ruhi walked over, grabbed Ayesha's ear, and gave it a firm twist.

"Aaah! Ammi!" Ayesha yelped, instantly holding Ruhi's wrist.

"Arre yaar, Appi... kuch toh bolo! Lag raha hai! Chhod dijiye na, please!"
("Ouch, Ammi! Appi, say something! It hurts! Please tell her to let go!")

She quickly looked towards her father.

"Papa... bolo na Ammi ko!"
("Papa... tell Ammi to leave me alone!")

Yasin let out a helpless chuckle, but before he could say anything...

Ruhi shot him a look.

"Aap toh bilkul mat hi boliye. Bigaad kar rakha hai isko aapne! Ek toh ye sara din aalas karti rehti hai... aur upar se bechari Zaisha padhai karti hai toh usko bhi suna rahi hai."
("Please don't say a word. You've completely spoiled her! She spends the whole day being lazy, and on top of that she's lecturing poor Zaisha for studying.")

Rashmi smiled softly.

"Arre jaane bhi do na, Ruhi... bacchi hi toh hai."
("Oh, let it go, Ruhi... she's just a child.")

Ruhi dramatically sighed.

"Bhabhi, main toh tang aa gayi hoon in baap-beti se. Ek ye hai jo sara din padi rehti hai... aur inke Papa! Har waqt bas business, kaam, office... aur chai! Kabhi business, kabhi office, kabhi chai. Lagta hai ab main chai ki tapri hi khol loon!"
("Bhabhi, I'm honestly tired of this father-daughter duo. One is always lying around the whole day... and her father! It's always business, work, office... and tea! Business, office, tea... at this point, I should just open a tea stall!")

Rehman, who had just taken a sip of his tea, almost choked.

He quietly lowered his cup and looked away, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

The sight was enough to make Zaisha burst into laughter.

A soft giggle escaped her lips...

Followed by another...

Until the entire dining table erupted into laughter, filling the house with warmth, love, and the beautiful chaos that defined their family.

Ruhi finally let go of Ayesha's ear.

Ayesha immediately rubbed it with an exaggerated pout before glaring playfully at her mother.

Ruhi simply shook her head, trying hard to suppress her smile.

"Ab dono chup-chaap baitho aur nashta karo."
("Now both of you sit down quietly and have your breakfast.")

Without arguing any further...

Zaisha and Ayesha exchanged a quick glance before taking their seats at the dining table.

Soon...

The dining area was once again filled with the sound of light conversations.

While Zaisha quietly enjoyed her breakfast...

Ayesha couldn't stop talking.

From college gossip...

To fashion assignments...

To random stories that only she found interesting.

Zaisha simply smiled every now and then, occasionally adding a comment about her MBBS classes and the endless burden of practicals and lectures.

Luckily...

Their semester break had finally begun.

For the first time in months...

Both sisters were enjoying a carefree morning without worrying about classes or assignments.

Just then...

The ringtone of Rashmi's phone echoed through the room.

The ongoing conversation came to an abrupt halt.

Rashmi glanced at the screen.

A smile instantly spread across her face.

"Nadiya Appi..." she murmured before answering the call.

"Assalamualaikum, Appi."
("Peace be upon you, Sister.")

Everyone continued eating...

But almost unconsciously...

Their attention shifted towards Rashmi.

Her expressions changed every passing second.

First surprise...

Then happiness...

Then thoughtful silence.

No one interrupted her.

Instead...

Every pair of eyes remained fixed on her, trying to guess what the conversation was about.

After exchanging a few more words...

Rashmi ended the call and gently placed her phone on the table.

Before anyone else could speak...

Ruhi looked at her curiously.

"Kiska phone tha, Bhabhi?"
("Who was on the call, Bhabhi?")

Rashmi smiled.

"Nadiya Appi ka."
("It was Nadiya Appi.")

She paused for a brief moment before continuing.

"Woh bata rahi thi... Roshni ki shaadi tay ho gayi hai."
("She was telling me... Roshni's marriage has been fixed.")

A smile spread across everyone's face.

Rashmi continued,

"Aur keh rahi thi ki humein mile hue bhi ek saal ho gaya hai. Bachchon ki bhi chhuttiyan chal rahi hain... isliye unhone hum sab ko bulaya hai."
("And she said it's been almost a year since we all met. Since the children are on their semester break as well... she wants all of us to come over.")

The atmosphere instantly filled with excitement.

Everyone began discussing the trip.

Everyone...

Except one.

Zaisha.

The smile on her face slowly disappeared.

Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the glass she was holding.

For a moment...

She simply stared into space.

Completely silent.

Ayesha, who was sitting beside her...

Noticed the sudden change in her expression.

A faint crease appeared on her forehead.

Something...

Wasn't right.

A comfortable silence settled over the dining table for a brief moment.

Then...

Rehman smiled warmly before looking at everyone.

"Arre, wah! Ye toh bahut achhi baat hai."
("Well, that's wonderful news.")

He leaned back in his chair.

"Toh phir tay raha... hum sab kal hi nikalte hain. Waise bhi bachchon ki chhuttiyan chal rahi hain..."
("Then it's decided... we'll leave tomorrow itself. The children are already on their semester break anyway...")

He glanced towards Yasin before continuing.

"Aur Alhamdulillah business bhi achha chal raha hai. Thoda sa break bhi mil jayega..."
("And Alhamdulillah, business is going well too. It'll be nice to take a short break...")

A smile spread across his face.

"Saath hi family reunion bhi ho jayega."
("And at the same time, we'll get to have a family reunion as well.")

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Bilkul."

"Ye toh bahut achha rahega."

The excitement of meeting loved ones after an entire year was clearly visible on everyone's faces.

Soon...

Breakfast came to an end.

One by one...

Everyone excused themselves from the dining table and headed towards their respective rooms to begin preparing for the journey that awaited them the very next day.

Only one person...

Still seemed lost in her own thoughts.

Zaisha.
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