Chapter 143 : "You'll see just how ruthless I can be, just how far I'm willing to go to preserve my control."

Ibrahim lunged forward, his hand shooting out to grab Farah's throat. His grip tightened around her slender neck, cutting off her air supply. Her eyes widened in surprise, her playful demeanor replaced by a look of terror. She gasped, her breath cut short, her face flushing a crimson red. 

Samir tried to pry Ibrahim's hand off Farah's neck, "Ibrahim stop! Please...." But Ibrahim's grip got tight with each passing second, his jaw clenched, the veins on his forehead bulging with exertion.

"For one night," he growled through gritted teeth, "I acted soft, and everyone seems to think they can do whatever they want! They forget who I am, what I'm capable of!"

He lifted Farah off the ground, her feet dangling helplessly in the air. Her struggles intensified, her body twisting and turning in a desperate attempt to break free. And Samir continued to stop Ibrahim, "Ibrahim, let her go! You're going too far!" But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The rage in Ibrahim's eyes seemed to have consumed him, blinding him to the danger he posed.

Through the strangled gasps, Farah managed to utter a few broken words. "You... think... only... you... intelligent..." she wheezed, "but we aren't slow too."

Her entire body suspended in the mid-air. Her eyes bulged from their sockets, her mouth agape in a silent scream. Her legs kicked frantically in a desperate attempt to regain her footing, but it was a futile struggle.

Samir redoubled his efforts to separate them. The fragile line between rage and control was about to be crossed....

With a final glare, Ibrahim flung Farah across the room like a discarded ragdoll. Her body flew through the air, a blur of white and green - the colour of her dress, before slamming into the wooden wall with a loud thud. The sound that resonated through the room like a gunshot. Her body crumpled to the floor and a low groan escaped her lips.

Blood stain against her black hair, began to seep from a growing gash on her forehead. Samir rushed to her side, his knees hitting the floor with a heavy thump.

He reached out, his hands hovering over her trembling form, desperately searching for a sign of life. "Farah!" Yes, she was Alive.

Farah weakly lifted her head, "Look how your brother treats me, Samir and .... You tell me you love me. What a joke!"

Samir had nothing to say. He knew the depths of Ibrahim's anger, especially when it came to Ava. 

Farah, gasping for breath, weakly pushed away Samir's hand as he attempted to help her sit up. The blood, flowing freely, mingled with her eyes and tears, turning her vision into a hazy red pool. 

Despite the pain, she managed to rise, using the wall for support. With a final, raspy breath, Farah managed to utter the words while looking at Ibrahim with a clod blooded gaze: "I helped Ava escape. Because she wanted to."

"I entrusted you with Ava's safety, and this is what you do?" Ibrahim roared, "You helped her escape? What happened? What the hell led to this?"

Farah, a hint of mockery creeping into her voice, replied, "Do I have to spell it out for you, Mr. Rahman? Ava came to know everything. The fire at Crimson Longue, her scholarship... everything."

She paused, taking a ragged breath, her body swaying slightly because of the continuous bleeding. Samir reached out to steady her before she could lose her balance. 

Ibrahim closed his eyes for a moment. He drew in a sharp breath, a wave of dawning realization washing over him. His hand instinctively ran through his hair. 

"Usama Syed," he muttered through gritted teeth, "It was him. No one else could have told Ava those things."

He shouldn't have planned this trip. He shouldn't leave Ava alone. How can he be so blind? The weight of his own negligence crushed him. 

"Farah," Samir began gently, "please tell us where Ava is. I'm begging you. Please tell us before it gets too late."

Farah looked at Samir before turning her gaze back to Ibrahim, "Ava is running. Running to a place where she can finally be safe."

Another faint, knowing smile played on her lips as she added, "Remember one thing, no one runs faster than a woman who realizes she deserves better."

Ibrahim stared back at her, "I would have ended you right here, right now. But you're only alive because my brother has a soft spot for you." 

His words dripped like melted metal, devoid of any remorse for the violence he had inflicted. In his eyes, Farah was no more than a pawn, a tool used and discarded based on her usefulness.

Ibrahim turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. 

"Come on, let's get you to a doctor," Samir urged to Farah gently.

But Farah lashed out. Her leg shot out and kicked towards his stomach. Though not a full-blown assault, it was enough to surprise him and momentarily knock the wind out of him.

"What was that for? What did I do?" Samir asked, bewildered. "Yesterday it was Elara kicking me, now you?"

Farah met his gaze head-on. "I don't need your help," her words punctuated by a wince as she touched her throbbing forehead. "I come from a breed of women who don't need a man for support. Go find someone else who needs men for everything."

The wooden bridge creaked beneath Ibrahim's steely strides. The setting sun fell on his angry face. 

"Ava," he muttered to himself, "How could you do this to me? Disobey me like this? I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me! You think you can simply disappear? How dare you, baby girl? How dare you challenge me?"

He gripped the railing of the bridge, "You only saw my soft side, Ava. But now, you'll see the other side. The side you should fear. I'll find you, my little runaway. And when I do, you'll understand the consequences of challenging me. You'll understand why they fear the name Ibrahim Rahman, why they bend to my will. You'll see just how ruthless I can be, just how far I'm willing to go to preserve my control..You haven't seen anything yet, my baby girl."

As he reached the security room, the heavy oak door easily giving way under the force of his anger. He found the room occupied by two security personnel, their backs turned as they sat engrossed in a conversation and a meal.

The sound of the door slamming open startled them, and they both spun around. One of employee's face broke into smiles as he recognized Ibrahim.

"Mr. Rahman," he greeted, rising to his feet. "May I be of assistance?"

"I need the security footage from last night. All of it." Ibrahim commanded.

The other man, slightly older than the first, cleared his throat and spoke cautiously. "Sir, I'm afraid we can't just release secure footage like that to anyone. It's considered secure data."

Ibrahim's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he slapped the man. The man's head snapped to the side, a stunned gasp escaping his lips.

"Do you even know who I am?" Ibrahim roared. 

The first man rushed to his colleague's side. "He's new here, Mr. Rahman, and... and there's been a complication. Yesterday, our entire security system got hacked. We're still trying to figure out what happened."

Ibrahim cursed under his breath and the sound was harsh. "As expected," He had known deep down, that Farah wouldn't leave any loose ends. Yet, a desperate yearning to find a loophole, a shred of evidence that could lead him to Ava. He stormed out of the room. His eyes scanned his surroundings as if searching for an outlet for his frustration.

However, as he took another step forward, the pain in his stomach flared up. He sighed, trying to ignore it. He shouldn't move or walk like that right after the surgery. But who would think about this bullshît. He continued to walk on the wooden bridge.

Ibrahim was angry, yes, beyond angry. If anyone were to witness his state now, they wouldn't hesitate to call him a madman. And perhaps, they wouldn't be entirely wrong. He could ask Farah about Ava's location by torturing her a little bit more.

But wouldn't stoop to begging Farah for information. He was Ibrahim Rahman, a man who commanded respect, not pity. He wouldn't sully his pride by pleading. He wasn't built to beg; he was built to make others beg at his feet.

Ibrahim set his jaw. He would find Ava. He would find his "baby girl."

....

The cool night air of Hat Yai seeped through the cracks in the window, carrying with it the soft hum of the city below. Inside the room, Aqil finished packing his last few belongings. A gentle rap on the door interrupted him and he went to answer.

The door creaked open, revealing Ava standing on the other side, "Ava. Come in, come in. I was just thinking of coming to see you before I leave."

"I thought I might see you before you go," she replied while entering inside, "I wanted to thank you. Thank you for coming with me, for leaving everything behind to settle me in a foreign land. I won't forget it. I truly won't."

Aqil gestured towards the chair near the window. "Please, sit down. There's something I should tell you."

As Ava settled into the chair, Aqil began, "There's no need to thank me, Ava. I work for your brother, as an informant. Elara… he's the one who arranged your escape and paid for it. This is my job.That's how I earn a living. It's dangerous work, but I don't want you to feel obligated to me, like you owe me something. You made a difficult choice and you need to focus on yourself now. You're safe here in Thailand, but life won't be easy. It won't be perfect. But please, Ava, try to live. Live for yourself."

Aqil's words were meant to protect her from any further harm, as he knew the depths of her pain. If Ava started to overthink... It would led to a suicide. 

Ava understood the hidden meaning of Aqil's words, "I know why you're saying this. Yes, I was shocked to learn those truth. But I won't succumb to self-harm. I will live."

She took a deep breath, "It took me a long time to fall in love with that monster. And it will take time to Remove him from of my heart. I will forget everything related to him. I refuse to be like the heroines in those films who end up happy with a toxic hero, accepting everything they do. I won't be like that."