Chapter 69 : Mission Daniel.

Ibrahim emerged from the room. His usually composed expression now veiled in a storm of intensity. Shazia stood nervously awaiting his next command.

"What's the room number of that bastard Daniel?" Ibrahim demanded, his voice a low growl. 

"Room number 1056, sir," Shazia replied. 

They treaded through the deserted corridor, the low hum of air conditioners was interspersed with their hushed conversation.

"Has the background check on Daniel been completed?" he questioned while walking, 

Though Shazia was behind him, she could feel the unspoken threat of her boss. "I'm sorry, sir. I only got half information. Daniel works as a senior manager in a textile company. He married Noureen five years ago. Their marriage was intercaste, so Noureen's family didn't accept it. That's why Noureen doesn't share anything about Daniel's torture. She just tolerates it all," Shazia explained in a trembling voice.

The hotel corridor echoed with a quiet hollowness, the silence only punctuated by the subtle sounds of distant footsteps. 

Ibrahim's eyes betrayed a simmering fury at the incomplete information. "When I give a task, do it completely. Don't come in front of me with half information. Does he have any connection with any powerful figures?"

"N....No sir. He doesn't. I'm sorry for not getting all the information if the....there was more time I could...." Shazia stammered, her apologies falling on strained air.

"Sorry, sir... Huh. I'm going to deal with a bastard with half-baked information of him." Ibrahim muttered. His frustration was palpable.

Shazia was now sobbing silently. She was getting scared by her boss, Ibrahim Rahman. But her audible tears reached Ibrahim's ears, prompting an abrupt halt. He turned and fixed Shazia with an intense gaze as if he would eat her now. 

Shazia stopped too, hastily wiping away her tears, attempting to regain a professional attitude. But she failed. She was stood there trembling. Ibrahim gave a stern warning, "If I hear one sound of your sobbing, I'll kill you here right now with my own hands."

Ibrahim resumed his walking towards room number 1056 and Shazia started to walk reluctantly.

Standing before room 1056, Ibrahim gave Shazia a stern look, "Hope I don't have to repeat your work."

Shazia, now more composed, nodded nervously, "Yes, sir."

Ibrahim positioned himself strategically beside the wall, making sure he was hidden from any view through the door's eyehole. Shazia stood before the door and knocked. But no one came to open. With a subtle hand gesture, he signaled Shazia to knock again. She complied, rapping persistently on the door.

After several attempts, the door creaked open slowly, revealing Daniel – disheveled and barely awake in his nightwear. Oblivious to Ibrahim's presence, Daniel mumbled in a sleepy voice, "Who comes in the middle of the night?"

Taking advantage of the opening, Ibrahim smoothly maneuvered into the room. Shazia followed suit, promptly closing the door behind them to avoid attracting attention.

Ibrahim seized Daniel's jaw firmly. Daniel stammered, "What are you doing here?"

The retort was swift and assertive, "To send you to hell," as Ibrahim made his intentions clear.

Inside the room, Noureen stirred, awakened by the sounds. Her eyes widened at sight. She tried to scream but she was silenced by Shazia, who swiftly covered Noureen's mouth and sternly warned, "Don't dare to make a sound."

Ibrahim's movements were deliberate and precise. His skilled fingers pressed with calculated accuracy on the nerve points of Daniel's neck and shoulder, a technique honed through years of clandestine operations. As Ibrahim's practiced fingers found their mark on Daniel's neck and shoulder, a sudden realization dawned on Daniel. His eyes widened, and a surge of adrenaline shot through his system. He attempted to retaliate, but Ibrahim's movements were too fluid, too well-practiced. It was as if Ibrahim anticipated Daniel's every futile attempt to resist.

Daniel's muscles, initially tense with resistance, gradually yielded to the calculated pressure. The room held its breath, encapsulating the clash between mastery and helplessness.

However Noureen tried to scream. However, Shazia swiftly intervened, muffling any potential outcry with her hand. Noureen's eyes widened in fear and confusion. Struggling against Shazia's firm grip, Noureen found herself silenced, her desperate attempts to break free proving futile.

Beads of sweat formed on Daniel's forehead, mirroring the intensity of the moment. He found himself helplessly succumbing to the expertise of Ibrahim's technique. His unconscious body fell on the carpet. The air crackled with subdued intensity as Ibrahim completed the task, ensuring Daniel remained in a state of unconsciousness. 

Ibrahim sighed deeply and stepped back. He calmly retreated to a soft but his eyes never left Daniel's temporarily incapacitated form. On the other hand, Noureen, still wide-eyed and trembling, couldn't fathom the events unfolding around her. Shazia cautiously withdrew her hand from Noureen's mouth.

The room was shrouded in an eerie silence, broken only by the ominous words that spilled from Ibrahim's lips, "He's not dead yet." 

Noureen, still grappling with the shock of the sudden intrusion, gazed at Ibrahim, her voice trembling as she questioned, "Why did you do that?"

Ibrahim fixed her with a penetrating gaze, "I don't come here to tell stories. I'm not letting this bastard to live peacefully after harming my wife. You have two options: paralysis or no breath. Choose one now." His words cut through the air like a sharp blade.

Shaken, Noureen pleaded for Daniel, confessing, "No please. He has a bad temper, forgive him. I have no one apart from him. He is my husband." 

Ibrahim reiterated his terms. "Two options, and I'm only giving them because you're pregnant. I don't usually seek opinions before ending someone."

But Noureen was desperate to save her husband. She slowly rose from the bed and stood before the sofa in front of Ibrahim, "Mr., I'm alone. I never complained, even with all his torture. What will I do after Daniel? I have no job, no way to raise a child."

With a smirk, Ibrahim questioned her dependence. "Do you only stay with him for his earnings?"

Noureen lowered her gaze, "My parents didn't accept our marriage, and I lack qualifications for a job.I have to live with him no matter what."

Ibrahim sighed, "If you manage to earn, you can leave Daniel. Am I right ?"he asked.

Noureen nodded. But Ibrahim demanded, "Answer clearly." His voice holding an edge of impatience. 

 "Yes," Noureen replied, her affirmation hanging in the air as an irreversible decision.

Ibrahim sighed. He posed the consequential question, "Which option should I choose – paralysis or no breathing?"

"If Daniel becomes paralyzed, I have to take care of him. How can I handle taking care of two persons? I'm due next month," Noureen explained. 

Shazia, who had been a silent observer, couldn't contain her laughter at Noureen's words. The irony of Noureen wanting Daniel to die rather than become a burden elicited a mocking reaction from Shazia. Her laughter echoed in the room until Ibrahim's sharp glare silenced her. The gravity of the situation had been momentarily eclipsed by a macabre sense of irony.

Ibrahim stood up from the sofa, directing his stern gaze at Noureen, "Are you sure? I'm asking last time." 

Noureen nodded and added, "Show a natural death; otherwise, my in-laws will doubt me. I don't have a good relationship with them either."

And it was Ibrahim's time to be shocked. He came with a gun for a straightforward resolution. But he here was requested to show a natural death. He shook his head. Woman were really hard to understand.

In the meantime Daniel started to regain consciousness. He was mumbling something. 

"Both of you, turn your gazes away," Ibrahim commanded Shazia and Noureen. Ibrahim took a pillow from the bed and approached the semi-conscious Daniel.

He pressed the pillow firmly against Daniel's face. As the fabric descended, Daniel's eyes widened with fear, and a silent struggle for breath ensued. The semi-conscious man regained awareness. Each gasp, desperate and labored, filled the room with a haunting resonance. Both women looked anywhere accept the horrifying scene. 

The harsh reality of the moment was etched on Ibrahim's face. His expression remained stoic, devoid of any emotion, as he continued to execute the somber task at hand.

Daniel's gasps for air became more pronounced, each breath a battle against the unrelenting force exerted by Ibrahim. In his desperate struggle, Daniel clawed at Ibrahim's hand, attempting to break free from the suffocating grasp of the pillow. But Ibrahim maintained the pressure. The room bore witness to the silent struggle between life and death. 

Slowly Daniel's resistance waned. The last gasp of breath marked the culmination of the life that had fought desperately against the weight of the pillow. The echoes of the struggle faded, leaving behind an uneasy silence.

Ibrahim lifted the pillow from Daniel's face. His lifeless eyes stared into the void, and Ibrahim, with a heavy sigh, gently closed them. 

On the other hand Noureen hurriedly retreated to the bathroom to vomit. And Shazia sat on the bed and trembling slightly. 

Ibrahim threw the pillow on the bed and approached Shazia, "I'm giving you a task, and it needs to be completed by tonight. No loose ends."

Shazia quickly stood, "Yes sir." 

Gesturing towards Daniel's lifeless form, Ibrahim instructed Shazia further. "Send the body to my hospital and instruct any doctor or surgeon to issue a death certificate. Provide Noureen with a blank cheque, ensuring she leaves Malaysia and never comes back. Solve all the things tonight. Remember no one in this hotel should know about Daniel's death- not even a single person. I don't want this news to reach Ava."