As Zaheerah stepped out of the office building, tears started to roll down her cheeks. She felt humiliated and embarrassed. She had been fired and now she had to face her parents, especially her Mother with that knowledge. She sat down on a bench outside the building, not sure of what to do next.

It was then that she saw her cousin, Layal, walking towards her. Layal was always the one Zaheerah could count on, no matter what.

"Zaheerah, I'm so sorry about what happened." Layal consoled.

Zaheerah looked up at her cousin, and before she could even say anything, she broke down in tears. Layal sat next to her and wrapped her arm around her.

"They fired me, Layal. They fired me!" Zaheerah cried out, as if Layal wasn't aware of her current dilemma.

Layal held her tightly, letting her cry for as long as she needed. "It's going to be okay, Layal," she said, soothingly.

Zaheerah looked up at her cousin, her eyes red and puffy. "What am I going to do? I don't have a job now. How am I going to pay the bills?"

"Allah will give us a way out don't worry. We'll look for a better job in Sha Allah. I'll do what I can to help you."

Zaheerah hugged Layal gratefully. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

Layal smiled, "That's what family is for."

They both sat there for a while longer, Zaheerah venting her frustration and disappointment while Layal listened and provided emotional support.

Eventually, she helped Zaheerah stand up and they walked towards a coffee shop nearby where they could talk further. As they sat inside, Layal reassured her cousin that everything would eventually work out, even with all the uncertainty that was waiting for her in the future.

Zaheerah felt lucky to have a cousin like Layal, someone who would always be there for her through thick and thin, even if they had different schedules. She felt grateful despite everything that had happened, for having a caring cousin who could help her through this difficult time and potentially even a job in the near future.

***

Zaheerah opened the door to the house and walked inside, feeling numb, and felt as if the world seemed to be closing in around her. Her mom was sitting on the couch, staring at her with anger in her eyes.

"Zaheerah, what happened at work?" her mom demanded.

"I got fired, Mama," she said quietly.

"HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!" her mom yelled. "YOU HAD ONE JOB, ZAHEERAH!"

Tears welled up in Zaheerah's eyes, but she tried to hold them back. She didn't want to give her mom the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"It wasn't my fault Mama," Zaheerah said. "My boss just didn't think I was a good fit for the company."

"That's just an excuse," her mom spat. "You're lazy and you don't take anything seriously. That's why you got fired. Bakida abin Fadi kuma."

Zaheerah's heart sank. She knew her mom had always been hard on her, but she didn't know it was because she thought so little of her.

Before she could say anything else, her mom's phone rang. She picked it up and listened for a few moments before her face went pale.

"What is it?" Zaheerah asked, concerned.

"Your father," her mom said quietly. "He's been found unconscious in his workplace. He's at the hospital now. We need to go there immediately."

Zaheerah's heart raced with panic. Her dad had never been sick a day in his life. She followed her mom out of the house and hailed a cab, feeling a sense of urgency as they drove to the hospital.

When they got there, they rushed to the emergency room where they found out her Father had a heart attack. The doctors were working hard to save him, but they weren't sure if he would pull through.

Zaheerah sat with Mama in the waiting room, feeling the weight of the day weigh down on her. She had just been fired, and now her Father was clinging to dear life. She didn't know how much more she could take.

For hours, they waited until finally, a doctor came out to speak with them. Zaheerah's heart was pounding so hard; she could barely hear what the doctor was saying.

"Your Father is stable," the doctor said. "We were able to revive him, but he's still in a critical condition. We'll be monitoring him closely."

Zaheerah let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension leave her body. She looked at her mom, who was crying silently, and knew that everything was going to be okay. They were in this together.

The reality of the situation suddenly hit her hard. She had lost her job, but she still had her family. Her Father was in the hospital, but he was alive. Everything else suddenly didn't matter.

***

Saleem sat at his desk, his eyes glued to the computer screen while going through his emails. As the CEO of his company, he had a lot of responsibilities to handle, and he couldn't afford any distractions or idle chit-chat.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door, and before he could reply, his cousin Nour walked in with a folder in her hand. "Saleem, I need your help," she said.

He sighed and looked at her. "What is it, Nour?"

"I need you to escort me to that business trip in Egypt next week." she explained, twirling a strand of  the hair that peeked from her turban around her finger. She always had a crush on him, but he seemed oblivious to her feelings.

Saleem shook his head. "I don't have the time for that, Nour. I'm very busy with my work as you know."

Nour's face fell, and she looked disappointed. "Suit yourself, Adam." She sassed and walked out.

"He's always like this. He never gives me the time of the day." She muttered as she walked to her office, her heels clicking on the hard tiles with every step she takes. She angrily dropped the stack of folders on her table and sat on her plush leather seat, her manicured fingers massaging her temples.

"You'll soon start noticing me Saleem." She said to herself. "Soon."

***

Zaheerah excused herself and walked to the end of the waiting room and sat on a chair, her phone pressed to her ear as she talked to her friend, Mariam. Her voice trembled as she shared the news of her Father's illness and her recent job loss. Mariam consoled her and promised to come check on her Father tomorrow.

"I can't believe I got fired, Mariam. I'm so embarrassed. What am I going to do now?"

Mariam's voice was soothing as she offered her support. "Don't worry, Zaheerah. You're an amazing worker, and someone will realize that soon enough. Hey, my boyfriend works in his brother's multi-million company. I'll talk to my boyfriend and see if he can land you a job there."

This news ignited a light of hope in her. She really needed a job so that she could cover her Father's hospital bills. "Are you serious, Mariam? That would be amazing if you could do that for me. Thank you so much. Jazakillahu khair"

Mariam waved it off. "Of course, Zaheerah. The company is pretty big and established." She bragged. "But I'll see what I can do. My boyfriend might ask to meet you tomorrow, if everything turns out smoothly."

Zaheerah thanked Mariam again and hung up the phone, feeling optimistic for the first time since yesterday. She quickly went over to Mama and Yumnah and shared the good news with them.

"You should go back home then and prepare. We'll take care of everything here." Mama said and she bid them goodnight

She spent the night practicing her interview skills and researching the company to impress Mariam's boyfriend's brother.

The next day, she woke up early and dressed in her best formal attire. She arrived at the SH company, and tried not to be intimidated by its grandeur.

Mariam's boyfriend, Saif, was waiting for her near the fountain in the center of the company. He greeted her with a smile and led her to a nearby coffee shop to chat.

Zaheerah tried not to seem too eager and listened as he talked about his brother's company. It sounded like a dream job, and she couldn't believe she had a chance to work there.

Mariam had warned her that her boyfriend's brother was hard to impress, so she made sure to be extra prepared as she answered his hypothetical interview questions. Despite her nerves, the conversation went smoothly, and he asked her to come up to his brother's office so that they could finalize everything and get his approval.

Zaheerah was over the moon as they walked to the elevator.  She couldn't help but start envisioning her first day in this magnificent company, where she's sure she would earn more than she did before, and prove to everyone (especially her former boss) that she was a valuable asset to any company.

But then, she didn't like the look Saif was giving her, as if he was trying to read her or something. She didn't like the feeling because after all, he was her friend's boyfriend, and he was only a mere acquaintance to her, and maybe her future coworker. Nevertheless, she smiled when she caught his gaze and her, and focused on the elevator doors.

The elevator soon came to a stop and he led the way to his brother's office. He knocked on the brown oak door and got no response. He pushed the door open and found that it was empty.

"Looks like he's out." He said to her. "I'm sure he'll be back in a few minutes. Let's wait for him."

She let out a small okay as her eyes wandered around, slightly impressed with the office decor. It screamed manly and simple.

"Your necklace." She heard him say. She saw him looking intently at it, as he walked towards her. He took the necklace in his hand as he observed it. It's like I've seen it somewhere in... "

The door was pushed open and his two siblings entered, talking and smiling.
Due to the sudden intrusion, Saif unknowingly yanked the necklace from her neck, earning a gasp from Zaheerah, which earned Saif's sibling's attention.

"Saif!" Ayshah, his sister exclaimed. "What are you doing here? And who's this girl?"

Saif looked between his sister and Zaheerah, and then to his brother who had a disapproving scowl on his face.  He doesn't like the fact that his precious little sister will start worrying about the poor girl that his brother is probably "toying" around with.

"I... I..." Saif stammered.

"Don't tell me that you're playing around with this girl Saif! Or I swear..."

"She's my girlfriend." Their brother's cold voice suddenly blurted out, and the three pair of eyes suddenly bulged out of their stockets.

What!

17th June, 2023