Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria.
Monday, 12th February, 2018

Ahmad AbulKhair adjusted his cap and picked his car key. It was the day he was going to prove all his greedy paternal family members that thought everyone was like them, wrong. It was the day he was going to completely take over his deceased father's business. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

He slipped into his black half cover shoes and took a mirror picture in front of his floor length mirror in a side of his room. He was dressed in a white brocade with a black plain cap. A Dior wristwatch adorned his hand as a silver azurfa ring adorned the middle fingers of each hand.

He walked out of his room with a small smile etched on his lips. It was the love of his life's birthday, Nana Asma'u Ibrahim. He bumped into his paternal cousin, Fahad Abubakar Salis.

"Wai kai makaho ne {are you blind}?" Fahad said irritatedly.

"Dallacan malam I don't have your time today." AbulKhair said, walking away leaving a gaping Fahad.

AbulKhair had never talked back at Fahad. Not even when Fahad would insult AbulKhair's deceased parents. But just because he had bumped into him he got insulted. That wasn't even an insult but it still pained Fahad that AbulKhair had gotten the nerves to talk back at him.

And it was no one's fault but that rich retired doctor, Honorable Doctor Alhaji Muhammad Umar Jalingo. And Fahad knew exactly how to deal with him. Alhaji Muhammad was the main reason why the extended family of Alhaji Al'amin Abubakar, AbulKhair's father, didn't get any inheritance from his vast properties, in Fahad's point of view that is.

But in reality, it wasn't actually Honorable Doctor Alhaji Muhammad Umar Jalingo's fault. Prior to Alhaji Al'amim's death, he had willed all his properties to AbulKhair. So the property got transferred to AbulKhair's name. Due to the fact that AbulKhair was just ten years old, Alhaji Muhammad took care of the business till AbulKhair was done with his studies then he could give everything to him as willed. But Fahad wouldn't believe it even though deep down, he knew that was nothing but the truth.

AbulKhair entered his ash Mercedes Benz c300 and drove off to Asokoro, where he was going to meet with his father's lawyer, before they'd go to Alhaji Muhammad's house, where everything would be legally handed over to him.

As he drove off to his father's lawyer's place, a contact saved as rabin raina️ with a heart emoji called him. He grinned and picked the call.

"Assalamu Alaikum {peace be unto you}. Don't even start, I know exactly what you want to say." AbulKhair said in a warning tone.

"I have to. God! Thank you so much. Wallahi {By Allah} I love you. May Allah enrich your pockets and may we be together forever. God, how do I ever repay you?" Nana Asma'u, AbulKhair's girlfriend and the lady he wanted to marry said.

"Just keep on being an awesome girlfriend and be sure to accept me when I come to ask for your hand in marriage."

"An gama maigidan Nana {It's done Nana's husband}." Nana Asma'u said chuckling.

"Yawwa. Love you."

"I love you too. You're coming around eight in the night koh?"

"Yup! Get ready we're going out. And don't even say nothing, I've already asked kawu Ayyuba and they've given his permission."

"You're such a party popper." Nana whined.

"Well, I'm your husband to be so..." AbulKhair added chuckling.

"Oh shut up. I hate you."

"I love you too." They ended the call and Abulkhair smiled.

It was her birthday so he ordered two rings from lumees jewels, three gowns from qees collection, a set of stilettos and clutch from kizahra_shoepamarket, two hand bags from jaustslay and her two  signature perfumes avon little black dresses weekend and  Qamar Al Layali.

He had ordered it the previous day and made sure it reached her by 12pm. He gotten her a new phone and an Instagram account with five thousand followers, she'd start selling the Khumrah mixture she used to prepare online. How?

He drove to his late father's lawyer's office which also happened to be in Asokoro and picked him up. He drove to the Muhammad Umar mansion and parked. Taking in a deep breath, he walked into the house, mansion where he was told twenty years ago, that he had lost his parents. Well, he was told at the house je just left but this was where the dead bodies were brought to. It was where he got his confirmation.

He walked into the house, leading the way as his lawyer followed him. He made his way to the parlor since he knew his way around the house. After showing his lawyer where to sit, he hurried over to Alhaji Muhammad's side. He met him reading a news paper. Squatting beside his leg, AbulKhair greeted him.

"Alhamdulillah. Kunzo ne {praise be to almighty Allah. Have you arrived}?"

"Eeh {yes}. The lawyer is in the main parlor."

"Tohm. I'm coming."

AbulKhair stood up and left to the main parlor where he met the lawyer talking to a maid.

"Who made these?" The lawyer asked pointing to the frosted cookies.

"Eesh did." The maid replied.

"Wow. Can I meet her?" And that was AbulKhair's cue to go in.

"You wouldn't want to meet her. She's egoistic, rude and annoying. A spoilt brat if I may add." AbulKhair said eating one of the cookies. He bobbed his head back and forth, savoring the taste.

Eesh must have started learning some manners, the Eesh he knew would never enter the kitchen even when the late Hajiya Asma'u would call her. She'd rather starve herself to the point of triggering her ulcer than for her to enter the kitchen and take her food.

Just as AbulKhair popped another cookie in his mouth, Alhaji Muhammad came inside. He sat beside AbulKhair and as if on impulse, AbulKhair dragged himself down and sat his bum on the frost colored carpet.

"AbulKhair sit up here mana. You're my son fah. Come up here." Alhaji Muhammad said tapping the spot next to him on the fuchsia pink with frost base couch. AbulKhair sat beside him and they jumped straight to business, there was no need to waste time.

"Barrister Lucky, do you have the property papers?"

"Yes sir." AbulKhair's father's lawyer, Barrister Lucky replied passing a bundle of binded papers with black encasement covering it.

Alhaji Muhammad kept bobbing and nodding his head towards the paper - silently agreeing to all the written information - while flipping through the pages. He finally reached the last page and sighed when he saw his childhood best friend's name. Al'amin Abubakar. He smiled as he reminisced their first meeting.

They were just seven and six years old respectively, both standing under a tree at Kufto, a village west of Gombe state with about fifteen more other boys their age. The older among the two, Al'amin got hit by one of the boys - Dan Liman - making him to let out a shrill. Al'amin had always been a woman trapped in a man's body, or better said, a man with a weak heart.

Dan Liman let out a wicked laugh making all the other boys give way as he landed a punch on Al'amin's jaw. All the other boys stood there watching not knowing what to do. They couldn't fight him because he was the Maigari's {village head} only male child, he'd only cause them trouble with his mother - someone no mother would like her child to be involved with. Even if he wasn't the Maigari's only male child, he was surprisingly strong for an eight year old.

While everyone feared Dan Liman, Muhammad never did. He never saw any reason to, after all he was a mere mortal being, a creature of the Almighty, just like he was. And moreover, he was new so he never knew what Dan Liman was capable of doing as he had just moved newly from Winde, a village north of Gombe state.

Muhammad held Dan Liman's hand as he was about to land another punch on Al'amin's jaw making all the boys gasp. No one ever touched Dan Liman, even if it were by mistake.

After a little stare off, Dan Liman sent a punch to Muhammad which the latter blocked. Muhammad punched him in the neck and dragged a scared-to-death Al'amin as he ran. He took him to a place he had found the day before immediately after they arrived from Winde. As from then on, they had become friends.

Alhaji Muhammad was pulled out of his reverie when he felt a wet substance on the back of his hand. He had been crying! He wiped his tear stricken face and read the last sentence which made him furrow his brows. He looked at Barrister Lucky, then the last sentence, then the earlier again before the latter.

Did Barrister Lucky write it intentionally or was he high on something when he was typing it?

AbulKhair leaned closer to see what was written and gasped like a lady when he saw it. He looked at it again trying to make sure it wasn't his eyes betraying him but there it was, printed. AbulKhair finally talked.

"Barrister Lucky, why does it say only five percent of the property is being given to me while the other ninety-five percent is being given to my uncle?" AbulKhair said suddenly getting angry. So that was why he had seen him at his uncle's house when he knew he had no business in there.

"I don't know." Barrister Lucky said shrugging, angering AbulKhair the more. What in the Jahannam was wrong with this man?

"How can you say you don't know? I purposely refused my lawyer to get the paper work done because he wasn't Alhaji Al'amin's choice, you were. So what did you do?" Alhaji Muhammad said suddenly feeling a headache. He needed to calm down otherwise he might trigger a heart attack.

"I honestly do not know." Barrister Lucky repeated making AbulKhair so angry that if it were in cartoons, he would've turned red and and smoke would've been outing from his ears.

"Mr Lucky, I honestly don't want any hullabaloo neither do I want a debacle. I'm calling my lawyer." Alhaji Muhammad said with frowns marring his already slightly wrinkled face as he fished out his phone from his Kaftan.

He made a call and after about thirty minutes, a man all clad in a grey suit walked in with some papers similar to the ones Barrister Lucky had brought.

"Barrister Sani, maraba {welcome}." Alhaji Muhammad said gesturing to a single seater by his side. Once the said Barrister Sani was seated, he handed the wad of papers to Alhaji Muhammad.

"Aha." Alhaji Muhammad said, all his anger dissipating as he looked at his lawyer's job well done. He had asked his lawyer to prepare the property papers a week before and he had done just that. He wanted that so that if anything happened, they'd have a backup plan.

Happy with his lawyer's work, Alhaji Muhammad handed the papers to AbulKhair for cross checking. He picked the papers brought by Barrister Lucky and called on his maid then told her to make sure it burned to ashes.

That being done, AbulKhair, Barr. Lucky and Alhaji Muhammad signed the papers and the papers were handed to AbulKhair. He was now the owner of five billion networth. Maybe he shouldn't have let his paternal family members get into his head. How could take care of billions of Nairas?

After a little more chit-chat Alhaji Muhammad said something which made AbulKhair's heart skip a beat.

"Your father didn't die naturally you know. He was killed, he was unallowed of oxygen and then placed in a freezer." Alhaji Muhammad said in Hausa, tears falling from his old eyes, his face with a faraway look.

"I went to his office to look for him and when I couldn't find him, I decided to have some chilled soft drinks before he arrived. He had always accused me of being the only human who raids his fridge." Alhaji Muhammad chuckled at that.

"I opened the fridge and I saw him squeezed in the fridge like sone cloth forced in a washing machine. His body was in a position that if he had survived, he would've had a broken neck, waist and legs." More tears streamed down the old man's face while AbulKhair just sat there emotionless.

He didn't know what to feel. Should he be angry at Alhaji Muhammad for not telling him the actual truth? Should he be angry at whoever the torturous murderer that killed his father was? Should he be sad that his father had to suffer all that before he met his Lord? Should he be happy that his father was in a better place In Shaa Allah since he was murdered? AbulKhair didn't know what to feel and he didn't want to be a crying emotional mess in front of his father figure, adding to his own grief. So he stayed strong.

"I screamed for the first time in my entire forty years of life. It was such an odious heinous sight I can't seem to wipe out of my memory. I still remember that his eyes were wide open with seal tapes holding them open, what wicked person would do such a thing?" Alhaji Muhammad kept quiet and let his words sink in, he didn't want to bombard AbulKhair with more information his heart couldn't take so he excused himself to his side of the house. There were even more heinous things AbulKhair didn't know about. But Alhaji Muhammad wouldn't tell him as at then.

AbulKhair left the parlor too some minutes later. He was walking like a dead person. He had tripped on his own leg twice. Just as he remembered his father's last words to him, he bumbed chest to chest with a lady.

"What the hell is wrong with you and who the hell are you?" The lady snapped angrily AbulKhair. He looked at her closely before it clicked, Eesh!

"I'm sorry. I wasn't looking. I was just reminded of my dead parents so..." AbulKhair started but got cut off. He didn't even know why he was explaining. Maybe he just needed someone to share his griefs with.

"Oh please. just keep the pathetic story of the sorry excuse you call a life to yourself. I don't want to hear it. Just get out of my sight." She snapped angrily again before walking, more like stomping away angrily.

Eesh had always been an angry child but she was never rude, AbulKhair mused forgetting the bomb dropped on him some minutes before.

He walked to his car. Sighing he looked at the bundle of papers that marked the beginning of his new life journey and then started the car before driving off.