"Wha-? I don't think I heard you right, Sir." Adeelah panned, shaking her head on reflex.

The older man, Malam Hassan sitting by the other side of the table, swiveled on his chair and made a cackle. He turned his hand into a fist before he placed it on the table before Adeelah.

"You heard me right Miss Adeelah, you're never going to pass this course as long as I am the one taking it. See to it darling, you have an option." He babbled his eyebrow lifted up, and went down at the same second.

Adeelah's hand went sweaty, she suddenly started wishing she let Fatimah escort her. It's so unwise of her to go alone. Now the man was looking like a lion ready to devour her.

"I- am-sorry." She replied instead of asking what was the escape route. For the first time, she was saying sorry on her own accord. She couldn't imagine failing the course, Abba would skin her with his mouth, Hafsatu's sarcastic words would peel off her flesh and Haneey? She would mock her.

He raised his brow again, looking straight into Adeelah's eyes. "You're already in the trap Miss." Adeelah looked down and thought of something. Maybe she should record everything and play it to Abba.

She felt some relief overlapping her fears. She sneakily fished out her phone from her purse and tap on the record button. She then faced the man with new and more confident look.

Malam Hassan noticed the change of her facial expressions to more intimidating ones, he swallowed a lump of wickedness and stood up.

"You still have a choice, fail or pass." He threw his hand in the air.

Adeelah smirked and put back her phone making sure it's still recording.

"I want to pass," she said with a pathetic voice, pouting her lips which she didn't even know how she did it all the time.

He smiled and spanned down.

"You can meet me at the hotel behind the school anytime you're ready. You're welcome Adeelah." He licked his lower lip and interchanged his look with a very nice and deceptive one.

"What—are we going to do?"

He grimaced although he's very happy that the girl didn't know anything. He didn't like how she asked questions too much though. Because those questions were going to make his chance slide.

"We will see when we meet. You can go." He opened the door for her. Adeelah sprang out heaving and muttering some duas. She didn't even know she had been sweating heavily despite the air con in the office. She removed her phone from her bag and checked the record. She saved it and beamed.

__________

For the second time in years, El-Mustapha stood before his mother in her Abuja residence. He made sure her husband wasn't around before he came. And it was all because of Maya. He wanted a bright future for his half-sister but things were getting worst on the media. There's post about her every single day. Several people were bad mouthing her and calling her the bad one among the Kabos'.

It pained him to bones to hear all those coming from people who knew nothing about her. She's a good girl, and her mother gave her the best upbringing.

"It's Maya." He croaked, removing his Louis Vuitton shoe and sitting on his mother's Ottoman.

His mother narrowly looked at him and went to her kitchen. After a while she came back with a mug of coffee and placed it before him. He looked at her with his eyes and took it. His mother knew what it meant. He's thankful but he won't say it. With no word exchange, she marched forth and patted his hair adorably.

"I am sorry El..." She trailed off. She wanted to see back her jovial son not the stern face workaholic all built in muscle man as her son. El-Mustapha wasn't like that the last time he paid her a visit.

The time she chased him away indirectly. She really didn't have a choice then. When she talked to her husband about adopting El-Mustapha he frowned upon the idea and thence she let it be a history. She didn't know why he didn't like her son a bit, maybe it's jealousy or whatnots.

She had no clue.

After some momentarily silence, she decided to break the silence again.

"Maya is getting out of hand El, and her Pa is just backing her. She wants to be a model now." She complained.

El-Mustapha sipped his coffee off and dropped the mug on a platter before him.

"So be it."

His mother looked at him. What did that mean? He's always been protective over Maya, why would he say that?

She touched the end of her turban to put it in place and stood up from where she was sitting. She faltered in her loose bubu to where El-Mustapha sat.

"I want you to talk to her, she hears your words more." El-Mustapha didn't say a word. He put back his shoe and looked at her.

"No, she's not a Kabo." He replied, standing with ease. Since her father's backing her, he won't dare do anything for his sanity. He didn't want anything to do with that man hence staying away from his family matters was the best.

"I am travelling, came to say bye because I am spending a long time away." He stepped close to her and gave her a side hug as a mean of saying his farewell. There wasn't any sort of attraction in the hug or any endearment engrafted in it.

"Where are you going El-Mustapha. What in the world? I am your mother but you didn't think of asking for my opinion. El-Mustapha why?"

"Taking a two years business course mother." And so he left, heedless of her complain and everything.

___________

Ameer had just close from work and was very tired. All he wanted was to see him at home close to his wife, Hidaya. He got under his wheel but the car refused to start up. He hissed and told the station gatekeeper that he would leave the car there till he found a mechanic.

He strolled to the roadside and waited for a cab.

A rickshaw came passing by and he stopped it. There was a woman inside so he asked the man to go.

"She's dropping in the next corner." The driver told him. Ameer nodded and entered with a salam. She mumbled a reply with a disturbed look on her face, he didn't see it. He heard the tension from her voice and deduced that her face was on a disturbed mask.

"Young lady, ease up." He found himself saying although he's not the type to interfere in matters that do not concern him. That was one of the principles of life he followed, it was even in the hadith. Min husnil islamil mar'i tarkuhu maala ya'ani hi. Part of someone's being a good Muslim is, his leaving alone that which does not concern him.

"It's just so annoying!" Adeelah confessed letting out the burden out of her chest.

He looked at her for a moment. You're married man! He casted his head down.

"What happened?"

Adeelah felt like she knew his voice. She whipped up her head and looked at him. Her eyes fell on his well trim moustache.

Lower your gaze Adeelah. She looked away too after she remembered the lecture she listened to, last night. When people are barking 'lower your gaze', they always refer it to men but truth's women look too and they should lower their gazes too. That's why Adeelah made it in mind that she won't spend too much time again looking at all those smashingly handsome men on Instagram. The Qur'an said, (Oh Muhammad s.a.w.) say to believing women to lower their gazes and guard their chastity...

"It's one lecturer! He thought I am naive. I mean he's so stupid, how could he demand that from me? What nonsense!" She rambled, not stating the fact clearly.

Adeelah realised she's talking loud. She reduced the sound of her voice and noticed that he was looking at him.

"You sound familiar by the way." She dropped it, and looked out.

"I am Ameer Muhammad. You must have heard me on the radio." Adeelah's heart began leaping, she suddenly felt somewhat uneasy and embarrassed. Like she just met her crush and acted dumb. It shall be well though.

"Oh yeah maybe." She replied.

"I am dropping here." She told the driver. Ameen went out to give her way of getting out too. She dropped and something just pushed him to talk again.

"You seem disturbed, mind sharing?" Hidaya will kill you for this Ameer! He shove the thought down.

"But I have dropped." She said with a shrug.

"Let me have your number. I love helping and solving mysteries..." He cackled upon saying that. Adeelah smiled broadly and hesitate.

She didn't know if she should give him her number. She remembered he's married and she won't love that if he were her husband. But he was just being nice, beside all that he loved his wife Hidaya since he posted her name under a caption.

With that, she dictated the number to him and ambled away without another word. She hoped he would call or message her. Her heart began dancing in it's crib.

Thank God she was going to visit her aunt, her mother's last sister who got married last year- aunt Siddiqa. She would tell her everything and they would have fun.

****

Assalamu alaikum. Belated Eid Mubarak🎉🎉❤. I know I know. It's coming late. I am sorry!🙈🙈🙈

Make I come and collect my Eid meat and money?😂

Okay back to the chapter, how was it? We're still moving... And oh yes, I made some little changes to the blurb. Please reread it, sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you.

Please share this book to your FAF, help a sister. I am looking for motivation. Tag your friends to come and read.

I am thinking of writing Maya's story separately. No, I have so many drafts. Who wants to have a glance?

Where are you going? Oya vote and comment😏😂😂😂