25: OOPS.
Extremely low on comments, I will jejely take it to Goodnovel or Okadabooks💀
KANO STATE, NIGERIA.
"Who are we to Imad?" Kamilah questioned Lateefa quietly for the maids are lurking around waiting for their mistress to emerge from the room. You never know what they will make out of that small remark of hers. They always pay minutiae attention on frivolous things. Especially now that Amirah is here with them, it'd deteriorate before they blink.
"Just wait and watch." Lateefa grinned naughtily then drift her eyes to the door, the bedchamber Usayma is coming out from in her abaya. Her grin widened then she took her eyes away from her, not to make it obvious she is staring at the fine Afghanistan.
Ha, no wonder Imad got snagged without perturb.
"Uhm...good morning?" Usayma greeted, making herself comfortable on the Royal sofa opposite them. Her eyes drift to each one of them then widened an octave when she saw Amirah in the middle, her heart dropped literally.
She never expect to see Amirah again in her life, at least not in her husband's home. What on earth is she doing there in their home looking professional and all that shit? She looks a bit thinner and darker too but not anywhere near ugly. Her button face of a baby still looks as cute as it was the time they met three years ago if not cuter and it didn't sit well with her at all closing the fact that she is in their home. She picks on the nitpicks but abandoned the galore.
Is she here to get back with Imad?
Well, it's not like Usayma can do anything about it if that were to happen, she met them together and knew the amount of love Imad has for Amirah had no bound just not sure whether he still loves her now. From what she could tell, he hates Amirah with all his might and despise the mere mention of her name in his presence. Which means he does not wish to bring her back in their lives right? So much thoughts and questions without answers and might never get them.
She had a hunch that their wild love making yesterday was partly because of something that has to do with Amirah. Less than a week of their stay in Nigeria and Amirah is all over his life, poor guy. She's liked them together but after seeing him in a bad situation when Amirah left him, she is not sure whether she likes Amirah anymore. All that love he had for her down the drain? Nope, that is the most cruel thing she's ever seen and then again, she cannot judge when she don't know about their situation.
If only her own secrets will stay hidden for awhile, she sure as hell would appreciate that but in a few months, everything will be out and she can't hide anything anymore. Sighs, you plan and Allah plans. All she needs to do now is see who these girls are and what they are doing here in their chamber when Imad himself isn't home. They don't look like royal women, more like bankers and businesswomen will do the dots.
Why does she sound sanctimonious? She succoured the thought with a smile and thought they are all beautiful one way or the other.
"Morning, dear. Usayma right?" Lateefa smiled, a small one that can intimidate anyone but could also relax you if you are on her good side and know what that means. She looks really professional for a minute there.
"Yes." Usayma gave a wry one, showing just how uncomfortable she is in their presence. "And you are?" She is not looking at Amirah and instead, she's desperately trying to look at anyone and anything except for Amirah who looks distracted with the photo frame.
"I'm Lateefa, Amirah and Kamilah. Imad's friends." Lateefa answered again as if the other two don't have mouth themselves, it's starting to irritate Kamilah but she knows Lateefa is trying to pull something off her sleeve so she patiently waited.
Anything to get a reaction from this beautiful Afghanistan regarding Imad and Amirah's relationship. She wants to find out whether she will be against them back together or won't have any problem. They should kibosh all elements that will make a tryst look parley and the sooner the better. She does not trust the woman, no matter how magnanimous she may look.
"Oh..." Usayma trailed off, her eyes staring at the trio in confusion because she don't understand what that word friends means anymore. Is Amirah also Imad's friend till now or does the Lateefa girl mean just her and her other friend? It can't be possible for Amirah to be Imad's friend now, right?
"Don't panic. I'm engaged, she's married and this one..." Lateefa is chuckling lightly but what she is about to say in Amirah's place is much more funny in her head. She lied about being engaged and Kamilah being married. What she doesn't know won't hurt her, huh? "...she is single and ready to mingle." She finished, wiggling her brows as she pointed at Amirah who still is not paying much attention to what is happening.
"Don't mind, Lateefa. We are Imad's friends and coworkers too while Amirah here is his personal assistant." Kamilah chirped in think she is making the situation better but Usayma could only round her eyes some more to think about the last sentence.
Huh?
Amirah is now Imad's personal assistant?
When?
"Yeah, we go way back during highschool." Lateefa added, munching on the grapes served to them awhile ago by another curious maid who happens to be Lubabatu.
"Oh, that's very nice." Usayma forced another smile while her brows are scrunched in a look of concentration. She don't understand her own husband anymore not that she's ever done that. He never opened up to her since their marriage is more on the convenience side.
Why wouldn't he tell her that Amirah is now his personal assistant? Is that why he roughly had sex with her yesterday to stop the thoughts of Amirah again? He mentioned Amirah's name, she just didn't bring it up to him knowing it was just another trail of Amirah's memories that chirped into his head. She fucking thought he was innocent and is trying to keep his sanity in check! She knows what's happened to him and vowed to help him but now this?
But wait? Is she just sounding like a jealous wife right now? Huh? She does not love Imad!
"Well, we should get going since our break is almost over. It was nice chatting with you, dear." Lateefa stood up, hauling Amirah back from her reverie because her eyes just wouldn't leave that photo frame and she is sure she won't be able to leave without turning it around to see if what she is thinking is really true and that photo is hers and Imad's.
"Yes, we should hit the road." Kamilah also stood, eyes on Amirah who looks galvanised but did as they did anyway. She still looks distracted and perturbed so they followed her eyesight.
The photo frame was gifted to them by Kamilah and Lateefa when they took the photo the day before their wedding. Imad refused to stand too close because apparently, she wasn't his 'halal' then and he won't touch his non-mahram but they managed to persuade him into taking the picture. Amirah was naïve, just wants a shoot taken with her husband to be and was so excited because she feels fresh and new. Enough to stand close to the youngest royal prince.
When Amirah couldn't take it, she capitulated. She found herself standing atop the photo frame more curious than Pandora, picking it up with both her hands to inspect it. Sure enough, it was her photo in there with Imad the eve of their wedding. Why hadn't she seen it around the chamber before when they work? She's not sure who brought it there and placed it like that but she never noticed it which is a question she will ask the girls later when she changes back to Ameena.
In the photo, she is wearing merlot abaya with it's matching veil wrapped around her classic style while Imad is featuring his favorite colour of spruce khakis, jean sneakers and white cotton shirt. She looks so young with free spirit and happy face, as if she was not evil even back then. Her eyes are shining with real happiness while Imad only stared at her with a wider smile that shows just how equally happy he is if not more. Just how perfect they looked.
His car was the background, Lateefa took the photo with her iPhone7+ in portrait. She should have evil horns around her head, or that witch's broom in her hand just to show how much of a villain she is.
She licked her chapped lips to moisten in, her eyes tearing up a little but she blinked after remembering where she is and whom she came to see. She didn't even have the time to gauge out Usayma's reaction upon sighting her! She was too busy moving down the memory lane because of a darn photo frame! What the heck is wrong with her again? Seriously? She is going to go back to what has passed? Something buried in the past alongside it's memories?
She sure acted stupid in the most inauspicious places.
So with a deep sigh and pep talks, she kept the photo frame how she saw it, knowing it will be thrown away by Imad or Usayma the minute she leaves the chamber, she smiled and turn around feeling everyone's eyes on her. The maids are also gawking at her, as if trying to believe she is really there with them and not their illusion. If only they knew she worked there with them and gets to see the couple lip locking all the time. Ha, hell would've broken lose since.
They are thing to be hypercritical and are all Pettifoggers
"Sorry, I got carried away." The smile she featured is cool, enough to freeze hell itself, "It was nice meeting you, again." She said the last sentence directly looking into Usayma's eyes, she squirmed a little feeling intimidated.
For some peculiar reasons, she feels guilty all of a sudden. Not even when she got married to Imad had she felt that guilt, it was now and the way Amirah is directly showing her how much this pained her that she feels the guilt running deep. Darn it, she is not supposed to feel this at all but she is. With a heavy heart and shelved guilt, she looked away from Amirah and distract herself with adjusting the belt of her abaya.
And they left the chamber looking accomplished because one way or the other, they felt proud of themselves. None of them said a thing till they reached the car where Lateefa hooted as though she just won a lottery. Amirah could care less, her thought ran somewhere else entirely because that photo just opened a door in her chest she didn't know existed. Just when she thought it was all closed.
"You saw her face when Ami said nice meeting you again? Whoa, Ami pulled it off like no other and I almost laughed honestly." She reversed the car and drove out of the palace but go interrupted by Amirah before she could make it to their officer.
"My time is over, I need to go home and get dressed." She whispered to Lateefa, as if having second thoughts on not going back to the palace to work but then again, she can't.
It's already trouble that she comes around twelve in the afternoon to one and she should be absent? That will be bad for her record and will bring attention to her and then everything will go downhill if they were to be vigilant on her case. She needs to be on alert and ever so watchful on her steps now that she is on the verge of falling off one precipice. It won't be easy but what has ever been easy in Amirah's life?
"Yes right. I should drive you there or...?" Lateefa trailed off, she don't want the girl to feel uncomfortable around them again. She turned down her offer the day before after all.
"No, take me there." She gave a small smile before slumping back on the backseat while replaying what has happened back there and hope she didn't drop off something or hint she shouldn't.
Lateefa dropped her off and she made her way inside to get dressed without the help of Husna. Getting into her maid outfit was easy but the makeup took longer that day due to her lost focus, she kept making mistakes. Her hands shook but in the end, she made the makeup perfect to close up any trace of Amirah and replace her with Ameena. She needs more makeup stuff anyway, she's used these ones to bones so her first salary will be on makeup.
"Omo, I swear I didn't know you were the one had it not being for your catwalk." Amirah jumped from her feet looking around to locate the voice and saw Lateefa standing right beside her in her car. It looks like they didn't leave after dropping her off.
"God, you almost gave me a heart attack." Amirah rolled her eyes then clutch her bag closer to her and started moving but got stopped by Kamilah.
"Let's drop you off, Ameena." Kamilah laughed at Amirah's reaction because for a moment there, she thought she was referring to someone behind her and not her. Oops, she really is Ameena now.
"That'd be nice please." She settled inside the car and they drove to back to the palace while tiredly listening to her two friends tease her about her new look and how much she's changed. It motivated her to keep working on being is this disguise.
"Thanks for the ride girls, appreciated." She got down from the car and made her way into the palace. She stopped them from entering for she does not want more drama, everyone will suspect her. They just left and she came back with them after they've been talking about how she looks like Amirah.
Hmmp!
"Sorry." Amirah apologized after bumping into another figure, she started praying that it isn't one of the royals and universe accepted that because it wasn't.
Standing in front of her is a petite dark skinned girl staring at her through her glasses, prescribed. She is surveying Amirah from head to toe with scrunched brows pulling lines between the space between her brows. Her button nose scrunched cutely showing her thicker upper lips. Amirah knew she's never seen this face or would've definitely remembered her cuteness.
"No problem. I was just looking for Imad's chamber. Prince Imad." She added when Amirah scrunched her brows thinking she was on about how disrespectful it sounds for a stranger to address Imad just like that without title. No, she is trying to see who this girl is and why she is looking for Imad.
He definitely met her after they've gone their separate ways, she would've known about her.
"I was just going there, let me show you." She still looks flummoxed but started walking with the lady behind her anyway.
Who is this Imad?
"But is he there or still not back from work? His phone isn't going through." The lady asked from behind so she stopped to answer her albeit begrudgingly.
"He is not back home."
"Oh, then I'll just wait for him. If you can, tell him Jannah Mia came to see him and he should call me." Jannah gave a sheepish smile as if embarrassed about something. Yes, because she didn't introduce herself but just ordered her like tyrants.
"We are not allowed to give such messages to our masters, I'm sorry. I can tell the guards there though." With that, Amirah dismissed herself with quick strides and made it to the chamber in a record time. She did told the guards about Jannah Mia though.
"Hehehe, we have hot news for you." Lubabatu was the first to draw her into the kitchen as soon as she settled her feet inside the chamber.
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