Chapter 78: Chapter 78

ABUJA, NIGERIA.

"So you mean, Amir got married to her instead of you?" Zara asked Mannir in that cunning voice of hers as she twirling a strand of her braided wig around. She finds everything amusing but she won't cackle in front of her pawn, he shouldn't see that side of her or will never take her serious and probably start thinking they are friends.

"Yeah, she turned me and her other suitors down immediately after he proposed." Mannir shrugged on the other end though his ego was bruised. He didn't expect Bushra to do that to him though he knew she deserves someone far better than him.

Besides, he is glad the Amir guy proposed, they deserve each other at long last. He's seen the guy during there school days though just a kid then. He didn't want to ruin her life, not after all she's been through recently. He respects her a lot for not everyone could go through what she did and still smile today. He wonders what pills she took to take away those sorrows and nightmares her ex-husband leave. Those deep scars that will never fade. Only someone strong with sturdy unyielding tawakkul could stand through that.

Hence, his enormous amount of respect for her.

"Well, this is better. You know what to do now hmm? Never contact me, delete my contact from your phone, anything related to me or our interaction. If you can, make it feel like you just imagined talking to the dead while asleep or something like that because if a word goes out, I won't be held responsible for what happens to you. I have eyes everywhere, you know that right?" Her voice dropped from the amused one to one filled with threat. There is no way he didn't hear the seriousness and danger lurking behind her words.

He's worked for her for many weeks now, he knows just how dangerous she could be and she shall bring peril upon him if he goes against her. He wonder how she managed to fool everyone with her death, he can't believe how bratty these rich folks children are. How could you even fake your own death for goodness sake? Not even her father knew where she is talk less of her husband's family, his ex wife or her siblings. He is sure the woman have some mental disorder, she is clearly not in her right state of mind.

Faking death is not a small thing!

"Okay, whatever." He didn't hang up, sensing she has more to say and it's not like he called her first, she did so he will permit her to hang up.

"No one should know I survived that car accident, it is better that way." She hung up the phone with that little lie of hers to keep him shut from taking his imaginations haywire and smell the rat under the bed, she can't have that.

She is not stupid to tell him everything she has orchestrated because she wants him to work for her, not happening. She didn't let him find out that Mika'il is alive and really well walking around beside her, he doesn't know what even happened back then and she is not about to tell him or let him find out, she'd be ruined for good. Mika'il is hers, everything is fair in love and war which is exactly what she did to conquer what belongs to her. Bushra just got in the way, she should be elated nothing happened to her or her daughter.

They manage to escape the claws she has dug for them. That daughter of hers would've been dead if she were to take plan b so Bushra is still one lucky daughter of a barrister and doctor.

A sadistic smile took over her face yet again as she stare at herself in the mirror seeing the new changes that comes with the pregnancy. She is almost five months pregnant and it is already showing itself with a bump in front of her round and pretty. Her figure filled up more and she finds out that Mika'il likes her much more filled now. He won't take his hands off her neither does she let him do that, they merge. The pregnancy comes with much more hornier Zara which is equivalent to a nymphs. Nothing satisfies her hunger for her man, it goes on for ages.

Her face also filled up, she didn't like how bloated her nose and mouth look but he assures her that she is beautiful either way, it stopped bothering her with time. Her eyes are shining so bright now, as if trying to illuminate the darkness inside of her, it is not enough to bring it out. Not when her husband confesses his love for her every blessed morning and night, she is contented. The man gets all over her while she bathe in the attention she gets alone. How could she share her man with another woman? Share the same affection with another woman?

Never!

Granted, Bushra married him before they even met but it doesn't mean after she got him, she will let them be. It has always been her plan to separate them as soon as she settled inside and she did just that though not in the way she wanted to. She was doing everything in the most lenient way, but Bushra's stars were always shining blocking the path of her own black magic. She had to turn around and use their own husband as the weapon, he was the easiest target for her. She keeps feeding him excessive amount of drug to expunge and obliterate his memories.

It was that easy to do when she is left with no choice but to harm her beloved. She knows his weakness more than she was given the credit to. The man is short tempered, easily jumps into conclusion and does action without thoroughly seeing things through so she used that emotion of his to strike then all and voila, it worked.

Mika'il on the other hand is staring at the television in their living room absent minded before a familiar name popped from the screen. Danbazau!

His eyes search around the screen again to see where he knows the name and how it sounded so familiar yet unknown to him. He saw three couples shown on display, all of them with happy beams though one set are not showing clearly, they were looking at one another -it was Fayha and Mujaddad. The other one, the bride is looking at the ground as if she don't want to see the camera so he didn't see who she was either. They are talking about Danbazau, Masari and some other family name he won't bother racking his brain, it hurts already seeing something familiar to his past life.

Bamalli.

He's tried forgetting about those parts of his life since his wife said they were unpleasant, he believes her. If this is part of it, he doesn't want to know who they are and why he badly wants to check up on them. His head ached at the mere thought meaning it is time for him to give up trying to trace them out and just watch the television. And they also seem to be from his country, Nigeria which is sure to ring a bell in his head. There is no doubt, he knows who they were in that part of his life or at least their names.

Maybe he flew them out or they are popular in Nigeria like his family was. His family name is Masari too but he can't see anyone like his family there so it means this is another family entirely. Maybe it rang a bell because it sounds like their own name huh? Definitely, that should be it and he needn't worry about shit. If only it was that easy to not worry about it.

The TV channel currently showing is nationwide, the only channel you get to see news around the whole world while the others are mainly about Asia. He feels like he is starting to learn all those Chinese languages without trying or making much effort. Watching too much of their drama, out of boredom and joblessness, interacting with them everyday and so on took a toll on his English and Hausa. He hasn't spoken Hausa since his arrival to Seoul, it is as if it has disappeared from his tongue all together with the country and memories too.

And he thought it was good for a fresh start, if only he knows the huge importance of those.

"The Masari and Danbazau yet again merge their family into another strong bond, way much more stronger than the other. The two influential families are known to be close knits but with two knots tied with their two children, it is now close to unbreakable. Happy married life to the beautiful couples..." He tuned the woman talking down and sighed, he doesn't know them at all.

They keep displaying the photos of the wedding, the mosque, the important people that attended it, the sword crossing that was brief and so on. He was right, he only knows them and find their names familiar because they are influential, no wonder. He sighed, really happy to not be connected with them or he'd sought out for answers he will never find. If he questions Zara about his memories, she gets mad and tell him to stop thinking about it or his trauma will be back with full force. She will then turn into those concerned dot little wives.

"Baby, if you keep thinking about that part of your life, I'm not sure if I will be able to help you. Focus on our daughter, the baby inside my womb that is about to change our lives. Those people, that wife of yours don't deserve to be remembered at all. She is probably rotting there in jail or hanged to death after they found the evidence against her. Breath out out that past and let's build a more beautiful future to shroud the darkness behind, hmm?" She'd give his forehead a kiss and then hug him which was enough for him. Having her by his side is all he wants, nothing more.

"Hey, I'm going down to Jungrui's, be back soon." And she came out just when the television yawed to another entire story of wild life animals, she didn't see it and he is not about to ask her either.

She is wearing a sundress that stopped a little below her knees, he's talked to her about short clothes and revealing ones but she will give excuses time and time again, he stopped when she snapped once and blame it on the pregnancy. The sleeve is just a spaghetti strap holding it, she isn't wearing a bra too. If he talks now, she will say she won't be going outside the apartment complex but they do sometimes with those friends of her. He sighed, this is definitely not the right way to Jannah, he knows that much.

"Be safe." He kissed her cheek when she leaned down then gave her a heart stopping smile, she beamed. Her eyes move back to his face before she leaned down again, placed s kiss on his lips and left.

Feeling restless after she left, he brought out the phone she gave him and decided to type. She gave him the phone just two weeks ago because in her words 'he doesn't need a phone when they have no one to call' so he didn't push it. He likes that she gave him because she don't want him too bored but stopped him from surfing into media a lot. She checks his phone regularly while pretending to see if any woman is stalking her hubby, they will joke it out. He will make sure she won't see what he is going to do today though.

If she sees it, there won't be much peace in their home from that moment, he'd be discrete. It's just a gut feeling telling him to search up for those two families he saw earlier and try seeing the faces of those couple. They look awfully familiar, their stance and everything seems to be running through his head. He knows them from his past memories and they share a strong bond with all of them. Those families, are the Masari his family or not?

-

"Your Excellency Sir, there has been shortage from the budget this year." One of the men in the extraordinarily large room stood up to explain the last bits of the meeting with Mr. President that evening. It was the last part of the meeting they were supposed to discuss with him.

"What shortage is that?" Came President Muhammad Buhari Yakasai's voice from the head table, his eyes staring slits to the man that just talked, the minister of finance. His tattered wrinkly eyes are now wary, not knowing what awaits him. He's been accused to the theft once, he is afraid this will be another crime from his part. But he won't stop proving his innocence though.

"One billion was drawn out from it several months ago without leaving any trace of who did it. The balance was checked thoroughly yesterday and was confirmed that the person who did this have access to our safe. The money was removed through a check and deleted from all records. By the time we get to align the papers, it was far gone and now, we are left to search out for this person." The man explained, his eyes not showing how perturbed he is about the matter. He couldn't sleep the night before, he was restless knowing the first suspect is going to be him.

This is also a huge amount of money on their part, the one that has never been stolen at once rather, slowly but surely. He knows the people stealing the government's money, he cannot talk or put his and his family's life in danger, that is the last thing he would do for the country that gave him nothing but pain. The rulers are the wicked ones, they don't care whom or how, they only match towards their goal without caring about the consequences. If he dares to utter their name, the tables will turn on him immediately, he won't know when and how it hits him so he always keeps his mouth shut and do his work.

But this time, he has his doubts that any of them could do this. Stealing one billion will leave a huge dent on the budget so no one will dare to do that on everyone's watch. They are also too rich to have debt they want to pay, it's too much. This person is from an inner source who is in desperate need of money to do something and that has happened. He doubt if the money is still intact even after the person gets caught, it's been so many months since then. This person is clever, he or she shrouded it expertly.

"One billion? Ludicrous!" Mrs. Tosin, minister of shouted at the top of her voice for what the man said is laughable. Who steals one billion in the board and remain alive?

"Absolutely risible. How is that possible?" Another tossed around and before you know it, the whole room is in chaos leaving only one man pissing his pants beside the president for he knew who did it, he was asked to keep shut or be dead.

"Quite! I will make sure to further investigate this matter and bring the culprit out of us. This meeting is over." The President's angry voice took over the room, everyone quietened down, keeping their debates and doubts inside of them and left the board room one after the other talking in his whispers to whoever is close to them. They never minded who it is, the matter still remans that they are talking about the stolen one billion.

Once the room emptied, the President pivoted to his right to look at the one person left, his P.A. They are always left alone after each meeting, staying alone to discuss what just happened and come to a solution. But there is something different about his PA that he didn't like, something is definitely wrong. He has a bad feeling that what he is going to find out will make his life miserable. It is just a guts feeling but very strong to constrict his stomach.

"Tell me who stole that money and don't care lie to me. Who was it?!" His words were strong enough to yank the man away from his reverie and he started sweating all over again. This is trouble, so much peril spelt in his face.

"I-it was Zara, Sir. She took them the day before she died and I don't know what she did with them.." He started explaining so many incorrigible things in his head while rambling, touching his thigh and then the oak shiny table in front of them.

Zara wanted to steal the money without him knowing but she didn't know how the budget worked even after studying it for awhile knowing she can't have her plan moving without money. She arrived at his office with a gun threatening to pull the trigger at his children, parents before coming back to haunt him down. He gave her all she wants but didn't know she took one whole billion and keep it where no one knows only to die after that. He thought she was going to take less then a million and max, five hundred million.

But no, she took one billion! What on earth was she planning to do with it, only God knows and her dead self.

"Zara?! You mean my Zara took the money?!" The President's eyes widen with panic, this is not good at all. How could his daughter do this to him knowing how much trouble and suspicious it will rise?

But then again, isn't this Nigerian government, he can deal with that.