Chapter 44: Chapter 44
UNRAVELLING THREADS
The man bowed slightly and handed the documents over to Rashid, while he was still pondering on whether to hand Janelle the document or not. "It's what she ever wanted, she would be happy you're finally going to give her a chance of getting past this fúckéd up marriage." his subconscious mocked.
Turning over to her, for a fleeting second he saw a look of horror flash through her eyes and then they were back to normal. She looked calm, though she knew she was far from being calm."Is he really going to give in to me?" she asked herself. At that point, she didn't know if she should be happy or not, but she knew she was far from being happy.
"Here it is, go through the documents and tell me if you're compatible with it, or if there are any terms of the document you would like for it to be changed." he said gruffly, moving to the other side of the room to sit, watching the twirling of emotions on her face which he was trying to decipher. It was hard to read her since they had been apart for so long and he was pained by it.
She lazily withdrew the documents from the envelope, her eyes leisurely skittering through the header of the file in her hands.
"NOVATO ESTATE?", she mumbled to herself.
"Party A and B signature; That party A has agreed to work as the manager of NOVATO ESTATE which scales over sixty acres of land, and Party B has agreed on giving license to Party A on managing the above said estate." She glanced up to look at Rashid, who had a weary look on his face.
Since she began reading the document, her subconscious hasn't said a thing and had been quiet and she too couldn't say a thing. If this was what he wanted to give to her, then she was humbled, her insides bubbled with warmth. Rashid, she knew he wouldn't just give in to her. She sighed tremendously.
"It's what you always wanted right, it's finally in your hands, so you could do what you want now." Rashid groaned in a downcast tone, while his Private Lawyer stood acting like he was wholly unaware of the content of the document and giving Rashid this apologetic look.
Janelle sighed, "Rashid, I don't want this..." she muttered, keeping the files on the table beside her.
"also do you mean you don't want that, it's all you've ever wanted, isn't it?" he queried. Now, he knew there was no going back, she already has the divorce papers in her hands, but he was shocked as to why she wasn't asking for a pen to sign it immediately, lest he changed his mind.
"I... I don't want to be your manager." she replied.
"Manager?, What do you mean you don't want to be my manager?" he said in a hoarse voice.
"I can't be the manager of NOVATO ESTATE, you've done enough for me and I'm filled with gratitude. Giving me this is like crediting what people have been saying about me being after your money...." she paused, raising her eyes to meet his.
"You know it ain't true right?, The rumours?" she questioned, wanting him to oppose the rumors, but he was saying nothing, instead he walked towards her with a purposeful stride and his brows creased in a frown.
He yanked the document roughly from the table and read through.
"Fûck!" he cursed.
"You sure need to explain a lot to me" he said to his Lawyer, yanking him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him out of the hospital room
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patients turned to look at the scene before them, scampering away for safety from the burly man who had a huge scowl on his face, which made him look like the cave men from the middle century and a fairly skinned man whose face was pale white and a large hand curved around his neck in a vise-like grip.
Once they were out of the hospital building, Rashid pushed him to the garage side, a darker and hideous place to carry out his plans with knowing coming to interrupt.
"Start speaking. NOW!!" Rashid thundered, which made the little man in his hold to shook in fear.
His Lawyer began making choking sounds, tapping continuously on Rashids' hand which were around his neck.
Rashid seeing that there was no way the man would talk in that position released his hand from his neck, "That's out of the way, so START SPEAKING!" he snarled.
"It's t-t-th-the Sh-ei-kh" the man said, trying to regain his breath.
"My Father?, I would have known that he had a hand in this, so thoughtful of him" Rashid scoffed.
"He ordered that no Divorce papers are prepared and you know I can't go against him, I have a family to cater for, my wife is heavily pregnant and due in a month, I just could not, forgive me Sir." the man pleaded, going on his knees.
"So you look down on me this much?" Rashid scowled.
"I'm sorry sir. You are the son, but he's the Father. I can't disobey him." The man replied, already wanting to go far away from the hold of Rashid, even his presence the fairly skinny man found it so intimidating.
Rashid smiled, he did notice how restless the man was acting around him, like though Rashid could swallow him in a gulp. Yes, he made people feel that way and he was proud of it no doubt.
"Don't worry about that, go home, spend quality time with your wife and your children. I would feet all her bills, make sure you send it to me and I would double your pay." Rashid promised, walking back inside the hospital like though he owns it.
~~~~ΩΩ~~~~
"You sure you really don't want the contract?" Rashid questioned, staring at Janelle, going over and over the fact that if it weren't for the ploy his father pulled on him, he would have lost Janelle to someone he described as incompatible and incompetent.
She shrugged, turning to face the other side of the bed, away from him.
It was at that moment the doctor chose to came in, with a serious and bored expression on his face, he took a swift glance at Rashid and back to Janelle.
"What do you say of her health, Currently?." Rashid questioned.
"She could be discharged...." the doctor said.
"Okay?" Rashid replied in a rather impatient tone, fir the old man to completed his words.
"She wouldn't be staying alone, she has to be properly taken care of. She shouldn't sleep alone on her bed, that could trigger her condition. You know she has nightmares right?, And whenever it comes, she flails her limbs, she could end up worsening it, so LESS WORK, MORE REST, CARE and lastly, she would be placed under strict diet, the operation she had done before re-opened and we did our best in trying to stop the bleeding...." the doctor paused, seeing the confused look on Rashids' face.
It didn't seem like he knew all he was saying, so the doctor paused, Janelle turned immediately, with a pleading look on her face, she was just about to be ratted out.
Rashid immediately smiled, putting his hands by the both sides of his pocket and maintained a calm look. "She could be discharged today right?" he questioned, changing the topic, from the corner of his eyes, he had seen when Janelle tensed, stopped breathing for a while before he changed topic. She was uncomfortable about the doctor's discussion with him and he didn't want her to feel more than she already did.
"Of course, Mr Rashid, just a whole week of bed rest would do the trick. Most importantly, Mr Rashid, she needs a place of comfort, where she could be comfortable in, around people she could trust."
Rashid counted himself out, since the doctor said she needed people she could trust around her, he counted himself out of the people she could trust, he knew he lost the right to her trust, the exact day he chose his mother, Queen Amancia over her.
With that said, the doctor turned and left.
~~~~~~~~~
Janelle stepped out of the car with the aid of her clutches, she was supposed to be amazed at how big and beautiful Rashids' house is, but she wasn't. It wasn't a surprise that he would have this mansion to himself.
Everywhere was so calm, she sighed contentedly, as she swiped her tongue across her lower lips. She loved how Serene and natural the place around his building is. It was surely a place to calm her head and heal, while on their way she barely saw anyone passing and the few who did fit into a certain age bracket, middle forties. She knew this set of people rarely made noises like her age set do.
It was evening, she believed in love at first sight, yes, when she met Rashid, that happened, and now looking at the magnificent three storey building, which was beside the sea, her heart warmed up.
From where she stood, she already imagined how every part of the house would be, like the third floor, it was going to be an exclusive, large space with a rooftop bar. Set asides the bar, she already pictured what she would do in the large space. Her yoga exercise, it helped her to be calm, no doubt.
Like though she felt a tap on her shoulders, she immediately remembered she was being watched.
"You like the place?, If it doesn't match your taste I could call my architect to design it to your taste." he said, watching her like a predator does to it's prey.
"Does it matter?, I love it more in my apartment, I feel safe, you know that.... infact I need to get back." she said, turning to go back into the car.
Rashid groaned frustratedly, cursing himself for asking her if she liked the place, no doubt, he knew she liked it, but she disliked the confirmation of her thoughts from him.
"Please just stay, it's not like I would be needing the apartment, not even in six months time, please.." he said, holding her by her wrist, impaling her from moving further.
"Rashid, my staying here, wouldn't give you the right to come here without my permission. If you wouldn't give me privacy, let me know now, cause it would be breaching everything and I really don't want that... we deserve to be apart from each other." she said the last in a whisper.
"Yes, yes you do. I might not be needing your permission, I wouldn't bother coming, you have the apartment to yourself. I would take my leave now, the nutritionist would come by tomorrow and some other people I will hire to help you here." he
rasped tenderly.
Dargok helped her into the building, while Rashid watched with a hardening face as she limped painfully, cursing himself for causing her pains, untold, undeserved pains.
He would have helped her in, but he knew her, read the expression on her face and the scowl she was trying so hard to hide when he took a step towards her to help her in, at that moment, he knew she would rather die than let him pity her.
Once Dargok had helped her in, they stayed another thirty minutes before leaving, while she watched Rashids' retreating figure, she asked herself, "If she really liked the silence between them, or if she wanted him to wrap his muscled hands and burly chest around her softer ones and tell her everything would be alright".
Or maybe it was that time of the year, when her thoughts were frigid and in disarray.