Stand by me

39 Can you make a sacrifice?

He watched through the mirror as his son showed his assignments excitedly to Safiyya. He still remembered how Joseph worked on them enthusiastically, saying that he wanted to make his mummy proud and from the smile that she was giving him and the light gleaming in his eyes, the wish was met.

From their interaction, one would think that they were real mother and son. Their eyes were the same, holding the same gleam. Alfred just realized that this was something he wished for; to see his son having a good time with his mother and Safiyya seems to fill that space up.

His car could drive itself without him maneuvering, so he stared at the sight in his car intently. Even he can't help but say that this woman he came to know was beautiful indeed. And her beauty didn't just come from external but her heart as well. Unlike…..you know who, Safiyya was far away from her parents with no one watching over but she never let go of her principles. He had done an investigation on her and the main reason she never got a job before was because they didn't accept her dressing. Safiyya could have accepted their proposal but she never did despite many rejections. She hardly raised her voice even when she was angry and having met a crooked man like him who always pushed her away from his son, she kept fighting because of Joseph.

He pushed back the smile that almost formed on his face, his mind warning him of having any fantasies. The school came into view and he parked in the parking lot. They came out and walked inside and Joseph kept pointing different places to Safiyya. Alfred had never seen Joseph excited about school.

He already set a meeting with the headteacher Miss Vincent, who was also the owner. They first took Joseph to class who reluctantly abided before heading to the principal's office.

Alfred has to slow down his pace to keep up with Safiyya's speed.

"Can you walk any faster?" he told her and she gasped. "Not everyone is as tall as you," she mumbled with a flushed face.

"I heard that," he stopped and gazed down at her.

"Then stop reminding me of my height," she huffed her cheek.

"Anyways," Alfred sighed and said, "When we get in there, you have to act like you are really Joseph's mother,"

Safiyya frowned and said, "I don't want to get involved in deception,"

"Well, do you want Joseph to find out too?" he asked and continued walking. "Maybe that deception can be made true,"

Safiyya did not know if she heard right but shrugged it off and went after him. The meeting with the head teacher went out well and Joseph's teacher was invited over. Both of them complained about what Joseph was facing and became angry when they found out that Mrs Martin knew about what was happening. Even Safiyya who was quite generous agreed for the woman to be suspended and from the anger in Alfred's eyes, she was sure that he was going to make the woman suffer even more.

Miss Vincent had to do a lot of apologizing for the blunder they had made and promised to be more vigilant from now on.
"The family game event will be next week on Monday. I hope that you can attend," Miss Vincent said respectfully.

"We will," Safiyya nodded. In Sha Allah. Now this will prove that her job would be harder than she thought. Safiyya kept thinking about this until they got into the car.

The car suddenly stopped, putting a halt to her thoughts and she was sure this wasn't Hill Corp. The glasses surprisingly to her became darker until they were tainted. The care became so dark that her heart skipped a beat.

She tilted her head and the dim blue light shone on his cold face that was looking ahead. He turned to face her and she blinked wondering what this was about.

"Are you scared?" he smirked evilly.

Safiyya raised her chin and crossed her legs. "Why would I be?"

"Oh really?" he nodded passively. "I don't easily trust people but I don't forgive even more. When someone dares to double-cross me, they would wish they never met me in their pathetic life. And when it comes to Joseph…" he stopped and his eyes became darker. Safiyya couldn't shift her gaze because it was like she was pulled into a deep sea suddenly.

Alfred continued, "Joseph is the only family I have so I will keep mentioning this to you Safiyya, don't ever hurt him. For Joseph, I admit that I made many mistakes in raising him and that's why I am willing to make sacrifices to make him happy. Don't ever break my trust,"

Safiyya stayed quiet for a while before smiling. "I won't break your trust sir Alfred and I won't ever harm Yousef. He will keep smiling, and that's a promise."

"I will hold on to that," he said and turned back. The glasses returned to normal and he added, "Old Xav is waiting outside,"

"Okay," She nodded and opened the door. Alfred sighed and his fingers tightened on the wheels. Can he make this sacrifice?

Safiyya found herself back in Hill Corp and it suddenly felt like a long time but that wasn't all because she met quite a big surprise in the filling office.

Gab was working but he had two assistants with him. He smiled after seeing her walk in.
"Oh, Good morning Sofiyya. Come over here," he called out. She walked over still in bewilderment and he told her. "The system has been fixed and another one was brought over. You are in charge of recording from now on. Well before you get promoted,"

Safiyya was speechless and couldn't help but smile. Gab nodded at her and went to check on the others while she sat down behind the desk. Work never felt so good.

Okay, we can see some positivity😁 what sacrifice is Alfred speaking about? Keep reading to find out😉