Negina | ✔️

Chapter fourty: "There is a candidate for that position."

Wouldn't see the point of livin' on if one of us died
-G-Eazy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{~Negina~}

I kiss the Quran three times before placing it back on top of the peice of cloth that I usually wrap it in. I raise my hand to take off the scarf from my head, but stop.

What if I go to work like this?

What will people say?

Maybe Mr. Dawson seeing me like this will get me fired.

Who cares, it's called religious freedom.

I decide to wear my jumpsuit that has peach colored bottoms and a white top, over that I put on a white cardigan that has cuts on the bottom. I add a brown belt and a brown matching scarf over my head. I add a gold watch and some heels. I do my makeup, and go to wake up my kids.

I yell at Saiid a few times until I hear him turn the shower on. All this while trying to awake Arezo. "Aezo Sleep!" She whines with her eyes half closed and her curly hair going crazy. I sigh, how come she's awake at six in the morning on the weekends.

"But Ms. Becky will be asking for you at school." I tell her while carrying her to the bathroom.

"Okay, I go to shool." She says when I get her off the counter after brushing her teeth. I shake my head and laugh as she runs out of the bathroom with her curls bobbing up and down.

I smile up at Saiid as he groggily looks at me. He pulls up his hood and kisses my cheek. "Arama Shpa." (Goodnight) He says in his still half-asleep voice and shakes his head, "Sahar Pakhair." (Good morning) I couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

He shakes his head to wake himself up, "I've got a friend coming over after school today, we have an assignment to work on." He informs me.

I nod my head, "Okay, I'll pick up Arezo and be here at like six. You guys can work on your assignment until then, I guess."

He bites his lip, nervously. "I.. umm... we kinda decided to meet up at her house."

I raise my eyebrow asking, "a girl?"

He can't be alone with a girl, especially if she's Muslim. But who am I kidding, as if my Saiid would ever do anything like that do a girl.

Khalid's mother probably never thought he was capable of something like that....

My inner-self told me. I shut that part off and smiled at Saiid. "Okay, be home by eight then."

He kisses my cheek and high fives Arezo before running out the door and yelling, "K, love you!"

Arezo was done with her cereal and I drive her to preschool where she right away starts playing with Aasma, Husna's sister. I quickly sign her in and drive off to work.

My heart beats super fast as I stare at the works in front of me, Malik Industries. I take a deep breath before exiting that car to go meet with my Mr. Dawson at the front door.

What if I meet Uncle Yousef.

What if I see Mansoor.

Worse of all, what if I see Khalid.

No, Naser said Khalid got disowned. Why would I see him here.

I fix my scarf while following my boss through many doors. What surprised me is how Mr. Dawson is walking through these door with pride, as if he knows where he's going. I follow him through the final door and freeze when I see him.

A person, a familiar lady, showing him papers inside a folder. My whole life plays over in my mind. Specifically my Shirini Khori.

Negina takes a seat next to her sister and minutes later two men come, as witnesses. "Do you want to take Khalid as your husband?" They ask Negina.

Knowing that if she says no then it'll ruin her fathers reputaion and her life would be over. So with that in mind she says, "Yes."

They leave people with smiles on their faces as they exit the room. Only Negina is left with a frown. Knowing that she just committed a crime, she committed to be with Khalid for the rest of her life.

She promised to be a good wife.

She promised something that she can't keep.

My thoughts slowly sink away by a voice, "Mr. Dawson, how nice of you to pay us a visit. I see you've brought your lovely secretary with you." It was Uncle Yosef who started the conversation.

"Yousef, how nice to see you." Mr. Dawson states, I see a smirk building up in his face. I can see that he brought me here with him to hit revenge on Uncle Yosef in the hardest spot of all, his son.

Mr. Malik speaks up again, "I see your company has gone down, instead of going with the vise-president, you go with a secretary."

What game are these two men playing, and why am I feeling like the pawn in their hands.

"Where are my manners, this is Negina Hassan, new president of this enchanting palace."

I felt my cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Really Boss, no other way to introduce me. I roll my eyes mentally.

"Very nice to meet you, Ms. Hassan." Mr. Malik smiles. I can't tell weather this smile was genuine or just a mask to hide his mask. Before I could decide, he figured out what Mr. Dawson had just stated. "President?" He asks, confused and a serious expression occupying his face.

I hide my face behind the folders in my hands. Oh how I wanted to just fall through the ground and disappear right at this moment. How much more embarrassing can my boss get.

Mr. Dawson continues, "I see your ears haven't failed you yet, Yosef. Your ex-daughter in-law is the president of your company."

What? How. When!

Before I can stop this, Fereshta, speaks up from her father's side. "Excuse me, Mr. Dawson. But I have formal rights to ask, on what proof do you state this fact?"

Mr. Dawson on his behalf, pulls out documents staples together out of his portfolio. Fereshta skims through them and I hear her whisper, "impossible,"

I wanted to die right there when my uncle looks up, glaring. I look at my grinning boss. I hate him.

Fereshta looks up from the papers, "hold on Mr. Dawson. Here it states that the company may be run by a heir of Mr. Malik that doesn't have a permanent job in the building.

I look at my boos and see him with an expression that says he's planned this whole thing out perfectly, "and you have a person to fulfill that position?" He asks.

"There is a candidate for that position." Fereshta replies.

I think deeply. Mansoor, Vise-President of Malik Industries. Fereshta Malik, Secretary of Vise-President. That only leaves one person, "Khalid..." I whisper out loud.

Authors Note-

I knew from the beginning that I'd be horrible at this Authors Note stuff.

Question of the day: Who's your favorite character in this book?