Playlist-Bad bunny ft Sech-Ignorantes
OMNISCIENT
Abuja, Nigeria
Two weeks later
In a pink-colored room, a beautiful girl slept soundly on the bed with her lips pouted, she was murmuring incoherent words when suddenly, her phone buzzed. She slothfully awoke and grabbed her phone from the nightstand, she didn't even check the caller ID before answering.
"Who are you to interrupt my beauty sleep?" She asked groggily.
"It's me, Hammad," answered Hammad calmly while stifling a laugh.
"Oh! I'm extremely sorry Ya Muhammad, I never knew," Fatima exclaimed embarrassedly, all traces of sleep disappeared after hearing his voice.
"Never mind. Sorry for disrupting your sleep, we'll talk later," Hammad retorted with a soft chuckle.
"No wait, I'm fully awake now," She blushed shyly.
"Alright then, how are you?" He asked.
"I'm good," She shyly retorted.
"Fatima, let me just get straight to the point," Hammad sighed, you could sense the nervousness in his voice.
"All ears," She replied even though deep down, the curiosity has consumed her entire being.
"Can we be friends?" He questioned in a barely audible voice.
"Sure," Fatima subconsciously danced. What? Her long-time crush just asked her to be his friend, nothing could be more delightful than that.
"Thank you so much, Fatima, I'm extremely grateful," He enthusiastically thanked her. A wide smile appeared on his handsome face, he felt as though his prayer has just been answered.
"Never mind, Ya Muhammad," She responded.
"Please, feel free to call me Hammad," an ecstatic Hammad said.
"Alright, but please I have one request," Fatima said, her expression contorted to that filled with worry after remembering her biggest obstacle.
"What's that?" He asked after detecting the sadness in her voice.
"Please don't let Ya Ahmad find out about this," She nervously talked.
"I was about to say just that," Hammad responded and they laughed it off, the two know better than anyone how protective Ahmad is towards his sisters.
"Let me go and take a shower," Fatima excused herself.
They said their goodbyes and ended the call. Fatima kept her phone on the nightstand and danced her way to the bathroom like a wacko. Her hair was flying in different directions and the stolen oversized hoodie made her look smaller.
Having a personal relationship with Hammad has always been her dream. Friendship alone is more than enough for her to make things work between them, she has come a long way.
*
Asiya sat down idly in her room, she was tired of being the only person in the house. Abdulsamad traveled back to Kano, Nura took Mama to a friend's house, Rahma is in school, and her father went on a business trip.
Not knowing what to do after she finished munching on the milk cake she made, the girl opened the bedside drawer and brought out her diary. She smiled, knowing that it'll keep her busy for some time before Nura and the rest come back. She opened the diary that already contained a pen inside and started scribbling the events that transpired for the past two weeks.
Dear Diary,
Once again, I am here to spill my deepest secrets. As usual, you know I am writing this because of Ahmad. I just can't seem to get him out of my head, he's so annoying and wicked. Can you imagine he texted me early in the morning, telling me to come out, only to scare me with a big dog after I did so? Who does that? Only mean people do. And yet, he dares call himself my best friend. Who scares their best friend like that?
Also, he's so domineering. He thinks that the world revolves around him just because he's rich so he can control everybody. Ugly jerk! Alright, I admit that he's a little handsome and hot but he's cold-hearted. I wonder where he inherited that arrogance because his parents are nice and they are nothing like him.
As for Salim, the man is just so simple and cool. He's also handsome in his way and his buoyant nature is fascinating. Salim and Ahmad are opposites but I wonder how they still manage to hit it off as friends...
The buzzing of her phone interrupted her. She groaned and checked the caller ID. She clicked on the answer button and almost immediately, Fatima's voice boomed through the phone's speaker.
"My crush asked for friendship,"
"Don't damage my eardrums," Asiya groaned.
"Alright, so Ya Muhammad asked if we could be friends earlier today," said an ecstatic Fatima.
"Really? Are you serious?" Asiya questioned happily.
Fatima told them about her crush on Hammad some months ago, Asiya became delighted that at least one of her best friends is one step away from dating her dream guy.
"Of course I am," Fatima then narrated all that occurred.
"Wow! I must say that you are one lucky girl," Asiya shrilled.
"I am so excited," Fatima said and sighed dreamily.
"You must be," She agreed.
"Anyway we'll resuming school next week so get ready. I checked our results and luckily, we've both been promoted to two hundred-level," Fatima yelled enthusiastically and this time around, Asiya didn't stop her. Instead, she joined her and they screamed together.
"Thank you so much for this news Teem, I owe you," Asiya smiled abundantly.
"Don't thank me, girl. Let me call Latifa and give her the gist," Fatima ended the call without waiting for Asiya's reply. The latter sighed and smiled, still wondering why Ahmad is different from all his family members. She closed her diary and placed it back inside the drawer then strode to the bathroom to take a shower and perform ablution.
Asiya was ecstatic that she passed her exams, that girl couldn't wait for her mother and brother to come back from wherever they went so that she could tell them though a part of her felt sad because they'll be resuming school sooner than she thought.
*
"Sir, the investors from China said that they have canceled their contract because we are not competent enough to ship crude oil to them at the distinct time they need it," Mary worriedly uttered. She scrutinized the CEO who still maintained his cool after losing billions.
She expected him to be worried or show fear of loss since the news that Rashad's company has lost billions circulated through news channels and social media in a few minutes but to her utmost surprise, the said man looked unbothered. He finally closed the novel in his hand and turned to her with an expressionless face.
"And so what?" Ahmad's nonchalant voice echoed through the walls of the office.
"Sir, the standard of our company is in a state of declination and you have even lost your title as the number one oil business tycoon in Nigeria," Mary replied anxiously.
"Whatever belongs to me is mine, Miss Mary Williams. Schedule a meeting with the MK group, thirty minutes from now," He spoke and leaned back on his chair.
"Okay sir," Mary answered and sauntered out. She released a huge sigh, if her boss remains this calm, then she was very sure he must've had a plan in the first place.
Ahmad's phone buzzed, he kept the novel and answered the call after seeing his father's name on the screen, the news must have reached him.
"Good afternoon Dad," Ahmad greeted.
"Ahmad, what have you done? Don't you know that our company's reputation is at stake? MK group is not one to play with. All thanks to you, our rivals are busy celebrating now. Just so you know, that Chinese man is very headstrong, you can't make him go back on his words," Rashad harangued, not even caring to answer his son's greeting.
"Daddy, calm down. I promise I will solve this issue," Ahmad sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Fine! I've given you three days to restore this company's glory," The man made up his mind.
"Tomorrow morning, our reputation will not only be back to as it was before, but it'll also even earn more prestige for us," Ahmad confidently spoke.
"Are you trying to say you know the business more than me?" His father asked.
"No Dad, it's not like that," Ahmad answered before his father disconnected the call with trembling hands, the man still wasn't assured. He released a sigh and called Mary through the intercom.
"Tell Alex to come in with the files," Ahmad ordered and ended the call without waiting for her response.
•
"Here are the files, Young Master," Alex, Ahmad's chief bodyguard bowed and placed the said items on Ahmad's table.
"They contain all the information, right?" Ahmad asked for the umpteenth time just to be sure.
"Yes, Young Master," Alex answered. Before Ahmad could reply, Mary entered his office after knocking
"Sir they're waiting for you in the conference room," said Mary.
"Alright, let's go," Ahmad retorted with an evil smirk.
As he raised his head, Alex and Mary couldn't help but feel scared of the dangerous glint they saw in his eyes, especially Alex who knew what the information in the file was.
•
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Mr. Minsheng," Ahmad shook the Chinese man's hand.
Mr. Minsheng is an old Chinese man characterized by grey hair and a protruding pot belly. If not for the wealth he possesses, many people would have been disgusted by the mere sight of him.
"It's nothing, Mr. Rashad," He replied with a thick accent.
"Alright, let's go straight to the point," Ahmad switched to his full professional mode and opened a stack of files that were placed on the big mahogany table.
Mary, who was standing beside him almost drooled when she sighted his serious face, Alex tried hard to stifle his laughter when he saw the girl staring at his master without blinking.
"She must have a huge crush on him," He thought in his head.
"Mr. Rashad, unfortunately, we have canceled our contract with your company because you aren't competent enough from our perspective," Mr. Minsheng adjusted his spectacles and darted his eyes across the table.
"And may I ask why we don't match up to your standards?" Ahmad raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Simply because we did a background check on your company and found out that you were caught up in a huge fraud case," retorted Mr. Minsheng.
"Yes, you did a background check but HK oil company blackmailed you so that you can cancel your contract with us and work with them to ruin our company's reputation. Right or wrong?" He released a triumphant smirk after gazing straight at the man who looked like a deer caught in a headlight.
"How did he manage to figure this out?" Mr. Minsheng thought because neither did he tell anyone about Mr. Hakeem's threat nor did anyone manage to figure it out, except for Ahmad.
Mary and Alex stood there, flabbergasted. They also noticed the way Mr. Minsheng's expression changed to overwhelmed with fear when he heard Ahmad say HK company.
"How did you manage to find out?" Mr. Minsheng was stunned.
"Now let me tell you how brilliant people think," Ahmad released a smile and flipped through the files, intentionally wanting to irk him.
"Mr. Hakeem wanted to do business with us but based on the bad reputation of his company and many fraud cases charged against him, we declined his offer because even the huge amount of money he offered us was filthy. He framed us and threatened a powerful man like you who has easily been tricked. Simple," Ahmad explained.
"What?" Mary and Alex shouted at the same time while Ahmad looked at them with a smile. As for Mr. Minsheng, he let every word sink in before he replied.
"Sir, how did you manage to figure out this situation within such a short time?" Mr. Minsheng asked, he was silently praising Ahmad's outstanding wit.
"That's what we call politics in business and if you can't play the game right, then you lose. After all, I am not an engineer for nothing," Ahmad boasted
"Thank you, Sir, for making it clear and my sincere apologies for degrading your company," He apologized.
"It's nothing. Alex, pass the files to Mr. Minsheng," Ahmad ordered. Alex was quick to place the files on the table in front of Mr. Minsheng who opened them and read each page, Ahmad watched in amusement as the eyes of his client widen in shock.
"Sir, I never should have let this man have his way with me. If not for you, he would have defrauded me by now. Thank God I didn't sign the files," Mr. Minsheng sighed in relief.
"These are some of the charges against him, I could only gather a few because of time. He managed to close all of the cases by bribing the law. All you have to do is re-open all of them, I can also call the media for you to narrate how he threatened you. After that, leave the rest to me" Ahmad said in a bossy tone.
"Sure thing, thank you, Sir," Mr. Minsheng said and bowed his head respectfully.
"I think that's all," He uttered and stood, hoping that his plan will work.
"Excuse me, Sir, please I have a request," Mr. Minsheng said with hopeful eyes.
"What's that?"Ahmad asked and leaned back on the chair.
"I would like it if you would consider working with me Sir," Mr. Minsheng answered.
Ahmad's plan worked because he promised his father that he will make Mr. Minsheng beg him for approval again
"Yes actually, it's no problem but I have a condition," He set his lips in a thin line, watching as Mr. Minsheng's face lit up when he agreed to sign his deal.
"State your conditions sir," Mr. Minsheng said and grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.
"I want fifty-six billion yuan," Ahmad said casually as Mary, Alex, and Mr. Minsheng gasped simultaneously.
"Sir, but fifty-six billion is too much," Mary protested, making Alex glare at her in horror.
"Miss Williams, last time I checked, I don't work for you," Ahmad responded sarcastically.
"Sir but we agreed on forty billion yuan," Mr. Minsheng said with shaky hands.
"Then let's forget about the contract," He then closed the stack of files, his face unreadable.
"No sir, I will give you fifty-six million," Mr. Minsheng stuttered.
"Now you're talking," Ahmad smirked.
Ahmad used a hand gesture to signal Mary to give Mr. Minsheng the contract paper which had been already prepared beforehand. The man signed with a slight frown which made Ahmad smile widely, he was enjoying the show.
"It was nice meeting you sir," Mr. Minsheng said as he shook Ahmad's hand.
"Same here. I'm extremely grateful, Mr. Minsheng," Ahmad replied before the Chinese man walked out of the conference room.
"I admire your espionage, Young Master," Alex voiced out.
"Thank you, Alex," He thanked him.
"We call that politics in business," Ahmad said to his secretary and chief bodyguard and stormed out of the conference room with a smirk on his face.
"Damn, that's a man over there," Mary subconsciously said that allowed.
"It'll be better if you lower your gaze," Alex said and laughed.
*
"Ahmad, my son, I am so proud of you," Rashad lovingly patted his son's back.
Earlier today, he saw the news airing on television. Deep inside his heart, he knew his intelligence was nowhere near his son's because he couldn't do what Ahmad did.
"Thanks, Dad," Ahmad responded with a smile.
"By the way, I wanted to tell you something," He gave Ahmad a stern look.
"I'm all ears," Ahmad sat up on the couch when he saw his father's serious expression.
"Ahmad, when will you get married?" The man asked. Rashad was worried to see his son aging and so, he wants him to marry as soon as possible.
"Daddy I..." Ahmad became tongue-tied when he thought of Layla and what she did to him.
The truth is, he still hasn't gotten over her but the sharp pain he felt in his chest when she crossed his mind was nothing compared to the unbearable pain he felt seven months ago. Deep down he knows that Asiya's presence in his life is the panacea for all of Layla's betrayal. Ahmad snapped out of his thoughts with a small smile.
"Ahmad, don't worry, I know you haven't gotten over Layla yet. However, you have to accept that you two are simply not meant for each other. I am just worried because you aren't getting any younger, you need to settle down," Rashad sighed.
"I know Dad," Ahmad replied in a barely audible voice. Noticing how uncomfortable his son seemed, he decided to change the topic.
"Go and inform your siblings that we'll be visiting Imran's and Zayyad's residences tomorrow. I want you guys to at least get acquainted," Rashad said with a wide smile.
Just the thought of seeing Asiya tomorrow made Ahmad ecstatic. He completely forgot what he discussed with his father a few minutes ago.
"Alright Dad, let me go and do so," Ahmad said enthusiastically and scurried out without waiting for his father's reply.
"I wonder what he's so happy about," Rashad mumbled and shook his head, the smile still playing on his lips.
Love y'all,
Gurlyyy22🌷.