"You are home. That's good." Mariya's mom said when she saw her enter the hall. Her family was having lunch, so she joined. It has been long since they sat down to eat together as a family. And the food, heavenly.
"Mmm." Mariya moaned at the satisfying taste of the food.
"Foodie." Fareeda teased.
" She got that trait from you." Alhaji Farooq pointed at Fareeda who was just about to put a spoonful of the food in her mouth. She dropped the spoon on her plate immediately. Everyone else laughed at her.
"Abba!" She whined.
The rest of the time was spent filling each other in the day's events. It was one of the rare days wen Fareeda comes back to Kano to spend a few days so they made sure to relish it.
"Mariya, if you are done eating, go and get ready. The groom and his family will be visiting soon. Wear something nice." Her mother ordered.
" Sure, Mama." Since she was done eating, she took her plate to the kitchen, washed them, and headed to her room.
She wanted to pick a dress to fit the occasion. It has been a week since she last saw him and if she's going to meet him again, she should look her best. However, she couldn't seem to find the right dress to wear. She has more clothes than she can count in her walk-in closet but she did not know which one to wear at the moment. If only Saratu was here.
Saratu Maina was her best friend since her school days. The woman had been out of Kano for two weeks and had never bothered to call her. When Mariya decides to check on her too, her phone is either switched off or she was on another call.
She heard someone scream her name and banged her door close. Speak of the devil. The crazy girl is finally here. Mariya rushed out of the walk-in closet to meet her friend.
" Why weren't you answering my calls? I've called you more than 15 times just in a week." Mariya shot at her friend.
"Ouch." Saratu placed a hand on her chest as if hurt. When will this girl ever stop being dramatic?
" Is this how you welcome your friend?" She asked still in the act.
At this juncture, there was no hope that Saratu will ever stop being dramatic but as long Mariya was there to back her up then... Cheers! To more years of being the dramatic duo.
" Abeg stop that shakara and help me pick a dress to wear." Mariya rolled her eyes at her. " I'm going to meet him today!" She squealed and hugged her friend, totally overwhelmed by the mere thought of getting married to Hassan. Only God knew how much she had longed for such a day. It was an answered prayer.
" Remind me again that you've cleared one of the eligible bachelors in Kano off the market. I saw the Instagram post this morning."
Saratu said and showed Mariya the post she was referring to.
It was a picture of Mariya and Hassan which was clicked at a durbar during the celebration of Eid, months ago. It was captioned: 'Love is in the air.'
" Indeed."Saratu complimented, making Mariya blush.
Saratu chose a royal blue silk abaya for Mariya to wear. It was simple yet, elegant. Just right.
Saratu excused Mariya for some time to allow her to wear the dress. With the dress on, Mariya paired it with a piece of matching jewelry and hijab. She must admit, that Saratu has a good fashion sense. She then went back into her bedroom where Saratu was to show her the outfit.
" Sara, how do I look?" Mariya asked, twirling in the dress.
" He won't be able to take his eyes off you. Maa shaa Allah." She praised and diverted her gaze back to her phone, where she was scrolling through Instagram.
Mariya peeked to have a glimpse of the celebrity Saratu was drooling over again. What she saw was unexpected.
It was a picture of Zayn and Eskander, the other man she saw in Emraan's office.
" Ugh! Zayn. That arrogant brat." Mariya shuddered, remembering what had happened earlier in the day.
"Don't say that."Saratu warned." He's our prince and he's so fine. God!"
Mariya rolled her eyes. "I spoke to him today and..."
"What! Did you speak to him? Where? Can I meet him someday? Do you know where I can meet him?" Saratu bombarded her with questions. This girl.
" You know I work at his elder brother's law firm and I coincidentally met him today. And you can meet him in his father's palace. That's for sure." Mariya answered.
Fareeda knocked on Mariya's door and entered."Mariya, they are here and you two are wanted downstairs." She informed them and left. God. That was it
She suddenly started to feel nervous. She was going to meet the royals of Kano again but this time as the would-be daughter-in-law of the family. Will she be accepted into the family? Well, they wouldn't have gathered here in her house if they didn't want her. She coaxed herself into believing that she had nothing to worry about.
She reached downstairs and she had to greet all the men in the pavilion before she went to that of the women.
She got to the center of the pavilion and curtsied the Hausa way.
Most of the men were munching on dates and other snacks that were brought to them. She gained their attention by squatting, signifying that she had come to pay respects to them.
"Sannun ku da zuwa,majalisar sarauta." (Hello and welcome, the royal council.)
She greeted traditionally as expected of her
They exchanged pleasantries and she got up to leave but then made eye contact with him.
What on earth was he doing in her house?
Zayn. She looked carefully, and he had Emraan and Eskander sitting beside him on a three-sitter sofa, just beside Hassan. They looked disappointed. She shouldn't be surprised because she was getting married to their cousin. She found it hard to believe she was going to become family with Zayn but as long she had Hassan with her, there was nothing to be scared of.
Emraan managed to give her a wave and Zayn just stared at her blankly. She flashed Hassan a smile before leaving for the women's pavilion. There, she greeted the women and exchanged pleasantries with them just like she had done before. She noticed the presence of her aunties and cousins who had come over to their house. She met Hassan's mother and the woman didn't even spare her a look. She seemed hostile. She didn't seem to like Mariya. Mariya made a mental note to talk to Hassan about it. She chatted for a while with her cousins and the other people from the palace who had come with the procession. They had to admit that Mariya was the ideal wife Hassan needed. A date was decided on by the men after careful analysis of schedules and conveniences. The wedding is going to be in two months. People thought it was too early but with that, they won't have to wait for months like others do. After all, why delay such a blessing? The royal family has offered to sponsor the wedding so Mariya's family doesn't stress too much about the wedding.
It was dusk and Zayn, Eskander, Emraan, and Hassan were getting ready to leave Mariya's house. The four of them stayed back for a while after the procession had left for the palace. Zayn was seated in the driver's seat of his car, his hands resting on the steering wheel while waiting for the others to settle down. They were talking to Fareed and Fareeda who had escorted them to their car.
Zayn had his eyes on Mariya who was leaning against the railing of her balcony. She was staring at Hassan who was talking to her brother. Zayn had a notion that Hassan wasn't the right man for her. The guy changes his girlfriends like the way he does to his clothes. She was too good to be cursed with a man like him, honestly.
He forgot about Hassan and focused intently on Mariya. The setting sun only added more grace to her melanin-filled skin. She looked breathtaking. Too bad for her though
Wait... Why did he even care? It was inappropriate to eye his cousin's woman that way. It was utterly wrong and he found himself repenting immediately.
Mariya noticed that Zayn was staring at her and she rolled her eyes at him. Strangely, that brought a smile to his face. He quickly lowered his gaze knowing he had taken in enough already.
Fareed and his twin bid the four men goodbye and proceeded into the house as Zayn drove their car out of the house.
The end of another long exciting day. The next day was a Saturday and Mariya didn't have to bother about going to work. Just enjoy the weekend. To make the weekend more exciting, she decided to visit Hassan at his house to spend the day with him. They might go on a date or just see around the town together. She would get to know more about him and she has got a lot of questions to ask him because this whole marriage thing came as a surprise to her. She didn't even know he liked her that much to propose marriage. That night, she slept, excited about the next day.
*~*
Hassan's house help led Mariya into his hall. This was another house he owned apart from his quarters in the palace. Mariya had to wait a while before seeing Hassan. She settled down on a one-sitter sofa while waiting for him. They had a lot to do in just a day. She heard voices approach the hallway. The voices were harsh and gruff. It seemed like Hassan was arguing with someone. With Zayn_ who else did she expect? They stopped in their tracks when they saw Mariya. Zayn wondered what she was doing in Hassan's house. Oh, she was his fiancé. May God help her. Zayn turned to Hassan who had a disgusted look on his face.
"I won't let you destroy the business our family thrives on. I won't give you that chance. Already, you've done enough." Zayn said with his teeth gritted. He didn't want to look like he was falling apart in front of Hassan, let alone Mariya. He stormed off, leaving only Mariya and Hassan in the hall.
" What was that about, Hassan?" Mariya asked, worried.
" That's Zayn on a normal day. There's nothing to worry about." Hassan shrugged it off." Instead, let me show you around the house since you are going to be moving in here soon." He suggested.
" Sure. It's going to be fun." Mariya agreed, standing up on her feet. Hassan wound his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him. An act foreign to her when done by people who are not her family and Hassan was not her husband. At least, not yet. That was against the values she was brought up with. It was so awkward and it didn't feel right. To add to her discomfort, he massaged her waist gently with his thumb.
She pulled away from him, which made him frown.
" C'mon, don't be too old-fashioned. We're engaged." He said.
"But still it's not right because we are not married yet. The wait is just two weeks, Hassan." She pinched his cheeks playfully though it was a bit awkward. She wasn't ready to compromise her values to a man she was yet to get married to. She knew better than to do that. A man will always be a man.
She expected her words to enter his head but it didn't. Instead, he picked her up in his arms and she didn't like that. She tried to fight her way out of his arms but he was too strong for her. She knew immediately that he had bad intentions. She tried to scream too but the man cupped her mouth tightly. What was he trying to do? She couldn't help but think negatively. The man was too strong as compared to her.
" Let's explore my bedroom first." He laughed while he carried her upstairs to his master bedroom." You said it was going to be fun, right? Trust me. It already is." No. He was not going to do that to her, was he?
In his bedroom, he dropped her on his bed and started to remove his suit jacket. With that, she had time to run away but she couldn't bring herself to move an inch. She was so terrified. It was as if her body was refusing to move. She might hate herself for this.
" And listen." He urged. Instinctively, she swiveled her head to look at him. As if she was being possessed by him." If anyone hears about this, I'm going to destroy every person that bears your family's name. Try me." He warned. As much as he knew Mariya, she wasn't that foolish to get her family into trouble.
" Please, please, Hassan." She begged. She had tears cascading down her face. The last time she checked, he was her fiance and now, all she could see in his eyes was lust. Pure lust. She wondered where the house help was. She didn't want to become a victim of rape and that was exactly what Hassan is aiming for. The man didn't have a good heart. She begged and begged but the man just didn't care. All he wanted to do was to satisfy his lust. Next thing, he had his hands all over her. Touching her where no man has ever touched her since she came of age. She was a crying mess under his lustrous gaze. He didn't have any pity?
" Hassan, please." Mariya cried. He hadn't undressed her yet. He wanted to take his time in pleasing himself. The house help was in her quarters so she definitely won't hear what's going on in the room.
'Let's get to business.' Hassan thought. Now the real fun was about to begin.
Just as the fun was about to begin, the door barged open and Zayn stood in the door frame.
" Did your mother not teach you how to knock?" Hassan asked, irritated. Why did Zayn have to spoil his fun?
Zayn's soul almost left his body when he saw Mariya on the bed. He wasn't far from the house when he noticed he had left his briefcase in Hassan's house. He heard Mariya screaming and he decided to check if there was any trouble. She looked shaken__ that was even an understatement. Mariya ran and stood behind Zayn.
" Please help me." She cried. She surprised herself that she just trusted another man again. At least Zayn wasn't not trying to assault her. Zayn knew immediately that Mariya had become Hassan's victim of assault.
" Are you crazy?!" Zayn yelled at him." Haven't you done enough already?" The fact that the royal family privatizes most of Hassan's crimes from the media so that his irresponsible acts will not taint the family's name has to be the most annoying thing though he gets punished by the royal council. But it was getting out of hand.
" I'll deal with you later ... And that too, personally." Zayn has had enough of his nonsense. This time, he has taken it too far.
Zayn walked into the room, grabbed her hijab from the bed, and draped it over her head, properly.
"I'm sorry you had to face this." Zayn apologized. He isn't supposed to be the one apologizing. The culprit tucked his hands in his trousers' pockets and smirked at Mariya. He knew she wouldn't file a case after the threats he had given.
Zayn walked her downstairs and had her settle down on one of the sofas. She shouldn't be in his house at the moment but Zayn needed her to calm down.
" Do you want me to call the police?" Zayn asked while retrieving his phone from his pocket.
" No!" She screamed. She didn't want Hassan to kill her family. Zayn was surprised.
"Your brother?" He asked instead. Mariya still had Hassan's threats in mind.
" I said no! Don't you get it?" She yelled at Zayn. "Don't try to be a hero because you are not. No one asked for your help." She pushed past him and headed to the garage. Zayn was shocked. He thought she didn't want to file a case because she was afraid of being stigmatized but he thought otherwise when he raised his gaze to meet that of his cousin who was cackling.
" Trying to play hero, huh?" Hassan teased.
Freak! 'What at all did Hassan tell her?' Zayn wondered.
This was bad.
The end of another chapter. How was this one? Anticipate more. And prepare a stack of tissues for the next chapter because it is going to be an emotional rollercoaster.
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