She stared at him with an unbelievable expression on her face. He didn't look surprised, rather, he was even staring at her hair that was now on her arms. She quickly took a hold of her hair and tried so hard to pack it into a bun but it kept slipping, her hands were shaking vigorously. What was the meaning of this? Or did she get married to his father?

"I asked who you are." He sounded as if he had never seen her in his entire life, and that wasn't what she expected from him. But if he was going to act this way, then she would.

"I'm..." She stopped midway, not knowing who she would refer to herself as. His wife? Ya rabbi, let it not be right. Or his father's wife? She wouldn't want either of that. "I'm the bride that was brought here." She said through gritted teeth, wanting so bad to give him a very good beating. If only he had acted like his usual self, then she wouldn't have to act this way.

"Then what are you doing here? Where you asked to start what you were brought here for as early as tonight?" He asked with accusation laid on his tone. He spoke with so much hatred that showed itself on his facial expression and damn him for acting as if he had never seen her in his entire life.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, anger taking over her voice as well. Would she have a night with which she wouldn't have to be reminded of how much she hated him? "And if I may ask, what are you doing here? I suppose I was married to your dad, right?"

He chuckled bitterly, but she needn't to be told that his chuckle was mirthless. "What do you mean? That I'm not old enough to get married or what?"

"Just what do you think you're trying to play at, Hammad? Of course, for all the things fate can throw at me, it would never be to have you as my husband! Stop acting like you don't recognize me and get it over with this stupid game of yours!" She yelled to his face and he took a step back with a disgusted look on his face.

"I don't know why you're here, but by morning, I'd ask my husband, who surely is your father to get you the heck out of my chamber. I wonder what the hell you're even doing here!" She thundered and leaned down to pick her veil before she stomped out of the study room. Her heart was beating wildly against her ribcage, she wanted to talk to Hannah, and right now!

What was Hammad doing there? Her mind was trying to make her think that what if he turned out to be her husband? And she quickly shook her head at that, he never would be! She dialed Hannah's number, not minding about how it was late and when a sleepy voice of Hannah filled her ears, she sighed.

"Guess what I've seen. No!" She shook her head and palmed her face, her heart was still beating against her chest. "Who I've seen, I really pray I was just hallucinating, Hannah. I'd die, I'd really die if this turns out to be the truth."

Hannah yawned and Yusrah heard as she sat upright, "What are you talking about? Who did you see? Is it Musa himself?"

No matter how much bothered she was, Yusrah couldn't stop the laughter that roared out of her chest. She hissed softly as she shook her head, "You really can't be serious. Even though to him, Abla wasn't my birth mom, he was at least once my step dad, right? It's not him, of course. Something more dangerous and unexpected, even though I know there's a mistake around this."

"Don't tell me it's someone older, a grand dad?" She gasped sleepily and Yusrah shook her head before she decided to drop the bombshell.

"Of course, not! Hammad! I saw him in the study room in this chamber. Do you think I got married to his dad?" As much as she would hate for that to happen, it would be much easier to getting married to Hammad himself.

Hannah gasped and she heard just the exact time the sleep went away from her eyes. "You don't mean it! Haba! I'm sure when I heard the imam saying the marriage was finalized I heard something like Idi Labo as the name of the groom, I just didn't want to tell you at the time because it was too noisy and I wasn't sure if I was right."

"Is his father a good looking man, Hannah?"

"Where do you think Hammad got his looks from? Of course he is, not that I've once seen him, though. But from the looks of things, he is. That explains that mansion, oh boy!" She laughed and sobered up almost immediately, as if she had remembered something she was supposed to say and she shouldn't forget. "But why are you so concerned about his looks, Yusrah? Or are you planning to stay as this man's wife forever?"

Yusrah hissed and got to her bed, feeling much relaxed, "Of course, no. But it would make my job a whole lot easier than you'd ever imagine. I can't pretend to be a lovely wife if whenever I stare at his face I get angry, will I? And in case that pregnancy of a thing happens, even though I'd do everything I can not to make it happen, I'd be rest assured that my child wouldn't come out as ugly as his father."

Hannah laughed sleepily and stifled another yawn, "What if the husband turns out to be Hammad himself, Yusrah? I know we all don't want that to happen, not that having his father as the husband is tolerable either, but just imagine. What would you do?"

She was silent for a while, as she thought about all the things that she would do. Then the recent and most hurtful words he had uttered to her ran back to her brain, 'You aren't the only one battling with loss, Miss Bawa. The least we expect from you, since you've made yourself present in this meeting room is your professionalism. You could keep at bay whatever pain you're feeling and concentrate on your work. No one cares about whoever you lost here, one way or the other we've all lost a loved one.'

"I'll make sure I bring not just the end of his father's wealth, but his life as well. That way, he would feel the pain of loosing a loved one and see if it's something as dismissive as he made it sound that day." Her words smoothly came out of her mouth accompanied by the hatred and the bitterness she had harbored because of him over the time. She could never forgive nor forget those words, and she'd make sure that one day, she'd throw them back at him.

"And if he happens to be the husband himself?" Hannah said with a solemn tone, because the way she heard Yusrah's voice and the words that came out of her mouth was enough to show her that Yusrah had never sounded so bitter in her entire life.

"I won't kill him, because what fun would it be to have him laying peacefully on the ground, entirely forgetting the pain I've inflicted on him? And we all know if someone is killed, his sins immediately get washed, and we all know I hate enough not to want that kind of mercy on him." She was silent for a while, thinking of what to do now, "If he turns out to be the husband, Hannah, I'd really not take your advice of not being cruel; because I'd be. I'll make sure Hammad regrets every second he lives on this earth. I'll bring him down, damn him! I'll freaking bring him right to his doom!"

•

She woke up the next morning with her head a bit hazy because of the prolonged conversation she had with Hannah over the phone. She was much prepared today and she was glad that she had gotten the chance to meet him yesterday, she wouldn't have known how to act if she had known about everything in the morning.

She got ready for work, no matter how Hannah begged her not to come to work, she knew she had to. She wouldn't let him win that Dangote group project, just like she would never let him win anything anymore, for the rest of his life. Married to his father or not, the selfish and cruel Yusrah had been activated and she wouldn't lay low until she achieved all that she wanted and from whoever she wanted it.

She was done getting ready, took her bag before she walked out of her room. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten so well yesterday and now, her stomach demanded to be fed. She didn't know who the husband was, but at least she was provided with everything that she would need. And he certainly wasn't among the things she needed.

She dropped her bag on the dining table and got into the kitchen to make a quick breakfast. She was done and was eating when he walked out from one of the rooms in the chamber, and again, she thought, would he really be the husband? She shook her head, yet again. But a part of her mind clearly knew that she knew she was only running away from what was the truth, she could feel it deep into her bones that Hammad was her husband, just that it was so hard to believe.

He had that look on his face, yet again. The look that painted a non bothered expression on his face. As if seeing her in his house wasn't something to be bothered with. Or had he known all along? That she was the one he was wedded with? Or maybe, the one his father had married?

He didn't even spare her a glance when he opened the fridge and took a yogurt from it. She stood up and kept the dishes aside, without talking to him as she picked her bag and aimed for the door. "Where do you think you're going?" His voice stopped her mid way and she turned to him with a heated look, he still wasn't looking at her face.

Was he back now? The Hammad she knew and the one she was certain would make sure he threw a fit when he saw her in there house? She straightened herself on her shoes and stared at him, "I should be the one asking you this; I don't know if this used to be your chamber before you Dad married me, but I believe it's religiously not right to have you living in the same chamber with your step mother, is it?"

He threw his head back and laughed, clearly amused with her choice of words. "Wait, I need to ask you this, who are you?"

She hissed softly, "I believe I've answered this to you yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yes, I know you're the so called bride that was brought here yesterday. But the main question here is, whose bride do you think you are?"

She felt as her heart lost a beat, this was where it was going to be confirmed or revoked. Just that whatever it was, she knew she was now meddled into the Labo family and she wasn't going out until she destroyed everything and everyone he loved.

"I got married to Idris Labo, didn't I?"

He laughed, amusement clearly dangling in his eyes. But what she hated seeing was the look in his eyes, he really acted like this was the first time he had ever seen her. "Really? I see that I underestimated you, lady." He gently clapped his hands and walked towards her, she stayed rooted to her spot, wanting so bad for him to speak further, she wanted to know everything before she got out of the house.

"Of course you got married to a Labo man, but certainly not Idi Labo. Rather, Hammad Idi Labo, sorry to burst your bubbles about that. It wasn't the big shark you've got, but his son. I believe she beguiled you into this." He was out of the chamber even before she thought of what to say. Or maybe, despite having prepared herself to learn of her marriage to either of the two men, she hadn't prepared herself well enough for when she heard it would be him.

She nearly lost her balance, so she got to the nearest sofa by her side and slumped down. Her phone rang and she picked up the caller without even looking to see who it was because she knew who it would be. "Hannah, it's him. I unknowingly got married to Hammad Idi Labo."

Hannah was silent for more than a minute before she finally found her words, "I knew it, I just didn't want to make you angrier than you were yesterday. But he would never have been in your chamber yesterday if he wasn't the husband."

"He acts as he has never seen me in his life. He looks down on me with his words and facial expressions, as though I was some daughter of a pauper that got sold to them at a certain amount. A gold-digger."

Hannah sighed before she replied, "But my love, that's basically what you are there for, to dig the treasure of his family, right? But maybe you misunderstood the look of hatred he was flashing you and thought he acted as if he has never seen you."

Yusrah hissed and got to her feet, "I know what I saw, Hannah. It was as if he couldn't see my face, he was seeing right through my heart to whatever it was I was hiding. He spoke to me as though it was the first time we've ever met."

"We will talk about Hammad later, right now, where are those papers I need to take to the meeting? I've checked your office but couldn't find them."

"I have them with me, I told you I'd be there to win it, didn't I?"

"But you're a bride, you can't come out today, Miss Bawa."

"I'm not married to anyone as far as Hammad is concerned. As you said, we'd talk about him later. I'm already on my way."

"But the marriage will look so unreal if you come to the meeting today, you could have my words to beat him, I promise. Just that I'm not sure if you'd actually love your husband to be defeated."

"If you refer to him as my husband one more time..."

Hannah cut her off with laughter blaring from her mouth, "You see? It sounds so good on your mouth. My husband...Hammad Idi Labo. I really should start calling you Mrs Labo, what do you think?"

"I honestly hate you, Hannah."

"As much as you hate 'your husband'?"

"More than I hate Hammad Idi Labo." She didn't wait for the reply she was certain would come before she ended the call and drove out of the house. The deed was done, she had to think her way out of this entire mess. But of course, after she had taken care of Hammad.

•

He parked in front of the conference hall the meeting was taking place but the first thing he laid his eyes on was her car. He knew it was her car and something clicked in his mind, hadn't he seen that car in their house? He raked his brain to remember but it was still the same image he was getting.

Maybe Fatima got a new car, right? And it was the same as this, he didn't expect this car to be manufactured once and only for her, did he? What was he even thinking? He quickly shook his head and walked into the building. He sat down on his chair and fixed his eyes on the papers he had prepared and right now, he knew he had to win.

First, he had to win this Dangote project for their company so he would be able to win back the trust of the directors and the stockholders. And second, he had to win, if not for anything, but to spite her. He wasn't paying much attention to what was going on in the conference room until she stood up and began making her presentation.

The way she was raising her voice a bit, the way the words roll out of her mouth, he may not be able to see her face right now, but he had seen her presenting works for so long to be able to guess her expressions. Her voice...wait a minute, he had heard this voice somewhere apart from in meeting rooms.

He closed his eyes trying to think straight, but as much as he could, the only words that came back to him along with the voice uttered were...'I don't know why you're here, but by morning, I'd ask my husband, who surely is your father, to get you the heck out of my chamber. I wonder what the hell you're even doing here!' This same voice uttered this to him yesterday at night.

And in the morning, before he came out for work, this same voice that was speaking right now, had said this to him, 'I should be the one asking you this; I don't know if this used to be your chamber before you Dad married me, but I believe it's religiously not right to have you living in the same chamber with your stepmother, is it?' Right in the centre of his living and shortly after those words escaped her mouth, he told her that she was rather married to him, not his Dad.

He vehemently began to shake his head, it couldn't be. He couldn't be married to Yusrah at all cost. He wasn't sure, he couldn't see faces, remember? There was no way Fatima will have access to Yusrah and even convince her to marry him. No freaking way! He had to confirm it first, he had to! What in the deuce was happening to his life?!

Alhamdulillah, as promised; the 15 preview chapters have ended. There's 45 more chapters to go and y'all know it hasn't even started yet. ❤️

Head to OkadaBooks Or Selar to purchase the book at 1500 only. The links are on my bio. I'd appreciate your reviews! Thank you so much for your support so far❤️

With love,
Aishatuh M🌸