BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA.

"October 10th."

Mahnoor couldn't sleep since the day before and when the time clocked that date, she leaped from the bed and went to pray. That connection with her Lord, she wants it and some more.

She used the whole four hours praying, praying some more for ascendancy and felicity. She prayed to get back her happiness and buoyancy after all of this is over because the life she's been living is no fun, it makes absolutely no sense to her. She is just moving about without any motive so she will activate her old life again and live through with it, this one should dematerialize and never return.

She stood up from the bed she's been lying on, watching aloof without any emotion in her eyes. Ferrying to the ensuite, she stripped and entered the semi-oval shower cubicle. The ensuite is quiet pretty and cozy like all the other parts of the house with a nice twin basin, pink tiles all over the four walls, a shower cubicle and modern toilet.

Everything about Surayya's house screams nothing short of perfection for a woman as independent as she is. Not married, have no will to do so too. Her story, for another day like she's said.

Mahnoor didn't find it weird that there are some women that do not wish to marry in their lives. Oh, yes, it might take a toll on them one way or the other but it doesn't mean the marriage will not bring them joy.

For one, she should be amongst those women that never wish to fall in love or remarry again but she wants to keep giving life a try, she's always been a happy person and someone who accepts challenges with open arms. Whatever happens in her life has been planned, she might as well go with the flow and allow herself to feel loved. After all she's been through, she actually deserves this more than anyone else.

Maybe she won't be as open and vulnerable as she was at the beginning, but she won't stop trying either.

Done scrubbing and scouring some more of her ivory skin because the need to look extra clean and bold today is overwhelming, she stepped out from the ensuite wrapped in white towel. One secured around her thoroughly shampooed hair.

Her luggage was brought to her by Nufaisa. That lawyer is one smart woman, not leaving any stone unturned with the way she handled things. She never goes out alone whenever she is doing something related to this case and also do everything in disguise as prevention is better than cure, her motto.

She sat idly on the vanity stool, move forth her lotions and started rubbing all over her body with more delicacy and leisure. Anything to feel calm and collected and cool.

Today is the day. Everything needs to be done with utter perfection and flawlessness for anything less than that will flat her out and she's been planning for a very long time to permit anything come in her way. She's pictured everything unfolding, even the outfit she's seen in her dream, she managed to get them intact.

Her phone rang from the bed, she sighed and went to pick it up knowing this could be no one other than Asad. He takes that calling him everyday and talking for an hour straight serious because he's called her everyday and they talked for even more than the time she's said and she never minded.

He takes her mind off things with bits of jokes, jeers and teases which aided her mental health a lot. He made sure to bring her spirit up whenever she is down, always there to offer advises on what she should do and whatnot. He is a lover, a brother and at the same time, her tutor. She is one lucky woman, losing one brother and gaining the other.

And true to her words, Asad is calling so she went back to the vanity table, answered the call then put it on speaker.

"Good morning, little sunshine." He greeted mirthfully. Everyday comes with it's new nickname for her, she smiled at herself in the mirror seeing a little glimmer of life coming back in her eyes, a sign of triumph.

"Morning, daddy. How was your night?" She calls him daddy whenever she feels like flirting after a little fight they had months ago about her not taking care of herself.

He was fiercely mad that she's hurt her finger while cutting onions and kept scolding her like a father would. She was thinking about so many things at that time.

Susurrus came from the other end then a reply with his deep husky voice deepening for effects. "Filled with exquisite dreams about you. What about yours? Don't fold my hands."

Chuckling and rubbing some more lotion to her thigh and knee, she answered. "Oh, I won't fold your hands. I've dreamt about you too but in a different way. You know what's really bothering me now so yeah, that's that."

He groaned from the end of the line, rubbing a hand to his eyes to clear any sign of sleep and look at the calendar right next to his mirror. "October 10th" the day Mahnoor has been waiting for and the day his family are dreading with every pore of their being. Even he is dreading it because he cannot help feeling that something will go wrong and all they've planned will be washed down the drain, he cannot begin to imagine how shattered Mahnoor would be if things don't turn out well. He will make sure they do anyway, he's vowed and took an oath.

"Things are going to end well, In Shaa Allah. Have faith and raise your head high. My father has been having sleepless nights waiting for this day, which means things might get a bit messy. But with a lawyer like yours, I have strong faith my father cannot do anything macabre." Asad stood up from the bed and went to the mirror, stare at his own face in it.

He realized for the first time, he has never stopped to look at himself much in the mirror. He always does that only when he is getting dressed, see how the outfits looks if it needs any fitting or adjustments and then he is off the mirror but this time around, he is seriously watching his features now. And he's changed entirely, maybe not to every other person out there but there are transitions all around him that anyone close to him can detect immediately if they pay much attention on him.

There is a certain gleam in his eyes that's not been there a year ago, his face is aging a bit due to all the smiles he's endured during the last year and the felicity it's brought him. There are things he's done that he is most certainly proud of, maybe that is why he is this happy and unbothered.

Basically, this has everything to do with Mahnoor knocking into his life without warning. He's never felt anything relatively close to what he feels for her. Such strong emotion that love itself cannot describe, so powerful and mesmerizing.

She's always been the one for him, he didn't notice it then but he has now and everything shall fall into place. A week from now, their story will change so will their lives.

"Nufaisa makes even the weakest strong. I'm so glad Anila got her to work for me or things would've fallen brashly before it pinnacles." She murmured, playing with the edge of her towel.

"Yeah. Now what are you doing? I just woke up and I am already exhausted for the day ahead." He changed the topic but still brought it back, Mahnoor knew whenever he does this, he wish not to talk about the gargantuan problems in front of them.

Getting the hint, she decided to flirt to get her mind off things for awhile. "Just finished showering and about to get dressed. Which color do you think I should wear for today?" She's already planned on what to wear but if he suggests anything otherwise, she is going to go with it.

Asad shook his head at her failed attempt to get him all mushy. She is still naive albeit she always looks forward to proving otherwise. "In your towel you mean? I can bet you'd look much better without any color other than your skin but..." he bit his lip, permitting her to digest what he's said so she can stop blushing before he proceed. He knew she is blushing without an ounce of doubt.

"I knew you'd say such a thing. I'm going to wear clothes before I burn." She shook her head, a grin tilting the sides of her lips.

"Oh, no don't! Wear something black and grey, it makes you look daredeviltry and smart-alecky just like you want them to see. Do that makeup thing you do, the eyes part that tilts your eyebrow and makes your eyes look trenchant and calculating. Then stilettos and sunglasses, they'd suck their blood at the sight of you. Father will definitely trip at the sight of you. I'm sure he's going to be more galvanized at the woman you've become now and that sunglasses is supposed to shield your eyes away from them so whatever emotion that's going to spark within won't be seen by them as a sign of weakness...Am I making sense at all?" Asad stopped talking to breath, he is already picturing her in his head.

His father is definitely going to let his mouth hang at the sight of her, his mother will just look confused as always then keep a straight face like she isn't shocked. His sisters on the other hand don't matter because they themselves don't know who they are supporting. Their dead nephew's justice or their younger brother whom they love so much, they have no idea.

Asad, on the other hand stands for justice and will always endorse Mahnoor through thick or thin. Even if it means standing against his family.

Then his brother. The main part of the drama and twists. Aman is surely going to regret ever throwing words at Mahnoor after seeing how much she's taken time to scrub off the other innocent, naive childish one he's loathed to this mature, sophisticated and feminine one.

The type of woman he would want to show his other football friends and the media there in Portland. The same one he would want to take to his home as a wife because she is well groomed to produce heirs and not demand his presence. One that would survive a marriage of convenience without catching feelings.

Mahnoor was stunned into silence at the compassion and concern in Asad's tone, she smiled at herself in the mirror. Her heart thudded violently in her chest like it always does whenever she is speaking to Asad no matter how frivolous or trivial.

The way he takes his time to appreciate her for who she is, help her stand on her feet and even chide her when she is about to take a wrong step, she gets flooded with feelings. He makes sure to bring out the best in her, confirm that she is comfortable with herself then shoot out more things for her to exercise herself with. When he found out about how great she paints, he was overjoyed because he's been looking for something for her to do so she get occupied and not think too much about the past.

He was the first to buy her everything she needed for painting; palettes, rag, paper towels, acrylic paint, paint brushes, vanish and so on. He dumped them in front of her and said: "You are going to start painting now!"

He told her about the profits she can get and Mahnoor was thrilled at the prospect of doing something she loves -meant to occupy her thoughts- and also earning from it. The large sum he's mentioned encouraged her for she needs each shilling to get her father-in-law and husband punished for their crimes. She felt like no amount of money is sufficient, she worked harder each day for more better things in life.

"Now I cannot wait to get dressed. I'm going to make sure they don't only trip, they hit their heads and lost their memories." She chuckled at how heartless and brutal she sounded but they did all that to her. They managed to suck out the wicked woman within her childish interior.

Asad grinned suddenly, he's lightened her spirit yet again. "That's my girl. Now get your little self out of that room and start planning. We have four more hours left and I'm sure the people in my house are panicking. Things aren't going their way for the first time m, after all."

Asad further talked about his plans after things are done for the day which is to take her away from the state or even the country for a while. She needs a breath of fresh air, somewhere far away from Bauchi State and his parents. Somewhere they can build a new life but also come back home after things are much more settled and the media won't be more brutal.

Mahnoor decided that doing her makeup first before getting dressed is better hence her busy hands on the brushes in front of her. She never knew she could one day do makeup herself and look perfect like Asad had described but she did it anyway. Watching tons of YouTube videos, buying surfeit of makeup stuff for her practice and tutorials made her flawless which is why she's trusted the saying practice makes perfect more than she's ever done before. Now she is a pro when it comes to making up her face.

Her eyes are painted with dark kohl in panda style making her much more darker eyeballs to pop out some more against her ivory skin, an enormous contrast. For her lips, she went for scarlet blood lipstick and damn, she looks epic. When she smiled cruelly at the mirror, a smile she's been practicing because the minute Aman gets sentenced to prison, she is going to make sure she coruscates that smile at the Ajujis.

A smile filled with triumph that money and power won't always work against the other party and they shouldn't underestimate a woman just because she is from the lower class and from a village.

Most of all, they should underestimate the power and strength of a vengeful mother.

Taking off the coal colored Mango straight pants from the couch -she's already arranged the clothes she is going to wear to avoid further waste of time and trouble- she nestled her legs inside them leaving the button open. A midnight turtle neck body hug is what she wrestled her arms in, tucking it beneath the pants then use a matching Louis Vuitton belt to keep the pants around her slim waist, to help stabilize it's equilibrium.

She turned this side to the other, checking out how much she's gained from all the junks she's devoured courtesy of Anila and now, Surayya.

Her hand reach out for the reefer coat she wanted to use atop her outfit as the weather is getting chillier by the day, she changed her mind and went for the metal veil there. She tied it into a chic classic style then add the coat on top of it.

Damnation, even she knew the person staring at her in the mirror will not only eradicate but annihilate and asphyxiate millions of people. Especially the ones she is targeting, this whole look is for them.

Going for the ink Yves Saint Laurent cross body bag, she drape it around her shoulder then lowered it to her abdomen. Lastly, she picked her Jimmy Choo ebony stilettos in hand as she cannot prowl around in someone's house with high heels making irritating sounds that might wake Surayya up since she is not an early riser and...she is not an expert to walk on tiles with high heels. She is not about to break her neck when she hasn't achieved her goal.

To her surprise, she found Surayya making breakfast for them in the kitchen. Mahnoor wanted to take cereal and wait for Nufaisa to come fetch her up -something she demanded and entreated to do for more safety and precautions.

Surayya also looks ready for the day in her cider maxi dress featuring a keyhole neckline, bishop sleeves and a dark mocha belt in the middle. She's wrapped her veil in cross-neck style, legs strapped in mocha Louboutin D'Orsay heels and her tote bag on the kitchen island. Mahnoor smiled, she is not the only one that's dressed to kill, they want to assassinate.

"Good morning, dearest." Surayya greeted before Mahnoor could, earning a blush because she's caught her ogling at her from head to toe.

Looking down at the suddenly interesting tiles with a frown, Mahnoor acknowledged. "Good morning, Sury. How was your night?"

"It was great, I couldn't stop rolling around on the bed. The weather makes sleeping quite pleasant, don't you think?" She is making a conversation like always while flipping the pancake on fire.

Mahnoor noticed that her housemate for a few days is a nice person but not a talkative albeit she's trying hard with her.

With Mahnoor's thoughts preoccupied, she couldn't make good or nice ass long conversation with her but from the ones they've had, Surayya is a great person that have issues with her family because she doesn't want to marry. She also went on to tell her that no man has broken her heart to get her so against marriage at Mahnoor's question, she just doesn't feel like merging her life with any man's. She's heard a lot about marriage to not desire any part of it. Not the good or the bad. Fair enough.

"I slept-" she was cut off by the knock on the main door, her heart drummed unexpectedly. She is just too paranoid since yesterday night. "That should be Nufaisa right?" At Surayya's nod, Mahnoor made her way to get the door.

"Do check the peephole first though. Prevention is..."

"Better than cure!" Mahnoor called out, completing the sentence for her with a chortle. She's been meeting great people after leaving the Ajujis, such ominous home.

Checking the peephole, she beheld Nufaisa Rashidi in all her glory then opened the door gently as if afraid someone might bolt out from behind Nufaisa and seize her. Nufaisa shivered at the cold outside then hastily walked inside the safety of the house.

"It's motherfreaking cold out there." Nufaisa shivered some more, wrapping her arms around herself to take off the chill she's brought from outside. Then she eyed Mahnoor from head to toe. "You look ready to murder." Mahnoor grinned at the inside joke.

Together they walked inside and sat in the kitchen where Surayya served the pancakes, apple and grape syrup with hot mugs of coffee beside each plate. After their breakfast, they all retouched their makeups and other necessities before walking out of the house and locking it behind them. They are left with an hour and a half.