Abdulmaleek kept to his promise, the day after he came back to Nigeria he came to see Khairiyya who was so overwhelmed to see him, it was as if she had spent a year without him.

At first when he told Khairiyya he wanted to come and see her, she immediately suggested it was better they met at some restaurant instead of Abdulmaleek coming home as usual. She opted for that since they had problems ahead of them, she just wouldn't risk her mother seeing them together after all her pleadings. Khairiyya tried all the best she could to hide her problems from him but he still noticed and asked why she was looking so pale. She just shooed the question away saying she had being working too much in the fashion house.

They were at Blucabana Restaurant which was one of the best restaurant in Abuja, it was both Khairiyya's and Abdulmaleek's favorite, they went there on dates each time Abdulmaleek was in Abuja. Since today was another special day like every other they decided to celebrate it there.

Abdulmaleek was about calling the waiter who as if on cue arrived and bowed politely. "Good day sir, you're welcome to our restaurant what would you and your beautiful lady like to have?"

Abdulmaleek smiled at the waiter "Japanese shredded beef, mozzarella sticks, Blucabana salad and mixed fruit juice for mi lady." He gestured at Khairiyya to tell the waiter what he wanted.

"Chicken Piccata, Caesar salad, Buffalo wings and diet Coke for my love." The waiter nodded and left to get what they ordered.

After the food was served, they began eating the delicious and mouthwatering food in silence until Abdulmaleek's phone began ringing, it was like something asked Khairiyya to peep into the phone to see who the caller was, her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. Abdulmaleek glanced at the phone once and averted his gaze back to his food and continued eating.

"Pick you call." Khairiyya stated calmly

"There's no need for that, let it keep ringing." He said nonchalantly taking a sip of his drink.

The phone kept ringing without him worrying about it, Khairiyya was getting used to that. Each time that particular number called he would never pick no matter how many times the caller would call and she wondered why he always did that. She made up her mind to ask him why.

"So who is this Muneera that keeps calling you and you keep ignoring her calls?"

Abdulmaleek dropped his cutlery and fixed his gaze on her, rubbing his sideburns, Khairiyya admired that.

"She's someone you wouldn't want to know and I ignore her calls because there are a waste of time if I must say."

Khairiyya wasn't convinced "I don't get what you mean by someone I wouldn't want to know, is she some bad person or a ghost, does she scare people, or does she bite?"

Abdulmaleek laughed. "You're really funny my baby, she's not all what you mentioned but she's someone who I think isn't worth knowing to you my love, so I'd appreciate if we leave it like that without going any further okay?"

Khairiyya nodded her head, she knew what he meant by that, she understood who the so-called Muneera was to him, and the reason why he ignores her calls. Abdulmaleek continued eating his food until his phone began ringing again, he looked at the phone and shook his head, Khairiyya stretched her hand and picked the phone.

"Hello." Khairiyya uttered warily after picking the call.

"Yes." A voice that sounded like venom in her ears stated from the other side.

"So how are you doing?" Khairiyya asked sarcastically.

"Please can you give the phone to the owner?" The girl asked politely, Khairiyya felt like pushing her hands into the phone and dragging the girl out.

"Excuse me, I'm the owner of the phone and my name is Khairiyya what of you? Maybe it's a wrong number I guess."

"Uhum....." Was only what that girl said before ending the call. Khairiyya laughed giving the phone a piercing look. God saved that girl, she'd have shoved real sense into her head if she hadn't ended the call. Khairiyya knew how she was when it came to people messing with someone she was in love with. She was a protective little b**ch when it came to Abdulmaleek. She just couldn't imagine sharing him with any other girl or imagine him being with another lady. That alone made her feel nauseous and sick. The love she had for him couldn't stand that.

Abdulmaleek sat looking at her in amusement, he loved how overprotective she gets when things like that happen.

"She should stop calling you or else, I don't have to tell you the rest, you know what I can do." Khairiyya threatened making Abdulmaleek chuckle.

"Yes mi lady, I know she wouldn't call again after hearing you voice so I'm very sorry."

Khairiyya smiled at him. "It's alright." She knew Abdulmaleek like the back of her hands. She knew he doesn't hide things from her so she wouldn't pester him to tell her who the girl was, he would tell if there was the need to know. She wouldn't even worry or stress herself because of the girl. She trusted Abdulmaleek and knew how he loves her so he wouldn't even spare that girl a glance, her instincts deep down were telling her she was way beyond Muneera's league. Only a low-class girl would keep calling a guy even after he ignores her calls.

Abdulmaleek loved it when Khairiyya never pushes him or pesters him to tell her what she wasn't ready to tell her. He loved it when she let him have his space and privacy. Moreover not everything was worth knowing.

He knew this wasn't the first time Muneera was calling in Khairiyya's presence, and he kept ignoring her calls, it would make Khairiyya suspect something no matter what, but she had never said anything until today, he admired that about her unlike other ladies who would let hell break lose anytime a girl gives their boyfriend a call.

He wondered what he would do to fish Muneera out of his life, he was a calm person so he wouldn't trouble himself because of her but he surely knows how to get rid of her. He had tried showing her in a thousand ways he wasn't interested in her without verbally telling her but she couldn't understand. He didn't want her to feel bad after telling her there was no place in his heart for her. But he was left with no option but to verbally tell her he wasn't interested. What does he even need another lady for when he had Khairiyya, she was enough for him in a thousand of ways. Moreover that girl didn't even meet his taste.

Abdulmaleek remembered the first day he met her, that faithful day his father sent him to give some documents to a family friend who happened to be her father. She was the one who answered the door when he knocked and how she stood by the door looking at him for almost 60 seconds made him take steps back thinking she wasn't in her right senses. She stood looking at him without even blinking until he told her he was here to see her father.
He gave the documents in a jiffy and left the house immediately. He wasn't at ease with the way that young girl that wasn't up to 20 kept looking at him without even blinking, as if she'd never seen a human being. And since that day, he wondered where she got his number from because she made it a habit of calling him everyday until he stopped picking her disturbing calls sometimes asking him when they would meet. He found all that funny, how a little girl like that was trying to ask him out.

He was so lost in his thoughts until Khairiyya poked him with a fork, she smiled mischievously and stuck out her tongue at him

"Ouch you know that hurts right?" He massaged his arm where she poked him.

"Yes I know but what you're doing hurts more."

"And what is it I'm doing, I didn't poke or pinch you right?"

"You're thinking of something and I don't like that, I'm the only person you're allowed to think of. I'm here so what else remains?" She pout her lips.

"I so much love this part of you where you're all complains and babyish, it makes me want to keep staring at your beautiful face. I'm sorry for thinking of another thing and not you. I've totally forgotten that I'm only supposed to think of Khairiyya." He laughed wholeheartedly and she joined him.

He raised his glass to a toast "Cheers my beloved. This is to the beautiful and wonderful future ahead of us sweetheart and for being the everything I've ever desired." Khairiyya just smiled because she might begin crying if she tried to say something. Saying she was madly in love with this man would be a terrible understatement.

********

Khairiyya knocked on the door of her mother's room and after she opened it Khairiyya went in, their relationship was improving after all what happened. Khairiyya would keep pleading with her until she agreed and gave her consent.

She sat on the fluffy white rug in the room while her mother sat on the bed. "I asked Shafa to call you when I came back from the hospital and she said you went out right?"

"Yes mummy, and she also told me you asked of me when I returned that's why I came. So how was work?"

"Khairiyya." Her mother called ignoring her question.

"Yes mummy."

"Who am I to you?"

Khairiyya looked at her mother in confusion "Excuse me mummy, I don't understand what you mean."

"Who am I to you?" She asked again.

"You're my mother."

"Very good. Now tell me where you've ever seen a daughter disobeying her mother and not doing what her mother wants." Hajiya Maryam stated calmly looking at her daughter.

Khairiyya sighed defeatedly. "Please mummy I'm sorry."

"And where have you ever seen a daughter making her mother cry?"

"I've never seen that and I know I'm the worst daughter because I made you cry please forgive me mummy, I'm very sorry."

"Khairiyya you'd feel as if I hate you and I'm forcing you to do certain things against your wish but I'm not, I'm doing all this out of love and care for you because you're my only daughter. I want to marry you off to someone I know would value, love and take very good care of you just how you're being taken care of in your father's house. I want you to have and enjoy all the luxury and enjoyment in this world without being worried about anything. Khairiyya I want you to live in happiness and peace after having all the luxury in this life, yes I know riches and luxury is nothing without happiness." She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulder where her silky curls lay.

"I don't want you to have a life like your aunt Aisha, you very well know what she's going through in that marriage that has turned her into a depressed woman everyone pities. Our parents did everything possible to see Aisha doesn't marry Suleiman but she was head over heels in love with him, she rebelled and we were left with no option but to let her marry him. Aisha was no match to that low-life husband she got married to, Aisha is and would never be a match to him, you very well know the elite family she came from while he was only a middle-class business man then. I'm afraid to say it's nemesis that caught up with her because she refused to listen to our parents. Khairiyya I'm not praying for nemesis to catch up with you later in life but you would never want what happened to Aisha to happen to you right? All her sufferings happened because she got married to that worthless Hausa man." Hajiya Maryam looked at Khairiyya whose face was now flooded with tears.

"Khairiyya these Hausa men are full of deceit, lies and all the bad things you could ever imagine. A Hausa man would always be a Hausa man no matter where he was born or brought up in that's why you shouldn't trust him. Khairiyya, Abdulmaleek doesn't deserve you, you deserve someone better than him, someone who is of the same tribe and ethnic group as you, someone who would spoil you rotten with all the money in this world. I always wonder what you saw in that man, I mean there are a lot of men that can worship the ground you walk on if you give them the chance. These men are affluent, handsome, powerful and whatever you'd ever desire in a man, yet you chased them away because of Abdulmaleek. They are waiting for the slightest opportunity to have you because they know how valuable you're, you're a beauty and only the elites, royals and magnates can marry you not just little boys who are struggling to buy cheap cars and cheap clothes that just a piece of your earring could buy." She touched the diamond studded earring on her daughter's ear.

"Khairiyya place yourself in my shoes, how would you feel if the daughter you gave birth to does this to you, the daughter that spent nine months in your womb, the daughter you brought up with so much love, happiness and all the luxury a person would ever desire, that daughter which you love so much and placed above all your other children. Just tell me how you would feel if that beloved daughter chooses a man over you because she can't let that man go and because she loves that man so much. I know you'd feel like disowning that daughter or counting her out of your other children because she doesn't value your happiness, all she cares about is a man." Hajiya Maryam wiped the tears that rolled down her Kohl lined eyes.

"Khair a mother would never do all what I've mentioned to her daughter because she loves that daughter so much and want only the best for her. Khairiyya I want the best in life for you. I know letting go of someone you love very much is not easy but please I want you to leave Abdulmaleek for my sake and I promise you that you'll be blessed with someone better than him, someone who would love you more than he does, someone who would spend lavishly on you more than he does. You're always in my prayers and you know how strong and powerful a mother's prayer on her children is, do this for me and you would be blessed the more because you've pleased and followed your mother's orders."

Khairiyya raised up her head to look at her mother in shock and her mother nodded her head.

"Yes Khairiyya I want you to forget about Abdulmaleek." Khairiyya broke into tears and her mother enveloped her into a hug whispering more manipulative words into her ears.

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15/08/2020
Yours JaddahBaba❤️