"So, let me get this straight" Rahma started, slipping her fingers into the envelop, "You work with Zarah?"

He nodded.

"So you're a lawyer too?" She brought out the contents of the envelop-a stack of papers that she didn't bother to check as she had her gaze fixated on him.

"I was a lawyer. I retired years back"

Her head slowly bobbed up and then down, "Oh" She muttered.

Noting the confusion in her eyes, he decided to explain further, "I worked with her parents. They were both good friends of mine. I retired a year after their death and since then, I've been looking after Zarah"

"You've also been helping her with her cases?"

His smile widened at her words. "I promise her father that I'll look after her, I'm just fulfilling the promise I made"

She still had so many questions about his relationship with Zarah. And although a part of her knows that it'll be rude to keep questioning him, the cautious part of her believed otherwise. "Why didn't she tell me about this?" She gestured to the papers in her hand, "About you?" She raised a brow.

"You stayed in prison so I'm sure you've played the game of cards before..." Her head tilted to the side slightly due to his reference. She didn't get what that has to do with their conversation. And he saw the confusion, so he continued. "...you don't lay all your cards right from the beginning. You keep some hidden if you want to win so that you can take your opponents by surprise. It's the same as in this situation. I'm your hidden card"

She nodded, content with the answer he gave her. Her eyes rested on the papers in her hand, skimming through it. "What is this, I don't understand"

"Let me explain from the beginning, or at least, from when I met Zarah yesterday evening"

"Thank you Uncle Sagir" Zarah flashed him a smile in appreciation, sitting on one of the couches.

He smiled back, though noting the lines on her forehead and how her shoulders slump. "Are you okay? You look worn out"

She sighed, massaging her temples with her fingers. "I guess it's that obvious" She muttered before clasping her hands together. She looked at him, leaning her hands on her thigh, "I just met Maria"

"What happened? Why did you meet her?"

"She had that guy beaten up. The one I paid to give her false information on Rahma. Uncle Sagir, he was so threatened that he refused to even look at me when I visited him earlier in the hospital!" Her voice rose slightly as she threw her hands up to prove her point. Her face reddened due to the anger she felt.

He watched her calmly. "So you think facing her will solve anything?"

"No" She shook her head, flexing her fingers repeatedly. "But I wanted to get a confession out of her. I can use that to sue her for harassment"

"And did you get anything?" He raised a brow, his voice trailing off at the end."

"Well, she was smart enough to know that I was going to record the conversation so she caught onto the plan. She took the phone from me and deleted it" Her gaze moved from him to the other items in the room as she tapped her leg on the floor repeatedly.

He didn't say anything. He waited for the sick turn.

When her gaze finally met his, her lips were stretched into a smirk, "She wasn't smart enough to notice the other one though" She added, tapping the ring on her finger.

He chuckled. He knew his friend taught his daughter well. She always has a trick up her sleeve just like her old man.

She removed the ring and turned it over for him to see the tiny recording device in it. She then stood up and handed the ring over to him, "Keep it with you and give it to Rahma when the time comes. I know it'll be soon so give it to her, it will help her"

His brows furrowed, "Why can't you give it to her yourself?"

She looked away, rubbing her hand across her face.

"Zarah..." He narrowed his eyes at her, "What did you do?"

She sighed as her shoulders slumped. She turned around to look at him, "I found out that she already knows Rahma is Rabia—which I'm not surprised by the way"

His pointed gaze made her blink rapidly. She knew he was waiting for her to finish telling him what she did.

"—And I threatened her"

"You what?!" He exhaled loudly, looking away for a second as he left the words sink in. "How could you threaten her?"

"I had to! I wanted to show her that the truth always prevails"

"She'll come at both you and Rahma now and you know that. What if she harms you?"

"Not us, just me"

"What are you talking about"

She sighed, her shoulders sagging a bit as she set her jaw tight. "I need a favor from you Uncle Sagir"

"What is it?"

She pressed her lips together. "I need you to invite Noah over tomorrow. He has to be here early, around the same time I visit Rahma. Make sure he sees me leaving the house and then give him a hint on us working together. Don't outright tell him because then you'll be exposing yourself" Her voice came out steady and low-pitched.

"You want me to expose you?"

"I want you to help me protect Rahma"

"How is this going to protect her?"

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled through her mouth. "Based on what I know, Maria values Noah's words and based on what Rahma told me, she had a good relationship with him. If Noah finds out that she's Rabia is his adoptive sister, he will not allow Maria to hurt her"

"How sure are you that he will protect her?"

She sighed deeply. "I'm not certain, I'm just going for any possible options here"

"And you?" He pointed out, "Who's going to protect you?"

"I can take care of myself. Besides, if anything happens to me, tell Rahma everything. It'll help her take Maria down, Maria would be digging her own grave by harming me"

Rahma couldn't believe Zarah planned out everything. She thought she knew everything that was going on but she was clearly mistaken. Zarah was much smarter than she gave her credit for. "Let me guess, you moved here when I did because of the case?"

He smiled but shook his head, "Actually, she found a house near me so I can keep an eye on you for her"

She clicked her tongue as she nodded. She glanced at the papers again, "What are these for?"

"Those contain details of everything of hers which she left in your care. Money especially. So you can use whatever it takes for the case. You're basically covered economically due to that"

Rahma's eyes widened as she snapped her gaze up to look at him. "She what?!" She chocked, making her cough a couple of times. Extending her hand out, she picked up a water bottle and gulped it down. When she finally calmed down, she looked at him again, "She left me all her money?"

He nodded.

"Why? I don't even know why she's helping me"

He pressed his lips together, wondering if he should tell her the truth or not. Then, he remembered that Zarah told him to tell her everything. "Someone paid her to help you. And the person gives her a lot of money simply for you to use in this case"

"Is it the same person that gave me that advocacy?" The person was the only one she could think of at the moment.

"Yes"

"Do you know him?"

"Yes"

"Can I meet him?"

His smile widened a bit as he blinked. "When the time comes. For now, you have to focus on proving your innocence. If you need anything, I'm right across the street" He pulled out something from his pocket and placed on the table for her.

She glanced at the flash drive, then rose a brow.

"The recording of her conversation with Maria is on there. I extracted it from the recording device. You can use this and the recording you have to sue her for harassment on not just one but two people. For Zarah it's attempted murder. She will be imprisoned for years" He explained, his face turning stoic.

She stared at the flash for a while before she shook her head, "It still won't be enough to prove my innocence. It will put her behind bars for the crimes she did now, but what of the one from ten years ago. If she goes to prison now, I have no means of getting out of jail till I finish serving my sentence."

He smiled. "She thought you'd say that" He picked up the envelope and pulled out the remaining papers she didn't bring out. He extended his hand out to her, handing the papers over. When she placed the other papers aside and collected it, he explained, "On that paper is the one person that can help you bring down Maria and prove your innocence. Zarah hadn't talked to him about it but she figured out a way for you to get him to help you" He pointed to the pictures amidst the folder.

Rahma flickered it open, eyes falling on the pictures. Her brows drew in when she noticed a familiar face. It made her turn the papers back to the beginning and read the name. She looked up, a brow raised. "Mubarak Saraki?"

He nodded, "Yes. He is your way of getting Maria behind bars for every crime she committed"

~*~

5th MARCH, 2017.

KANO, NIGERIA.

"Ameerah! Can you stop and listen to me, please!" Juwy yelled, exasperated as she threw her hands up in the air to gain Ameerah's attention.

Ameerah didn't say anything to her as she stormed to her closet and pulled out a pile of clothing. She placed them on her bed before picking it up along with the ones she placed there earlier, and stuffing them in her suitcase. "Nothing you say will change my mind Juwy"

Juwy gulped as she exhaled loudly. She scratched the spot above her right eyebrow, the wheels in her head turning as she thought of how to stop Ameerah. Not knowing what to do, she did the most impulsive thing she could think of at the moment.

She strode over to where Ameerah is and snatched the suitcase from her. "You can't just leave!"

Ameerah inhaled deeply, trying to reign in her anger and not vent it out on her friend who's hell-bent on irking her more than she already is. She gritted her teeth, hands fisting by her side, "Give me the suitcase Juwy"

"No" Juwy shook her head. If Ameerah was going to be stubborn, then she planned on doing the same. "You cannot leave" She repeated her earlier words, "You can't afford to keep missing lectures and everything related. You are already flunking Ameerah, badly--"

"Exactly!" Ameerah yelled, cutting her off. "I am already flunking which I know by the way is a lie. I can't be failing, I worked hard for everything I have up until this day. How could I have failed another test when I spent the entire night studying?"

"So you're going to run away simply because you're failing instead of getting better?" Juwy asked, folding her hands over her torso as she glared at Ameerah. "Newsflash Ameerah! You aren't the only one that failed. We all fail at a stage in our lives!" She didn't mean to be harsh towards her but she had to say it. She gets that failing is a big deal, but the way Ameerah is trying to handle it is simply wrong.

Ameerah scoffed as she shook her head furiously. "Not like this Juwy. This doesn't seem right"

Juwy huffed and rolled her eyes. She simply doesn't get Ameerah anymore. She's acting so different from the girl she knows. "Running off is your solution then? Instead of studying harder"

Ameerah didn't expect her to understand, but that didn't stop her for getting angry at Juwy for not understanding her. She felt so many emotions at the moment that she was basically an emotional wreck. She gritted her teeth, her jaw tight as she reached her hand out to explain her words, "I am going to end this, all this"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"By putting Tahir Shagari behind bars"

Juwy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, wanting to calm herself so that she won't say anything mean to Ameerah again. "Ameerah what does Tahir have to do with this?"

Ameerah gulped, eyes narrowed at slits. But her anger wasn't directed to Juwy. Rather, it was directed to the person who caused her to act this way. "So much"

Juwy laughed sarcastically. "Can you hear yourself Ameerah? You're trying to ruin your life because of Tahir? Isn't it enough that you filed a retrial against him with no evidence?" She stood close to Ameerah, placing her hands on her shoulder as she shook her a bit, "Listen to yourself Ameerah. Please don't ruin your future because of him and whatever baseless anger you have towards him"

Ameerah stared hard at Juwy. Stepping away from her, she let Juwy's hands fall by her side. When she spoke again, her voice sounded much calmer. "If I don't put an end to him, I will not have any future to begin with"

Juwy's shoulder slumped realizing she could do nothing to change Ameerah's mind. The girl is simply too stubborn. "And your family? What will you do if they find out"

Ameerah didn't say anything to her as she pulled her suitcase back and stuffed the rest of her clothes. She ignored Juwy's presence and pleads. She knew the girl only has her best interest in heart but she won't understand that she needs to do this. She has to do it. There's no going back since it's gone that far.

When she finished, she picked up the suitcase along with her phone and headed out, without a word said to Juwy. She ignored the stares she got from the people outside and simply headed out. She reached the car that was waiting for her outside. The driver took the suitcase from her and placed it in the trunk while she got in the back.

Once the driver got in and started the car, she brought her phone up and dialed the only number in her speed dial. She brought the phone up to her ear, "Hey..." She started once the person at the other end picked up. "Yes, the driver just picked me up. I'll be in Abuja as soon as possible. Let's get on with the plan"

~*~

6th MARCH, 2017.

ABUJA, NIGERIA.

Rahma tapped her finger on the table in front of her. Her eyes briefly glancing at the wall situated on the wall she's facing. The chime from the bell as a person walks into the coffee shop has her glancing at the door every time. The place wasn't the fanciest—it was hardly fancy to begin with and that was what she needed at the moment.

It's the last place you'd expect to run into someone she knows. Besides, if it so happens that someone she recognizes is there, the spot she sat would be hard for one to see her. It was the table farthest away from the others, tucked by the side yet close to the window so she could see outside.

She couldn't stop tapping her foot lightly on the ground. She wasn't sure this would work despite the assurance Mr. Sagir gave her. However, she has another option of blackmailing him. It wasn't what she would prefer, but she would do anything at the moment as long as it won't get her back in prison.

Besides, she has so many things that she could use to make him help her. Hopefully.

One of it though, she wanted to find the reason he did that. Amongst the things Zarah told Mr. Sagir to relay to her, that confused her the most.

"Mubarak? Alhaji Saraki's son?"

Zarah nodded, walking back to the couch to sit on it. She has so much to tell Mr. Sagir so that he can tell of it to Rahma, she didn't want the truth to die along with her. "Yes. He's the one"

"How sure are you that he sent her that message?" Mr. Sagir asked. He wanted to believe her, but without evidence it was basically a baseless accusation.

Zarah clasped her hands together, "His father told me he'd have someone look into it. He didn't tell me who but I'm completely sure that he gave it to Mubarak considering his knowledge and all"

"And he admitted it?"

She stared at him incredulously. He had been a lawyer for years, he should know that people don't admit that easily. "Of course not" She rolled her eyes, frustrated by Mubarak's tactics. "He said he didn't find anything"

"That's impossible" Mr. Sagir shook his head immediately, "He's a detective"

Zarah chuckled lowly as she intertwined her fingers, cracking her kuckles in the process. Her chuckle held no humor in it, and that piqued his attention. "That's the thing Uncle..." She looked up, "Mubarak made everyone believe that he's a detective but he's not"

His brows furrowed, "So he's a fraud?"

"No" She shook her head furiously. "No" She repeated. "Mubarak used that as a cover to hide the fact that he is working with the NIA. He's an intelligence officer there. By claiming to be just a detective, people won't doubt his ability to get information at any time he wants"

He nodded, catching up to her story about Mubarak working in in the National Intelligence Agency. That pretty much explains why he's so resourceful "But then, everyone that has influence knows that Mubarak can pretty much track anything or decode it. There's a reason they believe he's a good detective. He's a computer genius"

She nodded, "Exactly. And that concludes my theory. If he claims that there's a something he can't decode, and no one else could then..." She trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.

"...he has to be the one that created it"

Just as her train of thoughts ended, she heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up, her eyes falling on Mubarak's figure.

"Time to make an ally" She muttered.

~*~

It's been what? Two days??

Okur... Mubarak is now in the equation!

Would he agree?

Guy Zarah is smart!!

I have nothing else to say so good day.

Love, Jannah.