Jannah and Mariam went to have lunch and continue getting to know one another. It was refreshing talking to someone other than the people she got used to for the past three years and someone that is not Aisha, of course. Hearing about other people's point of view regarding life is makings her feel more alive. Like she is now on the right path of leading her own life not just by making her husband attracted to her.

Mariam is a nice person through and through with a misunderstood concept to the way she wants to lead her life. She's been thinking about so many things which she refused to tell Jannah because of privacy and whatnot. She went ahead to say Jannah would hate her when she finds out about the life she is leading so it's better to be safe than sorry. She wants them to be close friends which Jannah is questioning. They tell each other everything, friends.

"I can't just give you my friendship, Mariam. You are hiding so many things away from me and I don't want to feel like a fool in the future. I've had a few bad friendships in the past, I want no reawakening." Jannah pushed a piece of avocado in her mouth then grimaced, it tasted somehow.

Mariam stopped her fork from slicing through a tender meat, raise her head to look at Jannah. "I understand how you feel. But let's enjoy our stay in Maldives and I'll tell you everything in Nigeria, where the problem always is."

Jannah shook her head with a smile, she loves Nigeria! "Stop blaming your misfortunes on Nigeria, that's just a test from your part and not because you live there."

Mariam shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating. "You won't know that. A loving husband and a definitely cute or the cutest little kid, your life is perfect. Mine is far from it and I'm not even pursuing perfection, that's for suckers."

A chuckle escaped Jannah at the irony. Her life perfect? She wouldn't say that because her life is empty without Imara, her husband is anything but loving. Had it not been for Imara as a blessing to her, the world would've been a mosaic place where she lives and breaths only. There is no joy in her life but she's never been depressed, that's a blessing in disguise right?

"My husband is anything but loving. I have the cutest little girl in the world. She is energetic and the only light in my life, my solace." Jannah murmured and sipped her white nonalcoholic wine while staring out the glass wall of the restaurant at a beach that is busy unlike Bikini Beach.

"Your husband is also like those men? I told you but you wouldn't believe me. I don't like men, not in that sense anyway. I only want them because they are my key to success. If they give me five, I turn it into a ten and continue living." Mariam wanted to rant but she kept quiet, she is hungry too.

"Not that kind of man, Mariam." She smiled at the girl's confused face then went on before she could cut her off. "He is not treacherous."

Mariam's brow raised with interest, food forgotten for a second there. "Then what do you mean he is not loving? Is there anything worse than a man being openly disloyal? A womanizer that cannot keep his dick in his pants?"

Jannah's eyes widened at the way she said the word so casually, a blush blared all over her body making her sizzling hot. Aisha should meet this girl, they'll probably hit it off at the first meeting because what? The two of them are so unabashed and tawdry in things that are meant to be hidden especially in public. Why is she so... God. Jannah groaned in her head. Is she the only shy girl alive?

Getting rid of that reticence, she cleared her throat. "He is not loving but not because he is not loyal. It's entirely different."

"How?"

"He is just, I don't know how to put it. Let's say heartless and emotionless? Something along those lines because his nickname is actually Draco. Can you imagine?" Jannah shook her head because she wants to use more words to express herself and how she feels for her husband, they aren't sheafing together like always.

Mariam blinked at her, she doesn't understand a thing she's said. Everyone has heart and they have emotions whether they like it or not. No matter how broken, those emotions are there to live with you until you die. Then what is Jannah talking about her husband lacking those? Is he dead and she cannot say it?

"Wait, don't tell me you're talking about a dead person." Mariam tilted her head to the side, her eyes wide with sympathy.

Jannah frowned her face then laughed when she make sense of what her friend just said. "No, he isn't dead. He is very much alive, handsome, filled with virility and power and of course, excessive wealth."

She is getting her more mortified, Mariam decided to sip her wine. "Then who on earth doesn't have a heart? It makes no sense."

"Why don't we go and see him now? You'll believe me when you meet him." Jannah is ready to stand up, her daughter is probably hungry so she'll get a takeaway for her before they leave.

"You're right, I should see who is the lucky bastard for having you. And the ogre that is heartless. It's going to be a discovery." Mariam cleaned her lips with a frost napkin and stood up to take their takeaway from the counter.

Together the duo left the restaurant talking about everything and nothing on their way. Jannah felt happy to have someone who understands her. She badly wanted to ask Mariam her age, the wisdom in her words looks older than her face and body. Is she by any chance older than her in some twisted way? Because physically, Jannah looks older.

The walk back to the tent was faster than leaving it to go to the beach, probably because she is not alone now. Stopping outside the tent, she searched around the busy place as men worked vigorously doing God knows what. There are stuff there, many building cars she hadn't seen when she left and other building materials. She made her way inside without asking for permission, she's learned from the best.

Mariam stared at the place weirdly. Jannah mentioned that her husband is stinky rich so what is he doing in a tent? Or is it the new trend for rich people to not work from the office now? You never know with them, they are always weird with some twisted knowledge she wanted no part in. Not that she isn't rich herself but her work is totally different from theirs of course.

There were three men inside the tent and a little girl playing but the first person Mariam noticed was Adnan, a man with an imposing and powerful presence that was unusual for a man still only in his thirties. He stood out in the room looking tall, arrogant and completely at ease in pools of wealth, superbly fit and self-assured. Adnan carried himself with the ease of a man who was entirely comfortable with his own authority.

This must be the husband Jannah is talking about without an atom of doubt. His face is expressionless and his eyes are piercingly intimidating, enough to make your toes curl with desire and stomach quiver with fear and for one, she is not excluded. The power in his aura is too palpable and phenomenal and incarnated. She didn't remember when she dropped her eyes to the little girl sitting on the executive chair in the tent. That must be Imara.

Is it true that some people are really emotionless and heartless? What sort of pain could they have gone through to lack feelings like that? She cannot begin to think about it, she doesn't want to. Adnan is making her start to believe that people without emotions did exist. He looks extremely cold, detached from the world where he's built an empire.

Who doesn't know Adnan Ibrahim Attahir? The able known youngest billionaire in whole Africa?

Jannah should've told her his name, she would've known who she was talking about. But no one knows that he is married with a little daughter of three! Is he hiding them away? No wonder Jannah said he was heartless, he is indeed not loving at all. Then something happened, she watched with keen eyes.

Jannah approached him in a composed manner that annoyed Adnan for some reason. How dare she tag along with a stranger to his private tent? The men beside him excused themself when he dismissed them with his eyes, words weren't needed to read what is written all over his face. She is slowly starting to feel like the boss with the way she is acting. The little hellcat is learning way too fast and he is not sure whether he likes that or not.

She made him want to...well, he wasn't certain what, but it would begin with scooping her up and tossing her onto the nearby settee. It is so unlike him broadly admitting to himself that he wants to have his way with his wife right inside a small tent that'll do little to shield him from the people outside. And his little daughter is sitting right there. Damn!

Jannah stopped few inches away from him. He was very tall, his presence so forceful and vital that she felt a shock of awareness as he moved closer to her. As she glanced up at his handsome, arrogant face, all she could think of was how much she disliked him. And yet dislike had never made her mouth go dry like this. Dislike had never sent her pulse into a swift, tripping beat, nor had it knotted in the pit of her stomach.

She gulped when he came to stand right in front of her, towering over her small form. Before he could talk, she beat him to it intentionally.

"I brought my new friend. Don't tell me you know anything about her." She whispered, tip toeing a little on her own high heels. Is this guy getting taller everyday? cause damn!

He gave a brief glance at Mariam who's studying the both of them keenly. "I don't but she is not good for you. She doesn't look nice."

"I don't like nice people, you are not one." She replied back lowly, her eyes looking right inside his wondering why she was ever intimidated and afraid of him.

He raised that brow of his especially meant for her. "I never claimed to be but with your memory loss..." she's forgotten about that! "...I don't want you around bad influence."

Gulping, she is not the other Jannah. "But you are one."

"I never asked you to stay around me. You forced yourself into my life which isn't my fault, of course." He turned around to go back to his seat taking a busy Imara off it and placing her on his thigh.

Jannah followed behind him closely. "I'm going to bring her forward, do endeavor to say hi."

"I don't do that." He dismissed curtly, his eyes scanning something in his laptop.

"Then you should now or I get Imara in your case." He raised his head from his work, narrowed them slightly at her. She crossed her arms beneath her chest knowing this threat will slowly start backfiring.

Imara perked up at the sound of her name. "Mama, Imara hungry."

Jannah smiled and took her baby away from Adnan, he didn't feed her. The ogre in Mariam's words. "I brought lots of food for only you, Imy."

"And Dada?" She asked innocently, keeping her tablet on the table then hid behind her mothersy neck when she noticed Mariam standing there awkwardly.

Jannah looked at Adnan whose eyes were still on hers then answered her daughter while staring at him. "Dada is not hungry, baby."

She went forward to Mariam. "Say hi to Mama's friend."

"Hi." Imara smiled toothily at Mariam something she's never done to strangers. Mariam definitely have a special place in Imara's heart already.

Mariam slowly took Imara away from Jannah's arms, she acquiesced without her usual shyness shocking Jannah some more. Does she have a thing for fair people too? She had liked Aisha instantly too and same goes to Mariam. The only thing they have is light skin or she can see how pretty they are already?

"Hello, Imy. You are so cute." Mariam pinched her cheeks and made a baby face at the little girl who could only giggle.

She placed Imara down to eat then drag Mariam to the desk to she could say hi to Adnan but the guy ignored their existence there. Jannah blushed hard but she wasn't embarrassed in the least. What she felt? A proud beam in her heart that a pretty, the most beautiful woman she's ever seen is there in front of him but he didn't acknowledge her presence neither did he react to her earlier.

Her husband is anything but an apostate!

The two of them stepped outside the tent, Mariam biting her lip hard to stop herself from rambling but she couldn't hold on any longer when Jannah raised a brow in question. She let the things flow like a damn putrid sluice.

"Why didn't you tell me you were married to Adnan Ibrahim Attahir? I wouldn't have agreed to come here, not really but seriously! His name is enough to send me running the other direction. Do you know how hard it was for me to be in the same room as him? No wonder people say he is heartless, it is true! Did you see his eyes? How do you do it? Get him to talk to you nicely and even sleep with him? You known what? You are an iron woman. And he is clearly attracted to you! Did you see the way he looked at you? Like he wants to rip your clothes and have his way there in front of his daughter while these workers hear your loud moans as h-"

Jannah quickly closed her mouth with her hands begging her with her eyes to not finish that sentence. She's got no filter in her mouth, more words from her like that and she'll melt into puddle of inferno due to heat.

"Don't finish that, promise?" Jannah asked with wide eyes, her hand still closing Mariam's mouth.

Mariam smiled beneath her palm and nodded. "You are too innocent for a man like him but I hope you become corrupt and immoral as him." She said after the hand disappeared from her mouth.

"I hope not." She shook her head, her heart beating in her chest at what Mariam said.

Is it true though?