OMNISCIENT
Zafeer released a huge breath before picking up a marker, he closed his eyes and opened the lid. He knew he was strictly warned by his psychiatrist but he felt as though he was fully back on his feet again, it was high time he beat his brain out.
"Out of two million, only three hundred are capable which leaves us with one million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, seven hundred lives" He effortlessly calculated and drew a graph on the board.
Zafeer drowned himself in the comfort of mathematics, forgetting about the outside world and all his worries. Currently, his upper body was bare and the floor was filled with calculations that contained raw facts he managed to gather with analyses, one would think he was a maniac with the way he was writing on the floor, the board, and cardboard filled with calculations. He felt a sudden rush of satisfaction, like someone who had his daily dose of medicine.
When he raised his head, that was when he saw that it was already time for subh prayer. He spent over nine hours in this room without knowing it, he quickly wore back his shirt and sauntered out of the room.
Zafeer performed ablution and switched on his phone, only to see that he missed forty-three calls from Junaid, twenty-one from Turad, eighteen from Sabreen, and even ten from his mother. Why the hell were they calling him like that? Oh yes, he broke the rule of not entertaining himself with raw figures. He ignored their popping messages and called Adrian Peterson, his assistant. The guy said he studied cybersecurity, so he must have some computer knowledge.
"Sir," He heard Adrian's groggy voice trying to sound professional.
"Find out every single detail about the governor. I want the results later at the office," Zafeer ordered before ending the call and strutting to the mosque, knowing that his family was hunting him like police officers and a criminal.
*
Early in the morning, Marwa sashayed out of the house without eating her breakfast and even waiting for her mother, it wasn't even seven o'clock yet. Yesterday, she neither found sleep nor peace, many sensations surged through her nerves, she did not want to be weak at such a tough time.
Marwa was dressed in a dark slate grey coat atop Alice blue shirt, she then coupled it with antique white sweatpants and white Adidas sneakers, and an antique white veil was beautifully draped around her head in the hijabi way. Even though she has always loved sneakers all her life, it hurt her to know that she couldn't buy a good one for herself, all the designer sneakers were either from her uncle who she loathes now, Shukrah, or her cousin-brother, Fawzan.
"Ah! So early, Miss Marwa," The gateman flashed her a smile as he opened the gate for her, and she got in.
"Yes, I just came to meet with Shukrah before going to work," She partly lied. Yes, she came to meet with the family but her main reason for coming is to hunt her uncle, he is her new prey and her detriment, and she won't let him get away with it.
Fawzan, who just finished his morning jog, saw her and he beamed but quickly frowned when he saw her puffy eyes. From afar, she studied his expression and he looked forlorn, she felt glad to know that she was not the only one opposing Omar Hassan.
"Sisto! What happened to you?" Fawzan gave her a side hug and asked, she took her time to sniff his calming scent before raising her eyes to meet his.
"It's just the bilious weather taking a toll on me," She shrugged, her eyes not giving away any emotion even though her voice was hoarse.
"I won't buy that, now tell me what really happened to you," He folded his arms like a grumpy kid which earned a light laugh from her.
"You know what already, stop acting like you don't. I came here to meet him anyway," Marwa uttered and Fawzan looked at her, knowing that she came here to do what he thought, stop the marriage.
"You probably despise him right? Don't worry, I am fully supporting you," Fawzan laughed when she widened her eyes in astonishment, thinking how he knew her well.
If Marwa had given him a chance, the two would have looked so good together. He understands her so much that it scares her sometimes, making her wonder how he is so comfortable with a person who wants to attack his father. Fawzan is the sweetest brother she ever had which is why she loves him so much.
Side by side, they entered the house and trudged to Sumayya's room, only to meet Shukrah all dressed up in a Balmain Aegean-colored blazer with the same colour of slacks and Lacoste cornsilk button-up shirt underneath, her feet were encased in silver Fendi stilettos with her head covered in a cornsilk veil. She looked so different from Marwa who was dressed like a street girl, well, she believes she is one and acts like it.
"Shuks!" Marwa hugged her best friend, she missed her now that both of them were interns and would not meet in the school anymore, till after three months.
"Yes, yes," Shukrah answered and loosened the hug, even though her model-like face was decked up lightly, her eyes still showcased sadness and helplessness.
"I missed you for like forever, you know. When are you coming over?" Marwa nudged her, Shukhrah's smile widened.
"You mean after all this--I mean what my father is doing--You are still going to continue being my friend?" She dumbly asked.
"Are you crazy? Who said I'll lose my best friend over a silly move her father did," Marwa grunted and the siblings laughed.
One thing about Marwa is that she doesn't judge a person based on his or her parent's ill behaviours or what was said to her about them. But whenever she finds out you did something wrong to her, it'd take her forever to forgive you and even if she does, she'd never stop talking about it.
"I love you Plumpy Snub, thank you so much," She squealed and embraced her tightly.
"For once, the two of you should stop naming me. First, it was Hamma who called me Short Soul, and now you? Plumpy Snub? Seriously?" Marwa huffed in annoyance.
"That is because you are short and a soul," He laughed but the laughter quickly died down when he followed Marwa's line of gaze.
There stood Sumayya Omar Hassan, she had just come out of the bathroom in a white bathrobe, her hair was damp. Marwa is a psychologist, she already knows that her aunt spent minutes crying in that bathroom, and with the huge bags under her eyes, Sumayya looked so unlike herself she even lost weight.
"Aunt!" Marwa quickly sprinted to where she was standing and steadied the figure that was about to fall.
"You are my only hope, Marwa. Please stop your uncle from getting married, I don't want him to, I may die if that happens," Sumayya let the tears flow freely, she dampened Marwa's coat, not that the girl cared.
Marwa felt the anger resurfacing, she took deep breaths to help her but all in vain. It baffled her how a man would watch his wife looking devastated and utterly dejected but would still be adamant about getting married. What kind of heartlessness and inhumanity is that?!
"Where is uncle?" She snorted when she said the last word, unable to believe that the person she called her uncle was nothing but a monster.
"Marwa you--" Fawzan started before she cut him off.
"Hamma Fawzan, don't try to calm me down, I might end up venting it on you. Just console Aunt for now," She narrowed her eyes into slits, invisible steam oozing out of her ears.
They are scared of this side of Marwa, the girl looks murderous and they know better than to interrupt. Goodness gracious, this is why she hates everything related to relationships. Love is not for her, she vowed never to fall for someone who would make her cry, her tears are too precious. Marwa once said she would never marry and the girl meant it, she even received a four-hour lecture from her mother.
Presently, she is making her way to the library where Shukrah told her he is. She saw the man calmly sipping his Earl Grey tea and reading a newspaper. The audacity!
"I knew you would come, Little Inferno," He cracked a smile without looking up at her which angered her the more.
"You are the cause of your wife's melancholia and yet, you don't even care about it. All because of you, Mami had to slap me yesterday, my sister was crying. Your children may be afraid to confront you but I will not. You will never marry my mother as long as I am alive," She thundered, not giving a damn about her manner of words.
Omar Hassan looked at her with an amused but wicked smile, Marwa was not the least intimidated by him. The girl was infuriated and rage like that came with dauntlessness.
"As for my wife, do not poke your nose in family matters like this. It was your stubbornness that led to the misunderstanding with your mother, how does that concern me? I love Nafisa and I want to marry her, I will take care of her better than my brother did. It is left for you to choose, do you want us to live together as one big happy family under the same roof or sever all ties with me which includes your school fees, foodstuffs, eighty per cent of your rent money, and even your mother's skin care product business," He leisurely leaned on the adjustable chair and watched with keen satisfaction at how her face paled, but before he could do anything, Marwa quickly regained her composure.
"To hell with all your filthy wealth, you goddamned man! And as far as every bill is concerned, get ready to be shocked because I will work harder to provide for my family, take away all that you have given to us but don't you dare think you are doing us a favour. I hate favours, got that?" And with that, she grabbed the stack of files beside her and then tossed it in his direction.
Marwa was at a temperature of two thousand degrees Celsius of anger, that man has no respect for women! How dare he utter something about loving her mother when he has a responsible wife, and she hates being helpless and weak. Atop that, she despises it when someone brags about their wealth. The same God that created wealth is the same God who made the poor so why look down upon them?
"I will never marry your wretched second-hand mother, she will remain bad luck no matter where she goes. The spirit of bad luck is cast on your family that is why you will never be happy or rich in your lives, poor trash," He snorted with an air of haughtiness.
"I don't mind you insulting me, I have endured that for all my life but don't you dare utter a word against my mother again, fucking Omar Hassan" Her murderous red eyes scared the shit out of him, he didn't even know when he started shaking with trepidation. Marwa is a barbarous hoodlum, she can decide to attack him at any time.
"Your children and wife are way better than you are. Henceforth, Marwa Kabeer Hassan will be your worst nightmare, I am going to traumatize you so cruelly that you regret ever saying something against my mother, mark my words," She bounced out of the room, her sneakers making majestic sounds. Marwa had never been so enraged in her life, her despise for the royals could not even be compared with what she felt for her father's brother, she thought life would be all good but she was wrong, the same life proved her otherwise.
"Let me take you to your workplace, Marwa," Fawzan grasped her hand.
"Tell me, why are you being so nice to me? I am bad luck, aren't I? Get the hell away from me," She pushed him off with all the strength she possessed.
"He did something and I am going to get back at him. Now listen to me carefully, you are not bad luck and you will never be, let me take you to your workplace. Please Marwa," He made an attempt to grab her but she aimed straight at his jaw and punched him, suddenly wanting to be violent.
"Is that the person you call your father? A person who insults your mother because he doesn't know the pain of childbirth. He was born by a woman, raised by a woman, has a daughter, and yet, he has no fucking respect for women? Better get Aunt and Shukrah out of this house, away from this toxic motherfucker who makes his wife cry every time. If you love your mother, don't let her get a heart attack because of this man, now if you may excuse me," With that, she furiously stormed out of the living room with the urge to yell, beat, cry and punch someone altogether. She hated emotions, fuck, she hated to love and care, they were just a mere fallacy!
Marwa hailed a tricycle and hopped in. The moment it dropped her off at the hospital, she paid the driver and strutted to the hospital, only to bump into none other than Prince Turad, he just arrived and was on his way to visit a patient he had bonded with, the person he operated on.
As usual, the prince was clad in a white double-breasted Givenchy suit, his white necktie was knotted flawlessly, and on his feet were white Christian Dior office shoes with a silver Timex wristwatch. He was baffled to see Marwa appearing like she was being chased by someone, her strides were faster than usual and her now crimson cheeks had doubled in size, not that he was surprised about her thuggish outfit.
"What happened to you, Marwa?" He asked and steadied her, he wanted to know what infuriated her.
"Leave me alone, Prince," She muttered and was about to push past him when he held her back.
"Tell me what ruined your mood," He was persistent, not caring about the looks he was earning from passers-by.
"Before I regret my actions, just stay away from me, Turad Ibn Harith Baghdad!" She looked into his eyes with a defiant expression.
People who heard that gasped, who dared to call the prince by his name? Not even the ex-queen bee had ever done that. Turad knew it, she was furious, something must have triggered her and he sure as hell is yet to know what. He dragged her away from the prying eyes, ignoring her sounds of protest. When they arrived at his office, he pushed her inside and locked the door then dialed his brother's number.
"Bro, you have to come here now. It is very urgent," Turad talked in a hushed tone, even though the door and walls were soundproof, she might be leaning.
"What I am doing is more urgent, can you allow me to focus on one thing now?" Zafeer, who was looking at the governor's undercover crimes, replied. Before he made it to the office, the psychiatrist had to come and check up on his brain due to his mother's worries self, she still didn't believe he recovered from his mental disorder.
"It is about Marwa," The moment Turad said that Zafeer left the papers and sprinted out of the office, not caring if he was not being composed, Marwa got to him.
Adrian Peterson, who was waiting for his boss to commend his work, now stared with mouth ajar at how the Crown Prince, who looked like the world was made just for him due to his arrogance sprinted out of the office with a worried expression on his face. Back in the office, Turad sighted Marwa curled up like a ball under his gigantic white mahogany table, he passed her a glass of water but she didn't even look at him.
"Why do you care about me? I will only bring bad luck to your life as I have done to my own family. Even after telling you that I hate royals, you still didn't give up on being my friend," She mumbled abruptly. Turad paused his movements to process what she said before he smiled, a wide one at that.
"I have never seen a girl with so much spirit, attitude and fearlessness in her like you. Whoever said you are bad luck should fuck up because, to me, you are my good luck charm Marwa," He lightly chortled.
Marwa found it hard to believe him, her uncle already poisoned her mind against everyone and everything. The more she looked at all the things she had done in life, the more she realized how much of a horrible person she was, she couldn't even keep her mother happy.
"Prince, why didn't you do anything to me when I barged into your office?" She questioned something that had been running through her mind since.
"Because I know that Marwa Kabeer Hassan is the only person capable of doing that, the unique and cute female hooligan," He replied with so much enthusiasm that she couldn't help but chortle.
"Thank you, Prince. At least you made me feel better," She sincerely thanked him, a feeling of solace evolving in her once again.
"It will always be my pleasure. I'll get going now, but Marwa, feel free to let it all out, the walls of my office are soundproof" He laughed and she gave him a thumbs-up before he left. He saw Zafeer's call and he immediately knew that the guy had arrived. He sent him Marwa's current location before leaving her alone in the white room.
Marwa listened to his advice, and with the chilly temperature caressing her tender skin, she silently let the tears out, regretting that she didn't use something to harm her uncle, anything that would leave a scar. It wasn't long before she heard a presence, thinking it was Turad, she uttered without raising her head.
"Why did you come back, Prince?"
The person sat down on the floor beside her, he removed his expensive reloaded Lugard beige-coloured suit that was capable of purchasing the houses in Marwa's entire street and wrapped it around her. She was instantly overwhelmed by the pleasant and manly cologne of the luxurious perfume.
"Who said it's Turad?" The deep, husky voice that was filled with a British-Arabian accent talked, the only voice that intoxicated her insides, not that she would admit it.
Marwa raised her eyes, only to see the Crown Prince Zafeer Ibn Harith Baghdad in all his might sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her, his beautiful face and sharp jawline made her breath hitch, the black baby hairs, and sideburns, and how his Adam apple bobbed up and down had her thinking if the man was a human being and not the creepy jinn from hell, he looked too perfect. For a moment, she even forgot that she was crying.
"Hey creepy jinn, why are you stalking me?" She choked like a grumpy kid.
"You can stop asking that and cry your heart out now that you have a shoulder to lean on, I am your creepy jinn from hell anyway. Cry till there are no tears left, I suck at consolation so manage this for now," He cracked a laugh and she smiled ruefully before leaning on his shoulder, a surprisingly familiar feeling embracing her.
Zafeer listened to Marwa's silent tears even though it hurt him like hell, whoever dared to touch her shall pay for it. He felt relieved that she was finally letting her emotions flow, those apathetic eyes had seen the worst of days, and it was time for them to experience the bright side of life.
"He called me and my mother bad luck, he insulted her as though she meant nothing and he acted so nonchalantly. I can tolerate the insults but Mami is my weak spot, by God, I want to kill that man," She didn't know when she blurted it but she did, her fists clenched tightly.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud," She frantically apologized and sat up, Zafeer looked at her with eyes full of emotions. Was it infuriation or sadism? She couldn't say, but those enigmatic black orbs yawed coffee brown in a matter of seconds that she almost wondered if she was hallucinating.
"Do not feel uncomfortable around me Marwa, I am not a bad person," She saw the sincerity lying beneath those beautiful orbs, the longing to say something but nothing came from him. For once, she opened up to someone she thought she despised, it surprised her and at the same time made her feel good.
She told Zafeer about her uncle's threats and every hurtful word he said to her that cursed morning, excluding the financial problems they were facing, she wouldn't cower away and degrade her self-respect, she neither wanted sympathy nor help from anyone!
Marwa had no idea the volcano she just erupted by telling who she thought was a calm and down-to-earth person like Murad Shakur. It was just like giving a hyena to keep meat, which of course would munch on it the moment you leave the place.
*
"Now, let me tell you something about my gifted twin brother that only close family members know about. But because you are his therapist, I thought it is important that I tell you," Junaid uttered and smiled at her.
Later that day, Zafeer brought her back home after making sure she filled her stomach with a taste of heaven. In other words, food from the palace. It was brought for Turad and the kind man did the honors of letting her eat all. Khayr was so kind, she made sure to see her friend just so that she could confirm Marwa was doing alright.
Currently, they were in Junaid's car while she listened to the secret he promised to disclose. Yes, she reconciled with her mother after telling her whatever had happened that morning, Nafisa apologized for her silliness and promised to never decide something without her daughter's consent again. Marwa also found out that Fawzan moved his mother and sister out of the house because the man kept howling insults at them. Such a cantankerous attitude.
"I am all ears," She leaned against the headrest, expecting to hear something unpleasant from the looks of it.
"My twin brother may appear scary, arrogant, and cold but Murad Shakur is a fragile person who is yearning for love and support. At the age of fifteen, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia," Junaid sighed when he heard her shout.
"What?" Marwa closed her mouth, if she thought her past was traumatizing, then Murad's was on a whole new level. Of course, she knew what that meant, it was related to her course after all.
"Yes, Murad was a broken child who dwelled himself in the confines of mathematics, he could spend three days without food and sleep, his room back then was filled with engraved mathematical analysis, it wasn't a pleasing sight. He was so lost and kept screaming incoherent words. Thankfully, a professional psychiatrist came from India and healed him since it wasn't that chronic, but he had a mental disorder,"
"He majored in quantity survey for his first degree but when his mates were in level one maths, he was already ahead of them with level four, his master's degree was in economics, he couldn't live without mathematics and all of us were scared he might go crazy again. Marwa please, do anything you can to help my twin brother, you are the only one who can do this because he feels comfortable around you," Junaid looked at her with pleading eyes that made her more determined than ever to make Murad come out of his shell.
"I will try my best, even if that means he will be my only patient for the whole internship phase," She mumbled to herself, turned out there was a story more horrible than hers.