Ava and Farah left the campus, but as they were making their way towards the gate. Ava's gaze shifted towards the entrance, and there she saw Ibrahim, standing tall and imposing, wearing black suit and white shirt underneath. And Students around were turning their heads, whispering about him. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Ava among the students.
Ava furrowed her brow and muttered to Farah, "Why is he here? Samir or Faisal should be here instead." Farah reassured her, "Go to him; we'll meet tomorrow." With a quick goodbye, Ava separated from her friend and approached Ibrahim. Upon spotting her, a warm smile crept across Ibrahim's face. He greeted her, "How was your day, Ava?"
Ava nodded, "Let's leave this place. Everyone is staring."
Once they were seated inside, Ibrahim couldn't help but notice the scratch on Ava's hand. Concerned, he gently held her hand and asked, "What happened, Ava?"
Ava quickly thought of her cover story, saying, "I just tripped on the stairs."
Ibrahim raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
Ava nodded and moved her hand from his grip. Ibrahim started the car and asked, "Have you take your lunch?"
While looking at the window, Ava said, "Yes."
The sun was setting, casting a beautiful colors across the sky, creating stunning patterns that caught Ava's eye. But she couldn't let herself be distracted. She needed to find a way to get closer to Ibrahim, to gain more information about his criminal activities.
Ava turned her gaze towards him, noticing his concentration on the road. She took a deep breath and decided to take the chance. "Ibrahim, I'd like to visit your office." Though she knew, she won't get much information about him in his office. But it would be a safe option without increase any doubt from Ibrahim.
Ibrahim glanced at Ava with curiosity, "Visit my office?"
Ava simply nodded, her gaze fixed ahead on the road.
Ibrahim smirked and threw a teasing question her way, "What does he want in return?"
Ava finally looked back at him and responded, "What does he want?"
Ibrahim chuckled, "I'll tell you after we visit my office. For now, let's head there."
Ava's voice trembled, "If you want to break our commitment, I won't allow that."
"I won't go further by breaking your condition. Relax, baby girl." Ibrahim assured her.
Ava furrowed her brow and questioned, "Why are you calling me 'baby girl'? My name is Ava."
Ibrahim turned to her with a playful smirk and replied, "I like to call you 'baby girl.'"
Ava let out an exasperated sigh,"Ufff, this man..."
The journey continued and they entered Ibrahim's office building, The Rahman Enterprise. Ibrahim led Ava through the entrance and lobby, past tight security checks. Ava couldn't help but notice the respectful greetings from the employees, acknowledging her as the boss's wife.
They reached the fourth floor where Ibrahim's office was located. As they entered, Ava couldn't help but observe the well-appointed space. His office was spacious and tastefully decorated, with large windows that offered a view of the city skyline.
Ava looked around to see the office and commented, "The security was so high in this building, is the whole building his?"
Ibrahim calmly removed Ava's backpack from her shoulder and placed it on the sofa. He confirmed, "Yes, the entire building belongs to me." He gestured toward a chair and instructed, "Sit there."
Ava took a seat, her hands resting on the table, which was strewn with documents, a laptop, and various items. She couldn't help but wonder if any of these files could be useful to her. But how to search them in front of Ibrahim.
Ava returned her gaze to Ibrahim and inquired, "So, is this the office you use for your legal businesses?"
Ibrahim nodded in affirmation.
"What about your other businesses that you keep hidden from the police and government?" Ava asked.
Ibrahim leaned back in his chair and casually stated, "I'm involved in arms and drug trafficking on a global scale."
Ava's eyes widened at the revelation. She questioned, "Drugs too?"
Ibrahim, unflinching, asked, "Why are you so shocked?"
Ava took a deep breath, "Last year, I gave a lecture as a representative of my university on how to fight against drug addiction, and now, I've married a person who sells drugs."
Before Ibrahim could say anything, his cellphone started to ring. Ibrahim excused himself to take the call, Ava watched him leave the room, her heart pounding. She knew this was her opportunity to place the recording bug behind the painting. Farah had given Ava the bug to place at study but Ava didn't n't know if she had opportunity for that. Swiftly, she retrieved the bug from her jeans pocket, ensuring it was hidden from plain view.
Just as she took her seat and tried to act as nonchalant as possible, Ibrahim reentered the room.
He stood in front of her and spoke, "So, you've visited my office. Now, it's time to fulfill my wish."
Ava rose from her chair, "What do you want?"
Ibrahim slowly put his hands in his pocket, taking a step closer to Ava. As he advanced, Ava instinctively tried to step back, but Ibrahim swiftly caught her waist, preventing her from moving away. Ava was flustered, "You can't... You can't touch me like this."
She tried to maintain some distance by placing her hands on Ibrahim's shoulders. They were too close.
Then Ibrahim's voice broke the silence, "Let's go for a movie date tomorrow."
....
The car's window was opened. Ava felt nervous. She was sweating profusely. Ibrahim had simply asked for a movie date, a far more ordinary request than she had thought.
Ibrahim had sent Faisal to drop Ava home as he had some office matters to attend to.
Faisal, while driving, glanced at Ava and inquired, "Is everything alright?"
Ava turned to look at Faisal and replied, "Yes, everything is alright."
Faisal nodded and continued, "Ava, has there ever been a day when you liked Ibrahim or thought he seemed good to you?"
Ava took a moment to reflect, then answered, "The very first day I saw Ibrahim, when he entered my room secretly, for some reason, I liked him that day. I really thought he is the man of my dreams. But that's the only time he appeared good to me."
Faisal seemed puzzled and asked, "Ibrahim entered your room secretly?"
Ava nodded, "That day he proposed me."
"I didn't know about this history, but perhaps it would be a good idea for you to give Ibrahim another chance. He could be a good husband." Faisal told. He wanted them to have a good life.
They already arrived in front of The Rahman Mansion, and Faisal parked the car. Before stepping out, Ava told Faisal, "I'll think about it."
.....
Elara sat in his dimly lit apartment, eyes fixed on a laptop screen displaying an audio feed. He adjusted the audio levels, trying to focused on the faint, muffled voices that filtered through the bug Ava had planted in Ibrahim's office. He patiently waiting for any useful information to surface for so many hours. So far, most of the discussions had been mundane and unrelated to the matters Elara was interested in.
But suddenly, one conversation caught Elara's attention.
Ibrahim's voice came through clearly, "This time, I'll handle the delivery myself. It's scheduled for tomorrow."
Samir questioned, "Why are you risking it? We've got plenty of men to take care of the shipment."
Ibrahim replied confidently, "I have a movie date with Ava tomorrow, and we're planning to spend the day at my guest house in the countryside. Tell Haroon to receive the shipment from my car. I'll park my car in the parking lot of my guest house."
The room felt suffocating for Elara, and he clenched the water bottle in his hand, feeling the pressure building within him. He couldn't believe that Ibrahim was willing to involve himself in drug trafficking while being with Ava.
Samir teased, "So, Ibrahim is going on a date with sister-in-law, huh? Alright, I'll send the message to Haroon."
Elara needed to do something to protect Ava. Should he warn her? But he knew that Ibrahim wouldn't harm her. Then an idea struck him. He could arrest Ibrahim while he was in the act of delivering the drugs. A small smile formed on Elara's face as he reached for his phone. He dialed Farah's number.
Farah received the call, "What happened, mister?"
Elara replied, "Farah, install a tracing software on Ava's phone tomorrow without telling her."
Farah was puzzled. "Why?" she inquired.
Elara simply said, "I'll explain later, but do it tomorrow, please."