Chapter Seven

After the marriage 

Munawarrah

Aaima construction company was huge, not as huge as Aaima pharmaceuticals nonetheless, it brought in a lot of money, it's breakthrough was when the federal government awarded it the contract for the renovation of ajaokuta steel company. It's headquarters was in Abuja, the nation's capital.

She just arrived Abuja and she was leaving the airport in the car that had been sent to pick her, Khairatu was dedicatedly by her side and Usman in the front seat.

Munawarrah was staring out the window when her phone rang, without turning, she asked,

"Who's that?"

Khairatu carried the phone out of Muna's bag.

"It's an unknown number."

Munawarrah collected the phone and placed it on her ear, "hello." She said

"Assalamu alaykum, am I speaking with Munawarrah?" A male voice asked.

"Yes, who's this?"

"Wallah I'm so happy I've been trying to reach you..." Munawarrah ended the call and tossed the phone aside, she had no time nor energy to waste on people of that sort.

The phone rang again, "pick and tell whoever that is to never call my number again if they don't want the police on their case." She told Khairatu.

"Hello." Khairatu was quiet as she intently listened to the person on the other line, she handed the phone to her boss.

"He said it's about your grandmother." Khairatu stared curiously at Munawarrah waiting for a reaction, she's never heard the woman speak about her family, it was like she came from nowhere but that was impossible, right?

Munawarrah's expression turned sour as she collected the phone, she's received a call like this before from her grandmother. She wondered what kept the old woman alive until this point, she should die quickly and end up in hell soon enough, it was where she belonged, it's deepest part.

"Yes? What's it?"

"It's mama, please don't end the call she wants to talk to you."

"Munawarrah." She heard a frail voice at the other end and she rolled her eyes, this was the beginning of your suffering.

"Yes?"

The woman spoke in fulfude, "I've tried reaching you before but they say you don't pick."

"What is it?" This was someone she hadn't heard from for the past twenty one years since she allowed her first son look for an orphanage to dump her in.

"I want to apologize, death is calling on me. I can see it knocking on the door, but I can't go, not when I know I've wronged you and I need you to forgive me."

Munawarrah was flabbergasted, the nerve of this old woman to call her and tell her this trash, forgive her? She'll rather die than forgive her grandmother for the hell she let she and her mother go through.

"When death finally enter your poverty ridden home, tell it to take you to hell!"

She ended the call and switched off her phone.

"Ma'am, are you ok?" Khairatu asked in a worried tone, she didn't understand the language Munawarrah had spoken but her expression made her worry about what had transpired between her and her family.

"Shut up!"

When they got to the hotel, in the lobby they were met by Samuel Joseph, the manager of Aaima construction.

"Good morning ma'am." He greeted stretching forth his hand for a handshake.

Ignoring his hands, she asked, "what did you say happened with the project?"

He retreated his hands slowly, "uhmm... We lost it."

"Lost it?" Her voice was loud and everyone turned to look at her, she didn't look in the least bit embarrassed.

"They awarded it to a different company, they complained the company is better than ours."

"Khairatu, go get a room for me."

She walked away with Usman and Samuel while Khairatu struggled with both her bags and Muna's.

"The contract was handed over to a Russian contactor Rob Skovich, he was the one who awarded it to a different company."

She looked lost in thought before asking, "how much did you offered him?"

"Three billion ma'am." Samuel was shaking inside, if she knew what he has done, he wasn't sure he'd be going back to his family alive.

"Fine, text me his office address."

Khairatu called to inform her of her room number, she left Samuel and went upstairs.

The next day she found herself in front of the house were that Russian was staying, Rob whatever was his last name. Munawarrah rang the doorbell and tapped her legs quietly, her patience was wearing thin.

The door opened and he stepped out assessing her with his eyes, "I hope you are not one of those nosy neighbors, how can I help you?"

"I'm miss Munawarrah Osman Abdel-Jabbar, CEO Aaima construction company."

She recognized recognition settled on his face, "wow! Nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you."

"Great! Well, I also hope you have heard that I'm not a woman who beats around the bush so, tell me Rob, why you refused to award my company the contract which it deserves?"

He smiled before saying, "why don't you come in and we'll talk about this over a glass of wine." He offered.

Men were easy to manipulate, they were so gullible, it disgusted her. Women were stronger, men were weak, emotionally and physically.

They all thought with one thing; their sexual organ. She almost spat out disgustingly.

"You'd rather I become your hoe over collecting a three million bribe?"

Rob skovich's brows furrowed in confusion, "a three million bribe, I wasn't offered no such amount"

Munawarrah stared in confusion before realization dawned on her, Samuel Joseph, the bastard!

"So now which do you want, I'm a really busy person and it took missing out on some meetings to get me here, four million?"

He shrugged, "sounds fair enough. I'll be at your company by 10 a.m tomorrow."

She smiled appreciatively, stood up, gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek and whispered seductively into his ear, "it was nice doing business with your honey"

~~~~~~~~~~

Samuel Joseph heart rate increased as the door to his office opened and Munawarrah strode in, it was like the devil herself just stepped in for the room suddenly became very hot despite the air conditioner being on.

He immediately stood up to greet her, her smile irked him to no end.

"Oh Samuel, please do sit back, you seem really tensed. Perharps you are sick?"

He shook his head, "no..noo ma'am, I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that? You do look like you're about to throw up, symptom of people who betray their company." And she laughed heartily at her own joke.

Samuel froze and sweat beads formed around his neck, he began to lose his tie, she smiled at him.

"You know lately people have been going missing, there is a Suleiman from Aaima construction that recently went missing, his body was found in a horrendous state, makes me wonder what happened to him" She said with a shudder.

She continued, "I just came from visiting the russian contractor at his private home, he seems to not be all that about interior decor, tell me Samuel, have you ever been to his home?"

With this new information released, Samuel wasn't sure he'd be alive to witness the next two hours. Aaima construction had lost few contracts due to his laziness and greed, he had pocketed the three billion he was supposed to offer the contractor and instead diverted part into booking a relaxing summer vacation for him and his side chick during his leave, while he lie to his wife he'll be travelling for work errand. Now he wasn't sure he'll be seeing either his wife or side chick ever again considering the eerie smile his she-devil of a boss was sending him.

"I didn't meant to ma'am, my sister is very sick, she's in the hospital, last stage of ovarian cancer." His tongues spewed the lies while his brain tried coming up with escape route, he could run out now, take the stairs, the securities will be waiting by the elavator so definitely the stairs, and his car? Damn his car! He'll go for a taxi as soon as he leaves and they'll never see or hear from him again, he's made enough money to last him at least two years with Vicky, his beloved side chich, he won't go to his wife, he'll get caught if he does, she can go do whatever she wants with her life, he never actually loved the horse looking thing afterall, everything was just for her money.

He was still making plans in his head when four uniformed men walked in, the one with cuffs said, "you have been found guilty of looting company funds and under arrest, anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law."

Munawarrah shrugged, "aren't we glad this time no one turned up missing?"