Chapter Eighteen

Sabeerah knew one of her character flaws was the fact that she enjoyed pissing people off. If she noticed you didn't like something, she purposely did it just to get you more angry and she was enjoying doing that with Sufyan.

His expression was even funnier, he looked like he wanted to kill her but he didn't want it to show on his face because he thought that was a very indecent thought. She wanted to burst into laughter but she remembered he'd called her stereotypical and immature and it made her  want to kill him.

But had he really expected her to thank him for the cake and ice cream? One, she hadn't asked him for it. Two, she hated vanilla flavored ice cream. Three, she was going to pay him back as soon as she got her card so why was she supposed to tell him thank you? What for? It wasn't as if she was on the verge of passing out from some stomach biting hunger and it was just cake and ice cream, they only cost three thousand naira.

Humans were weird, they derived pleasure in being excessively thanked for the smallest of things. Sabeerah hated being thanked for anything, you hadn't asked for it, she'd done it out of her own free will so why were you thanking her? It was one concept of life she'd forever be unable to understand.

Her phone pinged and it was a text from Matt informing her he was outside. She'd walked out of a meeting with Aakhil and some old idiot from Arwan oil company who was overly flirty, he'd had the audacity to caress her hands and that the disgust she'd felt was unexplainable, the only solution was to get out because if she hadn't, she would have slapped him despite his age.

She stood up without a word to Sufyan and she went outside where Matt was pacing by his car. He walked up to her with a worried expression.

"You left your main phone in the office."

"That I did." She used her other phone when she wanted to go ghost for few hours, the only people who had the number in the phone were her mother, Sarah, Matt, Hannah and Umama.

"Your father is very angry at you now, you really shouldn't have walked out on the meeting, you know better than I do how much of an important client Arwan oil is."

"I don't care Matt, no one should touch me, no matter how important they are."

"Or course no one should but you could've told him that respectfully not walk out, that was totally an Aakhil move."

"Don't you dare give me that trash! I'm not going to be blamed for an asshole's move on me simply because he's an important client."

"Oh God Sabeerah, we're past this stage. You intentionally flirt with these men just to get them to do business with us, of course you're going to encounter someone who'd want to take it far, heck! You have. You simply have to deal with these issues as you have in the past, maturely enough to not harm business."

Matt was pacing and being very descriptive with the way he kept swinging his hands as if to make a point.

"You don't get to tell me bullshit like that! The company is an entity on its own and I am my own individual, learn to separate us."

He sighed and moved closer to her "Sabeerah..." He began resting his hands on her shoulder.

"Don't fucking touch me Matt!" She screamed and moved away from him, she didn't even realize she'd garnered the attention of the people lingering in front of the cafe.

"Let's go back to the office, we'll sort this out on our way." He said calmly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not going to be in the same enclosed space as you, it's either I take a taxi or you do."

He nodded his head and handed her his car keys alongside her purse. "We'll be waiting for you in the construction company." He said and walked away. She took in a deep breath and tried to relax before going back to the cafe.

Sufyan was on a call and his back was turned to her, she went to the counter and made payment for his Swiss rolls and iced coffee then made for her cake and ice cream. She walked out, got into Matt's car and drove away.

Her mood was off yet again, Alhaji Faruk was as old as her father but that didn't stop him from being shameless. His toothy smile at her and his revolting touch, his annoying laughter, the slow way he spoke to her, his eyes that screamed out the things he wanted to do to her, all that were enough to get her up, throw him the most disgusted look she'd ever directed at anyone, then walked out amidst Aakhil screaming out her name.

She hated people like him who didn't give themselves respect and didn't give to others. Stares from some type of men made her uncomfortable and revolted, there was something about those kind of lingering looks that caused her goosebumps, she wanted to cause them pains for even looking at her like that... It was hard to explain but she hated it. The only thing worse than stares from such men was touch from such men.

She parked at the company's parking lot and sat in the car for awhile just staring at the intimidating building before her. Sabeerah was aware of the fact that her and her father had had issues too many times as of recent, she didn't want to think of the effect that'll have on her previous good records. After giving herself a pep talk about being calm and letting go of the tension she was feeling, she finally got down from the car and walked into the company.

Her stomach churned from the nervousness she was feeling and she blamed herself for walking out on Alhaji Faruk, Arwan oil was indeed a very important client and as Matt had said, she could've resolved this issue maturely.

"Good day ma'am, your father is in the conference room with Aakhil and some other clients, would you be joining them?" Fatima asked in a polite tone.

She thought about it before shaking her head. "I'll wait in his office."

Fatima nodded and sat back down, Sabeerah walked into her father's large office. She sat down on his chair and swung it, his office had an amazing view of the city as it was on the top floor.

The glass walls exposed one to the view outside while shielding the person from inside from being seen, it was tinted. She ran her fingers through the name tag on the desk;  AbdulMalik Sambo and underneath the name was written; CEO

Sabeerah imagined it was her name that was written on it, she removed her hand from it and her eyes swept through the papers scattered on his desk. She picked up one and it was a document on a properties and so were the rest she surfed through.

She stood up and walked to the bookshelf at the corner of the office, her fingers touched the books as she moved past them until she finally pulled out one on real estate, she settled on the reclining chair and engrossed herself in the book. Sabeerah didn't realize anyone had entered the office until she heard voices, it jolted her back to the awareness of her surrounding.

Her father, brother and Alhaji Faruk were in the office. The two older men were laughing heartily about something while Aakhil stood smiling awkwardly as if he hadn't gotten the joke.

Sabeerah hesitated in making her presence known but she knew they knew she was here, Fatima would've told them.

"Assalamualaikum." She greeted. They all turned to her and a look of anger overcame her father's expression immediately, he glared at her. Aakhil smirked at her knowingly and Alhaji Faruk simply gave her a look of displeasure.

"Walaykumsalam." They all replied her.

"I was told you walked out of a meeting with Alhaji." Her father's tone was stern.

She nodded."I had something urgent to do."

"More important than Alhaji Faruk?" He asked her.

Alhaji Faruk laughed. "Haba Alhaji AbdulMalik, don't be hard on the poor girl."

She instinctively scowled at him before catching her father's frown, she relaxed her expression.

"No this is how they are, she needs to be queried. I've let her get away with too many things in the past simply because she's my daughter and that rubbish attitude of hers ends today. Sabeerah, properly apologise to Alhaji Faruk now." Her father ordered.

She tried to say the words but the apology was too heavy for her to utter, she didn't understand why she had to apologize to him when he was the one inappropriately touching her but she couldn't bring that up. Alhaji Faruk looked at her pridefully asif saying with his eyes; look at you now small girl.

Sabeerah hated him, hated her father for making her apologise to him, hated her brother for not coming to her help and telling their father who was supposed to to apologise to who at this moment, but she also knew that saying so wouldn't change anything.

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake sir." She finally said and she felt like spatting at him immediately after uttering the words, who the him was between the two older men, she had no idea.

Alhaji Faruk gave her a self satisfied smile. "Aah there's no problem Sabeerah, how can I be angry at you fisabillilah- for the sake of Allah?" He turned to her father. "Ko can I be angry at her? Of course not."

And the two of them laughed with her father looking more relaxed, he walked round the table to settle himself down on his seat.

"Make yourself comfortable Alhaji." Her father said indicating to the office couch. Sabeerah's eyes met her brother's and he gave her a golden smile that made her feel even smaller. She sat opposite Aakhil who sat next to Alhaji Faruk.

"Alhaji wants to start construction on the new land he just purchased." Her father started.

"Which one of it?" Sabeerah asked. They'd assisted him to purchase many lands.

"The one in Kubwa, I want to build a school and I want it to be the best there." Alhaji Faruk said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Sabeerah nodded. "Would you like to continue with the same architect or?" Her voice lacked interest, it felt like she was being forced to work with him.

"I like the young man quite well, we'd continue with him."

"Okay, should I call him to begin drawings?" She asked.

"Yes, I'll like us to begin as soon as possible."

Outside the office, Sabeerah leaned on the wall and exhaled. Her heard was hurting as usual and tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall, she was stronger than that.

"Fatima call James Nnamdi up here, he's Alhaji Faruk's assigned architect right?"

"I think so ma'am, I'll cross-check and call." She opened a book and began surfing through, Sabeerah stood watching her, she knew there was nothing else left to do but she'll rather stay out here as long as she could rather than go back in there.

"He's the one." Fatima said picking up the telephone. "Alhaji Faruk needs the services of Mr James upstairs, he's in the boss's office, tell Me James it's urgent."

Sabeerah didn't go back inside until James came hurrying into the hallway, he was a short, chubby man with thinning hairline. He seemed to always be in a rush from the manner he walked to his way of speaking.

"Good afternoon ma'am." He greeted in his hurried way of speaking. She nodded in response and then walked back into the office, he followed suite.

They would've completed the drawings without her but Alhaji Faruk seized every opportunity to involve her in the process, he frequently asked what she thought and pretended to seek for her advice. At long last, James finally finished the first draft of drawing, Alhaji Faruk seemed satisfied and told him to proceed with the proper drawings and documentations.

He bid goodbye to her father and she and Aakhil walked him out.

"I look forward to building this school, I've always knew I wanted to own a school building but it was location that has been bothering me..."

Sabeerah nodded off and smiled appropriately as they walked on willing for the the time to get faster so she could be out of this moment. Finally, they reached outside.

"It'll be my pleasure to work with you Sabeerah, I personally would be overseeing the construction."

"Of course sir." She said.

"That'll be very good Alhaji, you could learn a thing or two about construction." Aakhil said in a humorous tone, Alhaji Faruk laughed.

"Well dear, I'll see you soon." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed it. Sabeerah almost threw up, instead she gave him a tight smile while cursing him in her mind.