27~Dear rosy lips #2
Her eyes were on the road, but her mind was elsewhere.
It was her thoughts that were driving her.
"Breathe in... breathe out..." She whispered, trying to calm the rage threatening to consume her.
"How dare he?" She muttered through clenched teeth. "How does someone live with such devilish acts? Has he sold his heart to the devil?"
She let out a bitter laugh.
"He surely has."
The more she thought about the news, the harder it became to believe.
He was even worse than she had imagined.
Framing innocent people to cover up his own crimes...
It was beyond disgusting.
Instantly, she regretted giving up her revenge.
"Little Me must be so disappointed in me."
Her voice cracked.
"I let my poor child down."
She quickly wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks, tasting the salt on her lips.
"I swear..." She whispered firmly. "As long as I breath, I will fight to bring you down. You must pay for everything you've done."
"I won't let you get away with this."
"Never."
She shut her eyes for the briefest moment, trying to steady her breathing.
A deafening horn suddenly blasted.
"Huh?!"
Her eyes flew open.
A massive truck was only inches away.
"Subhanallah!"
She jerked the steering wheel sharply, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Her heart hammered violently against her chest.
"That... was close."
She exhaled shakily before realizing she had already reached her destination.
FAJAB PHARMACEUTICALS
The mere sight of the building sent chills crawling down her spine.
The last time she stepped into this place...
Was the day she lost Little Me forever.
She could almost picture her younger self walking out of those very doors beneath the scorching sun, only to have her heart crushed by the man she once loved.
"Well..."
She inhaled deeply.
"It's time you pay for your crimes."
She parked properly before stepping out of the car and making her way into the building.
The moment she walked through the entrance, she noticed a lot of changes.
Much of the building had changed. It had been renovated beautifully.
But the faces...
The faces were still the same.
One after another, the staff looked up.
Their expressions froze.
Eyes widened.
Mouths parted.
They stared at her as though they had seen a ghost.
Do they think their boss succeeded in killing me?
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Well I'm back... Like I never left.
Ignoring their shocked stares, she continued walking.
"Ma'am?"
His secretary hurried after her.
"Ma'am!"
"Ma'am, please!"
Hanan kept walking, secretly finding satisfaction in making the poor woman chase after her.
Before she reached Najib's office, someone stepped into her path.
Mr Charles.
His face turned pale the instant he recognized her.
"Hi. Long time no see." Hanan waved casually.
"Is your boss around? I need a word with him."
Mr Charles simply stared.
He looked as though he had forgotten how to speak.
"Hello?" Hanan snapped her fingers.
Only then did he blink back to reality.
He quickly gestured for the secretary to leave before turning back to her.
"Miss Habiba..."
His voice trembled.
"It's... it's been a long time."
His forced smile was so fake it almost made her laugh.
"I'm not here for small talks."
She folded her arms.
"Is Najib in?"
"N...No... I mean..."
Before he could finish...
A familiar voice echoed from inside the office.
Najib.
He was singing.
Hanan slowly turned toward the office door before looking back at Mr Charles with a sarcastic smile.
"Did he ask you to lie to me?"
She tilted her head. "Well... He just exposed you."
"We can both hear his voice."
"So... Excuse me."
She brushed past him, leaving him rooted to the spot.
Mr Charles stood frozen.
His hands trembled.
Their last encounter had become the greatest regret of his life.
The lie he told her that day haunted him every single day.
Countless times he wanted to confess everything.
Countless times guilt had pushed him toward the truth.
But every time he remembered Najib's wrath...
He lost his courage.
But now... Suddenly seeing Hanan, he wasn't sure he could keep the truth buried any longer.
"Najib Aminu Garba!" Hanan yelled as she barged into his office.
But her remaining words immediately died on her lips.
She froze.
The first thing she saw wasn't Najib.
It was herself.
Large framed photographs of her covered the walls of his office.
Her brows knitted together in disbelief.
Slowly, she walked closer.
Her fingers brushed against one of the frames.
It was unmistakably her.
The red dress.
The beach.
The wine glass in her hand.
The picture had been taken the previous night at the beach.
Her heartbeat skipped.
Her eyes widened as she stared from one photograph to another.
They were all of hers.
"What the heck?" Hanan scoffed in utter disbelief.
"Why am I all over your walls?"
Fury surged through her as she stormed toward him, ready to confront him.
Najib, however, paid no attention to her.
He simply hummed along to the song playing through his AirPods, a broad smile stretched across his face as he admired one of her photographs on his shelf.
"Hey!" She snapped.
"What right do you have to plaster my pictures all over your God forsaken office?"
Silence.
Not even a glance.
Instead, he began singing even louder.
"Am I talking to a wall?" She muttered through gritted teeth.
Still...
Nothing.
Her patience snapped.
She grabbed an ink pad from his desk and hurled it straight at him.
Splash!
The ink struck his face, making him flinch.
He blinked in surprise before slowly turning toward her.
"Wow..." He murmured with a dreamy smile.
"I'm not just imagining her anymore... I can actually see her."
He chuckled to himself.
"This is serious."
"I'm deeply in love."
Only when the ink began dripping down his face onto his white shirt did he finally realize she was truly standing before him.
His eyes widened.
"When did you get in here?"
He quickly removed his AirPods.
Hanan let out an exaggerated laugh.
"So I was wasting my breath talking to someone with blocked ears."
"Najib." She called, pointing toward one of the framed photographs.
"What is that?"
He followed her finger.
"You."
"Huh?" She gave him a look.
"I can see that."
"But why are my pictures hanging all over your office?"
She waited.
He merely smiled, his eyes fixed on her.
"You know what?" She sighed.
"I don't even want to know anymore."
"Take every single one of them down."
"Hmm..." He shook his head with a grin. "I don't want to."
"Fine."
She folded her arms.
"Suit yourself."
"What was that news report all about?"
The amusement on his face faded slightly.
He knew exactly what she meant.
"Before we discuss that..."
A slow smirk spread across his lips as he took a measured steps toward her.
Hanan stood her ground.
She refused to move.
"Why don't you first take responsibility for your actions?" He smiled.
Without warning, he caught hold of her wrist.
He lifted her hand and began rubbing her palm against his ink stained face, trying to wipe the mess away.
"Let go."
She struggled against his grip.
"I said let go!"
She tried harder to pull free, but his hold remained firm.
Within seconds, he backed her against the wall.
Her back met the wall with a soft thud.
For the briefest moment, nervousness flickered across her face.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She hated how her body refused to cooperate when she wanted nothing more than to shove him away.
Her gaze dropped to his hand.
The bite mark from the previous night was still clearly visible.
"I did that last night." she said quietly.
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
"And I can do much worse." A hardened smirk tugged at her lips.
Instead of responding, Najib leaned closer, close enough for the bridge of their nose to brush at any moment.
Instinctively, Hanan turned her face away.
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
He leaned toward her ear and spoke in a soft whisper.
"You walk into the lion's den... And expect to leave untouched?"
His words made her immediately turn to face him.
For a brief second, they found themselves standing too close, neither of them willing to look away.
She was still pinned between him and the wall.
The words she wanted to say seemed to vanish.
Her eyes betraying her emotions as they searched his face, trying to understand what he was thinking.
A faint smile played across his lips.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he moved much closer, the space between them vanished.
Their nose tips brushed, and in that split second, the air between them thickened.
Hanan's breath hitched, mingling with his.
An overwhelming heat that she couldn't name swept through them.
She wanted to say something, but her voice was trapped in her throat just like she was trapped against his cold wall.
Only her eyes remained alive, helplessly tracing the sharp curve of his lips.
She stared a second too long.
Najib noticed it as a slow, full smirk spread on his mouth before he stepped close again, completely erasing the last inch of distance between them.
She held her breath.
His expensive cologne rushed into her nostrils, wrapping around her like a physical weight.