Deceptive Glitters ✅

Chapter 38: Confrontation

Second update of the day

Fahad stopped dead in his tracks, he contemplated turning back and not eating, but he'd refused to eat last night, mostly because he didn't feel like it, but also the thought of just laying in bed gave him comfort so he couldn’t force himself to get up and eat.

He hasn't seen his father or talked to him and after his mother's very long talk which she ended with a threat, he didn't want to beat her stomach to see if she would act on it, she was Salima Barkindo for a reason, she would definitely act on it, and now his father stood and he probably wanted to talk too, heavens knew he did enough talking with his mother to last him a lifetime, maybe he was exaggerating a little, but it felt like that really, she just kept going and going.

Before he could make the decision between cowardice and bravery, the latter being facing his father who was making tea for his wife most definitely, said person turned to him with a knowing look. He should’ve picked the former he thought as he made his way further into the kitchen, or better yet he should’ve reached a conclusion quicker.

“You can go if you want, we both know you knew I was aware of you the second you entered.”

“Good morning” he grumbled childishly.

“Ah, so he speaks,” he turned to the tea he was furiously stirring, well furiously from Fahad's perspective, the poor teacup “I thought disappearing was your thing.” he stopped stirring the tea which Fahad was sure had gone cold and sighed.

He refrained from asking why his father was on edge, it wasn't the first he'd left to have time for himself, but he knew better than to comment when his father looked like he could punch someone in the face, he'd never seen him that angry before.

Abubakar Barkindo was as level minded as they came, he doesn't crack under pressure, maybe he does but you don't see it, he’s never seen it, his patience was on a level Fahad knew he would never ever reach, not in this life.

“I got a call from Tanim,” he mentally groaned when he heard the man's name. He was one of the directors and a total pain, a sleazy perfectionist who was too self conceited, has the mentally that everyone was wrong and he right, nothing you do was good enough for him.

“What did he want?” his voice was courteous.

“You've been missing meetings and you left Aisha to handle by herself?” it wasn't a question, it took him a few minutes to actually register when he did that, he had nothing to defend himself with, he did have something to say but he'd rather not rile up his father. “What are you turning into? I should expect this lack of seriousness from Ja'afar, even he can't do something like that, and we both know you shouldn't even leave an animal in Ja'afar's care, but you,” he breathed in.

Fahad's gaze rested on nothing in particular, he'd forgotten when last his father had actually sat him down because he did something he wasn't satisfied with, maybe since when he'd officially taken over in Nigeria and he was twenty four-twenty five then. He felt like a child being scolded for taking the candy that was forbidden to him, not at all a thirty year old.

“What is actually wrong?” this was where you know your whole life was against you or as he’d often heard, your village people were after you, when your limbs out right betray you and go for the kill when you're most definitely the prey and not the predator, a suicide mission, but Fahad knew his father, for thirty years he'd watched the man, he’d looked up to him and him arguing because he hadn't attended meetings or had left for a few days, that wasn't what made him angry and he was sure of it.