From A Lover To Another 1

3.0

Hamza had sent Hadiyeh and Saeedeh to the hospital's cafe sending them away. Leaving JJ alone with the rest of the Ezra family. He had received all of the family's blessings.

When Hadiyeh and Saeedeh had come back she had seen JJ and Hamza were laughing about random memory from their childhood. Her family had fully accepted him into the family and she couldn't be happier seeing her family laughing with each other.

She handed them all their requested juices. Everyone had opted for mango flavour. When Hadiyeh had placed the juice on Hamza's table. He laughed and shook his head at his sister.

"You idiot, I can't eat or drunk before my surgery,"

"But then why did you send-"

Hamza cuts of Hadiyeh with booming laughter that everyone else follows on. Hadiyeh shakes her head confused.

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Two days later

Earlier today Hamza had been released out of the hospital. He had been taken into home care and was on permanent bed rest with two nurses watching over him. Needless to say, he was enjoying the company.

The men had gathered on the rooftop. They were about to give JJ the 'talk'. You know, the one where they threaten the poor man, telling him that if he even raises his voice at her they'll be beating him up. 

"Sir, Mr Ezra has requested for you to meet him, right away," The maid had told JJ after he had opened the door. JJ had thought that it was Hadiyeh, even though she had told him that she was going for a nap. 

"I'll be there in a minute," JJ nodded and disappeared to change out of his clothes and into one of the thobes that Abbas had gifted him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to wait for you,"

"Why?" 

"His request," 

He nodded. God, one day he really wished that he'd be rich enough to give Hadiyeh a life bigger and better than the one she already had. He wishes that one day he'll be rich enough to own a mansion in London for himself and his family, hoping that by then he and Hadiyeh would have at least one bundle of joy running around. He didn't know how fond of kids he was until he had met Asal. She looked like what toddler Hadiyeh would look like. They even had the same personality attributes, Asal was patient and curious, not to mention multilingual - the three-year-old child could speak 3 languages already, Arabic, Persian and English. 

Sometimes he thought to himself that if he had gone after another girl, he wouldn't feel so let down and so disappointed in himself. He would be so loaded that he wouldn't feel belittled when meeting her family, he would feel with all of his heart that he would change that woman's life upside down. 

Of course, Hadiyeh's family had made sure that JJ feels welcomed in their family, and that money isn't a thing. But at least one thing that he was now sure about was the fact that Hadiyeh had not come to him for the money but because she genuinely liked and cared for him.

He fixed his bandana and stepped out of the room following the maid as she led him into the elevator and to the top floor, on the garden roof, the men were all sat around the table sharing freshly brewed Arabian coffee between themselves. 

"Ah, my new son in law!" Mohamad Ezra laughed raising his glass as a way of greeting JJ who laughed politely walking to the table. 

"Miss Helma, please bring us some of the chef's freshly made pastries, and some more coal for the fire," Abbas order the maid before she scurries away. 

"Here," Abbas hands JJ a cup of the freshly brewed coffee. 

"Thank you," JJ may be honest and upfront but at least he had manners. Hadiyeh had taken JJ out for Arabian coffee and he had drunk it because he always tries things before deciding his opinion. Especially on food. But goddamn, he knew that Arabian black coffee tasted worse than poison. The three men watched as he drank the cup. All of it.

Abbas clapped JJ on the back as he put his cup back down on the table. He had never seen a man drink a whole cup of black coffee. 

"I always found something about you that was different," He chuckled taking a small sip of his own cup.

"I had told you baba, Mr Olatunji here is a force to be reckoned with," Hamza chuckled careful not to laugh, he was still on bed rest.

"Yes, I saw something admirable in you when you had first asked for Hadiyeh'd hand," Mohammad nodded, needless to say, he was impressed with JJ's ability to drink a whole cup of coffee in one gulp, "It had been my duty to tell you about Hadiyeh's previous lover, he had asked me for Hadiyeh's hand in marriage years ago, I had refused, do you know why?"

He paused. JJ leaned in, wanting to listen to what Mr Ezra had to say.

"Because the boy hadn't seen a day of hardship in his life, he was wealthy, yes, but had no motivation or passion within himself, his father had arranged for him, he had nothing for himself," He continued, "When I had met my wife, I had nothing in this world, my family had all passed in a car crash when I was thirteen, I had a singular apartment in the south of Riyadh, and she came from the royal family, so I thought I had no chance because the only thing that I looked at, at the time was money and I had none of it. But there was a reason that her family had agreed to let her marry me knowing in their heart that she would live a good life, you know what they saw in me?" 

He lets the question ponder between JJ and his sons.

"I had a hard-working ethic. I had a drive of motivation inside me. Something that Hadiyeh's other lover doesn't." 

"Young gentleman, between the group of men that are sat here, promise me, man to man, that you will take care of my daughter, do not let her see a day of hardship, for as long as she was taken care of in my house she was cared for," 

"I promise with my soul and being, I will take care of your daughter," JJ promises solemnly. 

"What about mehr?" Abbas pondered turning to JJ.

JJ had done his research, he knew that there was a mehr involved. 

"If I were going to play the role of a mean father in law, I would make you pay millions for my daughters mehr, but, I see that money has no value in your life or hers, so for my daughters mehr, I want you to simply promise me that my daughter is loved and that you bring her back here at least once a year to visit us, deal?"

"I will promise to take care of your daughter with my life," 

"As you should."

And it was sealed. JJ was now to be the new son-in-law of the Ezra household.

Written: 20/08/2021

Published: 27/08/2021

(A/N: I've just started writing the sequel, I don't even know what to write about lmao)