My Emir ✅

Chapter 36- Void

Every flaw I love in you except your absence.
~ unknown

How he was keeping up with all that was happening in his life itself was divine intervention. The prior days had been nothing short of bleak. Drowning himself in work-related activities was the only distraction at hand, considering he was working on establishing his own industry.
Without her, the manse was extremely empty and suffocating. As if the walls were closing on to him. Due to such, he resulted to staying up late in his office. Her absence had been superseded by a dark lingering cloud above his head.

Instead of concentrating on the conference at hand, his mind drifted to the conversation he had had with Hajia Laura right before the meeting. She told him how Mariya's encounter at Gidado mansion ended. Not that he wasn't aware of it. Fareed had told him everything.
She pleaded for the innocence of her daughter, comforting him at the same time. In the end, he was who did the consolation because the woman had broken down in tears.
Before ending the call, she thanked him for being understanding enough. Someone else wouldn't have given it a second thought before cutting ties with Mariya and her family. He has witnessed the respectable woman so vulnerable, so he knew she meant all that she had said.

He was well aware of Mariya's new address. However, he had been advised not to confront her while he was still disarrayed. The advice was taken into consideration by him. The last time they had to meet in a similar situation, it ended in tears, no doubt. He didn't want such a situation where they would speak irrationally to each other.

He snapped out of his reverie by the shuffling of feet by the occupants of the room, who were filing out of the room.
Zayn quirked up an eyebrow. How fast the time had passed by while he was lost in thoughts. He tried to recall what he had gained from the gathering__nothing. That was his conclusion after giving up wracking his brain in search of one. He sat in his seat at the head of the table, fingers interlaced under his chin.

" You weren't paying attention."

His eyes shot at Hassan who was seated at the far end of the large rectangular table that occupied most of the space. He sported a smirk that Zayn itched to wipe away. On the other hand, Zayn remained nonchalant. He noticed the confident ambiance his cousin carried about these days. It proved nothing good.

" I don't blame you though," Hassan's irritable voice echoed within the soundproof room only the both of them occupied. " With the loss of a child, a run-away wife, and unstable mental health, who wouldn't be this distracted? You are not at fault."
It only alluded to a chance that Zayn wouldn't step down from his position in the industry if he proved incapable of handling it anymore. That would be of great benefit to Hassan.

Zayn let out a mirthless chuckle." See who is talking about ebbing mental health. You are the drug freak here." He retorted.

" You are not foreign to it either, are you?" Hassan countered.

Zayn's silence was enough to answer. Those ugly days. He won't let Hassan rub it in his face.

Hassan got up from his seat and rounded the lengthy table to Zayn's side. He banged his fisted hand on the space in front of Zayn, making the uncapped bottle of water in front of him spill on the files there.
He wanted to snap Zayn out of his nonchalance. Zayn didn't budge at all. He knew better than to fall into Hassan's trap. He only pitied his pathetic cousin.
That wounded Hassan's ego. He wanted Zayn to yell at him, slap or hit him, just so he could use it against him even in the slightest effort.

He didn't want any further encounters with Hassan. Not anymore. He knew better than to retort. Hassan's actions were pointless, and Zayn would make sure they stay the same.