Beau Monde ✅

Chapter 21

Nailah Zayed.

Maroudi, Nigeria.

The tension between my father-in-law and Ayaan Fadel was hard to miss. Others could simply label it as the result of crazy stunt Ayaan pulled to meet the old man without having to go through us but I knew better.

Aside from making us look incompetent, making me look incompetent, I knew there has to be something running through that mind of his. It was obvious from the look in his eyes and that sadistic smile of his that people mistake as a friendly one.

I also didn't miss the tension between him and Imran. My best guess is, there's something going on between the two as well. I had my guess when Imran stormed out the day Ayaan held a press conference.

There was something about Imran that I had never seen which appeared in that brief moment he stormed out. He hadn't realized my presence before he stormed out—and it took him a long while before he returned.

When he came back, everything between us turned back to square one.

I thought it would at least be different but how wrong I was. It was like nothing happened at all; and we were back to being strangers with that label of 'married couple' attached to us.

I would be lying if I said my heart didn't sink because of that. But, I tried to mask it and focused on getting a hang of myself again. There was no time for me to sit and be sobbing, I knew I needed to work harder than before to get what I want.

I refuse to sit and lose.

And so, I worked my ass off for the past few days thinking of ways to get back at Ayaan but nothing has popped up. I was left with nothing more than to dig into his past and see what I can find. It's proving to be hard, but I'll keep trying until I get it.

As for my father-in-law, he's yet to say anything but I was already filled with dread. He already knows I was the last person to meet Ayaan on business basis and not Imran, plus we didn't strike any deal but suddenly, Ayaan made a press conference to claim otherwise.

He could've refuted it, and go down legal basis with Ayaan but that will be stressful. Besides, this is what he wants, just not that he has to do the work himself.

He hadn't said it, but despite what he told us, he didn't believe Ayaan is worthy—and doesn't consider him someone he needed to stress himself over.

He was more of a man he can use to his advantage, and not one that could become an enemy if such fails to happen. That's who Ayaan is to him.

Yet somehow, that same man managed to drag him down to meeting him one-on-one.

Even as I stand outside the conference room, along with the others, watching the two left alone in there conversing I had a bad feeling about it.

Those two men put together is simply bad news. And, more than anyone; I fear for myself. I fear what my father-in-law is capable of if this goes wrong. For all I know, Ayaan could be there exposing me and stating countless reasons why a business wouldn't be possible between them.

I would be screwed if that is the case.

It of course wouldn't hurt him. He has the upper hand, he can simply do what he does best apparently—that is, hold a press conference and announce that he will no longer be in business with us for a reason he would make up which will undoubtedly screw us all up.

It's extremely messy truthfully.

I'm not sure how long their meeting lasted, but at one point, both men got on their feet and shook hands; and I could only hope that's a good sign. A few words were exchanged between them before Ayaan was escorted out.