LET ME LOVE YOU

Chapter 21 - the 'storrinami'

Aya

Just thirty minutes into the search and my body was aching. I never actually realized how massive that house was until that very moment, and we hadn't even been through half of it.

So far we searched the gym, laundry room, the cinema I never entered, the library I forget we had, all four lounge rooms-two downstairs and two upstairs, the kitchen, the small quarters outside which was Nengi's apartment and 6 bedrooms inside the house, including Layla's, but nothing was in any of those places listed. We didn't check Hafeez's room because he claimed to have checked everywhere so the only place left was my bedroom.

Together we searched the place in silence. Under the bed, behind the bed, in the closet, in the bathroom, literally everywhere, and obviously it wasn't there because duh! I didn't take it.

"I hope you're convinced now," I Said to Hafeez "none of us took your money, maybe you did misplace it like Asma Said"

"Yes, Yaya try checking again" Asma agreed.

He sighed "I didn't misplace it"

"Well we didn't take it either!"

"I know that now" he said "I'll call the office and tell them to-"

"Wait!" Layla cut him off.

"What?" We all Asked.

"What's that?" She pointed her hand downward to a certain direction, referring to something.

"Where?" I Asked.

"Right there!" She moved closer, still pointing, it took a while before I realized that she was referring to one of the cute one seater sofas in the room. She moved closer again and fumbled for a while, and when she turned around, she was holding a black briefcase, as if it just appeared.

That made my breath get caught in my throat immediately, my eyes dilated to the highest point and jaw dropped without me even realizing it.

"I believe this is what you're looking for" she said as she handed the briefcase to Hafeez. He opened it up immediately and indeed, it was filled to the brim with cash, clean bundles of hundred dollars notes.

I couldn't read the expression on his face, partly because it was unreadable and mainly because I was trying to get my own emotions in order. I know damn well that I didn't take that money, I can't even remember the last time I went to his room, talk more of actually snooping around and stealing such a huge amount of money.

"Wow Aya, Wow!" Was all he said, shaking his head in the process.

"I knew she took it all along, I just didn't want to talk and make myself look like the sour and senile one" Layla responded.

"N-no-" I quickly said and moved closer to him "wallahi Hafeez, I swear I didn't take this briefcase, i can't even remember the last time I went to the penthouse, talk more of your bedroom"

"If you didn't take it, then what's the briefcase doing in your room?" He asked, anger clearly evident in his voice.

"I-I don't know how it got here"

"Oh, so it grew legs and chose to come hide itself under the sofa on its own?" He raised an eyebrow.

"no, I-someone must've put it there, I'm sure someone put it there, because I know I didn't take it" my voice was starting to crack at that point.