The Crown And Her Shadows

chapter 10

Iman POV

I got discharged two days ago, and I’ve done nothing but eat, rest, pray, and sleep. I’m not allowed to do anything. Maams and Baba traveled to Kano for a wedding, but they’ll be back tomorrow or the day after. I’ll be resuming school in three weeks, so I have to start packing. I know it’s too early, but I’m indecisive, so I start early to get the best result.

I was going through my bag, looking for Umar’s black card, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I went to his side and salamed, but nobody answered. All his cars were around, plus two other cars—a black Hilux 2021 and a goldenish-brown Range Rover.
One thing about me is that I’m short-tempered and impatient, so I was a little angry.

I heard noise coming from the living room—so he has guests. I checked my outfit: a red Liverpool jersey with my name “Dikko” on the back, black sweats, a black silk veil, black flats, and my phone.
I quickly knocked on the door. They were definitely playing FIFA on his PS5. The door opened, and one of his friends—Tahir, I think—appeared.
“Look who we have here,” he said.

“Good afternoon. Is Umar in?” I asked, ignoring the way he was looking at me.
“Who’s looking for me?” Umar shouted.

“Me,” I said.

“Ke what?” he shouted again.
“Can I come in first?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said.

As I entered, I saw five people: Tahir, Abba Abdullah, Ahmad, and Ibrahim—the groom from the wedding.

“Kutumelese Abdullah,” he mumbled, but I heard him.

“Good afternoon,” I greeted them.
“Lafiya,” they said in unison, all looking at me like I was a diamond—except for Ibrahim.
“Umar, why now?” I stomped my feet.
“What?”

“Why did you take the card when I was in the hospital?”

“Isn’t it mine?” he asked.

“Yes, but I want to use it,” I said.
“Please stop behaving like a baby and talk,” he said, annoyed.

“Leave it. I don’t want to talk about it… for now,” I said with a sly smile.

“Bye!” I said. “Oh, and Umar remember: what Iman wants, Iman gets.”
Umar looked like he’d seen a ghost. The boys let’s call them men now looked confused.
Abba said nothing.

Umar turned to them and whispered, “If we refuse her, she’ll go tell our dad that we hate her, that we never liked her, that we denied her money… she’ll even make up something we did last week. Then, no allowance for five months. Is that fair?”
“Okay… no,” they murmured, nodding.

“Good. Lesson learned,” I said, satisfied.

I entered my room, picked up my phone, and dialed Baba’s number.

It rang four times before he picked up.

“Hello, Baba,” I said.
“Hello, this is not your dad,” a man answered.

“Excuse me… where is he?”
“I’m sorry, ma. He died in an accident with his wife on the way to Abuja today.”

“How…?” I trailed off. “That’s not possible. I talked to him this morning, and he said he’d be back tomorrow or the day after.”
“Ma, is his name Abba Dikko, the businessman?”

“That’s him.”

“I’m sorry… he is dead. You can come to Hyba Hospital to collect the bodies.”

“Okay… thank you.”

I ended the call and burst into tears. My Maams and Baba were both gone. I ran to Umar’s side.
I didn’t knock. I just burst into the sitting room. They all turned to look at me.

“Umar… they… are… dead,” I stammered through tears.
“Who is dead?” Umar asked, standing slowly.

“I asked you a question… who is dead?” he shouted.
“M… Maams… and… Baba…” I stammered.

“You’re lying,” he said, shaking his head.

“I… am… serious… they died… in… an accident… on their way… to… Abuja,” I managed to say.
“It’s not true,” Umar still denied.
“Umar, wallahi it is,” Ibrahim said.

A news reporter appeared on TV:
Breaking news: Business tycoon Abba Dikko died today in an accident together with his wife, Fatima Abba Dikko, on their way to Abuja this afternoon.

I looked at Umar. His eyes were red with unshed tears, his face blank.

“Iman, which hospital?”

“No, you are not going now,” Ahmad said.

“DON’T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD, RIGHT?” Umar shouted.

Ahmad shook his head.
“THEN DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” Umar yelled again.

“Which hospital?” Umar asked me again.

“Hyba Hospital, Area 11, next to Total and Azaman Filling Station.”

“Okay… let’s go.”

Everyone left Umar’s side.

“BUHARI! BUHARI!” Umar shouted—the chief of guards

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“ let's go" Umar commanded.

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

“NOW!” he thundered.

“O…okay, sir,” they stammered.
Let’s go now…

They are both dead.

**********

Heyyyy guys!
I know… cliffhanger. I did it on purpose. Somebody is very angry 😈😈😈
I feel so bad for them 😭😭😭
Don’t worry, I’ll post the next chapter very soon. Don’t forget to vote, comment, and share.
Bye! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

Komal❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️