Atonement

3. Gangsters and race

                            Pills and happiness

Days turned into weeks,weeks turned into months and it's been almost three months since Sultana lost her container to the NDLEA office and three good months since she's been trying to pay off the man.
The struggle and the almost non-stop hide and seek she's been playing with the man is almost coming to an end because the debt between them is almost over.
She had to shut down her Bar for the meantime and a few of her restaurants because she knows the more she's running any business the more they will get to her and also the more the NDLEA officer will get to know what's up with her.

Qalb-Saleem on the other hand have been nothing,nothing but a hard working worker, working day and night to get to the bottom of the complicated case. He took several people,dealers down in the process of getting the culprit behind the Xanax import,several awards within the span of three months yet he is not satisfied with the outcome.

Here they are both,in a hall accommodating a lot of rich people from all over. He got an invitation because most politicians and influential people refer him to as their friend. Some of them are his father's partners while some are just doing it to get on the right side with his father.
Over these months, Qalb-Saleem thought about getting to know Sultana better but whenever he tried reaching out to her,the server announce that it's not reachable and to say he is disappointed is an understatement.

Coincidentally,he decided to glance through the hall  and behold! The beauty queen standing with a bored expression sitting perfectly on her face and her hands holding a champagne flute.

He took a deep breath glancing at her direction,if anything,he needs to talk to her. Her chubby body adorned with a white puffy blouse decorated with maroon flowers matching with her maroon long-sleeved t-shirt and white head gear perfectly turbaned and shifted back,showing the edges of her hair.
He took a sip of his non-alcoholic wine and stared back,her lips,colored maroon,evil maroon if he may add,sharp kohl-ed eyes and a full cheeks with dimple on both.

"Ya Qalb your tuxedo looks soo good. Pleaseee let's have a click."
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. It was his Cousin, Miriam who's currently living with them.
Frustrated at first,he faked a smile and posed for a click.

"Your perfume smells like pepper. Don't use it ever again."
He said with a blank expression on his face earning him a smack from Dada-Boddo who is seated beside him.

"Dada-Boddo!!!" Miriam whined.

"Forgive my manners,I just had to laugh."

He turned his head back to continue staring at his princess charming,but instead,he saw no one at her spot.

Disappointed at first,he sucked his tooth making a click sound.

"I will be outside if you need anything."
A voice came through behind him,at the entrance he supposed,calm yet very bold feminine voice. Following his instincts,he went to the direction of the voice.

********
Sultana's head throbbed at the sound of loud music booming all over the place. The main reason she had objected to coming to this place, but she didn't know how exactly Sultan had persuaded her into it. She stood there beside her parents, not that they on good terms, but to the world and the cameras, they have to look like one happy family, devoid of problems.

"You look good, baby girl. How old are you?"
A woman of her mother's age placed her hands on her shoulders, smiling with her teeth out.
She fake smiled, as usual, and whispered her age.

People kept trooping in, women showing off their designer clothes and expensive laces, along with their children, which included her and her mum and men discussing business and the country as a whole.
She didn't like this place, not one bit. It was too calm compared to the chaos going on in her head. Placing her hands into the pockets of her white skirt, designed with maroon flowers she bought from a designer, she turned to scan the room.