MARRED

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE A FRIGHTENING MOMENT

Amanah.

Another week went by and my schedules only got busier. I wrapped up my video meeting with Faibarz Multinationals. Their file was handed to me by Ahmad himself. Initially, I had been surprised when I realized all that was at stake. A Three Hundred Million Naira deal wasn't something you handed to a new lawyer. Besides the fact that he trusted me, I knew he was testing my limits.

I loved good challenges but i wanted even more to make my husband proud.

Since the file was handed to me five days back, the tension from.ky department had become high. Not even the Head of Office smiled in response to my tasleem anymore.

The old me would have fazed at this. Worried my heart sick at the fact that they would think I was getting too much privileges, but this me didn't. I just wanted to make him proud. He stuck out his neck to the board for my abilities. I had to not dissapint him.
That decided, I decided to get to work. Amjaad had a principle of knowing your clients before drafting, so I had scheduled the meeting with them.

Now that I had a clearer image of what our clients wanted, I penned them down in my quick notes. The Company was a new Electrical Appliance company with Nigerian Subsidiaries. They just concluded every registration with NOTAP and CAC and wanted to register their Industrial Designs, Patent all patentable inventions and Trade mark them as well.

I stood up from my desk to pin the quick note to my board. The urgency of my actions had my head spinning. I clutched to my desk for support and shut my eyes. Just then, my stomach rumbled. Ya Salam! What was the time?

I glanced at the wall clock that read 2:40: Pm. Seriously? I was so hungry at just Ten minutes past lunch?

Okay, first, I needed food. Playing with food these days was fast becoming a nasty attitude to my darling stomach.

As though, it heard me, it rumbled again. "Okay, Okay. I will find you something to eat in a giffy. Let me.just wrap this up. The earlier the better, right?" I robbed by stomach as thoight to placate it. I pinned the note to the board and made another copy for my personal wall.

Then I picked up a Patent draft and edited the Fairbarz's details into it. By the time I was finished with the first draft of the Patent, it was 3:40pm. Great. At least, I didn't have to return to this afresh.

Food. I needed food!

Once my files were packed up, I looked around to be sure I didn't leave anything behind at the library. I had to use the department library for the meeting for fear of interruptions and background noise.

When I arrived at the office, everyone was focused on their activities. Of course, lunch was lunch over.

Using the cafeteria right now would be breaking the rules. Even if they gave me something to eat, it would be out of privileges- something Amanah Sa'eed would never want to bank on to climb up the Professional Ladder. Especially not here at Amjaad.

I took the elevator to the ground floor and and exited the building. There was a cafeteria down the street. I was half way it ut when I realized I hadn't be informed my king. So, I texted him.

Amma: 'I just realized it's almost exit time and I have not had lunch. I am so famished.

The reply came immediately.

Ahmad: Sorry about that hun. Let me handle it. I will send the delivery to you now...

Amma: And have others look at me as I eat outside of lunch hours? Have I not abused my privileges enough? Besides, I am not the only one with a busy schedule here Boss.