Chapter 13: Father dearest except he knows too much.
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"When a father gives to his son, both laugh.
When a son gives to his father, both cry."
-William Shakespeare-
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The sound of dressing shoes tapping against the polished floors turned heads. People bowed slightly with a smile. A man, perhaps in his early 50's walked through the halls elegantly.
"Mr. Ahmad Reza-Ibrahim." Mrs. Zhan bowed slightly to him and he smiled at her.
"Nice to see you are doing well, Mrs. Zhan. How are the children?" he questioned. Mrs. Zhan grinned with pride.
"The oldest is situated at Maccinhen University Hospital currently as a doctor while the second one is in his final year of Medical school at McU," Mrs. Zhan told him and Ahmad nodded with pride.
"Thank you for supporting them, Mr. Reza-Ibrahim. Had it not been for you and Mrs. Lila, my children would-"Ahmad stopped Mrs. Zhan from speaking any more.
"Children deserve education and I am simply a bridge between them and their dreams. Don't worry about it. Is Islah in?" he asked and Mrs. Zhan nodded at him.
"He just came in from a meeting with the interns. Been giving them a hard time, he has" Mrs. Zhan told him and Ahmad laughed, his blue-gray eyes (much similar to Islah) shining with mirth.
"Typical Islah" he muttered and excused himself. Time to meet my filial son.
"Ahmad uncle!" Ahmad turned to see a familiar face walking over to him with a cup of steaming beverage. He grinned at his friend's daughter. Yusra Uz-Zaman grinned back.
"As salaam alaikum, uncle! How are you?" she asked him and he nodded at her.
"Good Alhamdulillah. How are you? How is your father?" he asked her. She is still the little ball of sunshine I met last summer.
"He is good Alhamdulillah. A bit busy but all is well. Are you here for a meeting?" she asked him. She doesn't know Islah is my son? Maybe she- oh. She doesn't know my surname. When I met her, I had told her to call me uncle Ahmad. Ah those were good times.
He smiled and shook his head, yes.
"The CEO" he replied and watched Yusra frown. He leaned towards her and questioned. "Why? Is he hot tempered? Bad? Evil?" Yusra laughed at his assumptions.
"He is diabolic. Even his brother agrees" she muttered the last part to herself but Ahmad heard it alright. Irav met her? When?
"Anyway, top floor. You can take the elevators or the steps. If he gets feisty, slam his head with the pen holder at his desk." When she saw Ahmad's face contorted with confusion, she added with a sigh. "The pen holder is marble. It will cause him to go unconscious for some time while you figure out a way to get out of there" Ahmad let out a hearty laugh, patting her shoulder. Yusra grinned at him. Such a lovely child. I like this one.
As he walked away, the cogwheels turned in Yusra's head. By the time she realized what she had done, Uncle Ahmad is Professor Bashar's husband and...... Islah Reza-Ibrahim is Professor Bashar's son. Ah damn it, you dimwit! Why couldn't you make sense before you blurted out all that to him?, Yusra thought in disdain.
She blamed the chocolate she had earlier for her boldness.
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No one knew about the little ice cream escapade of Islah and Yusra. To Islah, it felt like a little secret between them. The following days went by in a blur. He had meetings to attend, a whole lot of paperwork to get through and he had to make sure his woman was alright too. Lord knows if she knows how to operate the coffee machine now!
YOU ARE READING
Deciphering Love
Romance"One day you would find someone just like you, Islah. And that day, you will stand shaking in your place because she is just your type" - Islah was the kid who did math problems as his hobby. He was blessed intellectually but with his emotions, well...
