Scarred For Life

Chapter 51

*
Zainab sighed as she stretched lazily in bed, pressing the phone to her ear.

"I don't see what the problem is," she said. "There was a little stumble along the way, but everything is still under control."

She paused momentarily before she spoke again.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said. "Whatever comes up, I'll handle it. Dealing with these people isn't exactly rocket science. Just leave everything to me."

"And what if they start to look into the matter?" the person on the other side said, their voice laced with concern. "It was foolish of you to reveal your face to her."

"Will you calm down for God's sake?" she groaned, punching her pillow to submission. "Afrah only saw my face for a few minutes. And besides, it's not like I'll be going over to their house for sleepovers. And I don't see her coming over to this house."

"And why is that?"

"I have my reasons," she grinned mischievously. "Anyway, are you still certain that there won't be any loose ends again?"

"One hundred percent," they replied. "Anyway, keep me posted on everything going on there."

"As you wish boss," she saluted into the darkness. The line went dead, and she flung the phone aside. The mother of all headaches was throbbing within her skull, and she had to rub her temples furiously if she hoped to get any relief.

With her eyes still shut, she heard the sound of the gates being opened. They must be back from the dinner. Zainab smirked as she heard the sound of the car driving in. There was something immensely satisfying about knowing that she had orchestrated the events of the evening. It was certainly not as dull as she has thought it would be. Sa'ada's slip-up had nearly ruined their plans. But she would take care of everything. If she hadn't allowed Afrah's sister to take the drink from her, things would have turned out much more satisfying.

She stood from the bed, rummaging through her bag for some painkillers. That was why she hated working alone. Efficiency was the most important thing to her. Involving someone else in her plans was always a certified way of mucking things up. But no matter. There were other ways of handling the couple of the decade.

She swallowed two pills without bothering to look for water, returning to the bed with a satisfied grunt. She pulled out her iPad from the bedside drawer, propping it up on her belly while she brought her legs up and leaned it against them.

The email contained everything she would need. Her partner was certainly thorough in their investigations.

"Interesting," she smirked as she read a particularly interesting paragraph about Adnan's antics. She smirked as she finally understood who Sam was. The information would come in handy soon. But not right now.

Closing the file, she opened the second email. She frowned at the sight of Afrah's name. For some reason, she despised the woman from the few minutes she'd spent in her presence. There was something about rich, spoilt women that pricked at her side always. She was not surprised to find her suspicions confirmed. Afrah had been a straight-A student right from kindergarten, the prime student every teacher would hope to teach. She never got into any trouble, and save for a mysterious year where she missed school entirely, there was certainly no dirt on her. Unlike Adnan.

There was just the one incident which tainted her perfect record. It was just before she graduated from primary school, and the news caused Zainab to sit up immediately.

As she read the email, her interest piqued with each word.

Afrah had been participating in a track event her school organized each year. She was eleven years old at the time, according to the hospital record. It was unclear exactly what had happened, but it appeared someone - presumably a much larger individual - had collided with her, knocking her unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital nearby when she started bleeding, and a quick examination uncovered some interesting news.