This story follows the lives of two prestigious Northern families-one that earned its place, and one that can't afford to lose it. Salma Babajo-skillfully veiled, conflicted, and fiercely proud-has always idolized her father. But he lives by one rule: if you burn the midnight oil to secure something, you hold onto it by hook or by crook. Salma wears her last name like a badge, oblivious to the cracks beneath; until the secrets start to surface. Kabir Yabo is everything Salma is not-reserved, steady, and willing to bend to societal expectations. He tiptoes through life, careful not to step out of line. They have nothing in common... except for a fate neither of them sees coming. But what happens when the perfect son collides with the girl who plays by her own rules? And when what's expected threatens to overpower what's real? Will they fight to protect the illusion they were raised to uphold-or risk everything for a love that was never part of the plan?

Ameera Manga would rather analyze emotions than fall helplessly into them. Warm, magnetic, and effortlessly adored, she lights up every room she enters. Her future is neatly planned, until her final year throws her into chaos with someone she never expected. Zayyan Dikko is her opposite: controlled, precise, and private. Life to him is strategy. His career is on track, his reputation flawless, and his American girlfriend is expecting a proposal. But their parents have a different vision. They insist Ameera and Zayyan get to know each other. Neither wants the arrangement. Both love someone else. So they make a deal: Pretend to fall. Convince everyone. Then walk away beautifully. Simple. Logical. Risk-free. Until the lines blur. Until emotions shift. Until the act stops feeling like an act. Now the question is: What happens when pretending becomes the truth... and walking away becomes the hardest part?

Maryam Nazeef Danbatta is the crown jewel of the Danbatta legacy. Surrounded by five overprotective brothers and a father whose name commands the very soil of Kano, her life is a beautiful, velvet-lined cage. At twenty, her world is defined by lecture halls, family traditions at her grandmother's estate, and the silent understanding that she is "too delicate" for the world outside. She is safe. She is loved. She is invisible to danger. Then there is Khalil. Cold, brilliant, and devastatingly powerful, Khalil is the son of a political dynasty and the only man the Danbatta lions truly respect. He has been a fixture in Maryam's life for years...a silent, arrogant shadow who barely acknowledges her existence. To Maryam, he is the "Ice King," a man too high on his own pedestal to notice a girl like her. But behind Khalil's chilling indifference lies a calculation years in the making. He hasn't been ignoring her; he's been waiting. Waiting for her to grow up. Waiting for the right move. Waiting to dismantle the very walls her brothers built to keep him out. In a world where reputation is everything and family is law, can a quiet obsession turn into a "halal" happily ever after? Or will the secrets Khalil carries burn down the fortress Maryam calls home?

LOVE FROM AFAR

#Book 1 In The Legacy Series. Arwa Mas'ud and Muhammad Hisham Maleek are opposites in every way-she's a young, idealistic student with a love for novels and a passion for change; he's a wealthy businessman with a hidden life as a detective. _____________________ Arwa knew she shouldn't have challenged him. But when she stood up against Hisham-the cold, arrogant detective with too much power and too much pride-she never imagined the price she would pay. A single argument, a moment of defiance, and suddenly, she's trapped in a forced marriage with a man who would rather punish her than love her. Hisham never let anyone get the better of him. Yet Arwa had humiliated him in front of an audience, and he wasn't the type to forgive. Marrying her was supposed to be a lesson-a way to remind her who truly held the power. But what happens when the lesson backfires? When the girl who was meant to break refuses to bend? When the man who swore he wouldn't care starts to? And when enemies lurking in the shadows realize that the easiest way to destroy Hisham... is through the wife he never wanted? Some battles are fought with weapons. Others with words. This one? It's war. Read to find out.