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degelinglacis:
No Sis

degelinglacis:
The Girl in glasses 2021

Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

degelinglacis:
Chapter Four

Chioma was the lesser evil I had to choose to help me with the pregnancy pills.
When she came into the house asking me what gift I wanted for my coming seventeenth birthday. I swore her into silence and told her to get me a contraceptive pills. Her eyes glittered with greediness, I thought she was going to demand money from me. But she surprised me by requesting that I become her close friend. I thought about it, I still didn't like her but over the years I have learnt to protect myself. That was the way I kept surviving in the Danladi's world. And I had to protect myself from her. One wrong word in father's ears meant punishment and she was father's plaything that babbler a lot. I agreed to her request, I knew I would soon be out of her air once I was eighteen and married.
I was dressed in a long sleeveless blue gown with beaded lace on the bodice, and a silver cape with stones completed my outfit. Chioma helped me put my makeup on because I hadn't gotten the hang of it yet. My hands shook too much for an accurate eyebrows. I ended up looking like an Indian princess with the false nose ring. I loved the dress and I felt beautiful in it. My little sisters had a similar gown to mine without makeup on their faces. I had banned them from wearing one, I wanted their innocent childish faces to be a reminder to father that they were just little children.
My birthday was a house party. It happened in the large living room. The staffs had removed most of the furniture from the room and pushed the rest to a corner to make room for people and tables for a buffet. Beautiful flower arrangements in white and bold blue matching my gown decorated the table. It was Chioma's brilliant idea.
The moment I stepped into the room, with my little sisters, a hush descended over the small crowd. Chioma gave me an encouraging smile, when my gaze landed on Saadat, my perfect heels felt slippery and I almost did a face plant if not for Laila steadying hand. Saadat stood beside his father, his mother and Yazid. Saadat expression was unreadable. He stood there, cold and rigid. I could feel the lecherous gaze of Yazid but I kept walking to the direction of my family. When I got there, father received me with what he thought was a pleasant smile on his face but which made him looked old and scary. Father informed our bodyguard to sent my little sisters upstairs and that dropped my mood. When my imploring gaze shifted to Javed, he gave me a warning glance. He couldn't help our sisters. It was obviously a crime in our home for the heir to have any interaction with female members not to talk of speaking up for them because it would make him weak like us.
I did the cake cutting, Chioma played hostess perfectly, entertaining all the guests with small talks and hors d'oeuvres. I sat down alone wondering what activities would be next. This was my very first party, I didn't know what was expected of me. When Saadat stepped in front of me, my heart started pounding, my nerves must have shown on my face because he asked me if I was nervous. I shook my head. He extended his hand toward me. I put my hand in his avoiding his gaze. Saadat pulled me and tug me to his right side and his palm rested very lightly on my hip. Being this close to him made me feel uncomfortable, I didn't know when I removed his hand from my hip. That act surprised me and Saadat obviously because his eyes twitched in amusement before he grabbed my hand and kissed it not minding the presence of our guests. He took me to some people I didn't know. Aside from my parent, securities and his family, I have no idea what the names of the rest of the fifty plus people are. I was sure they would belong to some other crime families or some neutral people in power. But that doesn't make them innocent, as long as you're powerful you can never be innocent. Power intoxicate people, they carried out acts that destroyed others because they wanted to flex their strength and desire to be feared. Just like my father.
Saadat introduced me to his friends who offered congratulations for my new age. The rest of the guests swarmed around the buffet table. I smiled brightly at them but it was fake. You can't be a Danladi and not have mastered the art of fake smile right from an early age.
I followed him outside and we had another photo session at the beautiful garden. His arm tightened on my hip and I wondered what was the purpose of the photos if it wouldn't be on social media. I peeked up at Saadat, his face was contorted into a perfect gentleman he even smiled once. I stared into the camera with confused look, the next pictures would be the following year and that would be my wedding. The media would see a dream couple while it would be a start of another nightmare worse than the one I was born into. The moment was over, the photographer was done snapping pictures. I left Saadat there and kept walking very fast looking for a solitude. I found one at the far back. I was only seventeen, I shouldn't be thinking of marriage if I were born into a normal world. My birthday party should have been filled with girls and boys of my age not a fiancee older than me by fifteen years. I was tired and drained and I gave in to the tears hoping that it would set me free, free from the pains ahead. No matter how much I thought I could fight, set my self free from the horrible marriage life that awaits me, I could never match this man's intelligence. I was bound to him for life. He would kill my body and soul slowly, shred me into thousands of pieces of hurt and anguish.
"Johara" Saadat called me in that deep voice. He must have found me. And to think I'd hear him say my name for the rest of my life made my insides tightened with anxiety.
I looked up and all I saw was the fifteen years difference between us. Fine, he was a man in his prime. Tall, broad and dark, dressed in a dark blue native wear with a great artwork. His face was cold with well groomed beards. It all pointed to the fact that he was a grown up man with sophisticated education and I had no proper one. I just completed one year at the online university. What were we supposed to talk about?
I loved telling stories, I even had a few pages of a romance story I wrote. I doubted my storytelling would mean a thing to him. It would definitely sound stupid to him. I was just a gift meant for sex and a birth vessel. I was a liability to him. Money laundering, silencing his enemies was his forte and sleeping with runs girls was his favorite pastime. I can't even give him a proper business idea. I dreamt of love, a happy home but I would be having none of that with him. I was a mere gift, who knows maybe I was an unwanted gift. It was his father who wanted me before he quickly passed me to his son. In our world, a man could speak up for himself especially if he was the heir and in his prime age but Saadat did not refused me and I wondered why.
"What the hell!" He snarled seeing my teary face.
I had no mirror to tell me what I looked like but the expression on his face clearly showed that I must have looked like damnation. But it didn't bother me. There was nothing in me to be embarrassed or self-conscious about not being a pretty crier. I felt nothing but emptiness.
He bent down before me, cleaning my tears with his handkerchief.
"You didn't enjoy your birthday party?" He asked.
I groaned inwardly. He must be daft, I didn't give two hoot about a party or not. My life was messed up and that was good enough reason to cry.
"I thought you would enjoy it that was why I ordered that you must have a party" he murmured
I stared at him. Saadat ordered my birthday to be celebrated? Father never remembered my birthday and stop reminding him too. No one had ever wished me a happy birthday before but having an unknown people doing that today melt my heart. I was suddenly happy.
"So its not the birthday. What is it?" He asked again.
He couldn't fix it if I told him. He wouldn't cancel our marriage and even if he did I would end up being gifted to another man quadruple my age. I didn't want that.
"It's nothing" I pressed out.
"If you cried this much then its a great deal" he said not buying my words.
I looked away, my eyes burning with another round of tears. I'd never felt more stupid in my life. But deep down, beneath the hurt, a false truth showed up. I was overreacting. I knew what my fate had handed me, I shouldn't complain, I should live with it like the women before me. But I could never accept that. To know if delving in a particular career would be successful, check the men there and not the women. Just the same with career, if you want to know what a happy marriage was, check the women in the marriage, are they mostly happy or looking doomed like the women in my world? Because generally, it was a man's world and it would always be no matter how much times had change. And in my world, the rope was tightened.
"Johara you can tell me anything. Did anyone hurt you?"
What does hurt means to a man like Saadat? He wouldn't care if I was beaten by my father he would probably do that to me in our marriage. The only thing that could hurt his pride was if I were raped, that was the only thing he would avenged because it would hurt his pride that he wasn't the one who took my virginity. Telling him I was locked up by father wouldn't surprise him.
"No one did" I told him.
"Then I will have to talk to your father" he said.
That made my head shot up, my eyes widened in shock. I stood up and clutched his arm. "Don't tell my father anything. Please do not"
He moved closer and sank down on the bench, pulling me with him. If he told my father, I'd get into trouble for crying.
"You're my responsibility. I have to protect you from hurt. I thought you were happy at your party, then we had a photo session which went well. So what exactly happened? I don't understand this empty look on your face" He said
"I remembered my mother. I wish she was here today. And I was not happy because my sisters are not at the party with me" the lies flow perfectly from my mouth.
"I'm sorry about your mother" Saadat said, his eyes weren't cold but expressive for the first time since we met. It showed pity, concern and guilt.
We remained that way listening to the music that drifted from the party, and there was laughter and drunken talks. But it'd nothing to improve my ruined mood.
Just then the sight of my little sisters appeared in my vision, I quickly stood up from Saadat's lap like I was caught doing something wrong. Adiva jumped on me with her cake smeared hand. Laila was more reserved, she was eleven and in between childhood and adolescent. I embraced her too.
I ushered them to the seat but Saadat picked up Adiva and threw her up. She burst out laughing, excitedly. I was surprised to see him in such state. He suddenly became approachable and not the ruthless man he was.
"Jojo's fighter" Saadat teased.
"Who gave you cake?" I asked my sisters after we've all settled down.
"Aunty Chioma" Laila answered.
I noticed Laila had never said a word to Saadat before. They hardly exchanged greetings and I wondered what could be going on in Laila's head. As if he read my thought, Saadat smiled at Laila and extended his hand to her. She took it shyly and smiled back at him.
"How's your wound?" Saadat asked Laila. I was surprised he still remembered. The wound left a little scar on her neck after many months of applying honey.
"Its completely healed" Laila answered then her face shot to mine, she looked alarmed. "Sis Johara, did you cry?"
I shook my head. But my sisters accusing eyes landed on Saadat who looked suddenly angry.
"It's not him. I'm just sad father sent you to your room" I quickly said.
"But he will take you away next year and make us all cry," Adiva said, her eyes were shinning with unshed tears.
"I want to go with you" Laila said softly.
"Ladies, I promise I will allow you to visit your sisters from time to time" Saadat promised.
It was better than nothing. But I didn't believe him. Men in our world completely banned their wife's family from visiting. I didn't believe I would ever see Laila and Adiva once I got married.

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Angelsssss:
https://spicenaija.com/2021/04/24/meena-the-prince-of-qalul-chapter-12/

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