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Chapter 4: Ladies Obsession.

Before the day has started for the masses she was already out of bed, fully dressed and ready to attack the day.

Bushra descends from the stairs and saunters into the main living room which would unequivocally take you to the dining area. The dining room carried a happy vibe interwoven with the aroma of vanilla and strawberry.

"Salamu alaikum," she mouthed, stepping foot into the room. Their eyes met and she immediately regretted coming into the room. He smirked at her but she averted her gaze to her father. "Good morning, baba. Aunty, good morning." She greeted.

Her father motioned her to sit but she gently shook her head. "Baba, I can't stay any longer. I have a meeting this morning and I'm almost late." She looked at her wristwatch to avoid meeting their gaze.

"Again? What's with the early morning meetings these days, Bushra? For the past tfour or five days now you've been leaving home early and coming back at odd hours." Her father questioned her.

She gripped on her briefcase when her eyes caught a glimpse at Sadiq smiling. She despised him living in their house. It irks her to see him everywhere in the house. His parents were healthy, wealthier than her parents. They live in a house five times better than hers but he chose to torment her life by his appearance at hers'.

"Baba, I have a case that is really excruciating and I have to be their at all times to make sure we resolve it. My job depends on it. And coming home by 8 or 9pm isn't an odd hour."

"So what? You quit. Sadiq would take care of you. I really don't know why you're stressing yourself over small amount of money." He spoke gratingly. It irritated her but she ignored it.

She took an apple from the bowl sitting on the table. "I'll be back before dinner, In sha Allah." She turned to exit the room.

"Oh, wait. I'll take you to work." He offered. He stood up, cleaning his mouth with a napkin as though he was a gentleman.

Delicately, she turned around to face him. "No thank you. I don't want you upsetting my clients anymore. And please stop coming to my office unannounced -- most of the times I don't have time waste over stupid meals I didn't ask for." Bushra didn't regret anything she said. She turned on her heels and stepped out without a back glance.

She heard her father calling, but she ignored. It would turn into a bad situation if she stayed.

Four days earlier, Sadiq barged into her office when she was already in a tight spot. More willingly than to step out of the office, he made a scene with the reason that Mahir was standing too close to wife to be and Mahir was in a situation where he needn't to be annoyed at the moment.

Bushra hopped into her car. She cringed at the thought of how sadiq humiliated her in front of her boss, colleagues a client.

Thankfully, he got sent out before it got worst.

Bushra enters the building, scanning around the less busy lobby. She smiled, it was Friday again. She couldn't wait to spend the two days relaxing, maybe spend some time with her best friend, Madina. Or go shopping and have a spa day.

She heaved a sigh of relief. She'd make a decision when next she meets Madina. She can't be stressed out that whole week and not get a reward. It's either she rewards herself with a new bag or full body massage — maybe have both.

On her way to check in, she encountered with one of her colleagues, Mercy — a chatterbox. She knew it was going to be a long minute when mercy spotted her. She walks to Bushra with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, Miss. Mansur. Haven't seen you all week. Latte?" She offered a cup of coffee to bushra. "Yes, thank you." She accepted the coffee. She needed it more than anything at the moment. "I've been busy solving a case. With umm... Dan-Musa's company. But we're getting there."

For the past few days, they found out the name of the bank and also the account receiving that tons of money. The only thing left was to capture the person behind it.

"Mahir? Mahir Dan-Musa? I've seen him a couple of times going to your office. Must be so amazing dating a guy like him." Mercy spoke, cheerfully.

Bushra blinked out as she shook her head. "What? Dating? Who told you that?" She was pissed but wasn't surprised. The workers there were known to be experts in making up stories and sticking their nose in people's business. And as far as she way concerned, all she does between her and Mahir was fight.

She never cared that he was a client and he had the power to convince his father to stop working with their bank — all she knows is she'd never let him disrespect her in her own office. Heck, wherever they where at — she'd never let him look down on her.

"Oh c'mon, everyone knows that. Some say that you fake all those fights so you'd keep the relationship a low profile..." she wiggled her brows at Bushra.

"I have to go now. Thanks for the coffee." Bushra walked away. She picked up her pace to the stairs when she heard mercy calling her.

Bushra unlocks the door and saunters in. She closed the door and rest her back on it. She shut her eyes close — she wasn't ready to let something like that to bother her. She already has enough on her plate.

Receiving the rumor about her being together with Mahir was something to panick about, she thought. What if he hears it and have the thought that she was the one that made it up to get his attention?

She scoffed as she made her way to her desk. She dropped her bag and the coffee on the desk.

Aside from sipping her steaming coffee mercy gave her, she powered her computer to see check her schedule.

"Just as I thought," she murmured and heaved a sigh. She has a new client coming in at 10:30am after having a meeting with her colleagues at 9am. And also Lekoil LTD immediately after her lunch break by 1pm and lastly, a meeting with Dan-Musa Global Trust at 3pm before she closes.

Her phone chimed and she smiled before fetching the phone out of her bag. She knew who that could be -- It was Madina trying to FaceTime her.

"Best friend." Madina started. "You're already at work? Damn that's sad." She giggled roguishly. Bushra rolled her eyes. "It's not funny, Madina. You know I'm still in trouble if I don't solve this Dan-Musa case because it's on me for being careless with intensive care of their company account."

Madina heaved a sigh. "But how are things going? Any progress?" She asked with concern. Bushra exhaled sharply. Their only step was to trace and capture the person behind it. Mahir suspects that it might be someone close to his father.

"Well... yes. We just have to find the person behind the swindle and that's it. I just hope I don't lose my job after this." Just thinking about it made a shudder from her feet travel to her head.

"You're a badass! There is no way you're going to lose your job because you're good at what you do, Bushra. I doubt if they'll let go of such a badass employee." Madina assured her. Bushra nodded her head. She needed that. She believed every word Madina stated and she claimed the positive energy.

Two ways she could lose her job was; Dan-Musa Global Trust sues the bank or she wasn't good at what she did. But she was, and she was confidently sure Mahir's father would never sue them for a mistake that wasn't their fault.

"Speaking of Mahir, rumor has it that I'm in a relationship with him." She announced.

Madina's mouth parted faster than Bushra could blink. It made her to chuckle. "Details, I need details. Is it true? You traitor! Why didn't you tell me?"

She threw back her head and let out a laugh, a feminine one. "I said rumor! Cmon, after blabbering how I hate him then boom, we're in a relationship out of the blue? Oh no honey, he's not my type. I hate men like him. He's so full of himself and arrogant!" Bushra said loftily.

Madina gawked at her through the phone. "Mahir is every girl's dream. He has money, power, beauty and so many things a girl could dream of. He's the complete definition of a novel guy we read in secondary school, you have the audacity to say 'He's not your type?'. I feel like throwing my fist at you right now!" She grunted annoyingly.

Bushra grimaced the whole time Madina was speaking. She hated it when girls make comment about him. "I can't be with someone that all he wants is to control me. He's too bossy — I don't... I can't." She tapped her finger on the desk edgily.

"Hmm! I'm just saying. He's hot and he's pretty loaded, so..." Madina let her words to trail off. She knew Bushra understood what she meant when she grimaced. "You're unbelievable, Madina. Are you after the money or personality? You'd rather be with someone that'd boss you around — always busy and doesn't respect you?" She couldn't wrap her finger on how some ladies would rather be with a man like that.

Madina shrugged. "It's better than marrying a cheating, poor bastard that'd act as though he loves you when he's out there chasing dirty skunks. Marrying someone like Mahir means you don't have to worry about him cheating. He barely has time for himself and he's too arrogant to chase other girls. And besides, he might not be as he is in public. Maybe he's a romantic freak behind closed doors, who knows."

Bushra scoffed. "Thank you, but no."  She'd rather have a man with a few rough edges than one so polished that he gleamed. She'd rather have a man who knew how to sweat and bend his back than one with manicured nails and five-hundred-dollar suits. She rather have a man who... Bushra blinked away the thoughts— since when did she ever thought of having a man?

"Madina, I have to go." She ended the FaceTime. She peered at her already cold coffee. She had lost count of how many times she left her coffee go cold due to Madina's unending chatter.

With slow strides, Bushra saunters into her office after the first meeting. "You have no idea how tired I am. And I still have one more meeting with that arrogant rich D-Bag you guys are obsessed with," Bushra said excruciatingly. She slumped on the couch in her office.

"That's quite hurtful — and really not nice of you to address me, especially when I'm your client." She heard a deep, husky voice speak out of nowhere.

Her heart sunk, knowing fully well who it belonged to. She gulped hard and ended the call. Shoving her phone in her pants pocket, Bushra unhurriedly sat up and looked at her desk. She spotted him on her mesh executive chair, going through her files with confidence as though he wasn't trespassing.

"Who let you into my office? And our meeting is not up till 3pm sharp." She questioned him even though she was embarrassed for what she had said about him. The guilt and embarrassment was eating her up but she held a stoic expression.

He looked her dead in the eye. "3pm, so I'm thirty minutes early. And what's that about women being obsessed with me you were talking about? So you're among them?" His voice was rich and deep.

"That's pathetic of you to think that I'll ever look at you that way. Please get up and get out of my office. You're trespassing." Her voice was shrill, spine-tingling like nails on a chalkboard.

Mahir got to his feet and approached her. He took a moment, staring into her eyes. He was so close that she was finding it difficult to breath. Or maybe she had forgotten how to. And his strong cologne that always made her stomach to flutter wasn't helping matters. It always reminded her of someone with power — someone who would just snap his fingers and the command has been fulfilled. The cologne suits him well.

He moved closer and she felt a sudden sickening sensation throughout her body. Her heart was pounding against her ribs as if trying to fulfil a thousand beats. She stared back at him, trying to keep up with his silly staring contest as she felt pressure building up inside her chest.

She averted her gaze and exhaled, releasing some of the tension that had built up in her shoulders. She couldn't keep up. What if he kissed her? It seemed like that was his next move — she would've charged him for harassment!

He allowed a sweet, mocking smile to curve his lips. "Keep fantasizing about how I'll make you feel good." He whispered seductively in her ear and exited out of the office.

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