DEEN MARSHAL - Hausa Novels

Slowly, she raised her head, glancing at the door to her office as it was knocked. Without moving, she diverted her gaze, sighing quietly, feeling the hidden weariness caused by ABBAS LAMIDO. Even without it being stated, she knew that if it wasn’t him, then it was something concerning him.
The door opened, and Sarah entered. Just hearing the sound of her footsteps let Najma know it was Sarah, so she closed her eyes and lifted her hand from her laptop to rest it aside. She picked up the water bottle she had taken from the fridge earlier to cool, drinking almost half of it, then asked:
"Sarah, is there something?"
Sarah came closer and sat on the guest chair facing Najma, waiting before she finally spoke.
"Najma, before you arrived, the chairman Abbas came to the office twice, and I could tell from his demeanor he wasn't feeling well. I could say he didn’t look his usual self."
Only then did NAJMA ABDULLAHI BELA lift her tired, pale eyes, weighed down with fatigue, looking at Sarah with worry. After a long silence, she took a deep breath and, with a calm voice hiding her distress, asked:
"What’s bothering Abbas now?"
With concern, Sarah replied, "From what I see, it may have to do with yesterday when Dr. Sa’id came here. People say you two left together with him."
Only then did she remember Dr. Sa’id's visit yesterday and the trip they took to his son's event at a nearby private school. She sighed and picked up her phone to call him, aware that this time, Abbas had failed to escort her home since last night after their recurring pattern.
She dialed his number three times, and he didn’t pick up. Frustrated, she put the phone down, looking back at Sarah.
"He didn't answer. Is he not in his office?"
“I don’t think he left because I saw his secretary heading there before I came in.”
She turned her white eyes toward her ringing phone. Hanifa was calling, and Najma felt a sense of calmness because Hanifa Marshal Alfa never delayed in reaching out whenever she sensed trouble.
Looking at Sarah, she asked, “Did you tell her that Abbas was just here searching for me this morning?”
Sarah chuckled and stood up to leave, saying, "Sorry, ma'am, she called me herself to ask."
As Sarah closed the door, still smiling, she encountered Abbas coming towards the office. He was in an ash-gray suit that matched his dark, handsome features and his serious look, even as he seemed a mix of youth and maturity.
"Good morning, Chairman," Sarah greeted him.
Without responding, he opened the door with Najma Bela’s name on it and entered.
Najma remained seated, not turning because she already knew who had entered. Instead, she closed her eyes slightly—a natural reaction she seemed to have.
Abbas stood there, watching her quietly, admiring her serene beauty and composed nature that continually drew him back to her. He was yet to find someone who matched Najma’s elegance and poise, combined with an unexplainable charm, despite his wealth and status. Despite her calm and tolerant nature, Najma had learned to ignore his behavior, but he couldn’t continue to watch her act freely without knowing where they stood.
After a long silence, Najma opened her eyes slowly, glancing to the side before she spoke softly.
“Is there something you want to say?”
Frustrated, he stepped closer, grabbed the phone from her hand, and slammed it on the chair beside her, his voice laced with anger.
“For the hundredth time, Najma, I’m asking—what’s your real relationship with that doctor? It’s unacceptable that every time I ask about your relationship with him, you go silent. What does he give you that I can’t? Are you captivated by his looks? Or is it something else I don’t know about?”
She shut him down with a sharp look from her pale, anger-filled eyes, annoyed by his words that lacked any respect for her as his fiancée.
Standing up, she took her phone and silently picked up her bag from the office table, not sparing him another glance as she left, leaving him staring after her in frustration. 
With a particular look, Hanifa followed Naj, who was standing at the wardrobe, wrapped in a thick brown towel, her face clear as always, without a hint of worry from the issues plaguing her life, like the turmoil from her mother and the constant annoyance from Abbas, which had become a source of frustration and sadness.
Hanifa sat on the bed, setting her phone on the vanity and said, "I spoke to Sarah earlier."
Without turning, Naj removed her earphones and replied, "Don't worry about what she told you. If it's about Abbas, by now you must be used to his ways. His actions no longer bother me, except for the fact that it seems like his suspicion is only getting worse, accusations that I keep silent about because of Mom and the elders…"
At that point, Hanifa interrupted, "Why endure it for their sake when they, too, should see that Abbas is unworthy? Besides, since when did you start worrying about people saying you rejected marriage? You chose to marry Abbas Lamido, even though, personally, I don’t see him as fitting for you at all. I don't see any patience or ability to cherish a woman in Abbas."
Naj sighed, sensing Hanifa's frustration with the conversation, and turned to her with a warm smile—a smile that rarely emerged except with Dr. Sa'id, her close friend who understood her more than her own family. She sat beside Hanifa and said, "It’s not worth worrying about. You don’t have to stress over Abbas; let’s leave it. Even the thought of him gives me a headache."
Hanifa was more frustrated hearing the name "Abbas" than anyone else because from the very first time Naj mentioned he was interested in her, she investigated his background thoroughly and found no reason he was suitable. However, he found a way in through Jalaluddeen, her wealthy younger brother, who owned the majority of shares in their family's ALFA'S enterprise, even more than their father.
Naj stood up, saying, "Let me shower, and then we'll talk. Isma'eel called about your upcoming appointment with a doctor in Jamaica."
Looking at her beautiful face, Hanifa smiled and said, "Bless you, my friend."
With a gentle demeanor, Naj gazed at Hanifa, feeling comforted. She entered the bathroom, and Hanifa, realizing her friend was busy, got up, slipped on her Jimmy Choo slippers, and headed to see her mother, who was still busy arranging scented incense. She sat beside her mother, who commented immediately upon seeing her expression.
“Did you agree on how to face the elders if Naj’s marriage to Abbas falls apart? I know that serious look on your face is about something going on between her and Abbas.”
Hanifa gave a faint smile as she helped her mother arrange the incense bottles, replying, “Mom, why haven’t you realized the kind of resilience and faith Naj has? It’s not everyone who can endure the criticism and pressure she does, especially for not being married. In this house, she is seen as one who defies norms, but Naj is someone who believes marriage is Allah’s will. When the time comes, she’ll marry.”
“Hmm, Hanifa, I’m exhausted by Naj’s pattern of broken engagements. I used to believe it was fate, but now I think her reserved nature and demeanor make men feel she’s out of their reach.”
Naj finished her shower, but Hanifa wasn’t in the room anymore. She guessed Hanifa was with her mother or Aunt Amina. She went to the mirror and admired her radiant skin, then started applying lotion and perfumes before noticing Hanifa’s phone lighting up. The caller ID displayed “MARSHAL” and Naj sighed as she knew Hanifa never missed a call from her beloved brother. With care, she handed the phone to Zainab and asked her to deliver it to Hanifa, knowing it was important.