Characters:
The novel's protagonists: Osman El-Behiry / Samar Hefzy
"Yahya El-Behiry" - Osman's father
"Feryal El-Mahdy" - Osman's mother
"Safeya El-Behiry (Safi)" - Osman's sister
"Refaat El-Behiry" - Yahya's brother
"Saleh El-Behiry" - Refaat's son
"Hala El-Behiry" - Refaat's daughter
"Fady Hefzy" - Samar's brother
"Malak Hefzy" - Samar's sister
And the rest later...
Gleem / Alexandria, October 31st..
The massive square, skillfully and professionally designed in the Italian style, was packed – with photographers and journalists on one side, and guests on the other.
They had all come to attend the biggest wedding of the season, for the son of one of Alexandria's most prominent figures and one of the country's biggest businessmen and investors, "Yahya El-Behiry"...
In a truly legendary wedding, the eldest son and heir of the El-Behiry family married inside their opulent palace, which consists of 322 rooms and eight external facades with vast gardens, to "Gigi El-Haddad", daughter of the well-known politician "Rashad El-Haddad"...
After the initial wedding celebrations that lasted for three days, a huge dinner banquet was held tonight, attended by over 700 people. The total cost of the wedding exceeded ten million Egyptian pounds.
The wedding took place under tight security that worked to protect the guests, who included businessmen, diplomats, and politicians. Many famous artists and singers also participated in the evening's entertainment.
On the other side... Mrs. "Feryal El-Mahdy" managed to slip away from the crowds of guests and quickly urged her son to begin the marriage contract. He responded indifferently and led his bride to the center of the square where the officiant was waiting for their arrival. As soon as everyone was seated, the officiant draped a white veil over the hands of the bride's father and her fiancé, who were completing the contract. In full view and hearing of everyone present, the contract was announced through the loudspeakers placed everywhere...
A usual traditional ritual, it included the hollow vows the groom repeated after the officiant, the bride's fake smiles she distributed here and there, and some pursed lips around them – you couldn't tell if it was malice, jealousy, or indifference!!!
"May God bless you both, and combine you in goodness."
As the officiant uttered these words, loud whistles and cheers erupted. Those seated rose to their feet, congratulating amidst warm applause, and the men headed towards the groom with handshakes and hugs.
Then came his wonderful mother, cupping his face, covered in his thick chestnut beard, with her soft hands. He gazed at her with pure admiration, as she, as usual, still surprised everyone with her never-fading beauty and her breathtaking presence. Especially tonight, wearing a long nude-colored dress from Chanel's Resort collection that harmonized with her fair, rosy skin, and completing her enchanting look with black high-heeled shoes from the Italian brand Le Silla, and a few simple pieces of jewelry she wore...
"Congratulations, my love," Feryal said softly and whispered in his ear as she hugged him happily. He bent down and kissed her hand in front of the cameras pointed at them. She, in turn, tenderly stroked his long hair.
His father arrived the next moment, gripping his wrist firmly as he pulled him slightly aside, then said in a low voice only he could hear: "Be careful... we don't want any trouble, act smart, understand?" He warned him sternly like this, giving him sharp looks for emphasis. Feryal noticed what was happening between father and son and felt a sudden tension settling in.
She approached them and asked anxiously, "Yahya! Is something wrong?"
Yahya turned to his wife and said in a calm tone as if nothing had happened, "Nothing's wrong, my love, don't worry... on the contrary, everything is good, and the night went exactly as we wanted...". Then he turned his face to his son and continued with the same calmness and confidence, "I was just congratulating Osman and rushing him. That's enough, the evening has gone on long enough, and Rashad El-Haddad says the bridal chalet is ready and everything is perfect... they have to leave now!"
With simple words, Yahya managed to deceive his wife, who now smiled, resting her head on his chest. But he couldn't deceive his son, not after he knew everything!!
Finally, the wedding night, described as being like a scene from a thousand and one nights, ended. The groom left with his bride in an open Ferrari car to one of the luxurious chalets in the upscale suburbs of the city...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The shadows of the fragrant red candles danced on the wall of the romantic bedroom, furnished entirely in white and pink.
When Osman El-Behiry entered, carrying his wife in his muscular arms, he gently placed her on the soft, wide bed.
Gigi feigned shyness in front of him, lowering her dark mascara-laden eyelashes and lifting her loose hair from her eyes.
But she quickly overcame this artificial barrier of modesty and slowly raised her gaze to him, finding him looking at her with indifferent eyes, always attractively sleepy-looking.
"What is it, Osman?" Gigi asked in surprise, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Osman smiled slightly, then said as he leaned towards her, "Nothing, my love... I'm just admiring your beauty. You're so beautiful, Gigi, especially tonight... you were like the moon."
She turned her face away, placing her hand over her mouth as she giggled softly, then looked back at him and said, "You were handsome too... you were a Prince, my love. Our wedding is practically the wedding of the season, and it will be the talk of everyone for years to come."
He agreed with a short laugh and said mysteriously, "As for it being the talk of everyone for years to come, don't worry... I'm sure of that, my love."
He seemed to be resisting another laugh, and Gigi sensed that something unusual was happening with him. She asked him anxiously, "What's wrong, Osman? Are you okay...?" She continued suspiciously, "You haven't taken anything, have you?"
He answered, laughing heartily, "My love, don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that I'm a little happy."
He looked up at her newly dyed hair. "You know, blonde hair really suits you," he said as he played with her hair with his fingers.
Then he moved closer to her, until they were touching, and planted a long kiss below her neck. Gigi let out a hot, broken sigh afterwards and mumbled, "Okay... shouldn't we change our clothes first?"
But he didn't back down an inch; instead, he continued his work, bringing his face closer to hers. His lips met hers, and slowly he turned himself until he was over her. He held her face in his hands and lifted it up so it would be easy for his mouth to lick her neck.
Her breathing was embarrassingly loud, but she wasn't embarrassed, she didn't care. She was just enjoying his gentle caress, and her heart was beating strongly, its rhythm echoing loudly in her ears.
However, this loudness didn't prevent her from hearing Osman's faint, wicked laughter. She opened her eyes wide, astonished to hear him laughing in such a situation!
He rose from her simultaneously with the rising waves of his strange laughter. "How about we watch a movie together?" he asked in a playful tone. She propped herself up and leaned her back against the pillow, repeating strangely, "Watch a movie? Now?"
He nodded innocently, "Yeah... or don't you want to?"
"No, no... okay, whatever you want, we'll watch a movie."
A malicious smile twisted his mouth, which she saw before he got up from in front of her. Her feeling of suspicion and apprehension increased, but she tried to relax, convincing herself that this was just his nature anyway.
Cunning, wicked, shrewd, evasive, no one could predict his actions...
He quickly returned carrying his laptop. He sat next to her and moved the mouse cursor until he reached a specific file and opened it...
The medium-sized screen began to display a documentary film. At first, Gigi felt bored and indifferent, until she saw herself appearing as the protagonist of this film, and soon after, she watched her ex-lover co-starring with her in several intimate scenes that passed before her eyes, scene after scene...
The shock hit her hard as she tore her frozen gaze from the screen to look at him... She asked him with a heavy tongue, "You... how, how did you film these things?"
His bright white teeth showed from behind his lip as he smiled devilishly, saying, "I'm everywhere, baby. Anywhere that concerns me, directly or indirectly, I have an eye on it."
Then he surprised her by grabbing her hair violently, saying with intense anger, "And how audacious you are! Going to meet your heart's beloved a week before your wedding! Did you think you could fool me? Did you think I was a fool or an idiot, girl? I am Osman El-Behiry, no one can play games behind my back, no one can pull a fast one on me, hear me?"
She screamed as his grip on her hair tightened, begging him tearfully, "Please, Osman, let go of me, let go of me, we'll talk about whatever you want, if you want to divorce me, divorce me."
He laughed loudly, then said mockingly, "Yes, my dear? Divorce you! Well, I am indeed going to divorce you... but not that easily. I paid a lot for you, would you have me lose money?"
She replied, trying to pull away from him, "I don't want anything from you, I'll give up everything, I'll absolve you, Osman, but please let go of me!"
She moaned weakly. He pursed his lips in feigned regret and said, "Baby, you're going to absolve me whether you like it or not, that's not the problem for me at all."
She screamed impatiently:
"Then what do you want?"
"I'll tell you, my heart."
He said it and stood up from beside her very calmly, while she breathed a sigh of relief as he released her and freed her hair from the grip of his steel fist. She massaged her scalp with her fingers.
He came back and sat beside her again, then said in his famously cold manner: "Here, baby... sign these papers."
Gigi looked at the set of papers in his hands and asked in a choked voice, "What are these papers?"
"These, my love, are a waiver of your share in the company that our fathers established for us as a wedding gift, and along with them are papers waiving all your rights in this marriage, even though I spent millions on our royal wedding... but it's okay, God will compensate me, there's always next time."
"What are you saying?" she exclaimed in disbelief, and continued, "There's no way I'll do what you're saying, are you crazy? I'll waive my rights, yes, but my share in the company is absolutely no way, I won't let you get near it."
Osman with a sarcastic laugh: "It's not up to you, kitty, you'll do everything I want whether you like it or not."
She replied sarcastically, "Okay, and if I don't do everything you want... what will you do?"
He answered simply, "Nothing... I'll just take this beautiful film and publish it everywhere, and instead of your extraordinary talent being buried like this, I'll reveal it to people so they can be amazed by it, and I promise you... tomorrow morning, you'll be more famous than Scarlett Johansson."
He laughed again, and she glared at him indignantly and said, "Do you think you're twisting my arm like this? Daddy won't let you get away with this, Osman."
He smiled and silenced her with a vulgar insult that made her eyes bulge in shock, then returned to his reckless behavior and said sharply, throwing the papers in her face, "Go on, sister, sign it. I don't like to repeat myself twice."
She looked at him with intense hatred and complied with his order reluctantly.
She took the papers from his hand, and he handed her a pen in turn...
And after one minute, she was done. He took the papers back from her and met the look of loathing radiating from her eyes with a provocative smile...
Then he stood tall in front of her and said softly, "Now, baby, I can tell you you are divorced, divorced, divorced!"
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
For a long time, Samar no longer needed the alarm clock that used to wake her up every morning, as the screams of her ten-month-old sister, Malak, were a more impactful alarm.
And here she was, jolting awake from her deep sleep as the little one began to cry. She got out of bed, rubbing her eyes with her fists, and hurried to her sister, stumbling over every piece of furniture she encountered.
She bent towards the small crib to quickly quiet her so her screams wouldn't get louder and disturb the neighbors. For two months now, she had been suffering from stomach pains and cramps that she could only express by screaming, especially at night.
Samar carried the baby and began to soothe her, rock her, and sing to her sweetly. Gradually, Malak calmed down and fell back asleep in her older sister's arms.
Samar placed the child back in her crib and carefully spread her soft blanket over her small body.
She tenderly stroked her smooth, hazelnut-colored hair, then turned and headed out towards the bathroom...
She performed her daily routine, washed her face, brushed her teeth, then made a cup of tea and returned with it to her room.
She sat on the chair in front of the table and began calculating the expenses due this week, arriving at a very difficult conclusion.
She had to reduce her expenses to the lowest possible degree to be able to pay the rent for the apartment that housed her, her young brother, and her younger sister...
But what about food and drink? Wouldn't they eat to save money?
Malak alone needed a special budget daily; the money was barely enough for her powdered milk, diapers, and medication... Where would she get the rest of the necessities?
Samar felt deep despair and hopelessness, and suddenly she remembered her parents... If only they were here with her now, she wouldn't be drowning up to her ears in this swamp of worries.
But fate willed that they both die together in a car accident eight weeks ago while on their way to the pediatrician overseeing Malak's treatment, as she was born with jaundice. Fortunately for the little one, she was the only survivor among all the bus passengers, not suffering a single scratch!
Samar and her brother didn't have a chance to mourn and grieve for their parents, as Malak needed attention every moment...
Samar was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Malak's whimpering, which indicated an imminent severe screaming fit. Samar rushed to her, took her into her arms again, and kept walking around the entire apartment with her until she fell asleep again...
She heard a knock on the apartment door and went to open it.
On the doorstep stood the building's owner, his face flushed.
Samar stammered, saying in confusion and embarrassment, "Uncle Saber! Welcome, uuh..."
The latter interrupted her roughly, "No welcome at all, Miss Samar. I'm here to tell you, nicely and amicably, you have two days, no more, to pack your things, take your siblings, and find another place to live."
Samar in distress, "Why are you doing this, Uncle Saber? We haven't fallen short with you, especially, and we pay the rent on time!"
"My dear, God is not in need of the few coins I get from you, and as for this month's rent, I forgive it, God is not in need, just leave from here."
Samar's face crumpled as she asked brokenly, "But where will we go? This has been our home our whole lives, we've never left it, and we don't know anywhere else to go."
"Honestly, that's not my problem, miss. Figure it out yourselves. The tenants are starting to leave the building because of you. The other day, Engineer Alaa, who lives next to you, came and threw the apartment key at me and left. The man couldn't sleep because of the voice of the little lady in your arms. Every day she wakes him up from his sweetest sleep."
Samar helplessly, "But what can I do, Uncle Saber? You know she's been sick since the day she was born, and what she's going through isn't in my hands."
Saber answered in his crude manner, "My dear, may God heal her and make her well, but away from here. Look, I've done the right thing and come to warn you to vacate. A new tenant is coming to see the apartment the day after tomorrow. Please have left the place before I bring him, because that day, if the man comes and you're still here, I'll gather my boys and throw your stuff in the street."
"How are you talking to her like that, you old man???"
Fady exclaimed this upon arriving at the apartment door, adding angrily, "And besides, didn't I warn you before not to come near the apartment when I'm not here? What brought you? It's still the beginning of the month tomorrow, and I was going to come to you and give you the rent like every time."
Saber immediately shouted, "No, sir, I don't want anything from you, I swear I don't want anything! I just want you to leave me alone and find another place away from me and the tenants."
Fady spoke with extreme hostility, trying to control himself as much as possible so as not to hit him, "And you don't know how to speak politely, you disrespectful old man?"
"May God forgive you, Mr. Fady, and because I am a respectable man, I won't respond to you..." Then he announced with a decisive voice, "But starting tomorrow, I will hang a paper on the building door downstairs and advertise the apartment for rent, and I will give the key to the first customer who comes."
Fady's face turned dangerously red, and he was about to pounce on him, but Samar quickly stopped him, holding his arm and saying, "That's enough, Fady, that's enough..." She turned her gaze to Saber, continuing coldly, "Okay, Uncle Saber, do what you want. We'll pack our things and leave the apartment tomorrow."
Saber smiled coldly, turned his back, and walked away, leaving the three siblings in silence...
Samar looked intently and tenderly at her sister's innocent face, and her eyes filled with tears. Her brother noticed her and shouted nervously, "Why are you crying now? Don't cry. Do you want me to go down and show him to the whole street right now?"
Samar, wiping her tears away quickly with the back of her hand: "No, of course not, are you crazy? That's enough, come on, go inside."
She pulled him inside with her, then asked him to steer him away from the discussion about the previous argument: "Tell me, what did you do at the university?"
He answered, frowning, "Nothing... they told me I couldn't get the books until after paying the fees."
Samar, with a sad expression, patting her brother's shoulder: "It's okay... it will be resolved, God willing, don't worry."
Fady nervously: "How will it be resolved? Are we going to strike the ground and make money appear? We're going to be homeless like this, Samar, and Malak will die on us. There are no solutions in front of us, there's only one solution, and you didn't manage to do it."
Samar weakly: "What did you want me to do? I kept after them all these past months and didn't get any result. They won't agree to pay us the bonus, Fady."
"Why not? Wasn't Dad just like any other employee in this rotten company? Let them do that, I swear I'll sue them and send them to hell."
She smiled bitterly and said, "Where will we go against these big people, Fady? We won't be able to do anything with them."
"No way, I will. And here I am, going down to them right now, and it's either me or them."
He took two steps away, and Samar chased after him, shouting, "Wait, Fady... wait!"
She grabbed his hand and mumbled softly, "Okay, I'll go again."
He rolled his eyes, saying impatiently, "Where will you go? You come back just as you went. You don't know how to handle things."
She argued with determination, "I'll go... I'll go and I won't come back without a result!"
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
In the El-Behiry palace...
Yahya El-Behiry slammed the table with his heavy hand, shouting with intense anger, "The dog isn't answering me! Well, when I see you, Osman... you ANIMAL!"
He spat out his last word, yelling fiercely into his phone. The family members exchanged tense glances, while Feryal moved towards her husband, saying gently, hoping to calm him, "Calm down, Yahya, not like this, my love, enough for your health, calm down for my sake."
Yahya, shouting even louder: "Don't tell me to calm down! How can I calm down? How can I calm down after your son, the Pasha, got us into trouble with Rashad El-Haddad? That man, if he gets angry, he'll make us all stay in this house, if we even have a house left after his black deed."
"You're exaggerating a lot, by the way," Feryal said impatiently, then continued, defending her son, "And besides, what did you want him to do? After what you told me yourself last night, I don't see that he's wrong. On the contrary, that's the least he could have done."
Yahya emotionally: "Do you want to drive me crazy too? Are you going to swim with him?"
And here, Refaat intervened calmly, "Osman was wrong, Feryal. He shouldn't have acted so impulsively... Now the newspapers and magazines have no topic but us, and Rashad El-Haddad will indeed not stay silent. The scandal has affected him much more than us, and you know he's a well-known politician and a member of parliament... his position is sensitive."
"Tell her!"
Yahya shouted violently, due to the intensity of his anger. Safeya joined them the next moment, entering the large salon carrying a newspaper in her arms and the lion cub she was caring for until it recovered from its illness: "Good morning, everyone!"
No one returned her greeting except her uncle and his son Saleh. She asked calmly, waving the newspaper,
"Is what's written in the newspapers true?"
Saleh volunteered to answer her when he noticed the tension in the atmosphere intensifying after her question: "Yes, Safi, it's true."
She gasped in shock: "But why? What happened?"
Yahya, who had resumed shouting nervously again: "I don't want to hear a lot of chatter. Be quiet, all of you, right now."
Safeya rolled her eyes indifferently and said, "Okay... if you'll excuse me."
And she withdrew, leaving... Saleh waited for a minute before clearing his throat and saying, "Okay, I'll go look for Osman. I'll see if he went to his office."
And he hurried away to catch up with Safeya...
Meanwhile, Refaat spoke, addressing his brother in a low tone, "Excuse me, Yahya, I have to leave for Paris tonight. I can't leave Hala there alone any longer and, uh..."
Yahya interrupted him indifferently, "Travel, Refaat... travel."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Inside the palace garage, which housed a collection of incredible cars...
Safeya was about to get into her car, but Saleh's voice stopped her as he ran towards her: "Safi... Safi, wait!"
She sighed impatiently and stood in her place but didn't turn towards him. He had to walk around the car to face her: "What is it, Safi? Where are you going so early?" he asked with interest, while she looked the other way, answering him dryly, "Going to take Antar for vaccinations."
Saleh looked at the cub nestled docilely against Safeya's chest, a contradiction to its nature, and said anxiously, "I really don't know the secret behind your love for wild animals. Okay, I know you're a vet and you care for all animals, but I still can't understand why it's lions specifically that you love so much! Why do you love them so much, Safi?"
She answered him in a stern manner, "I love them because they protect me from people like you."
"What's this, what's this, what's this! Why are you talking to me like this? Are you upset with me?"
She replied sharply, "Get away from me, Saleh, and stay out of my way."
His cheerful facial expression changed as he said seriously, "No, you're really upset with me now... What's wrong, Safi??"
She said, stretching the syllables mockingly,
"You don't know what's wrong! Go ask the girls you were dancing with yesterday, and they'll tell you, or go to Farida, Auntie Zizi's daughter, she was stuck to you the whole wedding and didn't leave you until the very end."
Saleh smiled understandingly and said, winking at her, "You're jealous, my love. Don't be jealous, my heart, you are the mistress of them all."
"Me, jealous! No, my dear, I left jealousy to you."
He chuckled lightly and said, "Safi, my love, rest assured, not a single one of them can fill my eyes. The proof is that I left them all and chose you. Everyone knows you're my fiancée."
"And did you consider your fiancée? You wiped the floor with my dignity."
He shook his head no and moved to touch her face with his hand, but she shouted roughly, "Get your hand off me, kid."
His eyes bulged in shock, and he said, "Kid! What's with 'kid'? Where did you learn that, daughter of El-Behiry?"
"Get out of my face, Saleh, or it's better for you!" she shouted sternly.
He leaned his elbow against her car and said, amused, "And if I don't move, what will you do?"
"Are you going to get out of my face, or should I unleash Antar on you?"
She raised the cub with the golden fur in front of his eyes, and he immediately flinched backward, saying quickly, "No, no, no, okay... okay, fine, goodbye, you and Antar."
She looked at him haughtily and placed the cub in the back seat of the car, then she got in herself behind the steering wheel and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust that flew entirely into Saleh's face...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
On the morning after his wedding night...
Osman El-Behiry entered his family's company, and the employees, especially the female ones, started whispering about him...
One said, "Look how relaxed he is? It's like he didn't divorce his bride yesterday!"
Another replied, "I wonder why he divorced her? And on their wedding night too!"
The third reprimanded her, "And does that need deciphering, smart one? There must be something wrong with her, otherwise why would he have done that?"
A fourth murmured, "That's enough, girls, God knows the truth. May God protect us all."
Osman overheard all their conversations as he passed by them, which increased his feeling of pleasure. His plan had paid off, and the story had become like chewing gum in everyone's mouths, and this was what he wanted – to expose his ex-wife and her father to punish her for her betrayal and also to regain his dignity...
Osman entered his office and called his private secretary, ordering her to gather all his belongings and sort the important files for him. Then he instructed her to send all of this to his new company's headquarters with security guards...
The secretary left after receiving the orders, while Osman's phone rang, making him sigh in annoyance, as he knew very well who was calling.
Despite this, he pressed the answer button and replied, "Hello!"
His father's angry voice came through, "Where are you, Pasha? And why aren't you answering me? Is this something you do, you idiot?!"
Osman calmly: "Just calm down, Dad, nothing happened, and on the contrary, I carried out everything we agreed upon."
Yahya in disbelief: "You send the girl to her father in the middle of the night in her wedding dress, and have the press waiting for her at her father's house, and you tell me you did what we agreed upon? You exposed us!"
Osman imagined the scene his father had painted in his mind, and he burst out laughing, saying gleefully, "But what do you think? Honestly, wasn't it a knockout blow? Rashad El-Haddad will have to wear a veil to cover his face in parliament from now on."
He continued laughing, and his father shouted angrily, "You idiot, you don't realize the magnitude of the disaster you've landed us in! You've sent us to hell."
Osman ignored his father's words and suddenly frowned when he heard sounds of a quarrel outside.
He quickly ended his call, then walked angrily towards the door, pulled the handle forcefully, shouting, "What's all this noise here???"
His eyes blazed as he looked at his secretary in anger, demanding an explanation for the strange noise. The latter stammered as she replied nervously, "Mr. Osman! This young lady suddenly came in, and she insists on coming in to meet you. I told her it's not possible, you have to make an appointment first, but she's still insistent and won't understand."
Osman shifted his gaze to the petite figure standing beside the secretary with a flushed face and red eyes.
He gave her a scrutinizing look, examining her from head to toe with utmost precision and boldness...
She provoked him to the extreme; her pure, round face and delicate features, which hinted at innocence despite her agitation, attracted him. But he couldn't see more of her because of the dark scarf she wore over her head like a hijab, preventing anyone looking at her from seeing her hair, and also the long, loose clothes that prevented him from discerning her figure...
She aroused his curiosity and anger simultaneously. He pursed his lips in some annoyance, then addressed her with his rough voice, "Who are you, clever girl?"
She was greatly surprised by his obvious shameless arrogance, a manner that didn't fit his refined appearance at all...
But she ignored it and answered steadily, "I am Samar Hefzy, daughter of Mr. Sherif Hefzy. My father, may he rest in peace, was an employee here with you."
"Welcome," he replied rudely, and added, "And what do you want?"
Samar sharply: "I've come to meet the person in charge of this company..." She turned her speech to the secretary, "Please inform whoever is in charge here that I request an urgent meeting."
Osman, raising his eyebrows in surprise: "And I'm not enough for you, or what?"
Samar, returning to look at him with disdain: "Who are you?!"
And here the secretary quickly intervened, saying with embarrassment, "Mr. Osman El-Behiry is the company manager and also one of its owners."
"Welcome," Samar said, adopting his previous tone with her.
He glared at her with fiery eyes, and she realized she had succeeded in angering him. This pleased her, but she said in a firm, formal tone, "Sir, I've been coming here for about two months trying to reach someone in charge to speak to about something important concerning my father's work, may he rest in peace, with you. Unfortunately, every time I come back just as I came, I don't get any result, so if you could help me, I would be very grateful."
He gave her a long, empty look, then said curtly, "Come in."
And he gestured for her to enter his office...
He preceded her inside. She entered after him and heard the sound of the door closing behind her by the secretary.
She followed him, examining the room with rounded edges with great curiosity and admiration. Its walls were wooden, and the floor was marble. There was a corner a little further away that looked like a small kitchen, with a small refrigerator and tea and coffee making equipment.
"Please sit down," he said after sitting in front of her behind his large desk. She complied with his request and sat on the left side in the two chairs facing him.
Osman asked calmly, "Okay, what is it? How can I help you, Miss?"
Samar, with similar calmness, forgetting her hostile stance towards him: "As I told you, I've been coming here for two months because of a problem concerning my father's work with you, may he rest in peace."
"And what exactly is the problem?"
Samar explained the details of the problem to him...
Osman seriously: "But your father, according to what you're saying, was an elevator technician, not a primary engineer here at the company."
"I don't understand the difference?!"
Osman sighed deeply and said, "The difference is that your father was a wage worker. If there was a malfunction in the elevators here, he would come and fix it and that's it. Meaning, his name, and the names of many of his colleagues who have the same job here, are not in our employment records because, simply, our group is investment and commercial, and we don't need this type of worker much. We only hire them on a wage basis, as I told you."
Samar in shock: "What do you mean?!!"
He pursed his lips regretfully and said coldly, tapping his pen on the desk, "It means, unfortunately, your father doesn't have an end-of-service bonus with us because he wasn't an employee to begin with. He might have some dues; you can ask downstairs in Human Resources on your way out if there are any remaining payments related to him or anything!"
Samar was struck by a disappointment that overwhelmed her senses. She no longer heard him completing his words but instead listened to a powerful flood of questions suddenly erupting in her mind...
How would she manage? How would she continue her life without money? And her siblings... what would she do about them? They needed many things essential for their survival. Malak wouldn't live if Samar couldn't provide food and treatment for her, and Fady's future would be lost if he dropped out of his studies. Where would she get all of this from? The only hope she had relied on turned out to be false... There was no escape from the miserable fate, not just for her, but for her siblings as well.
Gradually, Samar stood up without feeling it, despite her trembling limbs, then she began to repeat, crying, "What will I do now? How will I manage? My siblings will be lost to me... I won't be able to do anything for them. Malak will die, and I... I'm the reason... I'm the reason."
"Are you alright, miss?" Osman asked with some concern, but he received no answer.
The vision in front of Samar was fading little by little, until it completely disappeared...
Her legs could no longer carry her, and she fell unconscious...
Osman jumped from his seat and walked towards her quickly.
He bent down to her, extended his hand, and gently shook her, calling out, "Miss! Miss..."
Osman fidgeted in his place, looking at her in confusion, "What should I do with this now?" he muttered softly to himself, then he got up and went to his desk.
He pressed the intercom button connected to his secretary's office and said in a clear, steady voice, "Sherry... call the company doctor immediately and come here quickly."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
In another place... where a man in his fifties was leaning against his desk. His white hair was mixed with some black strands, and he looked dignified and respectable...
He suddenly turned to his daughter and brought his heavy hand down on her temple. She screamed in pain, and her younger sister quickly embraced her, receiving her.
"You disgraced me, you hussy!" Rashad El-Haddad said, shouting, and continued, "Our reputation is on everyone's tongue. Your husband divorced you on your wedding day, and we don't need to explain the reasons to people. You've ruined my future and your sister's future, you -----! I'll lose the elections and I'll lose everything because of you, --------! My name, after being in the sky, you've dragged it through the mud."
Her sobbing grew louder, while her sister tried to calm Rashad by saying, "That's enough, Daddy, please, Gigi knows she made a mistake, and you also know that Osman betrayed her. She didn't know he would send journalists after her."
Rashad angrily: "Shut up, it's none of your business. I have a score to settle with that dog too, but not before I finish with this ----- myself."
Gigi, crying and still protected in her sister's embrace: "You're the one who forced me into this marriage! I told you I don't love him and I don't want him..." Then she continued hesitantly, "You're the reason, Daddy!"
Rashad raised his arm and pulled her by her hair, shouting, "I am the reason indeed! I'm the one who left you unchecked until you became corrupt, and in the end, you handed my neck to Yahya El-Behiry's son."
Gigi moaned in pain and said in a trembling voice mixed with her tears, "I didn't know he would film me, and I didn't notice anything until the wedding day, he surprised me."
Rashad roughly: "Why did you sign the waiver for him?"
"He threatened to publish the video."
He shouted emotionally, "You're stupid! He couldn't have done anything. I would have dealt with him, and we wouldn't have been exposed like this now."
Then he suddenly let go of her and turned, staring into space, muttering fiercely, "Alright, son of Yahya... I swear I will bring you down to the ground. I won't have mercy on you or your family!"
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Malak had woken up from her sleep about fifteen minutes ago. She had spent all this time lying alone without moving until she got tired of her loneliness...
So she began to scream loudly enough to attract one of her siblings. This is how she had learned and memorized the way to attract their attention according to her small mind.
And indeed, Fady answered her call and came to her immediately...
Malak fell silent as soon as she saw him. He smiled at her and said gently, "What is it, Miss Malouka? Are you hungry, or did you wake up and find yourself bored and decide to annoy Fady a little? Huh? Tell me, talk..."
And he started making faces at her as he talked to her. The child began to laugh at him, raising her small arms towards him and making sounds mixed with her laughter.
Fady laughed with her, then carried her and began to play with her and caress her...
Malak had features shared by both her mother and her sister Samar... For example, she inherited her fair skin color and her hazelnut hair color from her mother.
As for her wide green eyes, she inherited them from her older sister, who also possesses a special kind of beauty characterized by her long, raven hair, her light chocolate-colored skin, and her well-proportioned figure that her neighbors and friends envy her for whenever they visit her at home...
Fady sat in the living room and seated Malak on his lap, then began to rock her so she wouldn't start crying again, while he watched a game on the small television screen...
Samar caught his attention as she opened the apartment door with her key and entered. He turned off the television, carried Malak in his arms, and went towards her...
Fady eagerly: "Well, Samar! What did you do?"
Samar raised her face, answering him with clear exhaustion, "Fady, I'll tell you later. I'm tired and can barely see in front of me. I need to rest a bit, and I'll tell you everything in the evening."
He frowned anxiously and asked her in a calm tone, "What's wrong, Samar? Are you alright?"
She nodded her head in the affirmative, then said, "Just take care of Malak until I wake up, and if she gets hungry, you know how to feed her. You can just wake me up for her medicine time, and I'll get up and give it to her."
And she left him, heading towards her room...
Finally, she was alone. She closed the room door, and immediately took off her hijab, breathing deeply, then released her hair from the hair clip, letting it fall softly and smoothly down her back.
She threw herself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, and the memory of the brief meeting returned to her...
She found him standing in front of her when her eyes opened. He was talking to a short man in his mid-forties; he seemed insignificant next to him...
She didn't have a chance to figure out much, as she sprang up from her spot like a frightened cat, saying in a sleepy, slurred voice, "Where am I? What happened to me?"
Osman reassured her with a smile, "Don't worry, miss, you're fine. Don't worry, you're safe. You just fainted, and Dr. Hussein woke you up."
Dr. Hussein said kindly and politely, "Thank God you're safe, miss. I want you not to worry, you're completely fine, but you're malnourished. You're very weak and need to take better care of your eating and drinking so you don't faint again."
Sherry, the office secretary, was standing beside her, so she bent down to give her a glass of juice. Samar accepted it gratefully, feeling her head spin.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hussein left after gathering his tools in his bag, and Osman, in turn, dismissed his secretary to resume her work outside...
Samar, trying to get up: "I don't know how to thank you for what you did for me!"
Osman seriously: "Stay where you are, miss, you're still dizzy, don't get up now."
"I have to go... I'm late for my siblings."
"Just wait a minute, I want to talk to you about something."
Samar in surprise: "Something! What is it, sir??"
Osman pulled a nearby chair and sat on it, leaning his body towards her, then said calmly, "I feel like you're in trouble... You can tell me if you'd like, I might be able to help you."
Samar suspiciously: "Help me how, exactly?!"
He shrugged, answering, "Help you means help you... Just tell me what your problem is?"
Samar was silent, her tongue tied, not knowing how to answer him!
"Money?" he asked, and continued, "What did you graduate in, miss?"
Samar answered with a heavy tongue, "Marketing and e-commerce."
Osman admiringly: "Nice... very nice... Then he added with false enthusiasm, "Look, I'm opening a new company of my own in a few days, I've already chosen the employees but I haven't chosen a secretary yet... Would you like to apply for this position?"
She stared at him in disbelief and asked foolishly, "Really?!!"
Osman laughing: "Oh, yes, really... Then he asked her, smiling, "How old are you? I mean, how many years have you been graduated?"
Samar with slight tension: "I'm 24 years old, and I graduated two and a half years ago."
"Hmm... not long ago. So, what do you say? Do you agree to work for me?"
Samar without hesitation: "Of course I agree... but she backed down, "But I don't know anything about secretarial work."
Osman confidently: "Don't worry, you'll learn... It's a very simple job."
Her face brightened with a gentle smile, while he reached into his pants pocket and took out his wallet.
He pulled out some banknotes, then held out his hand to her, saying, "Here, Miss Samar."
She looked at his outstretched hand with the money, then at him, and asked him, frowning, "What's this, sir?"
He answered with a smile, "I know you need money, please take it."
Samar, refusing politely: "Thank you, sir... I have enough, thank God."
Osman with insistence and kindness: "Just take them, Miss Samar, consider it a loan and pay it back from your first salary."
Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she found it so difficult, but she reached out and took the money from him...
Samar, standing on her feet and testing her steadiness: "I'll take my leave now."
He also stood up and said to her, "Okay, when you leave, leave your name, address, and phone number with Sherry, and don't forget the day after tomorrow. I'll have Sherry call you and give you all the information about the company."
Samar nodded without looking into his eyes, then left his office quietly...
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Samar emerged from the memory feeling very distressed. Since leaving that company, she hadn't stopped scolding herself for taking the money from him.
Several times on her way home, she thought about going back and returning his money, but she remembered Malak and Fady... So she surrendered to the reality of the situation and continued on her way with her lips sealed.
Thinking had exhausted her to this extent, so she stopped everything and surrendered to the sleep that had begun to caress her eyelids...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
In the enchanting night of Alexandria, Saleh El-Behiry drives his luxurious car along the Corniche overlooking the coast, lit by lampposts that reflect their light on the dark sea water, making it look like black pearls in its rarity...
Saleh arrives at that famous nightclub and enters, searching with his eyes for his cousin.
He finds him there, sitting at the bar, surrounded by all sorts of vices, and he is interacting with them with his usual indifference...
"What's up, man? Where have you been?" Saleh said as he sat next to him at the bar, and added, "Do I have to beg you just for you to tell me where you are? Your father is turning the world upside down looking for you."
Osman impatiently: "I know."
"Then why haven't you come home yet??"
"I'm not ready for Mr. Yahya's interrogation, and I don't need any more hassle."
Saleh frankly: "You really messed things up, to be honest. I knew you were a devil, cousin, but I never imagined your thinking would reach this point!"
Osman laughing as he ate some appetizers: "Maybe because you don't know how to think, Saleh."
"No, seriously, the devil himself would applaud you for this stunt."
Osman boastfully: "Man, I'm not just anyone, I'm Osman El-Behiry, meaning all the cunning and power, and don't forget I'm Alexandrian too."
"No, as for the power, I'm more certain of that... Then he asked, recalling, "By the way, what did you do about your company thing? It's all yours now."
Osman drank what was left in his glass and answered him, as the intoxication began to make him say what he didn't want to say, "Shut up, don't remind me of work at all... Today I ran into a girl who almost made me lose my temper. Can you imagine, she mocked me?!?"
Saleh with a playful laugh: "Oh no! She just played with her lifespan."
Osman with a threat: "Are you kidding? By my mother's life, I will make her life hell!!!!!"
