Chapter 5 BILLION DOLLARS

I am seen entering my room with her and the camera cuts to black.

I breathe in hard before turning my face to my father who is shouting at me. " ARE WE GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN?!"

I drop my gaze in defeat and hide the pain already visible.

"You cost us a billion dollars for this stupidity five years ago. What the hell is going on with you?" My father continues to shout. His jaw clenched.

He pushes his breakfast plate and stands up angrily. The whole dining hall is quiet again. Scare written in the eyes of everyone at the table.

My father stands up and walks out of the dining hall, and that is a queue for me to follow him. He walks to his private library. I stand in front of him, my eyes on the floor.

I have always tried to get my father's approval and not disappoint him. I always try to do my level best as my father wishes and when something like this happens. I am lost.

I can't stand my father's anger or disappointment.

Right at this moment I feel like the whole world has collapsed on me. "I can't believe you did this again, Salah! You've let me down.

"You've let your whole family down, and you've let yourself down! I chose you as my heir because I knew you understood what was at stake.

" Why did you let it happen again? I told you five years ago. If I must go through your scandals with women like that. I would not stand by it."

This is the second time I am disheartening my father and it all happens when Naomi is involved. "If you need a woman in your life, GET MARRIED. DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.

" I will not allow the shame you caused us five years ago to hit my family again. If you don't bring a girl home this week, we are going through with your arranged marriage."

My father shouts out loud. I raise my eyes at him. He can't be serious. I can never marry Shamsi. I have made this clear to everyone.

"Is this my punishment?"

Before my father answers suddenly, Grandmother enters the room and I sigh in relief. She looks concerned and walks over to me, holding me defensively.

She has been my shield from my father's anger since my mother died.

"What's going on here?"

"Salah has been irresponsible, and he needs to face the consequences of his actions. He knows better than doing what he is doing."

"Salah has never gone against your wishes not even once except for the incident five years ago. He is a good son. Let him off."

"I do not give second chances mama. He won't be an exception. It is either, he brings home a woman for marriage. One among those women.

" He has been embarrassing us with and settle down here with her. Or he will have to be forced to have no choice at all."

My chest pains. I feel so much pain. A woman I want...I laugh painfully at the thought.

I feel like I want to explode with anger. Tears threaten my eyes and I push them back. Where do I get a woman to marry at this notice. This is a dead-end road.

My father never repeats himself. In a week time I will be forced into an arranged marriage if I do not bring a woman, I want home.

I take steps out of my father's library in a rush on my way to the office, dialing Naomi's number. She must fix this mess and lessen my father's anger. She must help me out.

And to add fuel to my anger and disappointment in her she has blocked the number. It does not exist anymore.

EXCELLENT ....NAOMI VERY GOOD.

It would have been a thousand times better if she asked me for money the way she always did instead of using me like this to make money.

Although the thought of paying her for sex irritates me but I would rather that than what she did right now. This can never be fixed. The consequences for what she did will be deadly.

Walking into my office, our family lawyer, and my cousin Haled, walks in fast paces behind me. "What is it?"

"We have an emergency...A lawsuit against you." I freeze, standing still. It's like a dejavu from five years ago. When he came to be for Naomi's case then.

There are lawsuits happening always at HALIQ enterprise but except for the one from five years ago not even one is against me. "It is the woman from five years ago!"

"Naomi." I did not expect this "What?... Naomi again?" Shit Naomi what the fuck?!

"Yes." I lose strength in my legs and hold onto the wall for balance. Yesterday in a split second I had forgotten the trauma I went through in my family's eyes.

When Naomi drag me into the court, threatening me and asking for a billion dollars in exchange for her silence. Yes, the woman I love sued me for loving her. Threatening to expose our relationship if I did not pay her a billion dollars.

"What is it she wants now? More money?"

"You are the one that made the verification and all the transactions to make sure we paid Naomi every penny of the money she owed me five years ago.

"WHAT IS IT SHE WANTS FROM ONCE AGAIN. HASN'T SHE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE?" I shout with tears spilling out of my eyes.

I walk to the hanging wallpaper and break it off the wall. Shattering it with massive noise as it clicks the floor. Time stands still after I hear my father's concerned voice.

"Salah.... Son... are you okay?" I take quick breaths composing myself before pulling Haled behind me. I turn to see my father walking toward us.

"I am okay Baba. I am just disturbed by what is going on in the media."

"Haled. I thought your team was handling that?" I watch my father's concerned face intensely and wonder if he knows there is more to what happened earlier.

"We are handling that sir."

I quickly pull, Haled by his hand into my office. And the moment we walk in I close the door behind us. "Doesn't my father know about this?"

"No, he doesn't know yet."