Chapter 2

Ousmane’s POV

I received an urgent call and left immediately. On my way, I called Oumou to give her the instructions before taking my car and going to the office.

After the meeting, I sat in my office and thought about how to break this story to Zayate. But it’s for a good cause. I have the means. If I can help, why not?

On my return, I would have a discussion with Hawa just to see how I can help her. Maybe she has plans until she finds a husband.

My phone rang, and I looked to see it was my love calling.

“Hi, baby!” she said cheerfully.

“Good evening, love,” I answered in a deep voice.

“When are you going home, baby? I miss you.”

“Uh, let’s say in an hour. I’m almost done here.”

“Okay.”

“So you’ll call me when you get back?”

“Yes, baby. Plus, I would like to discuss something.”

“What is it?”

“Later, baby.”

“No, tell me, baby, what it’s all about? I can’t wait. There is a problem with my shop?”

Her perfume and lingerie boutique was not far from my office.

“No, the shop is fine, baby. Let’s talk about it later, okay, sweetie?”

“Hmm, okay.”

I hung up and huffed. “Damn, I don’t even know where to start.”

My phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Baby, can you go to the store now, please? Fifi will give you a package. Come home with it and put it for me in my safe.”

“Okay, no worries.”

“Thank you, baby. But you really don’t want to tell me what it’s about?”

“Zayate!”

“Okay-okay, I got it. Call you later, bye!” She hung up.

I called my secretary to make me a strong coffee. I had to carefully study a very important file. As a car dealer, cars fascinated me the most, and I made it my job. After finishing my business studies and obtaining my Bachelor of International Business Administration from the Sup de Co Montpellier Group in France, I worked for a dealership for two years to acquire the skills that could help me achieve my ambitions, and I did pretty well.

I proudly present myself as the official dealer of several French brands. Partnering with big brands was not the easiest thing to do. I had to demonstrate my capacities in terms of sales, mechanics, and management, especially with regard to very big car brands. If the brand was convinced, I would sign a concession contract. It was important to note that this contract was for a fixed term, and I would be assigned to a well-defined geographical area, which proved to be an advantage as it guaranteed me the exclusive sale of the brand’s products in an entire sector.

My office is located in the city center, and our premises are composed of offices, a showroom, a workshop for maintenance and repair, a stock of vehicles for sale, a stock of spare parts, tools, specialized furniture, and specialized vehicles for towing and repair. Little by little, my team and I were making our way.

I couldn’t concentrate on the file anymore. I’d better get moving before my girlfriend starts getting suspicious or thinking I’m hanging out with another woman. I don’t want her to be jealous.

I went downstairs and remotely unlocked my car before climbing up and saluting the security guard. I parked in front of my girlfriend’s perfume and lingerie boutique a few minutes later. I got out, locked the doors, and entered the store.

I greeted the girls, got the package, went to the restaurant, got some desserts, and went back home.

I couldn’t find anyone in the living room. I put the desserts in the fridge and went to my room to quickly take a bath, change, and go downstairs. I found that Oumou, my cleaning lady, had set the table.

“Good day, sir. How are you doing?”

“A bit tiring, but it’s okay, thank you.”

I took my place. Oumou slipped away, and I helped myself.

“Oumou.”

“Yes, sir?” she said, hurrying toward me.

“Uh, can you call our guest for dinner?”

“She has already eaten. She is sleeping now.”

“Right away? Okay, that’s good then.”

“That will be all?”

“Yes, thank you, Oumou.”

I finished eating, went back to my room, and found two missed calls from Zayate. I called her back right away.

“What are you doing? I’m calling you, and you refuse to pick up! You were with your hoes, weren’t you?”

“Zayate, you know I hate when you talk like this. You know that, don’t you?”

“I don’t care,” she cried. “Fuck you!”

I didn’t want to get into an argument. Otherwise, what I was going to tell her would be more difficult to convey, especially since she was far away. She was in the Philippines to buy her wedding dress. From there, she would go to France before returning.

“When you’ve calmed down, please call me. We’ll talk. I just got home. I was eating, and my phone was plugged in upstairs,” I sent her the message and put my phone down.

She called me back immediately through a video call. I answered on my laptop and activated the video. Her beautiful face appeared to me, and I smiled stupidly, feeling my heart swell with love. How I loved this woman.

Zayate was a beautiful woman, half-Soussou half-Lebanese. My fiancée was a model, but she stopped her career three years ago. We’d been together for five years. I met her by chance in a restaurant here, and I immediately fell in love. The beginning was not easy, but we were able to overcome everything. She was twenty-eight, and we had been living together for two years. If it were up to me, we would already be married, but Madame wanted the wedding of the century, so she prepared it meticulously without rushing.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes,” she answered. In her face, I saw that she wanted to scream, but she held it back. “I listen to you.”

“Promise me first that you let me finish whatever I’m going to say and won’t interrupt.”

She frowned before crossing her arms under her opulent chest. “Okay, go on.”

“Well, this afternoon, my uncles called me urgently to talk to me. I came to my uncle’s home in a hurry, believing that something had happened. Do you remember Uncle Gaoussou’s son?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well, he died not so long ago. And as you know, it’s customary in our country for young brothers to remarry their late brother’s wives. The uncles came to offer me to take his widow as a wife. I obviously refused, but it turned out that she had nowhere to stay. They offered me to help her until she finds a man to marry her.”

“And you agreed?”

“Wait, baby. It’s not that simple. They had already sealed the marriage. I didn’t know.”

“WHAT?! Did I hear you right? You married her?!” she screamed.

“Honey, calm down. Let me explain the situation to you. It is according to custom that she is my wife, but I have been clear on this, I am not her husband. She just stays until she finds a new husband, and then she leaves. She’s an orphan, it seems.”

“I don’t care! Don’t care, can you hear me?! I don’t want anyone in my house, even if she’s an orphan! I don’t care what you’ll do, but I don’t want to see her at home! I knew your family was going to do such a thing. I knew it!” She was red with anger.

‘My God, I think it’s going to be more complicated than expected,’ I thought with a sigh.