Today is Monday. As usual, by seven o’clock he was already fully dressed, looking sharp in his khaki uniform that fitted him perfectly. He sprayed himself with Nora Men’s Black perfume, and he looked exceptionally good. He glanced toward the couch and saw her sleeping peacefully, her mind at ease, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes resting gently against her cheeks. Her face looked bright and so cute. Her hijab, as always, was loosely wrapped around her neck. He sometimes wondered whether she ever got tired of wearing it, but then remembering himself—being the reason she couldn’t stay without it—made him feel uncomfortable, so he turned his face away.
What surprised him most was how deeply he was into her, even though he kept refusing to believe it. Now she no longer slept in the sitting room; ever since the investigators came, she stopped sleeping there. He didn’t stop her from sleeping in the room either, but he never made any move to invite her onto his bed, because he had no such plans. His fever had reduced significantly now, unlike before, although the doctor had warned him that if the fever overwhelmed his immune system, it might stop—but that carried serious risks because of the side effects of the unfreezing procedure he had undergone.
After giving her just one look, he didn’t look at her again. When he finished everything he needed to do, he picked up his phone and walked over to where she was. Seeing her phone beside her, he reached out, took it, and quietly left the room. Calmly, he walked out to where the M5 was parked. He got in after the M5 greeted him with their usual military salute. He placed the phones beside him before the M5 drove off.
He leaned back into the car seat, closed his eyes like someone about to sleep, with many thoughts running through his mind. What surprised him most was that whenever he was alone, that girl always came into his thoughts. He attributed it to the pity he felt for her and her siblings, who had now grown very attached to him, believing he was their brother Muhammad’s close friend—their savior. He clearly understood that they saw him as their elder brother’s friend, not knowing that it was actually him who had rescued them and brought them into his home to protect them. Despite all this new closeness with the children, he never crossed boundaries or even thought of doing so, because that wasn’t his intention. However, he promised himself that one day he would reunite them with their family when the time was right.
At the headquarters, the M5 parked the General’s car before opening the door for him. He stepped out slowly, with confidence and authority. He had barely entered the compound when his pleasant fragrance filled the air. He walked forward, passing the first security entrance where sharp salutes greeted him. He returned the salutes one after another as he passed, everyone praising his presence, authority, and charisma.
He entered the reception area and went straight to the lift up to the top floor of the building. As the lift opened, he walked toward the row of helicopters—about five lined up across the area. He looked at the new recruits; they weren’t many, less than twenty, along with five medical staff. He scanned them briefly when the M5 whispered to him that Miss Amra hadn’t arrived. He simply nodded and gave the go-ahead for them to proceed. He was already aware of her situation—that was the reason he had taken her phone, knowing she needed it for everything, including requesting rides and making payments.
Everyone stood at attention and saluted when they saw the General. He looked at them, then ordered everyone to board the helicopters. One helicopter was set aside, separate from the other four. He boarded as well, and the M5 saluted him before takeoff. He had deliberately left the M5 behind to monitor certain things happening in secret. Before leaving, he looked at the M5 and said, “Get her a new phone and a SIM. I’ll send her passport information.”
The M5 snapped to attention. “Yes, sir,” he replied, just before their helicopter lifted into the air.
As they departed, the M5 began making calls. “The plan is going smoothly.”
He left the headquarters, bought a brand-new iPhone 14 Pro Max in deep purple along with a SIM card, inserted it, completed the setup, and sent the new number to his boss. Then he headed to the apartment to deliver it. When he arrived and knocked, it was as if she had been waiting—she opened the door quickly, her eyes wide with fear, worried about what would follow her refusal to attend the private training she had been enrolled in. Seeing the M5, she greeted him quickly, aware of his position with her boss. He handed her the new phone and said, “The boss said I should bring this. He also said I’ll be coming to pick you up for work starting tomorrow.”
She remained silent for a moment, then looked at the bag he handed her. She thanked him before closing the door and returning inside. She sat in the sitting room, confused about what was happening. She quickly opened the bag and saw the iPhone 14 Pro Max box—the same model as his, except his was black. Her eyes widened in shock. That was when she understood everything: he was the one who had taken her precious iPhone X, the one she cherished so much.
She turned the phone over and over in her hands, and a wave of happiness washed over her. She powered it on and saw that everything had already been set up, so she began exploring it. When she noticed none of her contacts were there, her heart skipped. There was only one number saved, a foreign number she knew wasn’t Haifa’s. She placed the phone aside, rested her chin in her hands, and found herself completely lost in thought.
On the other side, at the camp, as soon as they arrived, training began immediately—no rest. They went through nearly two days of intense training. He found it strange that whenever training was scheduled, he and Hammam were usually together, but this time there was no sign of Hammam anywhere. Eventually, a leave report surfaced saying Hammam had gone to India with his father for a medical check-up. He brushed it aside and focused on why he was there.
For two days they struggled with poor network coverage; there was no signal at all where they were. It wasn’t until the third day that the network returned. That was when he finally had the chance to handle some matters, including a message from the M5 informing him that everything was proceeding smoothly. However, the last message shocked him deeply and plunged him into confusion.
Immediately, he found a secluded spot, sat down, opened his laptop, and began researching. The photo of their suspect was all over Nigerian and international news—identified as a major drug dealer from Nigeria. Shock was written all over his face, along with fear of what might come next. Everything was beginning to surface. Whenever that criminal empire started to unravel and arrests were close, everything usually collapsed—but this time he vowed that no matter what happened, he would see it through.
He immediately ordered the M5 to send him the suspect’s complete background check. As he began reading it, many things surprised him. The background check had been extremely difficult to obtain; no matter where searches were conducted, nothing substantial came up. Confused, he opened his phone and checked the emails sent by his private investigator. Seeing that the address and profile details matched perfectly made him pause for long reflection.
Suddenly remembering something, he opened the suspect’s report file. Everything came into view—from the time of arrest to the hospital report and the type of drug found inside him. He began comparing the details. At first, he laughed in disbelief, then his face tightened in deep confusion. What was the connection between that boy and the drug?
Then he remembered that when her siblings were in the hospital, one of them had tested positive for traces of the same substance. What he hadn’t realized before was whether the drug had originated in Nigeria or been brought into the country. Lacking clear answers, he decided to intensify his investigation. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so he chose to follow everything slowly, step by step.
Today is Monday. As usual, by seven o’clock he was already fully dressed, looking sharp in his khaki uniform that fitted him perfectly. He sprayed himself with Nora Men’s Black perfume, and he looked exceptionally good. He glanced toward the couch and saw her sleeping peacefully, her mind at ease, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes resting gently against her cheeks. Her face looked bright and so cute. Her hijab, as always, was loosely wrapped around her neck. He sometimes wondered whether she ever got tired of wearing it, but then remembering himself—being the reason she couldn’t stay without it—made him feel uncomfortable, so he turned his face away.
What surprised him most was how deeply he was into her, even though he kept refusing to believe it. Now she no longer slept in the sitting room; ever since the investigators came, she stopped sleeping there. He didn’t stop her from sleeping in the room either, but he never made any move to invite her onto his bed, because he had no such plans. His fever had reduced significantly now, unlike before, although the doctor had warned him that if the fever overwhelmed his immune system, it might stop—but that carried serious risks because of the side effects of the unfreezing procedure he had undergone.
After giving her just one look, he didn’t look at her again. When he finished everything he needed to do, he picked up his phone and walked over to where she was. Seeing her phone beside her, he reached out, took it, and quietly left the room. Calmly, he walked out to where the M5 was parked. He got in after the M5 greeted him with their usual military salute. He placed the phones beside him before the M5 drove off.
He leaned back into the car seat, closed his eyes like someone about to sleep, with many thoughts running through his mind. What surprised him most was that whenever he was alone, that girl always came into his thoughts. He attributed it to the pity he felt for her and her siblings, who had now grown very attached to him, believing he was their brother Muhammad’s close friend—their savior. He clearly understood that they saw him as their elder brother’s friend, not knowing that it was actually him who had rescued them and brought them into his home to protect them. Despite all this new closeness with the children, he never crossed boundaries or even thought of doing so, because that wasn’t his intention. However, he promised himself that one day he would reunite them with their family when the time was right.
At the headquarters, the M5 parked the General’s car before opening the door for him. He stepped out slowly, with confidence and authority. He had barely entered the compound when his pleasant fragrance filled the air. He walked forward, passing the first security entrance where sharp salutes greeted him. He returned the salutes one after another as he passed, everyone praising his presence, authority, and charisma.
He entered the reception area and went straight to the lift up to the top floor of the building. As the lift opened, he walked toward the row of helicopters—about five lined up across the area. He looked at the new recruits; they weren’t many, less than twenty, along with five medical staff. He scanned them briefly when the M5 whispered to him that Miss Amra hadn’t arrived. He simply nodded and gave the go-ahead for them to proceed. He was already aware of her situation—that was the reason he had taken her phone, knowing she needed it for everything, including requesting rides and making payments.
Everyone stood at attention and saluted when they saw the General. He looked at them, then ordered everyone to board the helicopters. One helicopter was set aside, separate from the other four. He boarded as well, and the M5 saluted him before takeoff. He had deliberately left the M5 behind to monitor certain things happening in secret. Before leaving, he looked at the M5 and said, “Get her a new phone and a SIM. I’ll send her passport information.”
The M5 snapped to attention. “Yes, sir,” he replied, just before their helicopter lifted into the air.
As they departed, the M5 began making calls. “The plan is going smoothly.”
He left the headquarters, bought a brand-new iPhone 14 Pro Max in deep purple along with a SIM card, inserted it, completed the setup, and sent the new number to his boss. Then he headed to the apartment to deliver it. When he arrived and knocked, it was as if she had been waiting—she opened the door quickly, her eyes wide with fear, worried about what would follow her refusal to attend the private training she had been enrolled in. Seeing the M5, she greeted him quickly, aware of his position with her boss. He handed her the new phone and said, “The boss said I should bring this. He also said I’ll be coming to pick you up for work starting tomorrow.”
She remained silent for a moment, then looked at the bag he handed her. She thanked him before closing the door and returning inside. She sat in the sitting room, confused about what was happening. She quickly opened the bag and saw the iPhone 14 Pro Max box—the same model as his, except his was black. Her eyes widened in shock. That was when she understood everything: he was the one who had taken her precious iPhone X, the one she cherished so much.
She turned the phone over and over in her hands, and a wave of happiness washed over her. She powered it on and saw that everything had already been set up, so she began exploring it. When she noticed none of her contacts were there, her heart skipped. There was only one number saved, a foreign number she knew wasn’t Haifa’s. She placed the phone aside, rested her chin in her hands, and found herself completely lost in thought.
On the other side, at the camp, as soon as they arrived, training began immediately—no rest. They went through nearly two days of intense training. He found it strange that whenever training was scheduled, he and Hammam were usually together, but this time there was no sign of Hammam anywhere. Eventually, a leave report surfaced saying Hammam had gone to India with his father for a medical check-up. He brushed it aside and focused on why he was there.
For two days they struggled with poor network coverage; there was no signal at all where they were. It wasn’t until the third day that the network returned. That was when he finally had the chance to handle some matters, including a message from the M5 informing him that everything was proceeding smoothly. However, the last message shocked him deeply and plunged him into confusion.
Immediately, he found a secluded spot, sat down, opened his laptop, and began researching. The photo of their suspect was all over Nigerian and international news—identified as a major drug dealer from Nigeria. Shock was written all over his face, along with fear of what might come next. Everything was beginning to surface. Whenever that criminal empire started to unravel and arrests were close, everything usually collapsed—but this time he vowed that no matter what happened, he would see it through.
He immediately ordered the M5 to send him the suspect’s complete background check. As he began reading it, many things surprised him. The background check had been extremely difficult to obtain; no matter where searches were conducted, nothing substantial came up. Confused, he opened his phone and checked the emails sent by his private investigator. Seeing that the address and profile details matched perfectly made him pause for long reflection.
Suddenly remembering something, he opened the suspect’s report file. Everything came into view—from the time of arrest to the hospital report and the type of drug found inside him. He began comparing the details. At first, he laughed in disbelief, then his face tightened in deep confusion. What was the connection between that boy and the drug?
Then he remembered that when her siblings were in the hospital, one of them had tested positive for traces of the same substance. What he hadn’t realized before was whether the drug had originated in Nigeria or been brought into the country. Lacking clear answers, he decided to intensify his investigation. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so he chose to follow everything slowly, step by step.