Chapter 22: I Know You

Chapter 22 - I Know You Mari's voice dropped to a whisper so that no one else but her two best friends would hear her. "So, last night I go talking with my Dad and I asked my dad some more questions about my biological mom and how she died." "But you said he told you she died while giving birth to you," Emily pointed out. "Well, yeah. But that wasn't the entire truth. Or let's say I didn't think it was. It especially doesn't make sense how he always has to go out in disguise," Mari said, and Emily nodded in agreement, remembering the first time she had seen Mari's dad without his usual disguise on, during a sleepover. "Yeah. I've always wondered about that but didn't ask since you didn't seem to know why either and my parents have no clue either," Emily said with a shrug. "I remember asking my Mom back when we were younger and she said it was because he was hiding from some bad men," Jamal said, and Mari bobbed her head. "Yeah. Well, it's all connected. He told me she was murdered," Mari whispered. Silence hung between them. Emily's eyes widened and she paled a little. "Murdered?" Mari nodded. "She was pregnant with me when it happened. She was shot severally and there were lots of complication. That's why my eyesight is the way it is." Jamal's chest tightened. "Did he tell you the details?" Mari looked down at her hands. "Yeah. The most shocking part? My grandfather—my dad's father— was behind it." Jamal cocked a brow. "For real?" "Yeah. He wanted my dad to leave his tech company and take over a drug cartel," Mari continued, her voice flat. "A drug cartel?" Emily asked, her grey eyes wide as saucers. Jamal exhaled slowly. "I know about the cartel." His fingers tapped against the table. "My mom told me my biological father used to sell drugs." "Really? Does that mean your father knew my Dad?" Mari asked curiously, and Jamal looked at her, wondering how much her Dad had told her, and if it was necessary to tell her that her Dad had been responsible for his biological father's death. "Yeah," Jamal said simply, deciding not to go into the detail since it was obvious that her Dad hadn't told her that much if she didn't know the connection between their fathers. "So, did your Dad do it? I mean join the cartel?" Emily asked curiously, and Mari shook her head. "No. Instead he gathered evidence against them and exposed them. That's the reason he's always on disguise," Mari explained, and Jamal raised a brow, curious to know if Alex had told her the exact way he went about exposing them and what he had done. He had heard all about it from his mother when he clocked eighteen, so he knew all that had truly happened. Emily pouted. "Wow. Your Dad is so cool. Both your fathers lived exciting lives. Meanwhile, my dad's just a boring doctor making me study boring medicine when I want to be a writer." Mari and Jamal shook their heads. "Be careful what you wish for," Jamal warned with a chuckle. Mari rolled her eyes. "You're already writing. Being a doctor doesn't stop you from writing either." Emily rolled back her eyes at her. "I know, I know. I just wanted to complain. And you know, lighten the mood." Jamal shook his head in amusement. "How's school? I hope no guys are bothering you two in school now that I'm not there. Focus on your studies." Mari and Emily giggled. "Focus on your studies," Emily mimicked him playfully. "Like he focused so much when he was with us," Mari added with a laugh, "If you're so worried about us, why don't you come back to school for a second degree?" Mari teased. "Nice try, I barely survived the first. There's no way I'm doing that school shit again," Jamal said, making them laugh. "Just make sure before you date anyone you bring them to me first. I need to vet the guy before letting you be with them." Mari crossed her arms and arched a brow. "Did we get to vet Abigail before you fell for her?" Jamal smirked. "In my defense that was a whirlwind romance and I could hardly pause the moment to ask for your opinion. Both girls snorted but Jamal continued, ignoring them, "Besides, I'm the man. I can tell whether a guy is good enough for you or not." "Don't worry," Emily said. "Thanks to you, we know what to look out for in a guy. If he's not as passionate about us as you were about Dawn and now Abigail, he doesn't stand a chance." Jamal chuckled, shaking his head. Emily grinned. "I can't wait for you to move to Ludus." Mari nodded. "Me neither." Then her eyes lit up. "I think I have an idea." Jamal groaned. "What now?" "Don't worry, you'll love it," Mari assured him as she leaned in. "Why don't you get someone to sketch Abigail's face and put posters around campus? Or reach out to the school's media team and make an effort to have them find her directly instead of this indirect approach you tried?" Emily hesitated. "What if it causes problems for her at home? You remember Jamal said she talked about having an evil stepsister." Jamal thought for a moment. "We don't need to say why we're looking for her. We just have to promise a reward." Mari grinned. "Easy peasy. We should do it." She picked up her phone. "I can find a way to contact the school's media team myself. I'll pretend I'm a friend who met her at the airport on the way to school," she said as she searched for the university's Instagram page. "And... followed," she said a moment later showing them she had followed the school's social media page. "Jamal, get me the drawing of her and I'll have it posted." Emily narrowed her eyes. "You're too good at this. Do I know you?" Mari winked. "I know you," she said, making them laugh. "I'll get someone to make a detailed drawing and I'll let you know," Jamal promised.