Being Mrs Dantata

Bonus Chapter 01

August, 2023

Abuja, Nigeria

"I got us a new house. It's still an incomplete project but we'll get it done soon enough."

Amal and Hanan could only stare at Zayd who sat on the opposite sofa, both Yarah and Yazan in his arms. The twins were quiet, toying with his cufflinks. Zayd stared right back at his wives.

Hanan spoke up first. "You got a house?"

He nodded. "I did...You two mentioned that it'll be nice if we all stayed in the same house now and I thought it'd be nice too. I stumbled across this property by accident and I couldn't stop myself from purchasing it because it's perfect." He made a face. "Well, it would be perfect once I've worked on it."

Hanan and Amal exchanged looks and stared at each other for a minute while Zayd waited, his heart in his throat. He prayed over and over in his head that he didn't make a mistake purchasing that property without asking for their opinions first.

Finally, both women smiled eerily alike and then turned back to him. He tried not to smile when their excitement became apparent. Amal spoke first.

"Where is it?"

Zayd adjusted Yarah who was trying to get off him. "In Asokoro here. I thought it'd be perfect since the district is still one of the best. It's like ten minutes away from this estate."

Hanan's eyes were shining. "And the area is as serene as this?"

He nodded, smiling. "It's even better than this. We'll have a compound to ourselves and there'll only be a few other compounds in the area."

Amal moved to the edge of the sofa. "And our compound will be very big?"

His smile widened and he nodded again. "Very, very big. It can take a pool, a garden, a gazebo and even a small playground. I'm still not sure what the former owner wanted to do with so much space but it's working out well in our favour."

Both women could hardly sit still and Zayd stayed patient, answering every question they had. When they said they wanted to visit, he asked them to be patient. Their faces fell and they both pouted.

He laughed. "I need them to seal off the property so there's no unauthorized access and then they need to move the construction things in. I still need to fix the blueprint and then some walls have to go. It's still really, really messy for now and I don't want you guys to get hurt."

He looked down at his kids, his expression softening. "Them too."

Hanan and Amal were ready to melt. Amal cleared her throat, looking away. "Hanan Dantata, we've lost our husband."

Hanan bit back a snicker. "Tell me about it."

Zayd raised his head. "You guys shouldn't even start."

Amal stood. "That's your business. Mrs Dantata, let's go settle what we'll have for dinner. I'm sure Sa'ed won't mind babysitting for much longer."

Hanan rose to her feet, smiling when the kids looked she and Amal's way. "I'm sure he won't mind." She ignored Zayd's glare and stretched, her arms above her head. "God, I'm so tired. Weddings are coming up."

"And we still need to kill Hassan and Summayya."

Hanan let her hands drop, nodding with a small laugh. "Yes, we do."

Zayd cleared his throat. "I'm still here."

Amal laughed, walking over. "We nearly forgot." She laughed again when he glared and then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Love you, Sa'ed."