In the silent hallway of A.A.C University sat the most beautiful girl in the campus. A beauty with no fault. She has a well crafted facial features with exquisite body that could bring nations to her feet.
She was bent over, so concentrated on the wet paper sheet she was drawing on.
Suddenly she heard some ruffles and hushed whispers behind her.
Startled at first, because she expected no one in the corridor she was using. Its always empty but then something else came to her ears.
Moans.
Ahh.... God... Yes... Gently... Oh. yeah.. Yes.. pls slow... slow down...
Embarrassed about such an obscene sound, she quickly packed her things and walk away.
"What a pity, she's almost done with her drawing. Why can't they use somewhere else." She complained inwardly.
She was supposed to walk by the door they were using! but now?
She couldn't. How could she when they were doing something indecent behind it. Even if it was closed, she can't.
So, she took another route. It's a long distance but its fine.
Along the way, a guy who has become a pest in her life saw her. She turned immediately, trying to avoid him when he ran after her.
Hi babe.
Rihannat ignored him completely like he's invisible to her, just how she always do.
You won't even answer my greeting now
Still no answer.
How can your heart be so cold to me after all these years. This is the second year, you know right?, Bae.
Still no answer.
The guy sigh. I have another gift for you since you dont like the ones before. His eyes twinkled
He chuckled as if her quietness means nothing or maybe... endearing to him.
Tada!
He brought out a Maserati key from his pocket, a new and limited edition car, dangling it in front of Rihannat.
Rihannat finally stopped to look at him, really look at him and sigh.
Are your ears blocked?
Why can't you understand that. I. DONT. LIKE. YOU. NOR. AM. I. INTERESTED. IN. YOUR. GIFTS.?
Making sure she put emphasis on each word.
The guy smile vanished. Shocked beyond belief now. How can this poor girl still reject this kind of a gift?!
He thought she would be happily jumping around him by now.
Or even be kissing him!
Is she still a woman or some guy in a woman clothing?
He couldn't believe his ears. Aren't all women money monger? So, he tried to confirm again.
Babe sorry, what did you say?
He even moved closer to her so he could be sure of her words.
Rihannat frown deepen. I said I don't like you one bit. Not at all, so stop disturbing me and stop disturbing yourself.
Your gifts won't buy me and they won't make me love you.
With that said Rihannat walked away.
She has seen and hear enough, she has no time for nonsense.
Don't even bother to ask her why she's turning then down. So many lessons appear wherever she turned to.
Outside the gate where she wanted to take a cab. A man and a lady was seen pulling and pushing.
Sigh not again. She mumbled.
Leave my clothe na. Said the man.
No, tell me why you blocked me? Did you get yourself a new girl now? Is that why you've been avoiding my calls? Who is in your car? Why won't you let me in?
Can you respect yourself and stop bothering me? I'm tired of you, is that not enough reason?
What if I find myself a new babe? How is that your problem? Do I borrow money from you?
Let me go. Leave my clothes. The guy shouted back and shove the girl away forcefully.
The lady fell and scraped her knee.
Rihannat sigh for the umpteenth time.
What a stupid idiot. I'm ashamed to call myself a lady like you. The same gender. She hissed and walked away.
The guy threw two bundles of money on the lady, irritatedly he told her. Don't come to me again after this, find yourself another man. I'm done!
Rihannat heard and stopped. She look back to see the lady scampering on the floor to take the scattered money like a money hungry girl.
She rolled her eyes amd walk away, far away from her to take a cab home.
Her thoughts seem settled after getting home.
She took her bath, changed her clothes, call her parents, chat for a while before going to sleep. She was very tired.
The next morning, sunlight peered into the room as Rihannat worked in her little kitchen. She has prayed and showered. Almost ready for school.
Rihannat lives a simple life.
Not a loud, flashy life when she comes from a low range background. Where is the money?
Not complicated like the campus girls. She won't sell her beauty!
Her self-contained apartment sits quietly in a modest building just outside the university campus. It isn't luxurious, but it is peaceful. And if there is one thing anyone would notice immediately upon stepping inside, it is this: the cleanliness.
Everything shines.
Rihannat is not just clean — she is very disciplined.
Some might call her a neat freak.
She simply calls it "a proper upbringing."
As the only child of two retired teachers, structure was not optional in her home — it was the law. Her father believed that discipline builds destiny. Her mother believed that character outlives beauty. Together, they raised her with firm love, strict morals, and unwavering religious principles.
"Being an only child never meant to be overpampered." They will always tell her.
If anything, it meant their expectations of her were doubled.
Respect your elders. Pray on time. Study hard and speak wisely. Guard your dignity and.... Protect your name.
These rules were not just spoken — they were lived.
She carried her bag to the small table and carefully checked its contents.
Ready for school.
On her way out, she paused briefly near the right corner of her door where two plants sit in modest clay pots — a bright sunflower stretching toward the sun and a resilient cactus standing firm beside it.
She crouched slightly, touching the soil gently.
"You two behave yourselves," she murmured with a soft smile.
She loves nature. They calm her, remind her of growth — slow and patient.
After locking her door carefully, out of habit, she slipped the spare key into a small hidden space beneath the sunflower pot — a place only she knew about.
She stepped out.
And just like always…
Heads turned. Conversations paused. Eyes followed her.
It was almost as if someone had announced her arrival with a silent.
She's now accustomed to the stares — the whispers, the nudges, the subtle comparisons. Some girls admired her silently. Others masked their envy behind fake smiles. She had learned long ago that beauty is both a gift and a test.
And she refused to let it define her.
When she arrived at school, she headed straight to her lecture room. The professor hadn't arrived yet. The class buzzed with scattered conversations, laughter, and last-minute gossip.
Rihannat ignored it all.
She sat down, opened her notebook, and began revising.
Level Three.
Her final stretch.
First class or nothing.
She did not come this far to settle for less.
A few minutes later, two familiar voices approached.
"As-salamu alaykum," Rayyan greeted warmly.
"Wa alaykum salam," Rihannat replied, smiling faintly.
Balkis followed closely behind, adjusting her bag. "You've started reading already? Ah, Rihannat, you won't let us rest."
"If we rest now," Rihannat replied calmly, "results will not rest later."
They laughed softly and took their seats beside her.
Rayyan and Balkis were her only close friends in school. Not because others hadn't tried — but because Rihannat believed friendship required depth, not noise.
Rayyan was thoughtful and observant. Balkis was lively but sharp-minded. Together, they balanced one another.
They exchanged pleasantries, then joined her in revising. Their voices lowered as they discussed key points from previous lectures, correcting one another gently.
Moments later, the professor entered.
Chairs shifted....,
Voices dropped.....,
The lecture began.
Hours passed quickly — one class flowing into another. Rihannat took detailed notes, asked intelligent questions when necessary, and listened more than she spoke.
When the final lecture ended, the three friends walked toward the cafeteria.
The aroma of food wrapped around them as students crowded the space. They found a quieter corner and settled with their trays. Rihannat has her own food which she brought from home, she doesn't eat out.
As they ate, their conversation remained academic.
"Today's marketing model…" Rayyan began thoughtfully.
"It has flaws," Balkis interrupted. "Especially in emerging markets."
Rihannat nodded. "Unless adapted to local culture. That's where most businesses fail."
Even their lunch break was productive.
They fed both their hungry stomachs and their ambitious minds.
Exams were approaching quickly.
And Rihannat could almost feel the pressure rising in the air.
After finishing their meals, Rayyan checked the time. "I need to go home and revise further."
"Same here," Rihannat agreed, packing her things. "Early sleep, early rise."
Balkis hesitated.
"I'll stay back," she said casually. "I have a few things to sort out in school."
Rihannat glanced at her briefly. "Don't stay too late."
"I won't," Balkis replied with a reassuring smile.
The two friends walked out together while Balkis remained seated, watching them leave.
As Rihannat stepped outside the cafeteria, the familiar feeling returned — eyes following her every movement.
But today, she felt something else too.
A gaze different from the rest.
Not envious, not judging or lewd.
She didn't turn to confirm.
She simply continued walking beside Rayyan, unaware that somewhere within the crowd, someone had been quietly observing her — not just her beauty…
But her discipline and her distance.
In spain*
Gunshot echoed as men fired like throwing stones.
Take cover boss, you need to leave for school tommorrow. Leave this to us, we will clean up.
A guy said to the man pillar at the front of him,
Behind the pillar was a young and handsome man.
He was silent for some minutes before responding.
Do a good job then. And just like that he disappeared like a ghost.
Even his underling did not know how he did it. He was gone.