Chapter Two – Mahatir, Daughter of Pearl and Life

Chapter Two – Mahatir, Daughter of Pearl and Life

Mahatir married the engineer Ahmed in a legendary wedding ceremony that the entire market attended. The atmosphere was filled with celebration and grandeur, as major merchants competed in generosity and compliments. Prominent artists, actresses, ministers, and state officials all attended this remarkable event.

Mahatir began her married life with Ahmed as if she had stepped into a tale from One Thousand and One Nights—a life filled with love, happiness, and newlywed joy. For a time, everything felt complete.

Her father, known as Al-Lulu, and her mother Safiya were overwhelmed with happiness, as Mahatir was their only daughter and the source of their joy.

During her honeymoon period, Mahatir traveled with Ahmed on short trips and journeys, celebrating the beginning of what felt like a promising life together.

One day, during a private Nile journey on a small fishing boat, the couple insisted on being alone. Ahmed and Mahatir rowed the boat themselves, moving away from the shore into the calm center of the river, seeking peace away from all eyes and without any boatman or helper.

They were delighted by the serene Nile atmosphere and the stillness of the water. Ahmed, feeling safe and fascinated by the scene, stood at the edge of the boat watching the fish appear and disappear beneath the surface, as if greeting them.

Excitedly, he kept speaking to Mahatir, urging her to stop rowing and look. But in his excitement and distraction, he lost his balance and fell into the river.

Ahmed struggled in the water—he did not know how to swim. Mahatir, in shock, tried desperately to reach him with the oar, attempting to pull him back and prevent him from drifting with the current. At the same time, she screamed for help.

After exhausting attempts, fortune intervened. A passing river patrol noticed the situation and quickly approached. Ahmed was rescued, and the trip ended safely as they returned to shore.

Mahatir did not speak about what had happened and did not inform her parents.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

“Come back immediately,” the voice said.

It was Aboud, her trusted assistant at the agency, who was with her parents.

“What happened?” she asked.

“You will know everything when you arrive,” he replied. “But please, be careful on your way back with Engineer Ahmed. Do not speed.”

Without delay, Mahatir and Ahmed returned home.

But upon arrival, they were met with a devastating shock.

Al-Lulu had passed away.

A chapter of Mahatir’s life had closed forever.

Ahmed, shaken by what had happened, began to feel that he was now the man of the house. He convinced himself that he had become the decision-maker, and that everything his wife owned was now under his authority.

Remembering his near-drowning incident, he began to think differently. If he had died, his family would have received very little. From that moment, he started reorganizing everything, asking Mahatir to transfer ownership of all assets into his name. He insisted on a general power of attorney over her wealth, claiming that as the man, he would handle all administrative responsibilities.

Mahatir felt as if the world had begun to spin around her. Yet, with her intelligence and calmness, she replied:

“Everything has its time.”

She gave him no promise.

Ahmed had a university acquaintance named Mona. Their relationship had existed before his marriage to Mahatir and had only paused afterward. Now, Mona reappeared in his life, contacting him again and saying:

“Your old project is still waiting on paper. It only needs financial support and execution.”

Ahmed and Mona had once dreamed of a joint project in agriculture and industry—producing packaged foods such as juices, jams, milk, and cheese. At the time, it was only a youthful university idea.

Now, Ahmed saw an opportunity. He had obtained land from the state for young graduates, and with help from his father, he had expanded it further. That land had always been intended as the foundation of his larger project.

He began to revive his old ambitions. With Mahatir’s wealth, his father’s land, and his renewed plans, he envisioned a new future—one that was no longer tied to the world of Mahatir and the market, but instead to industry and expansion.

Unknown to Mahatir, Ahmed began secretly meeting Mona.

One day, Mahatir noticed behavior she had never seen before. She asked Aboud, her loyal man, to quietly follow Ahmed without being detected, so she could confirm her doubts.

Why did he demand a general power of attorney? Why was he trying to take full control? Why was he pushing Mahatir aside?

These questions filled her mind, yet she still trusted him deeply, believing she had chosen him freely and not been forced into this marriage.

When Safiya, her mother, heard hints of Ahmed’s intentions, she warned against him strongly and rejected the idea completely. But Mahatir remained silent—still gathering information before making any judgment.

Aboud returned and told her everything he had seen and heard.

At that moment, the world collapsed around Mahatir.

She was stunned, unable to speak.

She did not tell her mother.

Instead, she said quietly:

“I need to see it myself.”

She coordinated with Aboud, whose presence in their lives had once seemed accidental. He had arrived during Al-Lulu’s lifetime, claiming to be a simple man seeking work for food and survival. A bearded man in his thirties, he had been accepted as a night guard for the agency and trusted with protecting Mahatir day and night.

Yet Mahatir had always sensed something unusual about him—though she could never fully define it.

She now instructed him to follow Ahmed and inform her at the exact moment of any meeting, so she could witness everything with her own eyes.

And so it happened.

She saw Ahmed with Mona.

But she said nothing.

She remained silent, composed, watching carefully as she gathered undeniable certainty.

From that moment, Mona began pressing Ahmed to accelerate permits and approvals for the project. Money transfers increased, and Mahatir noticed unusual withdrawals from accounts managed by her accountants.

Whenever she questioned Ahmed, he replied:

“We are establishing a business.”

When she asked about her role in it, he dismissed her:

“You don’t need to be burdened with details. Your place is at home. You shouldn’t work anymore—not even at the agency.”

He justified everything with jealousy, pretending it was protection.

At that moment, Mahatir felt the first real crack of disappointment—and the beginning of betrayal.

Yet Aboud, who was supposed to inform her of every move, was still reporting everything, and she now knew more than Ahmed himself imagined.