<p>Beelah clapped in excitement, but Hafiz watched in silence, nervous about what would happen if Sudais lost.</p><p>Suddenly, Hafiz took out something smooth and shiny from his pocket and threw it directly in Neesa's path. Beelah saw him and shouted, “Oil! Oil!”</p><p>Neesa understood and looked down just in time to see the oil spill. She skillfully avoided it.</p><p>Beelah laughed at Hafiz. Meanwhile, Neesa crossed the finish line first, waving the flag in her hand. There was no sign of Sudais.</p><p>Thirty minutes later, Sudais finally arrived. But even before he could park his bike, Neesa had already been declared the winner.</p><p>The crowd cheered for Neesa while laughing at Sudais.</p><p>Beelah walked up to him. “I hope you remember the deal—no more power bikes for you!”</p><p>Sudais remained silent, embarrassed and furious.</p><p>As Neesa and Beelah turned to leave, they overheard Hafiz saying, “That girl rides bikes like a movie star.”</p><p>Sudais, still bitter, muttered, “Of course. You know how girls these days are. Who knows how many countries she’s been to for prostitution? They’re just a bunch of prostitutes.”</p><p>Beelah was about to confront him, but Neesa held her back.</p><p>Hafiz added, “The Indian girl is one thing, but the other one, the one in skimpy clothes, she looks like a Hausa Muslim girl. How can she dress like that?”</p><p>Sudais scoffed, “They’ve lost their way.”</p><p>Beelah scoffed back, while Neesa sped off on her bike as if she was about to fly.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p>Later at a Restaurant</p><p>They sat down to eat.</p><p>Beelah said, “That other guy looks like my cousin.”</p><p>Neesa asked, “How do you recognize him?”</p><p>"I’ll never forget him," Beelah replied. "Because of him, my father kept humiliating me until my mother had to send me away." Tears welled in her eyes.</p><p>Neesa reassured her, “Don’t start crying, Beelah. We will teach them a lesson. We are successful now.”</p><p>"You’re right, dear," Beelah said. “But when are we going home? I miss my mom.”</p><p>"I miss my parents too," Neesa admitted. “I want to live with them, but I’ll never forgive them for abandoning me.”</p><p>Beelah said, “We will never let them know who we really are. We’ll act like we have no morals. That way, they’ll regret what they did to us. My dad will never love me anyway. He never wanted daughters.”</p><p>Neesa smiled. “One day, when he realizes who you are, he will be ashamed. He will learn that daughters are a blessing.”</p><p>After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p>The Unexpected Reunion</p><p>As they walked outside, Beelah spotted an elderly man struggling to cross the road with shopping bags.</p><p>“Look, Neesa! That’s your father.”</p><p>Neesa turned and saw him. A thief ran past and almost knocked him over, but Neesa caught him just in time.</p><p>"Thank you, dear," the man said without looking at her.</p><p>For some reason, Neesa felt an unfamiliar emotion, a deep longing.</p><p>The man finally looked at her and gasped. “This is my princess!”</p><p>He quickly pulled out his phone and checked the wallpaper. The picture confirmed it—this was his daughter.</p><p>Beelah watched silently.</p><p>Before Neesa realized it, her father had embraced her, crying. “ANEESA! Where have you been?”</p><p>She wanted to cry but held back.</p><p>The man dialed his wife. “Guess what? I found our daughter, Aneesa!”</p><p>His wife, Priya, stood up in shock. “Are you serious? Please, bring her home! Don’t let her escape again.”</p><p>He turned to Neesa. “Please, dear, let’s go home.”</p><p>Neesa coldly replied, “Your Aneesa is long dead.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
