They had arrived at the door. Ayana knocked once, twice. Maliah heard someone bid entrance before she opened it.

The room smelled herbal, a pleasant smell that seemed to instantly relax Maliah. Ayana walked her up to the lone chair in front of the desk and placed her in it. Once Maliah was situated Ayana leaned on the desk and glared at Abioye, “Brother, she has arrived. Please be gentle with her.”

Abioye only glared back at Ayana but didn’t say anything. Ayana lifted an index finger and pointed it in warning. Abioye still looked unimpressed.

Then Ayana turned to Maliah and gave a reassuring smile, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Thank you….”, Maliah couldn’t help but to say.

Ayana shook her head once, hoop earrings tapping against her cheek, before shooting a final warning glare to Abioye once more before turning on her heel and walking out. The door shut gently behind her but Maliah couldn’t help but to feel a sense of finality.

It wasn’t until after that, did Maliah finally look up at the man sitting on the other side of the desk. Then she did a double take. It was the same man from before. The pleasant herbal smell was going a long way to calming her but still they stared at each other for a long moment.

Maliah broke eye contact first as her eyes swept over his desk. She noticed a light yellow-white glow that was hard pressed to being smothered even under the black folder on top of it. Then she realized the black folder had writing. It took her a moment but reading upside down told her that it was her own name on it. Maliah glanced under her eyebrows up at him.

“Finally Abioye spoke, “Do you know why you are?”

Maliah shook her head.

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“I’m assuming you have already realized you are dead.”

Maliah swallowed and gave a nod.

“Good”, Abioye gave a delicate sniff as he tapped the black folder with her name on it, “Mortals have to come to terms at some point.”

He flipped it open with a flourish but she noticed he barely looked at it as his gold eyes bore into hers. She was right, Ayinde’s was kinder. This man’s gold eyes seem to be distant and aloof,

“Maliah Anderson, current age: 28 years, single child of …....”

As he rattled off some more facts, barely looking at the folder as if he had memorized it. Maliah slowly leaned forward trying to read it upside down. “Is that a file on me?”

Abioye lifted the side of his nose, “Lady, I have a file on everyone that comes through that door. But this is not the pressing issue. As you know you are dead and now we must discuss the next steps….”

“Next step?” Maliah echoed.

Abioye gave a long sigh, “It seems Maliah, that you are a special case. A special case of a special case.”

That is what that dimple smiled lady said.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

His gold eyes pierced into her and she couldn’t help but to squirm. Finally he blinked and slowly moved the black folder away to reveal another with a gold spiral like symbol on the front. The yellow-white light became far more blinding making Maliah blink a few times to adjust. As if he didn’t want to touch it, Abioye barely flipped it open with a mere fingernail to reveal a one page white paper. Then he quickly took the whole folder and flipped it around so that she could read it properly.

“This is what we must discuss.”

Maliah frowned. It looked half redacted to her. She really couldn’t make any sense of what they needed to discuss.

Abioye continued, “As you can read, all we know is that ‘You are fated to the 2nd Death Prince, 3rd child of the Death King, Abioye’ and that ’You may choose to reject this contract.’ That is what we will focus on.”

“Contract? What contract?” Maliah asked.

Abioye pointed down at it, “This one.”

“But what is it?”

Abioye’s full lips thinned out, “I am Abioye and as for being fated….it means….” here he stalled and looked away.

“Means….” Maliah prompted after a few minutes of silence.

Abioye shot her a deep glare. The longer it took for Abioye to respond the more Maliah couldn’t help but to think he might have been embarrassed.

Finally after an eternity Abioye spoke:

“In human terms it means that…..you will…..eventually……. become….my wife.”