Hidayah quickly washed her face removing her make-up using the soap on the basin and re-bunned her hair up. Come on, Hidayah. You are a strong girl. Once you are in your room, you need to clear your head and find the bastard who did this to you! She took a couple of deep breaths before she opened the door again, looking sharper. Her eyes still red from all the crying but focused.
The man looked at her, smiling, "Are you ready?" She nodded her head. She looked around the room looking for her Alexander McQueen clutch. "Are you looking for this?" the man showed her the Ivory Nappa clutch on his right hand. Hidayah took the clutch from the man and thanked him.
Before they could move another step towards the door, there was a knock on the door followed by "Assalamualaikum, kami dari pejabat agama JAWI, tolong buka pintu…" The man who was about to open the door froze. Hidayah looked at the man with confusion. He looked at her with a worried face. The door sounded again, with a stronger knock.
"I'll explain this to them… You can just keep quiet…" The man tried to give Hidayah an assured look but Hidayah could see the worry lines on his brow. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim she could hear the man reciting in whispers before he twisted the doorknob and pulling the door inwards.
"Waalaikumsalam, ye, Encik, ada apa-apa kami boleh bantu?" The man spoke to the crowd standing outside of the room asking if there's anything they could help them.
A/N: Assalamualaikum is a common greeting in Islamic cultures. Derivatives of this word are also in Hebrew, this is a longer version of Shalom and Salaam, meaning 'May peace to be unto you'. Waalaikumsalam is a response to Assalamualaikum, meaning 'May peace to be unto you too'. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim meaning 'In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful'. The officials that were knocking on the door and Nazreen were talking in Malay. Basically, when the officials knocked the door, they were saying 'We are from JAWI's office, please open the door' and Nazreen replied with 'Yes sir, is there anything we can help you with?'
Hidayah kept her silence while the man spoke with the officials outside. She could understand the conversation between the man who saved her and the crowd outside. But what she could not comprehend was why are the officials here? Was this a set-up?
The officers tried to speak with her getting her statement, but unfortunately, none of the officers present could speak English. Hidayah, not wanting to let down of her act, replied with "Hi, sorry, I'm not a local. I believe this is a misunderstanding. Surely, we can talk this out?" Luckily, Hidayah has a Chinese Oriental look with her fair skin and phoenix-shaped eyes, it was easier for her to keep up with her act.
The man translated her response to the officials and the officials looked among each other. After a short discussion among them, they agreed with Hidayah's request. Hidayah and the man, who introduced himself as Nazreen to the officials earlier, walked side-by-side, following the officials to the lift landing area.
"Do you think this is a set-up by the man earlier?" Hidayah whispered to Nazreen while walking towards the lift. The man's eyes lit up in astonishments. He nodded in agreement. The possibility of JAWI enforcer targeting a specific room instead of at random is only when they were tipped off.
"Do you want to tell the truth of tonight's incident?" The man whispered back. Hidayah shook her head. "Do you know what is the implications if we do not tell them the truth?" Hidayah nodded her head again. The man's lips perked up at Hidayah's reaction. Is this woman crazy? Does she really understand what will happen later at the station?