Chapter 1

Afew days have passed since Mahmoud apologized to his wife Huda and she promised him to forgive him till she forgets all that have happened. The atmosphere at home was happy again, and things were getting more and more settled, just as Huda was looking forward to the final exams that her children Hadi and Toka would be taking in a few days.

As for Mahmoud, he didn't need more than two days of rest before he returned to the bank once again and began to ignore the whole thing and forget, or pretend to forget, everything that had happened between him and Aaliyah, and gradually returned to being the ideal employee at the bank for more than twenty years. Indeed, within three days of his return, he had gathered his strength and determination once again, but this uprising did not last long as Mr. Amin Gomaa, the bank manager, summoned him for an urgent matter. Mr. Amin was a serious and distinguished accountant, fifty-two years old. He was a difficult man to deal with, as he was characterized by efficiency and precision, and he valued work and time. He did not like work to be delayed for any reason or circumstance, and he would not accept being late for work at half past eight in the morning. He did not like anyone to be in his private office unless it was an urgent need, and he stipulated that no one should come to him unless he asked him to come to his office. He was a cheerful person after official working hours, but he was always focused and attentive to every little thing inside the bank that he had been managing for eight years. Mahmoud adjusted his clothes and asked permission to enter Mr. Amin's office, who immediately gave him permission where he was waiting for him. Mahmoud took the initiative to greet him, saying:

- Good morning, Mr. Amin.

- We'll see now.

- We'll see what exactly, sir.

- Let's see if it's good or not.

- What are you talking about?

- There's a client named Shady Attawia, he had a loan of 3 million dollars and the loan was disbursed two days ago.

- OK, what's the problem?!

- The bank called him two hours ago to follow up on some routine procedures but all his phones are off and we can't reach him.

Mahmoud was still pretending he was quiet even he understood there is a problem regarding that man and his loan, he smiled then said:

- It's normal, he might be busy and his phones are off or in a place with no coverage.

- Maybe, but we called the company he took the loan for and it turned out he's not there at all.

- He doesn't have to be there all the time, sir.

The manager face turned red and his eyes lit up before he got angry saying:

- He's not there, that means the company doesn't have anyone working with that name at all, no employee, no manager, no president, no owner of a company with that name, Do you understand?!

Shock and confusion spread across Mahmoud's face who didn't understand what was happening and didn't know what to say until Mr. Amin looked at him angrily, forcing him to immediately say in surprise:

- What do you mean? How do you mean? How did he take the loan and based on what?

- Are you asking me?! You're the one who signed the approval for all the loan papers last week, and I signed based on your approval. The loan was disbursed two days ago, and we don't know how to reach the man.

- Sir, of course I agreed after reviewing all the required papers, and I'm sure everything is correct and in line with the bank's lending policy.

Mr. Amin looked at Mahmoud in wondering and said:

- You have to review everything and find out where the problem is and try to find out anything about this client before we report the Public Funds Investigations so we can catch this disaster before it gets bigger and we lose the loan amount.

- Okay, sir. I will do my best.

- Quickly and tell me everything you find out. I don't want to talk a lot about this matter because the media will put our reputation on all the websites and news. - Yes, sir. I understand it.

Mahmoud left Mr. Amin's office very quickly and moved to his office to find out how they have made that disaster.