Novels by aayobamialabi

Sylvester lay on the couch, his body heavy with exhaustion but his mind too sharp to rest. The trip had been refreshing, yet as soon as they returned home, the weight of his responsibilities came crashing back. He had too much on his plate—his health, the impending war, and now, his wife's growing business empire.His phone buzzed.He sighed, grabbing it lazily, but his expression changed when he saw the caller ID. Gladys.Straightening up, he answered. “Gladys, to what do I owe this honor?”A soft chuckle came from the other end. “Oh, don’t flatter me, Sylvester. I wanted to check on you first. How’s your health? Emily told me you needed rest.”Gladys wasn’t just a high profile connection to someone like Sylvester.While Sylvester was a businessman himself, at some point, especially when he delved into the world of cultivation, he began to have less and less time for his business.That was when he met Gladys.When he entrusted the full assets of his company to her, he concluded that

The moment Emily stepped back into her home, she felt the same shift that Sylvester felt. She was just a lot more tame about it.Work started the moment she pulled her car into the driveway and she knew that if she was going to get the edge in the market she was in, she was going to apply herself to diligence.She wasn’t a cheat…a scummy business woman or one who was cutthroat and capitalized on large profit margins and paid staff peanuts. Hence, the race was rigged against her from the start.After freshening up, she made her way to her home office, checking her emails and catching up on pending work. That was when she saw it.An email from Gladys.Emily clicked it open, her eyes scanning through the document attached. A fully developed business strategy plot.It was detailed, efficient, and revolutionary.Her brows furrowed. Already?These types of strategies usually took months to put together, yet somehow, Gladys had managed to complete it in record time.“Damn,” Emily muttered, s

The morning after their intimate night together, Sylvester lay awake, staring at the wooden ceiling of their cabin, listening to the rhythmic breathing of the woman beside him. Emily’s arm was draped over his chest, her body warm against his side, and for the first time in a long while, he felt…grounded.It had been three years. Three years of distance, of pain, of feeling like a broken man. And yet, last night had shattered that invisible wall between them. Sylvester, all his life, had never known what he was. He never thought about an identity, or doing something for someone or any real purpose.He had two motivations.His hungry belly, and the need for things to be done.As long as there was a need, his desire to help filled that need. Now, it was more. His life felt like more than just another reason to do something, because there was Emily in it.He turned his head slightly, looking at Emily. Her dark lashes rested against her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted in sle

Emily waited for Sylvester to make his choice, but there was a smile on her face.She knew that when it came to things like these – matters of enjoyment, Sylvester sucked.He was all hard work and discipline.Ultimately, she expected him to leave the choice to her, and when he did, she took it personal, making sure to consider all available options as she scrolled. "Aha," she muttered to herself, clicking on a luxury resort tucked away in the mountains. She then turned the tablet to him. "What do you think? Good scenery, five-star service, and…oh, look! They have an all-you-can-eat buffet.” “Oh, nice? And you think this would get me the ‘relaxation’ you think I need?”“It’s going to be for two days at most, so I doubt you’ll be anywhere as rested as I really want you to be, but hey,” she shrugged innocently. “Baby steps.”Sylvester nodded in agreement.“But since it’s so short, I’m going to ask something of you,” Emily straightened her face.“Anything for you, love,”“No phone call

The drive home bugged Emily with all kinds of possibilities.Everything that she and Gladys talked about were life changing, and in all her years of building a business, laboring tirelessly, both physically and mentally, she had never had this kind of insight.She almost felt like she didn’t deserve it.However, this was life.A door to opportunities had just been open to her, and she was going to dive through it like it was an Olympic sport, and there was the medal for going through it the fastest.As soon as she got home, she had a plethora of information to share with her husband.“Oh, honey!!” she called in a sing song voice.Sylvester, who was sitting on the couch looking like a child that lost his pet rabbit, immediately tried to cover up his disdain and plastered a smile on his face.But Emily was a smart woman, and she caught up to his act before he could get away with it.“Is something wrong?” she asked, her face pinching into a frown.“No, no, darling. Back from Gladys alrea

“So this is what being a top business consultant gets you.” Emily let out a sigh.The estate she had just driven through was impressive, and the house she had just parked in front of, dwarfed anything she had ever hoped to own, even with her impressive financial portfolio.It was so big, it seemed unfair for a singular individual to have financed it.The modern architecture stood out, giving the house a boring, but intimidating presence and the architect involved definitely drew ideas from dystopian brutalism.She could do nothing but gasp.She had expected something impressive, but not this. Gladys Hopper’s reputation had always been formidable, but seeing the physical evidence of her success made it all the more real.Emily hesitated for a moment, drumming her fingers against the wheel. She had spent years avoiding cutthroat business strategies, but now, she was walking straight into the lair of a woman who had built an empire advising the world’s most ruthless CEOs. She was going