Eagles Square carried the tired rhythms of late afternoon. Stalls were being folded, vendors called softly to each other, and the fountain sprayed a fine mist that caught the light in small, sharp diamonds.Esther stepped from her car with deliberate calm, heels precise, bag steady in her hand. She walked straight to the meeting point and found the man waiting by the water, his face half-hidden behind dark glasses and a low collar.He looked like someone who handled trouble for a living—deliberate, contained, someone with scars you could not see.She did not bother with pleasantries. “How did it go?” she asked, voice controlled, every syllable measured.He inhaled slow, measured. “Sorry, ma’am. We lost him.”The phrase landed like a cold stone. Esther’s fingers tightened on the strap of her clutch. She did not let the panic show; she would not let it show. “You lost him?”Her tone was sharp enough to cut glass. A few heads turned but remained reluctant to linger.“We were compromised,

Jordan walked into the office as the city began to lose the last of its daylight. The glass towers drank the orange of the setting sun and threw it back in rectangles across the carpet.Doris met him at reception, eyebrows knitting at the tight line around his mouth.“You look tired, sir,” she said, reaching for the tablet he carried. Her fingers were steady but her eyes showed she had been awake to worry. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call someone?”He allowed a short laugh that did not reach his eyes. “I am fine, Doris. Really. Nothing to be scared of.” He took the tablet and passed it back to her with the ease of a man who wanted to keep the world calm for everyone else.She watched him for a beat and then nodded. “Alright. But please, take care of yourself.”When she turned away, Jordan felt the concern settle on him like another coat.Behind his office door, the city’s noise became distant. He closed it and walked to the window, watching cars stitch their paths below.It had b

Jordan sat at his desk, his fingers tapping his pen against the polished wood, the steady rhythm echoing his restless mind.His gaze was fixed blankly on the far wall, but his thoughts were elsewhere; on Jenna.Even after hiring the private detective and stationing men around her apartment and office, unease clung to him.The early morning sun spilled into the room, its golden rays cutting through the curtains. Jordan turned briefly toward the light, his jaw tightening.Last night, he hadn’t been able to sleep. He had stayed with Jenna, pretending it was just to keep her company, but deep inside he knew it was for his own peace of mind.He needed to see her safe with his own eyes.“Sir,” a voice broke the silence. Doris had stepped into the office after knocking twice without response. She took a few steps forward, her eyes searching his face. “Sir, are you okay?”Jordan blinked, snapping back into the present. His pen stilled on the desk. “Um… what did you say?” His tone sounded dist

The road stretched long before them, quiet and drenched with the warmth of the early morning sun. Jordan sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed outside the window as the car hummed steadily along.The driver was no other than the city’s mayor, Marcus Geoffrey, himself. It wasn’t the kind of trip one would expect a mayor to make personally, but Marcus had insisted, saying this was something he couldn’t entrust to another.“Are you sure about this place?” Jordan finally asked, breaking the silence that had lingered too long.Marcus Geoffrey’s eyes didn’t leave the road. His hands were steady on the wheel, his voice calm, almost reverent. “I told you before, only one man can give you the answers you seek. And that man does not show himself to just anyone. The fact you will see him today is proof that your ancestors walk with you.”Jordan leaned back, inhaling deeply. His heart was racing, but he masked it with a calm exterior.This journey felt heavier than anything he had faced in bo

The office air grew heavy as Zoe and Esther stared each other down, silence thick between them. The open envelope still lay on the desk, its edges bent from Zoe’s trembling fingers.Her chest rose and fell sharply, eyes blazing with both fear and anger.Esther stood at the doorway, her handbag dangling loosely, lips pressed into a thin line.“Mum,” Zoe finally broke the silence, her voice shaking. “What is this? What exactly are you hiding from me?”Esther’s eyes narrowed instantly. She strode forward with quick, deliberate steps and snatched the envelope from the desk before Zoe could react.The force of her action left Zoe stunned, her hands clenching at her sides.“You dare go through my private things?” Esther’s voice cracked with fury. She pressed the envelope tightly against her chest like it was part of her very life.Zoe’s eyes welled up, but she refused to back down. “I had to,” she fired back, her voice loud, desperate. “I can’t keep pretending anymore, Mum. Every single day