2025-04-22 03:34:25The drive to the evening gala had been long but not unpleasant. They’d made a stop at a suite owned by Sonia’s parents, where they both changed into new attires.
The soft hum of classical music filtered through the car speakers as Jalen and Sonia arrived at the grand venue of the event, the city's finest business gathering of the season.
As they stepped out of the car, a cool breeze swept past, stirring the sequins on Sonia’s emerald green dress and the crisp edges of Jalen’s black suit.
The entrance was already glowing with soft golden lights, welcoming guests of influence and prestige.
Jalen was adjusting his cuffs when he noticed Tiana.
She stood not too far from the entrance, her arm interlocked with a younger man’s. Her posture was perfect, her smile practiced. But the moment her eyes met his, the mask cracked.
Her expression faltered, lips parting in confusion before drawing into a tight frown.
What is he doing here? She wondered sharply. How on earth did he get an invitation to a gathering like this?
She quickly scanned his attire. Though simple, it was elegant, not that she was willing to admit that. In her mind, Jalen still didn’t belong in these circles.
He was from a life she had left behind, a shadow from a past she’d rather erase. And yet, there he stood, breathing the same expensive air, as though he had any right to be among the elite.
‘He probably still thinks we’re married,’ she thought bitterly. ‘Poor man, still clinging to memories. Still not realising we’ve moved on.’
Her fingers tightened slightly around Carlos’s arm - her date, whose eyes had narrowed the moment he saw the exchange. Tiana’s irritation began to swell as Andrew’s words came back to her.
“He punched me, Tiana. Just like that. No reason.”
It made no sense. Why would Jalen, the man who once brought her breakfast in bed and stayed up with her rehearsing speeches, suddenly attack her brother without provocation? Unless… unless he was really losing control.
On the other end of the walkway, Jalen’s reaction was more reserved. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he caught Tiana’s discomfort. He hadn’t known she’d be here.
From the way her eyes flicked to him and back again, it was clear she hadn’t known about his invitation either.
He almost laughed inwardly. That shock in her eyes; she hadn’t expected to see him among the high-profile guests. But it was the man beside her who caught his attention next.
The way the stranger placed his hand possessively on her waist made something stir in Jalen’s chest.
Was this the new man in her life? Already?
The moment of quiet tension broke when Tiana marched forward, her heels clicking with precision.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone sharp, eyes narrowing.
Sonia, who had been observing the subtle exchange, shifted slightly beside Jalen. The man next to Tiana stiffened, his jaw tightening as he gave Jalen a pointed look, clearly sizing him up.
“I was invited,” Jalen said calmly, folding his hands in front of him. “By a friend.”
Tiana scoffed and rolled her eyes, her gaze flicking away as though the conversation bored her. But something else caught her attention—Sonia. She looked at her with a brief flash of curiosity that she quickly buried under a layer of indifference.
Sonia raised a brow and leaned closer to Jalen. “Who is she?”
Jalen’s answer was quiet. “My ex-wife.”
The words landed like a dropped glass.
Sonia turned fully toward him, blinking. “You were married?”
Jalen nodded slowly, saying nothing more. It was clear it wasn’t a topic he wanted to expand on.
Sonia’s eyes flicked back to Tiana, who now stood with the composure of a woman above it all, but inwardly, her heart twisted.
She remembered those long nights Jalen would work late just to help her prepare her brand proposal. How he stood by her through thick and thin, often neglecting his own dreams for hers. She’d built so much of herself with his help.
And now he stood beside a woman that radiant and poised, and it stung more than she expected.
“You came here for me, didn’t you?” Tiana said suddenly, her voice clipped with accusation. “Trying to make a scene?”
Jalen looked at her, puzzled. “I didn’t even know you’d be here.”
She let out a humourless laugh. “So you brought her, what, to make me jealous? To parade your new girlfriend?”
Sonia bristled. “Excuse me?”
“My heart belongs to someone else now, Jalen,” Tiana continued with a dramatic flair. “Whatever you think you’re doing, it’s pointless.”
The words were cutting, but Sonia caught the undertone of something else; jealousy. Resentment. Perhaps even regret.
Carlos, seizing his moment, stepped forward. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you clearly don’t belong here.” He sneered at Jalen’s outfit. “This place is for refined men. Not those who throw on a suit and think they’ve become somebody.”
“Mr. Ordinary,” he added smugly, chuckling at his own insult.
Jalen stayed calm, but Sonia stepped forward. “Watch your mouth,” she said coldly. “You don’t know the man you’re speaking to.”
Carlos faltered, momentarily thrown off.
Jalen turned slightly, casting a side glance at Tiana.
So this is the kind of man she’s keeping company with now? The arrogance, the shallowness, it was a far cry from the woman she used to be.
Sonia leaned in and whispered, “They clearly don’t know who you are. Let’s not waste our time on them.”
As she gently took his hand and began leading him toward the hall, Carlos scoffed behind them. “Let’s see how long they last. At least we have invitations and class.”
His voice was loud, calculated, meant to draw attention.
Tiana remained still, watching them walk away hand in hand. She had nothing more to say, but her eyes lingered on Jalen, her heart strangely heavy.
As if needing to reclaim her own dignity, she said, “The party is hosted by the Torres family companies, just so you know.”
She said it like it should matter. Like it should change something.
Sonia didn’t respond. But her pace didn’t falter either.
Tiana turned away quickly when Carlos extended his hand again. “Forget him,” he said gently. “Tonight is about us.”
She forced a smile and took his hand. Together, they walked into the hall like a picture-perfect couple.
Inside the ballroom, the lights were low and warm, casting a soft glow over the polished floors and gilded ceilings. Soft jazz music played in the background as waiters moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
Jalen turned to Sonia, a look of curiosity on his face. “Are you... the business rep from the Torres family?”
Sonia smiled proudly. “Yes. And you, Mr. Adesina, are seated right in front with me.”
With that, she guided him to a seat in the front row, a quiet yet bold declaration of her own standing and perhaps a subtle message to anyone watching.
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Chapter 180: The Cost of Surrender
Desperation did not arrive loudly. It crept into Jalen’s bones quietly, settling there as the hours ticked away on the device sitting at the centre of the table. Every glance at the countdown felt like a punch to the chest. Time, once something he controlled with meetings and strategies, had become an enemy he could no longer outrun.By morning, he was already making calls.Private accounts. Emergency liquidations. Quiet requests to people who owed him favours he had never intended to cash. Money began to move, numbers stacking up rapidly, but not fast enough to silence the dread clawing at him. If the Syndicate wanted a ransom, he would meet it. Whatever it took to keep the hostage alive.Mira watched him from the doorway, her expression unreadable.“Stop,” she said finally.Jalen looked up sharply. “I don’t have time for this.”“You don’t have time to make a mistake,” she replied. “Paying them won’t end this.”“It will save a life,” he shot back.“No,” Mira said firmly. “It will
Chapter 179: Twenty-Four Hours
Chaos erupted the moment Jalen realised the compound was a trap.Floodlights blazed on from every angle, turning night into harsh white glare. Armed men emerged from behind parked vehicles and low concrete structures, their movements fast and coordinated. The silence that had felt wrong moments earlier now made sense. This place had never been empty. It had been waiting.“Down!” Mira shouted.Gunfire cracked through the air before Jalen could react. Bullets slammed into the side of the SUV, shattering glass and forcing him backward. Mira grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the engine block just as another round tore through the space where his head had been seconds earlier.“Stay low,” she ordered, already moving.Jalen’s heart pounded violently as adrenaline surged through him. He had walked into dangerous situations before, but nothing like this. This wasn’t intimidation. This was an execution attempt.Mira moved with frightening precision. She fired back, not wildly, but str
Chapter 178: The Price of Defiance
The news of the kidnapping did not just shake Jalen, it cracked something open inside him that had been tightly sealed for years. He sat in the living room long after Aisha had gone to the bedroom, the photo still glowing faintly on his phone screen like an accusation. He had faced hostile takeovers, public humiliation, and threats disguised as polite warnings, but this was different. This was personal in a way he had never prepared for.Now, he considered doing the unthinkable.Negotiating.He hated the thought of it. Everything inside him resisted the idea of bending to people who thrived on fear and blood. But the face in that photo, tied, frightened, vulnerable, kept pushing the idea back into his mind. Principles felt heavier when weighed against a human life.Mira worked through the night.She had converted one of Jalen’s conference rooms into a temporary command center.She spoke little, her focus razor-sharp as she traced possible routes, analysing vehicle movements, interc
Chapter 177: Giving Way...
The truth settled heavily on Jalen’s chest, pressing down with a weight he hadn’t anticipated. What he had overheard the night before refused to loosen its grip on his thoughts. The betrayal inside Adesins Corp was not a single crack, it was rot, old and deeply rooted, stretching back to choices made long before he ever took over the company. His father’s shadow loomed larger than ever, not as a source of strength, but as an unfinished story that had poisoned the present.He sat alone in his office long after everyone had left, staring at the darkened city beyond the glass. Every familiar memory now carried doubt. Every old decision replayed itself with new meaning. He had always believed that whatever enemies his father made had been settled or buried. Now he understood how wrong that belief had been.Mira stood quietly across from him, arms folded, watching his silence stretch longer than she liked.“This is why you don’t confront them yet,” she said carefully. “What you’re deal
Chapter 176: Cutting Deep
The name stayed on the screen long after the room went silent.Jalen did not speak immediately. He simply stared, his eyes fixed, his body rigid, as if reacting too quickly might make the truth even more painful than it already was. The person identified as the mole was someone he had defended repeatedly, someone he had argued for in boardrooms, shielded during internal crises, and trusted with access that very few people ever received.“Turn it off,” he said finally, his voice low.Mira hesitated for a second, then closed the file. The screen went dark, but the damage had already been done.Jalen moved away slowly, like someone walking through smoke. He leaned against the desk, his hands gripping the edge as memories flooded in. Moments when this same person had stood beside him, offering advice, loyalty, reassurance. He felt sick.“I should confront them,” he said.“No,” Mira replied immediately. “Not yet.”He looked at her sharply. “You expect me to sit with this?”“I expect you
Chapter 175: Escalating Tension
The attack came quietly, wrapped in official language and stamped authority.By midmorning, Adesins Corp was drowning in audit notices. Regulatory emails flooded the compliance department, each one more urgent than the last. Requests for records spanning years. Demands for explanations on transactions that had already been cleared long ago. Flags raised on accounts that had never before attracted suspicion. Within hours, the finance team was in panic mode, whispering about account freezes, legal sanctions and reputational collapse.Jalen was summoned from one emergency call to another.He stood in his office, phone pressed to his ear, listening as his Head of Finance explained the severity of the situation. “Sir, if this audit escalates, they could suspend access to our operational accounts temporarily. Even payroll could be affected.”“Temporarily?” Jalen repeated sharply. “Or indefinitely?”There was hesitation on the line. “That depends on how cooperative the regulators decide to
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