2025-04-22 04:30:07Tiana stood stiffly at the party’s edge, her hands clasped so tightly in front of her that her knuckles had turned white.
At her side, Carlos noticed. Of course, he noticed. His hand was warm and strong as he slipped onto her shoulder in a quiet, grounding gesture.
“Tiana,” he murmured, voice low enough to barely be heard over the music, “I’ll talk to my father. I’ll plead with him. I’m sure there’s still a way to get your company back on that list.”
The luxurious glow of the chandeliers above, the soft trill of the string quartet in the background, the laughter and clinking glasses all blurred together like a cruel joke playing out before her eyes. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, knowing the ground was about to vanish beneath her feet but being powerless to stop it.
The news had already reached her — first the blow from the Torres company backing out, and now the confirmed cancellation of all pending orders from the Adesins company.
The double hit settled heavily on her chest, squeezing until she could barely breathe. Her company, her pride, everything she had worked tirelessly for, was hanging by a thread so thin it was practically invisible.
For the first time that night, Tiana’s eyes, rimmed slightly with unshed tears, flickered with a glint of hope. Fragile, trembling hope that clutched at her heart like a drowning woman reaching for driftwood.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Carlos, forcing a smile that barely lifted the corners of her lips. She couldn’t trust herself to say more.
She didn’t know if Carlos could fix any of this. In truth, she doubted it.
The Torres family was fiercely proud and hardly known for forgiving perceived slights. But right now, she needed something to believe in. Something to stop the spiraling fear threatening to pull her under.
Outside the hall, beyond the glitter and glamour of the party, Jalen leaned heavily against the side of the sleek black car he arrived the party with Sonia, his phone still pressed to his ear.
“I’m sorry, son,” an older man’s voice came through the line, heavy with regret. “There’s nothing more we can do. It’s done.”
The older man was a known figure on the high tables of the Torres family whom Sonia had earlier introduced to. Jalen presented Tiana’s case to him with hope that something good could come out of it.
But nothing.
Even though he wanted to make Tiana pay for her cruel actions, which was why he warned Malik to cancel further contracts with the Black Blossoms after the ongoing one.
But tonight, he felt the hit was too much on her.
He had make her pay, but slowly just a the rat caught by cat; the cat plays with it slowly, chopping its body one after another till it finally give up its breath.
Jalen squeezed his eyes shut, jaw clenching so hard it ached. The finality in the older man’s tone drove the last nail into the coffin. The Torres family had taken a hasty decision here.
Tiana’s company was blacklisted, their contracts dead in the water.
He ended the call without another word, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat with a frustrated grunt.
It shouldn’t matter to him. Not after everything. Not after the divorce papers, the bitterness, the nights he spent convincing himself he was better off without her.
But it did matter.
Because despite the anger, despite the hurt, there was still a piece of his heart that remembered the woman she used to be. The woman who had once dreamed alongside him, laughed with him, built castles in the sky with nothing but faith and stubbornness.
He couldn’t stand by and watch her lose everything.
Without thinking further, Jalen pushed himself off the car and strode purposefully towards the grand entrance of the party.
He didn’t get far.
Two towering men in black suits stepped forward from the ornate gate, blocking his path. Arms crossed, and their faces hard, they sized him from head to toe like he was nothing more than a stubborn stain refusing to be scrubbed out of their perfect evening.
“Invitation?” one barked.
Seriously? Someone who just stepped out a few moment ago to catch some air?
“I need to speak with Sonia,” Jalen said, keeping his voice steady, though irritation simmered just beneath the surface.
“No invitation, no entry.”
The second man’s words were final.
Frustration bubbled dangerously in Jalen’s chest. His fists clenched at his sides as curious glances began to turn toward the commotion at the gate. The last thing he needed was to cause a scene, but they were pushing him to the brink.
Just as he opened his mouth, ready to force his way through if necessary, a soft, familiar voice floated through the air.
“Jalen?”
Sonia appeared, framed by the golden glow of the entrance. She wore an elegant silver gown that shimmered like liquid light, and her smile, upon seeing him, was warm and genuine.
The guards paled instantly, their posture stiffening with panic. Clearly, they hadn’t anticipated humiliating someone important enough to command Sonia’s personal attention.
She walked forward gracefully, her heels clicking softly against the stone steps, and waved a hand dismissively at the guards.
“It’s alright. He’s with me.”
They scrambled back at once, murmuring frantic apologies.
Jalen barely spared them a glance. His focus was entirely on Sonia.
He didn’t waste time. “Is there any way Tiana’s company can be reinstated?”
His voice wasn’t pleading, but it carried a quiet intensity that even Sonia, seasoned and poised as she was, couldn’t ignore.
Her smile faltered slightly, curiosity flickering across her face. She studied him for a long, loaded moment.
She hated to say no to him. Why the hell does he still care about the same woman who treated and dumped him like rotten trash?
"Jalen," Sonia called gently. "Why do you still care about this woman? After everything?"
Jalen didn't answer that, but the look on his face told Sonia everything she needed to hear.
Sonia sighed, and without a word, she pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and spoke in quick, efficient tones.
“Reinstate Tiana’s company on the partner list. Effective immediately.”
Jalen let out a slow breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
Relief — sharp, aching, and overwhelming pulsed through him, but he forced himself to remain outwardly composed.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
Sonia smiled again, softer this time. “Anything for you.”
Before either of them could say more, the heavy glass doors behind Sonia swung open, and the cool night air rushed in.
Tiana emerged, her hand still resting lightly on Carlos’s arm, her gown flowing elegantly around her.
Her eyes landed on the scene before her, and for a moment, she froze.
There was Jalen, standing casually close to Sonia, looking perfectly at ease, almost... intimate.
Tiana’s heart twisted painfully.
She instinctively turned to leave, her mind screaming at her to avoid the unfolding disaster, but Carlos, ever the showman, couldn’t resist twisting the knife.
With a wicked smirk dancing on his lips, he leaned closer and said, just loud enough for everyone around to hear:
“Looks like they must have been rejected at the entrance and have been loitering around for hours, waiting for a way in.”
His laughter echoed sharply in the night air, slicing deeper than he realized.
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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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