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Your voice matters more than you know. Enjoy Chapter 15… 💫
Sometimes the most dangerous thing isn't what you feel…
…it's what you're starting to allow.
🦋 IMANI'S POV
I should have known he wouldn't stay away.
Men like Nathaniel don't hover. They don't circle.
They move,direct, intentional, unapologetic.
And that was exactly what scared me.
The contract sat in front of me, untouched for the past ten minutes. My name was already on it. His space remained blank.
Partnership.
That was what this was supposed to be.
Just business. Clean. Clear. Safe.
So why did it feel like I was standing at the edge of something I couldn't control?
"You don sign since," Olivia said, folding her arms. "Why you still dey look am like say e go rewrite itself?"
I exhaled slowly. "Because things are about to change."
She smirked. "Things don already change. You just never accept am."
Before I could respond, the door opened.
And just like that…
the air shifted.
Nathaniel walked in like the room had been waiting for him. No rush. No noise. Just presence.
His eyes found mine immediately.
And held.
God.
That look again. Calm. Certain. Like he had already decided something, and I was the only one catching up.
"You're late," I said, keeping my voice neutral.
"I like to be sure before I commit," he replied, pulling out a chair.
Always controlled.
Always calculated.
He picked up the contract, skimmed through it, then signed without hesitation.
That should have been the end.
It wasn't.
Because instead of leaving…
he leaned back, his gaze still fixed on me.
"You didn't tell me your brother is graduating today."
My heart skipped.
Just once.
"How did you"
"I listen."
Olivia burst out laughing. "Ah! I like this one. Mr Nathaniel, you sharp o."
I turned to her. "You know him?"
She shrugged, unapologetic. "He come my boutique one day. Say he wan buy something for him mama and sister." She glanced at him, smiling knowingly. "But na information he really come find."
My eyes snapped back to him.
"Information?"
"I like to understand what I'm stepping into," he said calmly.
"That's not your place."
"It is now."
The audacity.
I leaned forward slightly. "My family is not part of this business."
Nathaniel didn't move. "Everything that matters to you is part of what I'm building with you."
The words hit deeper than I expected.
"You don't get to decide that."
"And you don't get to pretend this is just business anymore."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Dangerous.
"This is business," I said firmly.
He leaned forward too, close enough to feel, not to touch.
"Keep telling yourself that."
My breath caught.
And I hated that he noticed.
Then, like it was nothing.
"I'll come."
I blinked. "Come where?"
"The graduation."
"No."
Too fast. Too sharp.
His brow lifted slightly. "No?"
"You don't just invite yourself into people's family space like that."
"I wasn't asking."
There it was.
That shift.
I held his gaze. "Don't cross that line."
Nathaniel stood slowly, adjusting his sleeve like the conversation was already over.
"I'll be there."
Calm. Final.
And somehow…
I knew he meant it.
🐉 NATHANIEL'S POV
She said no.
And for the first time in a long time…
I ignored it.
Not because I don't understand boundaries, but because I understood what was behind hers.
Fear.
Not of me.
Of what this could become.
And I recognize that kind of fear.
Which is exactly why I showed up.
The compound in Warri was alive.
Music. Laughter. Movement.
The smell of jollof rice, fried plantain, pepper soup, warm, rich, familiar.
Not curated.
Not controlled.
Real.
Kelechi nudged me. "Guy, behave yourself o. This one no be your Abuja boardroom."
I didn't answer.
Because I had already seen her.
Imani.
Standing across the compound, talking to her mother. Simple outfit. No effort. Yet somehow… she still commanded attention.
She looked up.
Saw me.
And froze.
Just for a second.
Then she walked toward me.
Controlled. Measured.
"Mr Nathaniel," she said, her voice polite, but tight.
"Imani," I replied, softer.
"You came."
"I said I would."
She exhaled, steadying herself, then turned. "Mum."
Her mother approached, smiling warmly.
"This is Nathaniel… my business partner."
A pause.
Small, but I caught it.
"You're welcome, my son," her mother said.
Simple words.
But unfamiliar.
I nodded. "Thank you, ma."
Favour stood before everyone later, his gown slightly oversized but his pride unmistakable.
"My family…" he began, voice shaking. "We didn't have everything. But we had enough."
The compound quieted.
"Enough love. Enough strength. Enough faith."
He looked at them, really looked.
"My mum… my brother… my sisters—yes, sisters, because Olivia no be outsider."
Soft laughter.
"And God… na Him carry us reach here."
His voice cracked.
"I won't waste this. I'll make you all proud."
Applause broke out.
Loud. Emotional. Real.
The gifts came after.
Abraham stepped forward, car key spinning in his hand.
"Guy, you don try. Make life soft small."
Favour frowned. "Wait… this one no be"
"Go check am."
The shout that followed shook the compound.
"Toyota Corolla 2020?! Bro, you dey whine me?!"
Abraham laughed. "Drive am well. No go use am do nonsense."
Favour hugged him tightly. "God go bless you!"
Imani stepped forward next.
Quiet. Intentional.
He opened the box, and froze.
"Laptop… full setup?"
"For your tech," she said softly. "You said you wanted to build something. Start now."
He hugged her immediately. "Thank you, sis."
Their mother came last, already in tears.
"My son… I no get plenty to give you. But you get my prayers. Always."
Silence fell.
"You will go far. God will guide you. I am proud of all of you."
She pulled them into a hug.
Even Olivia.
Laughter and tears blending together.
Olivia stepped forward, handing him an envelope.
"I no know wetin you like. So carry cash buy am yourself."
Favour laughed. "Best gift!"
Then I stepped forward.
The mood shifted.
I handed him a box.
He opened it.
A watch.
Clean. Precise.
"Time waits for no man," I said. "Use yours wisely."
He nodded, overwhelmed. "Thank you, sir."
"Just Nathaniel."
From the side, Olivia whispered loudly, "Ah! In-law vibes already."
Imani shot her a look.
But she didn't deny it.
Interesting.
🦋 IMANI'S POV
I watched him.
The way he blended in, but didn't.
The way people responded to him.
The way he carried himself like he belonged anywhere.
Then he looked at me.
Again.
That same look.
Steady. Certain.
Dangerous.
I walked up to him slowly.
"You shouldn't be here."
"And yet… I am."
"This changes things."
"It already has."
Silence stretched between us.
Thick. Heavy.
I swallowed. "You don't get to walk into my life and decide what this becomes."
He stepped closer.
Not touching.
But close enough to feel.
"I'm not deciding," he said.
A pause.
"I'm choosing."
My breath hitched.
And I hated it.
Because a part of me.
A small, quiet, dangerous part, was already responding.
🐉 NATHANIEL'S POV
She's fighting it.
Hard.
But she's still here.
And that's enough.
For now.
Across the compound, Olivia laughed, hitting Abraham lightly.
He leaned closer, saying something low.
She paused.
Then smiled.
Something was starting there too.
Different.
Softer.
But real.
And as I looked back at Imani…
I understood something clearly.
This wasn't business.
It wasn't curiosity.
And it definitely wasn't control.
This was something else.
Something that had already begun.
Whether she was ready for it…
Or not.
********************
XOXO 💋