"You said what?" Dija's voice rang out across the walls of the campus cafeteria, sharp and furious. Her palm smacked the table, drawing a few curious glances. "You're telling me that your scheming sister is back in your house?"
"Yes," Esther replied, for the fourth time. After a long, heavy morning at home, she'd come to campus hoping for a breather. Instead, she found herself being grilled. Zianab had clearly wasted no time in telling Dija everything.
"Esther, didn't you learn anything from yesterday?" Dija snapped, eyes blazing. "That sister of yours doesn't love you. She doesn't even like you! Her entire existence is a walking red flag. Don't you get it? This 'redemption' act, it's just that. An act."
"I understand your concerns, and Zianab's too. Believe me, I do," Esther said, her tone quieter. "I have my doubts. But… Ma wants us together. Sarah is still her daughter. No mother wants to see her children torn apart. I just," she paused, "I just want her to be happy."
Dija leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "I hear you. I do. But what about you, Esther? Have you thought about your happiness? Your peace of mind? You can't keep sacrificing yourself to please everyone. Especially not someone who tried to destroy everything you had."
Esther managed a small smile, weary. "Can we please not talk about Sarah anymore?"
"Fine," Dija muttered, relenting. She dropped into her seat. "But if she dares to hurt you again, I'll deal with her myself." That earned her a genuine chuckle from Esther.
"Let's eat. I'm starving," Dija declared, glancing around for a server.
Just then, Bakarr walked into the cafeteria flanked by two friends. His eyes swept the room and landed on Esther, who was quietly uncapping a bottle of water. He hesitated a moment before walking over.
"Esther," he greeted softly.
She looked up. "Bakarr." Her voice was calm, her expression composed, though there was a hint of something unspoken in her eyes.
"I saw the news about your marriage," he said gently, offering a bittersweet smile. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," she replied, setting the bottle down and averting her gaze.
Bakarr lingered a second longer. "Now I understand why you ended things with me. And honestly… you made the right choice. I wish you all the happiness in the world."
Then he turned to leave, his friends following.
Dija, never one to hold her tongue, called after him with a smirk. "Hey, Bakarr! Don't worry, we'll make sure you get an invite to the white wedding!"
Esther gave her a look, half amused, half exasperated. Dija only winked in response.
The server had just set down two steaming plates of Cassava-leaf and rice when Dija's phone buzzed. She picked it up casually, scrolling through the message, but her expression hardened in an instant.
"Oh, for God's sake," she muttered, standing so fast her chair scraped the floor. "Not again."
Esther looked up, mid-bite. "What happened?"
"My mother. She's at LewisTech again," Dija hissed, grabbing her purse. "This woman has no shame. I swear, if she's doing what I think she's doing.."
Esther looked at her, baffled. "What?"
But Dija was already on her feet, chair scraping back. "We're going. Now."
"Me?" Esther blinked, still holding her fork.
"Yes, you. I need backup, and someone sane enough to stop me from slapping her. Let's go."
Without waiting for another word, Dija grabbed Esther's wrist and pulled her out of the cafeteria, straight into the heart of the city.
God, this day was definitely not going Esther's way.
Meanwhile, in a quiet wing of the company, behind frosted glass doors, Kadiatu sat elegantly with her designer purse perched beside her, facing Thomas. A slim envelope lay on the table between them.
"That's fifty thousand Leones. Consider it an incentive to think about your future. Away from my daughter," she said coolly, as if she were offering him a business partnership, not bribing him.
Thomas looked at the envelope, then at her. "You came all the way here to pay me off?"
"I came here because I love my daughter," Kadiatu replied, her voice measured. "And because I know men like you. Ambitious. Charming. But let's be honest, you can't give her the life she's used to."
Thomas exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "I'm not interested in your money, Madam Kadiatu. And I didn't come into Dija's life to compete with her lifestyle. I love her for who she is, not for what she has. And whether you believe it or not, I plan to work hard to build a life with her. Not one that needs your envelope."
Kadiatu raised a brow. "So noble. What if I double it?" She slid a second envelope out of her purse and placed it beside the first, her tone testing, amused. "One hundred thousand. Walk away and never speak to her again."
"Ma, with all due respect, please take them back," Thomas said, gently pushing the envelopes toward her side of the table.
But Kadiatu let out a soft huff, mistaking his refusal as a tactic. In her mind, he was simply playing hard to get, waiting for a better offer.
"Fine," she said, lifting her chin. "Let's raise the stakes, then. I'll help you go abroad, set you up with a better life, one that doesn't involve being someone's errand boy. Take the opportunity, and walk away from my daughter."
Thomas rose slowly, the chair sliding back behind him, his movements controlled but firm.
"I'm only being polite because you're her mother," he said, voice steady. "But let me make one thing clear, I'm not for sale. And the next time you question my worth, maybe ask yourself what your daughter actually wants."
For a brief second, something flickered in Kadiatu's eyes, surprise, maybe even a touch of respect. He was nothing like the men who had chased her wealth.
Still, as she folded her arms and regarded him, she muttered under her breath, "Bold words for a broke man. But bold doesn't pay bills."
Esther and Dija stepped into the private room just in time to catch the tail end of Thomas's words. Dija's heels clicked sharply against the floor, her expression thunderous as her eyes landed on her mother, and the envelopes on the table.
"Mom," she snapped, striding forward. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Kadiatu turned her head slowly, not startled but clearly displeased to see her daughter there. Her expression barely shifted. "This isn't your concern, Dija."
"Oh, it's not?" Dija barked. "Trying to bribe the man I love to leave me isn't my concern? You came here, again, behind my back, to insult someone I care about. That's not a mother's concern either, right?"
But Kadiatu didn't flinch. She stood, her poise regal and her silence deliberate. Then, she simply gathered her purse with a composed air and headed for the door, heels tapping in quiet defiance.
As she passed Thomas, she paused just briefly, just enough to turn her head and meet his eyes.
"Stay away from her," she said coldly, a warning laced in her tone. "For her sake."
Then she walked out without another word, brushing past Dija as though the room, and everyone in it, no longer existed.
The room fell into silence. Dija stood frozen, fists clenched at her sides, while Esther looked between her friend and Thomas, unsure who to speak to first.
Dija sighed and walked toward Thomas. "Please tell me she didn't just try to buy you off again."
"She did," Thomas confirmed with a small nod.
"And?" Dija asked, eyes scanning his face for answers.
"And the offer was pretty generous," he said, a teasing glint in his eyes. "All-expenses-paid life in any country of my choice. A fresh start. Comfort. Freedom."
Dija's eyes widened slightly, her breath catching. "And… what did you say?" she asked, her tone low, heart pounding in her chest.
"I told her my girl is worth more than that," Thomas said simply, smiling at her. "She'd have to aim a lot higher."
"I dare you," Dija shot back playfully. "Take that bribe and I'll make your life miserable."
Before she could add more, Thomas stepped forward and pulled her gently into his chest.
"I told you already," he said, pinching her nose affectionately, "my girl is worth more than anything. Your mother would have to sell everything she owns just to get close."
Dija laughed, rising on her toes to press a quick, soft kiss to his lips. Esther instinctively turned away with a groan.
"Seriously, you two?" she muttered, shaking her head with mock exasperation.
"Oops, sorry! Forgot you were still here," Dija said with a grin before turning back to Thomas. "You know what? If she ever tries that again, just take the money. We could use it to build our dream life."
Thomas chuckled. "Tempting, but no thanks. I can handle your mother. And I can take care of you. We don't need her money, just her blessing."
Dija rolled her eyes and muttered, "Well, that's gonna take the sky splitting open and an angel descending with a personal message."
Thomas laughed, and even Esther couldn't help smiling.
"You know what?" Esther said, walking toward the door. "I'm leaving you lovebirds to your romance. I should probably go find my own man."
"Go on, girl!" Dija cheered after her.
As Esther disappeared down the hallway, Dija leaned her head against Thomas's chest and whispered, "Thank you… for choosing me. Again."
"Always," he said, kissing the top of her head.
Esther stepped out into the quiet corridor of LewisTech, the soft hum of overhead lights buzzing faintly above her. In a flat sigh, her feet took a quiet detour, cutting through the side hallway and heading straight for the executive wing of LewisTech. It wasn't her original plan, but with everything going on, there was only one person she truly wanted to see.
She knocked lightly before pushing open the familiar office door.
Daniel was at his desk, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, brow furrowed in deep concentration as he skimmed through reports on his tablet. A frown tugged at the corner of his mouth, and for a moment, Esther hesitated at the threshold, then knocked again gently.
His eyes lifted, and the frown eased at once.
"Esther," he said, surprised but clearly pleased. He set the tablet aside and stood. "Did something happen? Everything okay?"
"I'm fine," she assured, stepping in and closing the door behind her. "Dija just… dragged me along. Her mother was here again."
Daniel raised a brow but said nothing. He knew Kadiatu well enough, her wealth came with a will of steel, and she had a talent for making things difficult when they didn't bend to her vision.
"She tried to pay Thomas off. Again," Esther added, walking over to the edge of his desk. "But he said no."
Daniel nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. "She won't stop. Not until she's satisfied he's either gone or too broken to fight for Dija."
There was something tired about the way he said it. Esther noticed the subtle tension in his shoulders, the weight pressing on him even in silence. She walked around the desk and stood behind him.
"You look like you haven't slept in days."
"I haven't," he admitted quietly, leaning forward again. "The board wants early licensing on NeuroSpeech, the investors are circling like vultures, and now…"
His words trailed off, but she didn't need them completed.
Esther gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "Lean back."
He blinked, confused, but obeyed.
Her fingers pressed into the knots of his muscles, firm and slow, working tension from his shoulders with care. Daniel closed his eyes briefly, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Her touch was warm, grounding.
"You shouldn't carry everything alone," she said softly behind him.
He tilted his head slightly. "It comes with the job."
"It doesn't have to," she murmured.
She leaned in, her hands still resting on his shoulders. Their breath mingled in the space between them. And then, without overthinking it, Esther closed the distance, pressing a soft kiss to his temple, then slowly to the edge of his jaw.
Daniel's eyes opened, meeting hers with a searching look. No words were exchanged. He turned slightly in his chair, and she leaned forward again, this time their lips met, slowly, gently, like they'd been waiting for it.
Their kiss deepened, slow at first, but soon fueled by weeks of restraint, longing, and everything they hadn't dared to say aloud. His hand slid to the curve of her waist, pulling her closer until she was straddling the side of his chair. Her fingers moved to his collar, then to his chest, clinging to the only thing that grounded her: him.
He kissed her like he needed her, like she was the only air that could fill his lungs. And for a moment, he let himself drown in her warmth, in the way her lips parted for him, in the way her hand curled around the back of his neck, guiding him deeper into her.
Daniel's hand slipped beneath the hem of her blouse, caressing the warm skin of her lower back, and that was when it hit him.
A voice. A warning.
Her uncle's voice from that late-night conversation, stern and unwavering:
"We're trusting you, Daniel. Don't lay a hand on our daughter until you make her your wife, officially, legally, in front of God and man."
The words slammed into him like cold water.
Daniel stiffened, breaking the kiss with a sharp, shaky breath. His hand stilled against her skin. His chest rose and fell as he gently but firmly pulled back, forehead still pressed to hers.
"Esther," he said in a breathless whisper, eyes searching hers. "No. We… we can't."
She blinked, her lips still parted, her gaze confused and desperate. "What, Mr Lewis , I want this. I want you. Don't pull away from me."
His hand cupped her cheek gently, thumb brushing over her flushed skin. "It's not that I don't want you," he murmured. "God knows I do. But I made a promise to your family, and to myself."
Esther leaned into his touch, her voice soft and pleading. "We love each other. We're getting married. What does waiting change?"
"Everything," he said, his tone firmer now. "It's about more than desire, Esther. It's about honor. About starting this the right way. I won't disrespect you, or your family's trust. No matter how hard it is."
She exhaled, frustrated but understanding. The tension still hung between them, thick, charged, unfinished.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, lingering there with reverence.
"I want to do this right," Daniel whispered. "For both of us. So when I do finally touch you… you'll never have to wonder if it was love, lust, or weakness. You'll know."
Esther nodded faintly, swallowing down the ache in her chest. Her fingers slipped from his shoulders as she slowly stood, her body still buzzing from the closeness.
A quiet pause lingered.
Then, in a softer voice, she said, "Just… don't make me wait too long."
A faint smile curved his lips. "I won't."