Ashes Of The Same Fire

estate was

navy uniforms stood at attention at every entrance, their expressions hard, their earpieces crackling with static as they monitored movem

of the storm that threatened beyond the estate's wrought iron fences. T

ame th

e Ow

convoy. No sirens, no

, knuckles white. Each step echoed off the marble floors with a thunderous finality. The staff parted without being told to. Th

dn't

rand double doors o

on reflecting in their tea cups. CNN droned on in the background, the anchors' voices faltering u

barely

hough his arrival hadn't sent fear lurching into

on

d through the r

tled slightly against their

forward, soake

e is

e weight of an approaching storm, the kind th

ened in his chair, frowning. "If th

Chief Okonkwo. The same Chief you laughed with at Lagos Polo Club.

n her grip before she placed it down

name to be powerful. And you tried to destroy her. Because of her clothes? Her j

nning a hand thr

nd now, because of you, she left again. Because you made threa

ghtly, just enough

thanking us. We tried to correct your path. We

only wanted to merge two family names like a business acquisition. Not love

be

m. His shoulders trembled not wi

oduct to be br

. "Tunde, darling, please. Sit down. You

clearer in my lif

windows now, lightning throwi

t me and that woman you tried to erase. The woman who stayed up writing code with me. Who brough

"Dreams don't build e

unstrapped the custom-made platinum timepiece engraved with the Owolabi cr

ed into his

er if even a strand of her hair has been harmed because of your greed and pride I will walk away

sped, handing

I brought into the fold and I will rebuild. Under her name. And I'll m

ered again, c

nough to see her empire r

mposure cracked, their power challenged in the o

istake," Chief Owo

you thought love could be bought.

rned

ce inside was suffocating. His footsteps echoed like

he reached the d

n't lo

l dipped in fire. "Because the next time we

swung shut

mansion was neve