Chapter1
2145 Words
Netim’s Point of View
If New Havenstone was a city of power and influence, then the gilded fork was its royal dining hall.
And sitting at the very top of a Celestial Tower, owned by the most prestigious man in New Havenstone was the Bistro, where the city’s wealthiest elite dined, signed some million-dollar contracts over a mouthwatering wagyu steak and a honeyed vintage wine, barely even glancing at the menu because prices to them didn’t really matter.
Not to mention, when making a reservation at the Bistro, you have to be someone very important. And when I say important, I mean you're among the one percent of the one percent.
Because tonight, I, Netim Danjuma, felt as though I was one of them, given that Jared Mercer, the man sitting across from me, my perfect amazing boyfriend of nearly seven years, had pulled some kind of strings to get us this table. According to him, he wanted tonight to be very peculiar for me on account of it being my birth anniversary.
I met Jared in my first year at one of New Havenstone’s top universities, Hamilton College.
It wasn’t some kind of grand moment really, not even a dramatic meet-cute.
I had been sitting in the back row of my Economics 101 lecture, half-listening to professor Thompson, and half-scrolling through my phone, bored out of my mind, when out of nowhere "I’ll pay you to change seats with me."
Surprised, I looked up to find a weird-looking guy with messy brown hair and a defined jaw standing next to me.
"Excuse me?" I asked
"You’re in my usual spot," he said, dead serious. "I think better when I sit here."
I stared at him even more surprised, I mean who wouldn't be when a very crazy looking guy just said he thinks better when he sits in a peculiar boring 101 economics class.
"You have a… designated thinking chair?"
He shrugged. "Well—yeah maybe."
I almost rolled my eyes. But honestly, were it not for the fact that I was already bored out of my mind, and half-counting the minutes until I would ditch this whatever 101 economic class and escape to my art studio, I probably would’ve ignored him completely.
"How much?"
That was how it began. A stupid exchange over a lecture hall seat turned into something I never really saw coming.
Jared became my person. Not right away though, and not in some obvious, love-at-first-sight way.
But slowly, in the way that, well you know happens when two people see each other every single damn day.
At first, he became a regular guy who sat next to me in class, constantly trying to one-up me on test scores.
Then he was the guy who walked me to the library on rainy afternoons, who stole my fries at the dining hall like it was his god-given right, who sat next to me at football games even though I knew he hated the sport.
By sophomore year, we became best friends.
And by junior year, it was even more.
I had been pulling an all-nighter for an exam, sitting on the floor of Jared’s dorm, my books scattered around me, my hair in a mess. He had just come back from a party, flopping down onto his bed, and watching me like I was the dumbest person alive.
"You look like you’re being held hostage by your own GPA," he said.
I didn’t even glance up. "I am, Jad."
Jared sighed. "Come on, you’re overthinking this. Let’s take a break."
I waved him off. "No time. You know if I fail, there would be a lot of trouble with my dad, he'd actually kill me you know." I whispered going back over my book and reading them silently.
There was silence from over his end before I heard him speak again.
"You know you don’t have to be perfect, right?"
That made me pause.
I looked up, surprised, and maybe expecting some kind of sarcasm, but he solely stared at me dead Serious.
Wow.
That was unlike him and for some very odd reason, my pulse picked up.
"Net," he called softly, that was the pet name he chose to call me of all names. "You don’t really have to prove anything to anyone."
I swallowed, looking away, as heat crawled up my neck. His gaze felt like it could peel me open.
"Jared,— I think you should go to sleep. And Christ how many shots did you even take to mess up your brain like this"
"Just 3. And I can’t sleep."
"Enh? I mean why?"
"Because you’re still here."
My stomach flipped. God, what was that supposed to mean?
It wasn’t some grand confession. And it wasn’t love, either. But by senior year, we were inseparable.
The sugary sweet couple that always had their own inside jokes, their own rhythm. The couple that people saw and just knew they were solid.
And as graduation came faster than either of us expected, we laid down some scrumptious plans.
We were gonna take the city of New Havenstone together as one.
We'd live in an apartment downtown, with floor-to-ceiling windows and so many plants that I'd forget to even water them.
He vowed we'd sleep late on Sundays, drink coffee in bed, and make love at leisure.
He said we'd create a business together—something solely ours.
He even vowed to learn how to cook so that I wouldn't have to eat cereal for supper on my bad days.
He vowed we'd see the world together even the foreign cities like; San Eldridge, Italy, Morocco, and Paris in springtime.
He vowed that I'd never have to endure anything alone again.
However now? Things look seriously different.
He was sitting across from me at Gilded Fork, directly avoiding my eyes.
My fingers went around the stem of my wine glass as I studied him.
Something was definitely wrong I concluded and it made no sense.
This dinner had been his idea.
But why hadn’t he smiled all night? Why hadn't he looked me in the eyes, and why does he keep checking his watch, even though there was nowhere else to be?
"You’re quiet tonight," I said, setting my glass down. "Something wrong Jad?"
Jared blinked, like I had pulled him out of a thought.
"No. Just… a lot on my mind."
I frowned. "You know Jared, that’s a terrible thing to say to someone on their birthday ahn."
He exhaled, not really quite a laugh. And at that point, I felt like I was going to lose it.
He wasn’t even trying. No effort to pull me back in, no attempt to fix the mood, no real smile since we met up and came here for dinner, not even his hand reaching out to mine across the table, ensuring me he was "just tired" Or that his brother Nick—God, Nick—was being an ass again. They always had issues. Always fought over his lack of unemployment. I would’ve taken it. I would’ve believed it. He could’ve blamed it on anything. Even please. At least lie better. But the next thing he said threw me off.
"Sorry Nem."
Sorry. That was all. No explanation. Just sorry.
, I had expected tonight to feel different.
Not just because it was my birthday really, but because I had a plan.
In my purse, hidden was a small box.
And inside was a watch.
Not just any watch—a gold Vacheron Constantin, incised with our anniversary.
It had taken me months to get.
But that wasn’t even the real surprise.
The real surprise was the job offer I had secured for him at my father’s company.
Jared had been struggling with work for months now, frustrated with dead-end positions. I fixed it.
I had pulled strings, made calls, and gotten him a position.
I had spent days imagining his reaction when he found out.
The look on his face when he saw the watch. How his eyes would light up in delight when I told him about the job offer.
That was what I had pictured.
What I had never pictured was this—
Jared, sitting across from me, looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"You’ve not had a sip of your whiskey since we got here," I said, nodding toward his glass.
"I'm not in the mood really," he muttered.
Bullshit
Jared was always in the mood for whiskey.
"You sure? Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you pass up bourbon."
He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
That nervous tic I had only seen a handful of times.
My stomach knotted.
"Jared. What’s going on?"
He hesitated.
Then—
"Netim… there's something I must tell you."
I let out a small laugh. "Ooh okay I, go on," I said so nervously like it’s not about to be the worst conversation ever? I mean cause that’s what people say before dropping something huge right?.
Before saying "I love you." Or before proposing.
Maybe that’s it. oh lord! that's why he was acting weird. That’s why he’d been off all night.
Maybe I should have asked sooner.
Maybe I misread everything.
Oh my God. This is it.
My fingers brushed over the margin of my purse.
That’s why he pulled out all the stops for tonight. That’s why he’s so tense.
I moved into my seat, taking a glance at my well-polished nails ready to receive my ring.
"Okay," I said, placing my hair behind my ear. "Talk Jad."
Jared finally looked up to meet my eyes as my stomach dropped even lower than it was before.
His face wasn’t the face of a man about to propose.
"Jed." I said placing my hands on his own "jad, what—"
"I’m leaving.”
“What?”
The words hit me sideways.
"What. No.. no... You, you can't leave I mean I …”
"I got an offer.” He interrupted me. “In San Eldridge. A startup. They want me full-time."
The restaurant suddenly felt too loud.
This wasn’t happening to me.
This wasn’t my forever. Or perhaps my mind's just playing tricks on me, right?
"Ooh Okay, so em?" I forced a laugh. "That’s great. We’ll figure it out together, we will em find a way, I have plans—"
"No." He sighed. "Netim, I’m leaving. For good."
The air went out of my lungs.
"But, you, you vowed we'd see the world together, remember. Even the foreign cities too, like—San Eldridge, you know. Italy, Morocco, and Paris in the springtime.
You also vowed that I'd never have to endure anything alone again. We planned this together. And just last week I managed to get you—"I stopped myself, my hand tightening around my purse.
“I managed to get you a job—at my father's company, he said he's ready to help us.” I gently brought out the envelope containing the job offer and quickly placed it on the table.
“He doesn't mind that I'm his daughter, he doesn’t even see you as my boyfriend, he promised to even—”
"I don't want your father's job Netim," he snapped.
I blinked, with no clue where that had sprung from.
“Jad?”
"I don't want to be your—” he paused, like it disgusted him to finish, “be your arm candy Netim, or smile pretty for your father's clients, maybe even inherit a share in the empire if I keep my mouth shut. I'm not going down under your father's thumb or watch myself turn into another man in his f*****g pocket."
Jared.” My chest tightened.
"What, Netim?" he snapped, his eyes becoming hard. "You think I want to sit across like those old men who get hard just from seeing you walk into a room in one of your father's lingeries with Danjuma stitches on the tag? You think I don’t know what Danjumas really sell?”
“My family business. It's not yours to scandalize—
"Your family's business," he repeated, laughing in a bitter manner. "A Danjuma lingerie empire built for underground criminals. Auction houses. Mafia dons—”
"Jared—"
"And how do I know you haven't already slept your way through half of your father's client list?"
“Jad—How, how could you say that to me? We've been together for so many years you know I would not—”
"Don't play innocent with me Net. He snapped, making the couple at the next table glance over. “I know you slept with some guy at Aegis Club."
I went still immediately, the Bistro going ten degrees colder.
- Writer
