THE MINISTER SIN

Chapter three

Matty

Washington, D.C., United States

I barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him.

The man standing at the top of the stairs.

The calm expression on his face.

The coldness in his voice.

And that smile.

That f*****g smile when his eyes found me behind the pillar.

By six-thirty in the morning, I gave up trying.

I pushed the covers aside and sat at the edge of my bed, staring at the sunlight filtering through the curtains.

Last night shouldn't have happened.

I shouldn't have witnessed a murder in my own building.

And I certainly shouldn't have seen the face of the man responsible.

I stood and walked into the bathroom.

A long shower later, I stood in front of my wardrobe.

I picked out a cream blouse, tailored black trousers, and a pair of heels. I fixed my hair, applied my makeup, fastened my watch, and reached for my handbag.

Before leaving, I looked at myself in the mirror.

Calm.

Composed.

Untouchable.

Exactly how I wanted to look.

No one needed to know what had happened last night.

Especially not my father.

I grabbed my phone and walked out of my bedroom.

By the time I reached the dining room, my mother was already seated at the table, sipping her coffee.

My father sat across from her, going through a stack of papers.

He looked up when I walked in.

"Morning, sweetheart."

"Good morning, Dad."

My mother smiled.

"Good morning, darling."

"Morning, Mum."

I pulled out a chair and sat down.

My father lowered the papers.

"We need to talk about the campaign."

I sighed.

"Already?"

"The election isn't going to win by itself."

My mother laughed softly.

"Your father has been saying that since you won the primary."

"Because she's getting comfortable," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not comfortable."

"You should be confident."

He placed the papers on the table.

"Your numbers are excellent. The campaign is gaining momentum, and the next few weeks are important."

"What about Pennsylvania?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," he said. "Then Ohio the following day."

My mother looked at me.

"And the debate?"

"Next week."

"You need to prepare."

"I know."

My father smiled.

"You've already won the hardest part."

"The primary."

He nodded.

"Exactly. Now we make sure you win the country."

I smiled faintly.

"That's the plan."

My phone buzzed inside my handbag.

I reached inside and pulled it out.

An email notification appeared on the screen.

Washington Metropolitan Police Department.

My expression barely changed.

I opened it.

They wanted to speak with me concerning an incident at one of my properties.

My father noticed the sudden silence.

"Everything okay?"

"Fine."

I locked my phone.

"I'll handle it at the office."

He nodded and returned to his papers.

I slipped my phone into my handbag.

I wasn't going to let a stranger ruin my morning.

I had a campaign to run.

And an election to win.

I finished breakfast, picked up my handbag, and stood.

"I'll see you tonight."

"Don't work too late."

"I won't."

My mother smiled.

"Good luck today."

"Thanks."

I walked out.

---

By eight-thirty, I stepped out of my car in front of Mitchell Global Group.

My personal assistant, Olivia, was already waiting on my left, a tablet tucked against her chest.

My secretary, Daniel, stood on my right with a folder in his hand.

"Good morning, Ms. Mitchell."

"Morning."

Olivia immediately fell into step beside me.

"The nine o'clock meeting has been moved to nine-thirty. The board members are already upstairs."

"Fine."

Daniel glanced down at the folder.

"Your father wants you to review the infrastructure proposal before the afternoon meeting."

"I'll review it."

"And your campaign team sent the revised schedule for tomorrow's rally."

"Put it on my desk."

"Already done."

We continued through the entrance.

People greeted me as I walked past.

"Good morning, Ms. Mitchell."

"Good morning."

"Morning, ma'am."

I acknowledged them with brief nods, never slowing down.

The polished marble floor reflected the heels of my shoes as I walked toward the private elevator.

The doors opened.

I stepped inside.

Olivia and Daniel followed.

"Anything else?"

Olivia shook her head.

"Nothing urgent."

"Good."

The elevator carried us to the executive floor.

When the doors opened, I walked straight into my office.

I placed my handbag on my desk and went toward the enormous windows.

The entire city stretched beneath me.

Skyscrapers.

Roads.

Buildings.

Thousands of people moving through their day without knowing what had happened inside one of mine.

I folded my arms.

My father had built Mitchell Global from the ground up.

Real estate.

Construction.

Infrastructure.

Energy.

Logistics.

Investments.

The company had grown into an empire.

One day, it would all be mine.

Then there was politics.

I'd already won the primary.

My campaign was gaining momentum, and my father had spent years building the connections and influence that had helped put me where I was.

Everything was falling into place.

Everything except one thing.

Jason.

My jaw tightened.

I still didn't understand why he had chosen my building.

There were hundreds of places he could have taken that man.

But he chose mine.

That wasn't a coincidence.

"Ma'am?"

I turned.

Olivia stood near the doorway.

"Yes?"

"Your coffee."

"I didn't ask for it."

"I know."

She walked in and placed the cup on my desk.

"Your usual."

"Thank you."

She left.

I took a sip and opened my laptop.

The police email was still waiting.

I clicked it.

Then I called the number provided.

"Hello. This is Matty Mitchell."

"Good morning, Ms. Mitchell. We received your report concerning the incident at your property."

"Yes."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Go ahead."

The officer asked me to describe what I'd seen.

I told him everything.

The man ran into the building.

The man followed him.

The conversation.

The other man.

The threat.

Jason.

"Did you see the man's face clearly?"

"Yes."

"And you're certain he was involved?"

"Absolutely."

"What was his full name?"

"I don't know."

"Did he give you any other identifying information?"

"No."

There was a pause.

"We'll investigate the property."

"Do that."

I ended the call.

I leaned back in my chair.

I didn't like uncertainty.

I didn't tolerate it.

And I certainly wasn't going to start now.

I pressed the intercom.

"Olivia."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Get the CCTV footage from the new building under construction."

"All of it?"

"Every camera."

"From what time?"

"From the moment I arrived until I left."

"Understood."

"And Olivia?"

"Yes?"

"I want it on my desk as soon as possible."

"Of course."

I released the button.

Less than an hour later, the footage was ready.

I opened the first recording.

The lobby.

Nothing unusual.

I opened another.

The entrance.

Nothing.

Another camera.

The staircase.

Still nothing.

I checked the timestamps.

My eyes narrowed.

The exact period when everything had happened was missing.

Not corrupted.

Not damaged.

Gone.

I opened another camera.

Same thing.

Another.

Same.

Someone had cleared the footage.

I sat back.

"Interesting."

I opened the exterior camera.

The recording played.

There I was.

Walking out of the building.

Alone.

I watched myself cross the entrance.

Get into my car.

And leave.

That was it.

No footage of Jason entering.

No footage of the man running.

No footage of the confrontation.

Nothing.

Only me leaving.

I stared at the screen.

Someone had erased exactly what I needed.

Not the entire night's recordings.

Only the part that mattered.

My fingers tapped slowly against the desk.

Jason had planned this.

That much was becoming obvious.

I reached for the intercom.

"Olivia."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I need a private investigator."

There was a brief pause.

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"No."

"How experienced?"

"The best you can find."

"How soon?"

"Today."

"Understood."

She ended the call.

I looked back at the screen.

My own image was frozen there.

Walking out of the building.

Calm.

Composed.

Completely unaware that somewhere behind me, a man had erased every trace of himself.

I closed the footage.

Then I opened my laptop.

I had one name.

Jason.

That was it.

I searched.

Jason Nigeria.

Thousands of results.

None of them looked right.

I tried again.

Jason, Nigerian businessman.

Nothing useful.

I removed the businessman.

Jason Nigerian.

Still nothing.

I leaned back in my chair.

I didn't know his surname.

I didn't know where he lived.

I didn't know what he did.

I didn't know who his men were.

But I knew his face.

And I knew he had chosen my building deliberately.

My phone buzzed.

I glanced down.

Kathy.

I answered.

"Hey."

"Miss President."

A smile tugged at my lips.

"Babeeeee."

"You don't miss me at all. No calls, no messages, nothing."

"I'm so sorry, baby. I've been very busy."

"You've been ignoring me."

"I haven't."

"You have."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Okay. Maybe a little."

"A lot."

I laughed softly.

"Fine. A lot."

"You don't even miss me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then prove it."

"How?"

"See me today."

I glanced at the campaign schedule on my desk.

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yes. Let us meet later today."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good. Because I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

We continued talking for a few minutes before ending the call.

I placed my phone down.

My expression slowly returned to its usual composure.

I closed my laptop and glanced at the time.

The board meeting was in ten minutes.

I picked up my coffee, took the last sip, and stood.

"Olivia."

She appeared almost immediately.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"The boardroom."

She nodded.

"Everyone is already waiting."

"Good."

I picked up my folder and walked out of my office.

The moment I entered the boardroom, the conversations stopped.

Every seat around the long table was occupied.

Senior executives.

Department heads.

Financial advisers.

People who had spent years working for my father and now reported directly to me.

I took my seat at the head of the table.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Ms. Mitchell."

I opened my folder.

"Let's begin."

The first presentation was on the company's latest infrastructure project.

Numbers.

Budgets.

Contracts.

Timelines.

I listened without interrupting, occasionally asking questions when something didn't make sense.

When the finance director finished, I looked at the projected figures.

"You're expecting this to cost us another twelve million dollars?"

He nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why?"

He hesitated.

"Construction costs have increased."

"That's not an answer."

The room went quiet.

He opened his file.

"There were unexpected increases in material prices."

"Then renegotiate the contracts."

"We've already”

"Then renegotiate them again."

I closed the folder.

"I'm not approving twelve million dollars in additional spending because someone failed to anticipate a price increase."

"Understood."

"Good."

The meeting continued.

By the time we moved to the next agenda item, my phone vibrated against the table.

I glanced down.

Unknown number.

I ignored it.

A few seconds later, it stopped.

Then it rang again.

I excused myself and stepped outside the boardroom.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Mitchell?"

"Yes."

"This is Detective Harris."

I already knew what he was going to say.

"We've completed our investigation at the property."

"And?"

There was a pause.

"We couldn't find anything."

I almost smiled.

Of course they couldn't.

The cameras had already been cleared.

There was nobody there.

No weapon.

No evidence.

Nothing useful.

"I see."

"We're still looking into the incident, but at this point, we don't have enough evidence to identify anyone."

"I understand."

"Did you remember anything else that could help?"

"No."

Another pause.

"If anything comes to mind, please contact us."

"I will."

I ended the call.

I stood in the hallway for a moment.

They weren't going to find anything.

I already knew that.

Still, I wasn't going to let them stop investigating.

I returned to the boardroom.

Everyone looked toward me.

I took my seat.

"Sorry about that."

The meeting continued as though nothing had happened.

But inside my mind, one thought remained.

Jason had covered his tracks.

Fine.

If the police couldn't find him, my private investigator would.

And unlike the police, I wasn't planning on giving up.

The board meeting lasted another hour.

Once it ended, I returned to my office and spent the rest of the afternoon buried in work.

Contracts needed approval. Reports needed reviewing. My campaign team sent another stack of documents for tomorrow's rally, and I spent nearly an hour going through the schedule and cutting out anything I considered unnecessary.

By four-thirty, my patience was wearing thin.

I closed the final file and leaned back in my chair.

My eyes went to the clock.

4:40 p.m.

Finally.

I stood, collected my handbag, and slipped my phone inside.

Olivia appeared at my door.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"Your six o'clock call with the campaign team”

"Move it to tomorrow morning."

She hesitated.

"They said it's important."

I looked at her.

"Then they'll still remember it tomorrow."

"Of course."

I picked up my coat.

"Have my driver bring the car around."

"Already done."

I gave her a small nod and walked out.

The elevator took me straight to the lobby.

Outside, my driver was already waiting beside the car.

I got in without saying a word.

"Where to, ma'am?"

"Kathy's."

He nodded and pulled away from the building.

I leaned back against the seat and looked out the window.

For the first time since waking up, I wasn't thinking about meetings, campaign numbers, or Jason.

I was thinking about her.

Kathy lived in Georgetown, in a quiet street lined with expensive townhouses and old trees.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside her building.

I stepped out and walked toward the entrance.

My phone buzzed.

Kathy: Finally.

I smiled despite myself.

Me: Don't start.

Her reply came immediately.

Kathy: Come upstairs, Miss President.

I shook my head and entered the building.

The elevator carried me to her floor.

When the doors opened, I barely had time to knock.

The door swung open.

Kathy stood there with a smile on her face.

"There you are."

I looked at her.

"You're dramatic."

"You took forever."

"It's been twenty minutes."

"Exactly."

I rolled my eyes and walked past her into the apartment.

She slapped my ass before closing the door.

"You look tired." She said, hugging me from the back.

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

"Because I usually am."

She laughed.

"Come here."

I turned toward her.

She opened her arms.

I hesitated for half a second before stepping closer.

For the first time all day, my shoulders relaxed.

I had spent the entire day being watched, questioned, listened to, and expected to have an answer for everything.

Here, I didn't have to be the candidate.

I didn't have to be the daughter of a political powerhouse.

I didn't have to be the future president.

I could just be Matty.

Kathy looked at me carefully.

"Did something happen?"

I stiffened.

"What makes you say that?"

"You've been somewhere else since you walked through that door."

I looked away.

"Work."

She didn't believe me.

I could tell by the way she watched me.

But she didn't push.

Instead, she took my handbag from my shoulder and placed it on the table.

"Come on. I ordered food."

I glanced at her.

"You know me too well."

"I know."

She smiled.

And for the first time that day, I smiled back.

"Gosh, I really miss you," she said while we walked in her bedroom, holding my hands

"Me too,"

They sat on the bed and started kissing , Kathy slowly removed her trousers and dipped her hands into her pants. She moved from her lips to her neck and kissed everywhere

Her neck, chest down to her n*****s sucked it then her belly button ,slowly to her p***y, matty was already a moaning mess by the time Kathy buried her head in between her legs...................

A few hours later, I woke to the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

For a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then I remembered.

Kathy.

I glanced at the clock.

8:02 p.m.

I sat up and stretched before reaching for my phone.

Several missed notifications were waiting for me.

Work.

Campaign.

Three emails from my father.

I sighed.

Of course.

I got out of bed and began getting dressed.

Kathy was still beside me, watching me through half-closed eyes.

"You're leaving already?"

"It's eight."

"So?"

"So I have work tomorrow."

"You always have work."

"That's because I'm running a country."

She laughed.

"You haven't even won yet."

I looked at her.

"Don't remind me."

She smiled.

I picked up my handbag and checked my phone again.

My expression hardened when I saw another message from my campaign manager.

Tomorrow was going to be exhausting.

I turned toward Kathy.

"I'll call you when I get home."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I walked toward the door.

Kathy followed me.

"Drive carefully, Miss President."

I gave her a small smile and kissed her lips.

"Goodnight, Kathy."

"Goodnight."

I stepped into the hallway, and the door closed behind me.

The smile disappeared from my face.

My mind immediately returned to the one thing I hadn't managed to forget all day.

Jason.

Whoever he was, he had walked into my building, committed a crime, and disappeared without leaving a trace.

I wasn't finished looking for him.

Not even close.