REVENGE MADE US LOVERS

The moment Daniel Adebayo saw Amara Okafor stepping out of a black Toyota at a luxury hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, the anger he had buried for three years came rushing back. Her face was the last face he wanted to see. Three years ago, her family had destroyed his. And now, she had the audacity to appear before him as if nothing had happened. “Stop the car,” Daniel ordered. His driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Sir?” “I said stop the car!” The driver pulled over immediately. Daniel stepped out, adjusted the sleeves of his expensive black suit, and fixed his eyes on the woman walking toward the hotel’s entrance. Amara wore a simple cream dress, with her natural hair falling neatly around her shoulders. She was speaking to someone on her phone, completely unaware that the man who had once promised himself never to forgive her was standing only a few steps away. “Amara!” She stopped. Slowly, she turned around. The smile on her face disappeared the moment she recognized him. “Daniel?” He gave a cold laugh. “So you still remember my name.” Amara ended her call and slipped her phone into her handbag. “What are you doing here?” “Interesting question.” He moved closer. “I should be asking you the same thing. Have you come to destroy another family?” Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever problem you have with me, Daniel, I don’t have time for it.” She turned to leave. He caught up with her, positioning himself between her and the entrance. “You don’t get to walk away from me as if you haven’t done anything.” Amara’s expression hardened. “Then tell me what you want.” “An apology.” “For what?” “For what your father did to my family!” Several guests passing through the hotel entrance slowed down, curious about the confrontation. Amara looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. “Your father’s business collapsed because of his own decisions. Don’t put that on me.” Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Your father published those documents. My father lost everything. My younger brother died in an accident while our family was falling apart, and you expect me to believe your family had nothing to do with it?” Something flickered across her face at the mention of his brother. “I am sorry about your brother,” she said quietly. “But I didn’t publish those documents. I didn’t even know about them until—” “Don’t!” His voice made her flinch. “Don’t stand there pretending to be innocent. I know what your family did.” “And I know what your family did, too,” she shot back. “But unlike you, I don’t go around blaming people for things they didn’t do.” Daniel stared at her. For three years, he had imagined meeting this woman again. He had imagined watching her beg for forgiveness, watching her family experience the humiliation his family had endured. He had never imagined that she would look him directly in the eyes and refuse to bow her head. “You should be careful, Amara,” he said. “Lagos is a big city, but people like you eventually run out of places to hide.” She stepped closer, refusing to let his intimidating presence silence her. “And you should remember something, Daniel. Money can buy you a mansion in Ikoyi, a luxury car, and a table at every expensive restaurant on Victoria Island. But it cannot buy you the right to control my life.” For a second, he said nothing. Then he smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “We’ll see.” He stepped aside. Amara walked into the hotel without looking back, although her hands were trembling. She had thought she was finally free of the Adebayo family. Apparently, she had been wrong. Twenty minutes later, Amara sat across from her best friend, Teni, in the hotel’s restaurant. Teni stared at her with wide eyes. “Wait. You mean Daniel Adebayo is back in Lagos?” Amara stirred her untouched drink. “He never left. I simply avoided the places where I knew I might see him.” “And you just met him here?” “Yes.” Teni leaned forward. “Amara, you need to tell me everything. That man looks like the kind of person who can hold a grudge until his grandchildren are grown.” Despite herself, Amara almost smiled. “You should have seen his face.” “I’m not joking.” “Neither am I.” Teni lowered her voice. “Your father warned you about that family before he died. If Daniel thinks you were responsible for what happened to his father, he might try to get revenge.” Amara’s smile vanished. Her father had died two years earlier, taking several secrets with him. Before his death, he had repeatedly warned her to stay away from the Adebayo family. She had never understood why. Now, she wondered whether Daniel’s hatred was connected to something much bigger than the documents his father had blamed on hers. “I didn’t destroy his family,” she whispered. “I need him to understand that.” Teni reached across the table and held her hand. “What if he doesn’t want to understand?” Amara looked toward the glass windows overlooking the busy streets of Victoria Island. “Then he’ll have to hate me for something I didn’t do. Across the restaurant, Daniel stood near the elevator with his business partner, Michael. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Michael remarked. Daniel adjusted his watch. “I just saw the daughter of the man who ruined my father.” “Amara Okafor?” Daniel turned sharply. “You know her?” “I’ve heard of her. She’s an architect, isn’t she? Her company recently won a contract to redesign a commercial property in Lekki.” Daniel went still. “Which property?” Michael named the development. For several seconds, Daniel said nothing. That particular property belonged to Adebayo Holdings. And Daniel had been preparing to announce its redevelopment at the company’s board meeting the following morning. “How did she get that contract?” he demanded. “I don’t know. Perhaps her company submitted the best proposal.” A slow, dangerous smile spread across Daniel’s face. “Then fate has finally decided to be useful.” Michael studied him suspiciously. “What are you planning?” Daniel looked toward the restaurant, where Amara was gathering her belongings. “I’m going to make sure she regrets ever carrying the Okafor name.” He took out his phone and called his company’s managing director. “Cancel every pending negotiation with her firm,” he ordered. “Then arrange an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning.” He ended the call. Michael sighed. “Daniel, this is business. Don’t turn it into a personal war.” Daniel slipped his phone into his pocket. “It became personal three years ago.” He watched Amara walk toward the exit. She had no idea that by the following morning, the man who hated her most would become the biggest obstacle standing between her and everything she had worked to achieve. And Daniel had no idea that the woman he had sworn to destroy would one day become the only person capable of reaching the part of his heart he had locked away. For now, there was only hatred. And Daniel Adebayo intended to make her pay.