SIGNED WITH A KISS,SEALED WITH REVENGE

The rain had not stopped since six in the evening. Amara Concord stood outside the gates of the Okoro estate, her white dress soaked and clinging to her body, her hair dripping, her hands trembling around a small white stick. Two lines. Pink. Clear. Pregnant. She had run all the way from the clinic because she had no money left for transport. Her shoes were filled with water. Her feet hurt. But she did not care. Because Liam would be happy. He had promised her. He had told her after his graduation, they would get married and leave Port Harcourt together and start a new life. The security guard at the gate looked at her with pity and shook his head. "Please, let me in. Tell him it is Amara. Tell him it is very important. It is about his child." Inside the mansion, there was music. Loud laughter. Golden lights. It was his father's birthday party. Amara could see everything through the huge glass windows. Men in expensive suits, women in expensive lace. Champagne. And then she saw him. Liam. In a black tuxedo. Looking more handsome than she remembered. Looking nothing like the boy who used to buy roasted corn for her and sit with her by the water side. And he was not alone. A tall, beautiful girl in a gold dress was holding his arm tightly. Vanessa. The daughter of a rich oil man. The perfect girl his family always wanted. Amara banged on the iron gate with all her strength. "Liam! Liam!" He turned. His eyes met hers through the rain and the distance. For one second, his face changed. She saw panic. She saw guilt. Then she saw nothing. Just cold ice. He walked to the balcony, far away from her, and raised his voice so that everyone at the party could hear him. "Who is that beggar at the gate? Security! Why do you allow strangers to disturb our party?" Amara's heart broke into pieces. "Liam, it is me. It is our baby. Please," she cried, but the rain swallowed her voice. Vanessa laughed and held Liam tighter. "Do you know her, baby?" Liam put his arm around Vanessa and kissed her lips. He kissed her right there, while Amara watched with tears mixing with the rain on her face. "I have never seen her in my life," he said loud and clear. "She must be one of those girls looking for a rich man to trap." The security guard pushed Amara away from the gate. She slipped and fell hard into the gutter beside the road. Mud covered her white dress. The pregnancy test fell from her hand into the dirty water and disappeared. That night, she bled heavily on the street. She woke up two days later in a small public hospital, alone in a room that smelled like antiseptic. A tired nurse stood beside her bed. "Sorry, my dear. You lost the pregnancy. You were about three weeks gone." She lost the baby. She lost him. She lost the sweet part of her soul that night. Three years passed. Three cold, hard years in London. Present Day Lagos The ballroom of the Grand Regency Hotel was glittering like a sky full of stars. It was the biggest oil and gas merger gala of the year. Every billionaire, every CEO, every powerful name in Nigeria was there. The air smelled like money, expensive perfume, and lies. Then the main doors opened. The entire hall went silent. She walked in wearing red. Not a cheap red. The red of power. The red of blood. The red of a final warning. Amara Concord. But not the Amara anyone knew before. Her skin was glowing like polished gold. Her hair was perfect, long, and sleek. Her heels clicked on the marble floor like a countdown to something dangerous. On her neck was a single diamond that cost more than Liam's entire house. "Who is she?" someone whispered. "That is Concord Oil's hidden heiress. The one who just returned from London. They say she is worth over three hundred million dollars." Amara smiled. It was a sweet smile. The same sweet smile she used to give years ago. But her eyes were different now. Her eyes were dark and fierce and empty of mercy. At the VIP table, Liam Okoro choked on his whiskey. He was twenty nine now. Sharper. More powerful. More cold. But his company was dying, and he needed a miracle investor to save it. He needed Concord Oil. He could not take his eyes off her. There was something about her. The way she walked. The shape of her lips. The way she smelled from across the room, dark and sweet. But it could not be her. The Amara he knew was poor. Broken. Dirty. This woman looked like a queen who owned the world. His assistant leaned in and whispered quickly, "Sir, that is Miss Amara Concord. The heiress. That is the woman you have the meeting with. If you can get her to agree to the contract marriage, her father will release the funds and her company will save ours. She needs to be married for one year to fully inherit her shares." Liam straightened his suit. A slow, confident smile spread on his face. He was good at this. He was good at making women fall. He could get any woman to sign anything. Across the hall, Amara saw him staring. She lifted her wine glass to him and mouthed one word. "Hi." Her personal lawyer leaned closer to her, worried. "Miss Concord, are you sure you want to do this? You can choose any man in Lagos for this contract. Why him?" Amara's smile turned darker and more beautiful. "Because," she whispered softly, "some debts can only be paid with a kiss, and sealed with revenge." She stood up and walked straight to his table. Her perfume hit everyone as she passed, sweet and dark and intoxicating. It was Concord Number One, her own creation. Liam stood up, trying to be charming, trying to be the man every woman wanted. "Miss Concord, I have heard so much about you. It is an honor." Amara extended her hand for a handshake. Her nails were painted red. "Mr. Okoro," she said, her voice like honey mixed with poison. "I have a proposition for you. A simple contract. One year. You become my husband on paper. I save your company from collapsing. Everyone wins." Liam's eyes lit up. This was even easier than he thought. "And what do you get from this, Miss Concord?" Amara leaned in, so close he could feel her breath on his skin. So close she could see clearly the face of the man who had destroyed her and killed her child. "I get you," she whispered. And before he could answer, she kissed the corner of his mouth softly, sealing the contract before it was even signed.