ZINA
1295 Words
The moment the black car pulled up to the private hospital, Damian stepped out with precision in his every movement. His jaw was tight, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and behind him trailed two of his most trusted men—silent, armed, and ready.
Inside, his father was recovering. Drugged. Hooked up to fluids. But alive.
They’d found him. Chained in a warehouse. Dehydrated. Bruised. But no broken bones. Just enough suffering to send a message.
And the message was clear.
When Damian walked into the private meeting room an hour later, Leon was already seated like he owned the place. Legs crossed. Phone on the table. That smug smile he wore when he thought he had the upper hand.
Amira leaned against the far wall, chewing gum like she was waiting for a show.
Zina stood behind Damian, hands folded. Her eyes were cold now. Unshaken. She hadn’t spoken a word since the call came in. Just followed Damian wherever he went.
Leon raised a brow when he saw her.
“You came too, Zina?” His voice was light, mocking. “Good. You should hear this.”
Damian sat down slowly.
“Talk.”
Leon smiled wider. “Simple. We split Kole Enterprises down the middle. Fifty-fifty. The board will adjust. As for Zina—” he turned, gaze narrowing—“I want custody. Legal. Binding. Full access. She belongs with me.”
Silence.
Damian didn’t blink. He just leaned back in his chair.
Then Zina let out a soft laugh. Cold. Sharp.
“You’re insane.”
Leon’s smirk twitched. “You were mine before you were anyone’s. You don’t even realize what you are. But I’ll help you remember.”
“No,” Damian said. Voice like ice. “You’ll shut the hell up and listen.”
Leon turned, confused for half a second. Then—
The door opened.
And in walked Yvonne Kole.
Her heels clicked like judgment. A navy-blue coat flowed behind her like royalty. She said nothing as she approached, placing a single folder on the table.
Then she turned to Zina and did the unexpected.
She smiled softly and took her hand.
“My dear,” she said warmly. “You don’t ever need to answer a madman.”
Zina’s eyes widened. But she held on. Her hand tightened around Yvonne’s.
Leon scoffed. “Oh, so you brought the entire Kole dynasty, Damian? Cute.”
“No,” Yvonne replied coolly. “We came because unlike your pathetic alliance with a silicone witch, we actually protect our family.”
Amira flinched.
Zina swallowed a laugh.
Damian finally leaned forward. His eyes locked on Leon like a predator eyeing his prey.
“You kidnapped my father. You made demands like a boy playing chess with a queen he can’t control. You thought you could touch what’s mine.”
He stood.
“You want a company? I’ll drown you in lawsuits and audits so deep, you’ll be choking on your own tax filings.”
“You want custody of Zina?” he scoffed. “She’s a grown woman. She chooses. And she’s already made her choice.”
Leon’s lips twitched. “You think you’re in control—”
“I am in control.”
A beat.
Damian stepped around the table slowly until he was inches from Leon’s face.
“And you know the funny thing, Leo? You’re not angry because I took her. You’re angry because she stopped needing you.”
Leon’s expression cracked.
Damian leaned closer.
“You were her past. But I am her future. And I don’t share.”
The tension snapped like glass underfoot.
Suddenly, Amira moved—but Yvonne beat her to it. With calm grace, she stepped in front of Zina.
“Touch her,” she said softly, “and I will make sure the only thing you inherit is regret.”
Amira froze. Rage bubbling. But something in Yvonne’s stillness made her hesitate.
Leon stood now, fists clenched.
“You think this is over? You think you can just shut me out—”
“Yes,” Damian cut in, motioning to the door.
Two security men entered. Legal documents followed. Charges. Evidence. Statements.
“I have more than enough to bury you, Leon,” Damian said. “But I’ll give you one chance. Walk away now. Disappear. I’ll call off the dogs.”
Leon stared at Zina.
“I made you,” he whispered.
Zina met his gaze without blinking.
“No. You broke me. And now that I’ve healed—you’re irrelevant.”
She stepped forward, calm and sure.
“You were once someone I trusted. Even loved. But you turned that into control, manipulation, and darkness. And now? You’re just another man who couldn’t handle a woman rising without him.”
Leon looked like he might explode. His mouth opened—
And Yvonne shut the folder with a snap.
“This meeting is over.”
⸻
Later that night, after everything was filed and locked away, Damian pulled Zina into his arms at home.
She didn’t cry.
She didn’t tremble.
But her silence held weight.
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Say something.”
Zina whispered, “I didn’t realize how much he hated not having control over me. Even as a child, he treated me like a tool.”
“You’re not,” Damian said gently. “You’re a fire I chose to burn for.”
She looked up at him.
“Did your mother really like me?”
Damian smiled.
“She said—and I quote—‘If you don’t marry that girl, Damian Kole, I will. And you’ll lose the best thing that’s ever happened to our bloodline.’”
Zina blinked. “She said that?”
Damian nodded with quiet pride. “Yes.”
The silence that followed wasn’t awkward—it was full. Full of things unspoken. Of futures being built brick by brick, right from the ashes of everything Zina had once survived.
But far across the city, in a dim-lit condo reeking of perfume and paranoia, another storm brewed.
Amira smashed a glass against the wall. “We were so close, Leon! And now she’s got his entire bloodline wrapped around her waist like a designer belt!”
Leon paced. Jaw clenched. Eyes blazing.
“She humiliated me,” he muttered. “In front of everyone. That bastard Damian thinks he’s untouchable.”
“He is untouchable,” Amira snapped. “They’ve got lawyers, money, surveillance, Yvonne Kole—for God’s sake, that woman has more power in one ring than we have in our whole damn crew!”
Leon turned, voice sharp. “Then we find a new crew.”
Amira narrowed her eyes. “With what money? What leverage? Everyone’s abandoned us.”
Leon smiled darkly.
“Not everyone.”
She tilted her head. “You’re not seriously thinking—”
“I have a list of men who owe me favors,” he cut in. “Real favors. The type you don’t refuse if you want to keep breathing.”
He grabbed his phone and unlocked a secure folder. Names. Contacts. Coordinates.
“We’re not done. If Damian wants war, I’ll give him war.”
Amira’s lips curled. “Even without backup?”
He met her gaze. “Especially without backup. No one expects a cornered dog to bite back.”
She leaned in, eyes glittering with hunger. “Then let’s bite.”
And just like that—two ruined people, driven by spite, power, and wounded ego—plotted again. Not with strategy. Not with sense. But with recklessness forged in jealousy and rage.
They didn’t care how deep they fell.
So long as they could drag Zina down with them.
……..
- Writer
