THE BILLIONAIRE WHO DEFIED THE GODS

I should never have slapped him. Not once—certainly not twice. But anger does strange things to a woman whose life is falling apart. The memory still burned behind my eyelids as I stepped out of the taxi and pulled my cardigan tighter against the morning breeze. The airport confrontation replayed like a punishment. Oliver Blackwood was standing before me—cold, unreadable, impossibly handsome—and me, losing control in front of half the departures hall. I regretted the moment my palm made contact with his cheek. But pride wouldn’t let me admit it. I inhaled deeply as I approached the towering glass entrance of Pearl Entertainment. Today was supposed to be a fresh start. A clean slate. My chance to prove myself before my probation ended. Instead, I felt like a shaken soda bottle—one wrong move and I might explode all over again. The lobby buzzed with early employees tapping in. I smoothed my skirt, tied back a stubborn strand of hair, and joined the queue for the video time clock. Just as I lifted my face toward the camera, a voice behind me cut through the air like a knife dipped in honey. “Ms. Williams, you sure are lucky.” Katherine Mensah. Her heels clicked as she stepped closer, her perfume sweet and sharp enough to sting. “Before your probation is even over,” she continued, lips curving into an insincere smile, “the station has already tailored a program just for you. Must be nice.” I didn’t turn. I didn’t blink. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. “Everyone who stands here has their share of luck,” I replied eventually, my voice steady even though my stomach tightened. Her laugh was light, fake. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about the program.” I finally turned—and froze. Standing at the far end of the lobby was Oliver Blackwood. The same Oliver whose cheek my hand had met yesterday. The same Oliver who had watched me with the cold intensity of a man who could destroy my life with one phone call. Our eyes met. His jaw tightened. My heart dropped. Katherine’s smirk widened. And in that moment, I realized something awful: My past mistake wasn’t buried at the airport. It had followed me straight into Pearl Entertainment. And Oliver Blackwood—Ghana’s youngest billionaire, the man whose empire funded this very building—wasn’t done with me yet.