His last secret

Fired on her first day. The Lagos office of Adebayo Holdings was glass, steel, and silence. I wasn’t supposed to be here past 5PM. HR said my contract ended at noon. But my resignation letter was never signed. I was reaching for my bag when I saw him. Mr. Damian Adebayo. He wasn’t in the boardroom. He was in my section, alone, under one cold lamp. A file open on the desk. My name. My photo. Red lines across it. He looked up. Dark eyes. No smile. “You’re fired,” he said. His voice was low. Final. “Effective now.” My throat went dry. “I haven’t done anything wrong.” He stood. Six foot something of tailored suit and danger. He closed the file. “Then start running,” he added. He slid the file into his drawer. “Because someone is watching you,” he said, stepping closer. I could smell his cologne. Something expensive and cold. “And if you stay in this building another minute, they’ll find you through me.” Outside, Lagos traffic roared. Inside, my heart did too. Fired. Watched. And the most dangerous man in the city just told me to run. He’s already here. I didn’t run to the bus park. I ran to the market. Lagos Island. Crowds. Noise. Places Damian Adebayo would never go. I thought I was safe for at least one night. I was wrong. I was buying suya when I felt it. Eyes on my back. Not curious. Hunting. I turned slowly. And there he was. Mr. Adebayo. Same black suit. No tie now. Sleeves rolled up like he’d been looking for a while. He wasn’t alone. Two men stood behind him, but his eyes never left mine. “You’re terrible at running,” he said. My heart dropped to my stomach. “How did you find me?” He stepped closer. The market noise faded. All I could hear was him. “Because I told you to run,” he said, voice low. “So I would know which direction you’d take.” He reached out. I flinched. He didn’t touch me. He plucked a suya skewer from my hand instead. “You skipped dinner,” he said. “You’ll need your strength.” “Strength for what?” I whispered. For the first time, he almost smiled. Almost. “For surviving me,” he said. And just like that, I wasn’t fired anymore. I was claimed. The elevator doors slid shut behind me. “Mr. Elias, I quit,” I said, hugging my file to my chest. “You don’t get to drag me back.” He didn’t look at me. He pressed `P`. Penthouse. “You don’t quit from danger, Ava,” he said. “You run to safety.” The elevator jolted. Lights flickered once. Twice. Then darkness. “Damn it,” he muttered. His hand hit the emergency button. Nothing. We were stuck. My breath caught. The space was small. His cologne was too close. “Don’t touch me,” I said before he could. “I wasn’t going to,” he said, voice low in the dark. “But you should know—” The emergency light died. Now it was just us. “You fired me,” I whispered. “You left me in that market to strangers.” “I fired you to keep you alive,” he said. “Someone’s been watching the office.” My heart stopped. “What?” “Ask me when we’re out.” Silence. Only our breathing. The air was hot. “You’re afraid of me,” he said suddenly. “I’m afraid of what you’re not telling me,” I shot back. He shifted. I heard his sleeve brush the wall. Not me. Almost me. “Why did you run, Ava?” “Because you lie with a straight face.” He exhaled. A rough sound. “And you fight with your eyes.” The elevator creaked. We both went still. “Mr. Elias?” My voice was smaller than I wanted. “I’m here,” he said. Instant. No hesitation. That did something to my chest. Then—click. Lights. Doors opened. And standing in the hallway, arms folded, was a woman in red. She smiled at him. Then at me. “Well,” she said. “This is interesting.” The woman in red blocked the hallway. “Elias,” she said. Soft, but dangerous. He stopped pulling me. “Vera. Move.” So that was her name. Vera’s eyes flicked to my hand in his. Her smile dropped. “Since when do you hold hands with staff?” she asked. “I don’t,” he said. “She’s not staff anymore.” My chest got tight. Not staff. What was I then? “Right,” Vera said. “The girl from the market.” She knew. How? “Leave us,” Elias ordered. “Make me,” Vera said. She stepped closer. Her perfume was too strong. I pulled back from him. “Don’t fight because of me.” Both of them looked at me. “Exactly,” Vera said. “Don’t.” Elias’s jaw tightened. He let go of my hand. My heart dropped. “Vera’s my fiancée,” he said. The hallway went silent. Fiancée. Vera smiled. Victorious. “Tell her the rest.” Elias didn’t. He looked at me. Only me. “We need to go. Now.” “Answer her,” Vera said. I couldn’t breathe. “Why didn’t you say something?” “Because it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It matters to me,” I whispered. Vera laughed. “Good.” Elias took my wrist again. Firm. “Vera. Last warning. Step aside.” She didn’t. So he pulled me around her. “Run, Ava,” he said under his breath. And we ran. We ran. Elias’s hand was locked on my wrist again. Firm. Not letting go. “Where are we going?” I gasped as he pulled me into the stairwell. “Away from her,” he said. My feet hurt in my heels. “You said she’s your fiancée.” “I said what I had to,” he said, not looking back. We stopped on the landing. He turned to me. “Vera’s family owns 40% of this company,” he said. “If I fight her here, you lose your job. Again.” “So you lied?” “I protected you.” That word again. Protected. “Don’t,” I said. “Don’t make this about me.” “Then what is it about?” His eyes were dark. “About you not trusting me.” He flinched. Like I hit him. The stairwell was quiet. Only our breathing. “I do trust you,” he said. Low. “More than her.” My heart stopped. “Then let go of my wrist,” I whispered. He looked down at his hand. Then at me. Slowly... he did. But he didn’t step back. “Choose,” he said. “Stairs down. You walk away. Or stairs up. You come with me.” Vera’s voice echoed from above. “Elias?!” He didn’t look up. He only looked at me. “Choose, Ava.” Stairs up.” The words left my mouth before I could think. Elias exhaled. Like he’d been holding his breath. He took my hand. No asking this time. We ran up. “Elias!” Vera’s voice echoed behind us. Angry now. He didn’t slow down. He pulled me faster. We burst onto the roof. Cold air hit my face. He shut the door behind us. Locked it. “Why?” I asked. Panting. “Why bring me up here?” “Because down there, she wins,” he said. The Lagos skyline was behind him. Dark. “Vera can’t touch you here,” he said. “Not right now.” I stepped closer. “And you can?” He stopped. “Is that what you want?” His voice dropped. I didn’t answer. He lifted his hand. Brushed my hair back. “You chose me,” he said. “In front of her.” My heart was loud. “I know.” “Then stop pretending this is about protection.” “What is it about then?” His thumb grazed my cheek. “About me not being able to let you go.” The door rattled. “Elias! Open this door!” Vera screamed. He didn’t move. His eyes stayed on mine. “Answer me first,” he said. “Do you want me to let go?” I looked at the door. Then at him. “No,” I whispered. He smiled. Small. Real. The door rattled again. Harder. TO BE CONTINUED...