three cities

The three S

His tone softened. "It's exhausting, you know… maintaining confidence at this level all the time."

Nelly exhaled in relief. Finally, she thought. The conversation is back on track.

"So how do you do it?" she asked quickly, not wanting to lose this tiny window of opportunity.

"I don't."

He laughed at her puzzled expression.

Her patience snapped. "Then what do you do?"

"Feisty," he teased, his smirk widening. "Relax, love."

He held up three fingers. "I use the Three S."

"Three S?" she echoed, skeptical.

"Yes, love. Three S. Guess what they are?"

"I have no clue," she admitted. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, Lucky."

He tsked, shaking his head. "Didn't think you'd give up so easily." He leaned in. "The Three S are—Style, Sense, and Strength."

Nelly stopped walking, processing his words.

Lucky grinned. "You were wondering how I keep my confidence so high, right? How I always seem to be above people? I simply divide my confidence among these three."

"My style—that's my fashion sense.

"My sense—that's my intelligence.

"And my strength—well, that one's obvious." He flexed again, smirking.

"In a nutshell," he continued, "I let these three things be the judge. Suppose a new guy arrives in town. To subdue his confidence, I compare myself to him in these three areas. If I'm better than him in at least one, I use that to overwhelm him—make him feel like I'm better than him in everything."

Nelly's brows furrowed. This was… unexpected.

"So basically," she said slowly, "you rub whatever advantage you have in someone's face so much that they start believing you're superior to them in every way?"

Lucky's smirk widened. "Bingo."

Despite his poor explanation, she caught on quickly.

A sudden thought crossed her mind, and she couldn't suppress the small smile that followed. What if the person is better than him in all three?

Kelvin.

Her boss.

She was sure of it—Kelvin could probably floor Lucky in all three categories.

Lucky, however, dismissed the idea immediately. "That's impossible, love."

"But what if?" Nelly challenged.

He sighed, rubbing his chin in mock thought. "Then I'd introduce a new quota."

"And that would be?"

"Probably money or looks," he said nonchalantly.

Nelly burst into laughter.

Lucky raised an eyebrow. "What? What's so funny?"

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath.

If Kelvin could beat Lucky, then Austin—probably could too.

The thought made her very uneasy.

The laughter faded from Nelly's lips as the realization settled in.

If Kelvin could beat Lucky at his own game, then Austin probably could too. And that idea made her uneasy. Despite everything he had been her hero, so she simply hated the idea of him being destroyable.

She glanced at Lucky, who was watching her with interest, clearly amused by whatever thoughts were running through her mind.

"What?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

But it wasn't nothing. It was everything.

Kelvin had money and that practically mean hes untouchable in Abuja—his name alone commanded respect, without even needing his presence. And Austin, with his father's influence, wasn't far behind. If these two ever clashed with Lucky…

She didn't know what would happen.

But she had a feeling Lucky wouldn't back down.

"You know, you're overthinking something again," Lucky teased, breaking her thoughts.

She shot him a look. "And how do you know that?"

"You get this little crease right here—" He reached out and gently tapped her forehead.

She swatted his hand away, scowling. "Stop that."

He grinned but let his hand fall back to his side. "So, tell me—who were you thinking about just now?"

"Nobody," she lied.

"What is your krptonite then." She quickly added to prevent further questions.

"Nothing." He cringed.

"That's not TRUE."

"What is your onee weakness lucky." She asked staring at him intently, as if to catch the answer of his face.

Lucky smiled shyly. It was for a brief moment but she was caught up by how cute it had been.

"I don't like tall girls." He mumbled. Turning away from her as soon as the words came out.

Nelly laughed as hard as she could. It now made sense why he would always bicker with Amanda and she thought she was mistaken whenever he's tensed around her. Now she knew why.

She let our another crazy round of loud laugh.

"Laugh all you want, but don't tell her." Lucky grinned, growing impatient at his increasing shyness.

"I won't if you tell me why."

"Well," He hesitated. My cousin sister was always taller than me, so she'd knock my head over every little disagreement, it eventually became a form of greeting, so I find it annoying a girl would be see higher than me standing at 6 feet. Like what are they even looking for up there. He stopped abruptly, noticing his composure fading.

Nelly smiled, her heart filled with an unusual happiness. She had seen a side of him no one probably has, except maybe hiss said cousin sister. The thought of a girl humiliating Lucky felt good.

"I'd like to meet her," she teased, already picturing someone close to Amanda's figure towering over him.

"Meet who," he replied almost immediately.

"Your cousin sis"

"Who's cousin"

"Yours" She grinned.

"Who told you I have a cousin sister."

"You just did"

"No I didn't."

Lucky wondered what she was talking about. He certainly doesn't know any cousin's.

Nelly puzzled. She had heard him clearly and yet here he was denying the fact.

"Must be embarrassing for him, that why he's denying it."

"Lets hear it." Lucky said breaking the awkward silence that had ensue between them.

"Hear what"

"The person in your head you think can beat me."

"It's no one." She smiled

Lucky chuckled. "Liar."

She folded her arms, deciding to throw the question back at him. "Alright, then. Who do you think could beat you?"

His grin faltered for a split second—so quick she almost missed it.

Then he shrugged. "No one, love."

Nelly arched a brow. "No one? Really?"

"Really."

She wasn't convinced.

"Even Kelvin?" she asked, watching him closely.

Lucky's smirk returned, but there was something different about it this time—something calculated.

"So that's who you were thinking about," he mused.

She hesitated before answering, but she knew it was pointless to lie again. "Maybe."

Lucky hummed in thought. "Kelvin Agu… he's an interesting one, isn't he?"

"You tell me," Nelly challenged. "Would your 'Three S' hold up against him?"

Lucky was quiet for a moment. Then he leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

"Want to find out?"

Nelly frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lucky straightened, hands in his pockets, that ever-present smirk back in place. "I mean, love, what if we test it?"

"Test it how?"

"You work for him now, don't you?" He shrugged. "So keep an eye out. Compare us. See who holds up better. And when you have your answer, let me know."

Nelly scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Yes. I don't have time for childish games."

He chuckled. "Oh, but love, isn't that what confidence is? A game?"

She didn't have a response to that.

Lucky took a step back, stretching his arms. "It's getting late. Walk's over."

She blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it," he confirmed. "For now."

And just like that, he turned on his heel and started walking away.

Nelly watched him go, her thoughts in turmoil.

Compare them? Really?

But as ridiculous as it sounded, she knew she'd already started doing it.

And she hated that she didn't know who would win.

For the past few days, Nelly had arrived at work earlier than usual, her mind set on one thing—comparing Lucky and Kelvin.

At first, she had dismissed the idea as ridiculous, but Amanda wouldn't let it go. Over the weekend, her roommate had pestered her endlessly until she finally gave in. Now, here she was, watching Kelvin from her office window every morning as he stepped out of his sleek black car.

From a distance, there was no doubt—Kelvin had style. His suits were impeccable, always crisp, tailored to perfection. But style alone wasn't enough. She needed to get closer to make a real comparison.

The problem? She never got close to Kelvin.

Twice, she had been near him, and both times, she had been too nervous to look properly. Lucky, on the other hand, was different. She had seen him up close countless times—his broad shoulders, strong arms, smooth hair, and confident smirk were etched in her memory.

But Kelvin? He was still a mystery hidden behind layers of expensive fabric.

As days passed, her desperation grew. What was supposed to be a simple observation had turned into something dangerously close to an obsession.

It didn't help that Kelvin had been distant since their dinner. Over a month had passed, and he hadn't said a word to her.

"He's still my boss," she reminded herself, shaking off the lingering thoughts.

She had almost given up—until a notification popped up on her laptop.

A company-wide workshop was scheduled for Monday.

Finally. A chance to talk to him. Maybe even thank him properly for dinner.

Determined, she grabbed a pen and paper, jotting down her comparison points.

Sense – She hesitated. Comparing a tech mogul to a playboy in intelligence felt absurd. She sighed, nearly crossing it off the list.

Style – Kelvin's suits were impeccable, but Lucky's confidence in casual wear made him just as striking. She smiled at the thought of Lucky teasing Kelvin for always being in corporate attire.

Strength – This was the biggest mystery. She had never seen Kelvin without a suit. She couldn't imagine him being more built than Lucky.

But if she included Lucky's extra criteria—money and looks—Kelvin easily won.

She frowned. She didn't want Lucky to lose.

Because if he did, that meant there was no one to stand up to Kelvin if she ever needed it.

The idea unsettled her. Amanda had planted it in her head, but now, it felt like a truth she couldn't ignore.

The Workshop

Monday arrived slower than she expected.

Nelly got to the office early, but Kelvin arrived only a few minutes after.

As expected, he was still in a suit.

She grinned in disappointment. Of course.

Then, an idea slipped into her mind—a mischievous, ridiculous idea.

"I'll find a way to get him out of that suit."

She bit back a laugh. This was definitely Lucky's influence.

Soon, all Agu Corp staff gathered in the meeting hall. Familiar faces filled the room, but the one face she was searching for wasn't there.

Nelly's eyes scanned the crowd, but she already knew—he wasn't here.

"He carries a different weight," she thought.

The invitation had clearly stated he would be attending. So where was he?

Nadia, one of her coworkers, tapped her, pulling her back to the present.

"You weren't even listening, were you?" Nadia teased with a laugh.

"Sorry," Nelly muttered.

"Let me guess," Nadia smirked. "You're looking for Kelvin."

Nelly tensed. "What? No. I just—"

"Don't tell me you have a thing for him," Nadia cut in, eyes widening.

"I don't," Nelly said quickly.

"Girl, we all do," Nadia admitted with a chuckle. "But friendly advice—he's way out of your league."

"It's not like that," Nelly argued. "I just… wanted to say thanks."

"For what?"

Nelly hesitated, then answered too quickly. "Lunch. He took me out the other day."

Nadia's mouth fell open. "LUNCH D—"

Nelly immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" she hissed.

Just then, Kelvin entered the room.

Nelly felt the shift before she even turned to look.

A presence. Heavy. Commanding.

Nadia shot her a knowing glance, and Nelly cautiously removed her hand.

"You have to give me the full gist later," Nadia whispered, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Nelly sighed, regretting every decision that had led to this moment.

Meanwhile, Kelvin stood at the front, delivering his speech. His voice was smooth, controlled—everyone else was probably absorbing his words, but to Nelly, they sounded like warnings.

Warnings that she was walking into dangerous territory.

But she wasn't alone now—Nadia had promised to help. Though Nelly was certain she would regret this alliance later. The cost was giving her the gist of all that had happen, and the end result of this alliance.

A round of applause signaled the end of Kelvin's speech, pulling Nelly from her spiraling thoughts.

Now came the part she had been waiting for—the social event.

A mini cafeteria had been set up for the workshop. Exotic wines lined the tables, and staff mingled as they picked their drinks.

Nadia grabbed a glass of red wine and winked at Nelly before making her move.

With expert precision, she faked a stumble and spilled the entire glass onto Kelvin's suit.

Gasps echoed in the room.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" Nadia exclaimed, grabbing a handkerchief and aggressively dabbing at the stain—making it worse.

Kelvin, looking mildly annoyed, sighed before excusing himself to the bathroom.

Nelly waited, giving him enough time to be alone before sneaking in.

She barely made it past the doorway when a voice stopped her cold.

"It better be important," Kelvin murmured.

She froze.

His back was to her, his suit jacket now draped over the sink.

Then, he turned slightly, his lips curling into an amused smirk.

"If you had to ruin my suit just to get alone time with me," he continued, "I assume you have something to say and it better be worth it."

Nelly's breath hitched.

"How…? How did he know?!"