Deceit

CHAPTER 3: OFFICE WAR

8am came too fast.

I stood in front of the mirror in a dress I didn’t buy.

Black. Silk. Tailored to my body like it already knew me.

The tag said Blackwell Couture. Of course it did.

Rule 2: Be ready at 8am. Gala. We go together. -K

There was no note about makeup. No note about hair.

But the closet was full. The vanity was full.

Like Kain Blackwell had decided what I should wear before I even woke up.

Control freak.

A knock. “Mrs. Blackwell? The car is ready.”

Mrs. Blackwell.

The name still felt like a lie in my mouth.

Kain was waiting in the foyer. Black suit. No tie. Sleeves rolled once.

He looked up when I came down and his eyes did something.

Just for half a second.

It was approval.

Then it was gone.

“You look presentable,” he said. That was it.

The car ride was silent. Rain again. Kaduna rain doesn’t play.

I stared out the window. My phone had 47 notifications.

Daniel. Tasha. Old coworkers. News sites.

#WeddingFail #AishaMonroe #KainBlackwellNewWife

They moved fast.

“We’re going to Blackwell Corp,” Kain said without looking at me.

“There’s a board meeting. You will sit next to me. You will not speak unless I tell you to. You will smile.”

I turned to him. “Am I your wife or your employee?”

His jaw ticked. “Both. For 6 months.”

The building was glass and steel. 40 floors of it.

People stopped walking when we got out.

Phones came out.

It’s her. The bride. She’s with Kain.

I lifted my chin. If they wanted a show, I’d give them one.

The lobby went silent.

Security. Assistants. Board members. All staring.

And there, by the elevators, was Daniel.

In a suit. With Tasha on his arm.

Of course.

Daniel’s face went red. Tasha looked like she might throw up.

“Kain,” Daniel started, voice too loud. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

“Save it for the boardroom, Okoye,” Kain cut him off. Cold. Final.

He took my hand.

Rule 2: Hand-holding, photos, events.

His hand was warm. Mine was ice.

But he didn’t squeeze. He didn’t comfort.

He just... held. Like I was his.

The elevator doors closed. Just us three.

Me. Kain. And the weight of what we all knew.

“You’re making a mistake,” Daniel hissed. “She’s using you.”

Kain didn’t even look at him. “She’s my wife.”

Wife. The word hit different when he said it.

Ding. 40th floor.

The boardroom was all glass and sharks.

20 people. All men. All old. All looking at me like I was dirt on their shoes.

“Gentlemen,” Kain said, pulling out my chair first. “This is Mrs. Blackwell.”

Silence.

Then one of them laughed. “Since when does Kain do marriage?”

“Since now,” Kain said, sitting. “Now. About the Q3 theft.”

Daniel paled. Tasha gripped his arm.

Theft.

For the next hour, I watched Kain destroy a man without raising his voice.

Emails. Bank transfers. CCTV.

All of it pointing to Daniel.

“I didn’t—” Daniel started.

“Didn’t what?” Kain leaned forward. “Didn’t think I’d find out? Didn’t think I’d care?”

He looked at me. “My wife deserves justice.”

My wife.

My chest did that weird thing again.

The board voted. Unanimous.

Daniel was fired. Effective immediately. Security escorted him out.

Tasha ran after him, crying.

And just like that.

It was done.

The room cleared. Until it was just me and Kain.

“You okay?” he asked. First time he’d asked me anything real.

“I should be happy,” I whispered. “So why do I feel empty?”

Kain stood and walked to the window. Hands in pockets.

“Because revenge doesn’t fill the hole. Only power does.”

He turned. “And you have it now.”

My phone buzzed. Unknown number again.

“You think he’s your hero? Ask him about the fire. 10 years ago. -T”

The fire.

My parents died in a fire.

At a Blackwell building.

I looked up at him. “Kain. The fire. 10 years ago.”

His whole body went still.

For a second I saw it. Pain. Guilt. Something.

Then the mask was back.

“Don’t,” he said.

“That’s not part of the contract.”

“And what is?” I stood up. “Using me? Lying to me?”

“I never lied,” he said. “I told you I hate loose ends.”

He walked to me. Stopped a foot away. Rule 3.

“I’m keeping my end of the deal, Aisha. Your ex is ruined. Your sister is next.”

Your sister is next.

The words should’ve made me feel good.

Instead they made me feel sick.

“Take me home,” I said.

The ride back was worse than the ride there.

Kain didn’t touch me. Didn’t talk.

Just stared out the window like he was somewhere else.

When we got to the mansion, I went straight upstairs.

To my room. To the new phone.

Another text.

“Meet me. Midnight. Old Blackwell warehouse. Come alone if you want the truth. -T”

Tasha.

The sister who betrayed me.

The sister offering me truth.

Can I trust her?

Can I trust him?

I looked at the contract on my dresser.

6 months.

10 million penalty.

No love.

This was supposed to be simple.

At 11:55pm I was in a cab.

The old Blackwell warehouse was on the edge of the city. Abandoned.

Tasha was already there. No Daniel.

“You came,” she said. Eyes red.

“Talk,” I said. “Before I change my mind.”

Tasha pulled out a folder. Old photos. News clippings.

“The fire. It wasn’t an accident, Aisha.”

She pushed a photo across.

My parents. With Kain’s father.

Arguing.

“Kain’s dad set the fire to cover up fraud,” Tasha whispered.

“And Kain covered for him. He’s been paying people off for 10 years.”

She looked up. Tears falling.

“He’s using you to clean his name. Just like he used me.”

The world tilted.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I’m sorry,” Tasha cried. “For the wedding. For everything.

And because I don’t want you to end up like me. Used. Thrown away.”

A sound. Footsteps.

We both turned.

Kain stood in the doorway.

Umbrella in hand. Face like stone.

But his eyes... his eyes were on me.

And for the first time since I met him,

I couldn’t tell if he was angry.

Or if he was scared.

“Get in the car, Aisha,” he said quietly.

“Now.”