The Return
1525 Words
Daniella had spent eleven years trying to forget Stephen.
She had told herself she was over him. She had built a life without him, learned to survive on her own, and became a mother without the man she once believed would stand beside her forever.
But some memories refused to die.
Whenever she saw a young couple holding hands, she remembered Stephen. Whenever she heard an old school song, she remembered their days together. And whenever her fingers touched the black-and-gold bracelet around her wrist, she remembered the promise she had made to him.
I will never forget you.
She had kept that promise.
Even when it hurt.
On Monday morning, Daniella sat at her small dining table in Ikoyi, scrolling through job advertisements on her phone.
Her property-consulting business had been struggling for months. Two important clients had left, her savings were disappearing quickly, and Daniel’s school fees were due soon.
Her son needed her.
Her mother needed her.
She couldn’t afford to give up.
Then she saw an advertisement that made her heart stop.
ADEBAYO PRIME REALTY — SENIOR PROPERTY CONSULTANT WANTED.
Her eyes moved down the screen.
Then she saw the CEO’s name.
STEPHEN ADEBAYO.
Her fingers went cold.
“No,” she whispered.
She locked her phone and placed it on the table.
She couldn’t work for Stephen.
Not after eleven years.
Not after the way they had separated.
She remembered being seventeen and standing in front of Stephen’s mother.
The older woman had looked at her with cold eyes.
Leave my son.
If you don’t, you’ll be found dead somewhere, and nobody will ask questions.
Daniella had been terrified.
She had left without giving Stephen the explanation he deserved.
He believed she had abandoned him.
He never knew the truth.
He never knew that she had tried to contact him.
He never knew she had spent years thinking about him.
Most importantly, he never knew that eight years ago, she gave birth to his son.
Daniella picked up her phone again.
She looked at the job advertisement.
Then she thought about Daniel’s school fees.
She sighed.
“I need this job.”
She submitted her application.
Two hours later, an interview invitation arrived.
Her heart began pounding as she read it.
INTERVIEW — MONDAY, 10:00 A.M.
She almost declined.
But life had taught her that sometimes survival required facing the things you feared most.
So she accepted.
⸻
Monday morning arrived.
Daniella stood outside Adebayo Prime Realty, staring at the enormous glass building.
Expensive cars filled the parking area. Employees walked through the entrance carrying tablets, files, and coffee cups.
She took a deep breath.
“It’s just an interview.”
She repeated it quietly.
“Nothing more.”
Inside, the reception area looked exactly like the kind of place Stephen would own.
Elegant.
Expensive.
Perfect.
Daniella approached the receptionist.
“Good morning. I have an interview with Mr. Adebayo.”
The receptionist checked her computer.
“Daniella?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Adebayo is expecting you. His office is on the top floor.”
Her stomach tightened.
“Thank you.”
She entered the elevator.
As the doors closed, she stared at her reflection.
She was no longer the seventeen-year-old girl Stephen had loved.
She was thirty-one.
A woman.
A mother.
A survivor.
Her fingers touched the bracelet around her wrist.
She had made two identical bracelets with her own hands.
One for herself.
One for Stephen.
She had given his to him before leaving for university.
She wondered if he still had it.
The elevator doors opened.
A man in a dark suit approached.
“Miss Daniella?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Adebayo is ready for you.”
She followed him down the hallway.
He stopped at a large wooden door.
“Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
Daniella knocked.
“Come in.”
Her heart nearly stopped.
She knew that voice.
She opened the door.
Stephen stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
He turned.
Their eyes met.
Eleven years disappeared.
He had changed.
His shoulders were broader, his jaw sharper, and his expression colder. His black suit fit perfectly against his muscular frame.
This wasn’t the boy she remembered.
This was a powerful CEO.
A man everyone feared.
“Good morning,” Daniella said.
“Good morning.”
His voice was cold and professional.
“Sit.”
She sat.
Stephen picked up her résumé.
“I’ve reviewed your application.”
“Thank you.”
“You have considerable experience.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve worked independently for several years. Why?”
Daniella hesitated.
“Family responsibilities.”
“Children?”
Her heart skipped.
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“One.”
“How old?”
“Eight.”
Stephen nodded.
“Why do you want to work here?”
Daniella looked at him.
Because I need the money.
Because my son needs me.
Because I never stopped loving you.
Instead, she said, “I believe my experience can benefit your company.”
Stephen leaned back.
“That’s what everyone says.”
“I can prove it.”
He studied her.
“You’re confident.”
“I’ve had to become confident.”
Something about her answer caught his attention.
His eyes remained fixed on her face.
Daniella tried not to stare at him.
But memories kept returning.
Stephen sitting beside her after school.
Stephen struggling with mathematics.
Stephen promising that one day he would build a successful company.
She had believed in him before anyone else did.
Now he was sitting across from her as one of Lagos’s most successful real-estate CEOs.
Stephen suddenly frowned.
“Have we met before?”
Daniella’s heart stopped.
She forced a smile.
“I don’t think so.”
“Your face looks familiar.”
“Maybe you’ve seen me around Ikoyi.”
He continued studying her.
Then his eyes dropped to her wrist.
The bracelet.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get that?”
Daniella quickly covered it with her sleeve.
“It was a gift.”
“From whom?”
She looked down.
“Someone from my past.”
“Someone important?”
She looked directly at him.
“Yes.”
“How important?”
Her voice softened.
“Very.”
Something strange passed through Stephen’s eyes.
He looked away.
“Leave your résumé. I’ll contact you.”
Daniella stood.
“Thank you for your time.”
She reached the door.
“Daniella.”
She froze.
Slowly, she turned.
Stephen stared at her.
“Have we really never met?”
Her heart broke.
She wanted to tell him everything.
Instead, she whispered,
“No.”
Then she walked out.
The moment the door closed, Daniella leaned against the wall.
Tears filled her eyes.
“He doesn’t remember me.”
She wiped them away quickly.
She couldn’t cry here.
Not in Stephen’s company.
Inside the office, Stephen remained standing.
Something was wrong.
He walked toward his desk and opened the bottom drawer.
Inside was a small wooden box.
He hadn’t opened it in years.
He lifted the lid.
A black-and-gold bracelet lay inside.
Identical to Daniella’s.
Stephen stared at it.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind.
A school uniform.
A teenage girl laughing.
Her hands tying the bracelet around his wrist.
Her voice.
“Promise me you’ll never forget me.”
Stephen closed the box.
“No.”
He had spent eleven years believing Daniella left him for another man.
His friends had told him she only wanted his money and his family’s name.
He had believed them.
He had hated her ever since.
But now she was back.
And one bracelet had brought memories rushing into his mind.
His phone rang.
“Sir?”
His assistant’s voice came through.
“Send me everything about Daniella.”
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
Stephen looked toward the door.
“Everything.”
⸻
Across Ikoyi, Daniella sat inside a taxi.
Her phone rang.
It was her mother.
“Did you see Stephen?”
Daniella looked out the window.
“Yes.”
“Did he recognize you?”
“No.”
Her mother sighed.
“Daniella, you need to stay away from him.”
“I know.”
“You remember the threat.”
Daniella touched her bracelet.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“Then don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Daniella closed her eyes.
She had spent eleven years protecting Stephen from a truth he didn’t know.
But now they were working in the same company.
And Stephen was already beginning to remember.
That evening, Stephen’s mother received a phone call.
“Madam, she is back.”
Her expression hardened.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“And Stephen?”
“He doesn’t remember her yet.”
She looked at an old photograph of Stephen and Daniella.
“Then make sure he never does.”
She ended the call.
But she didn’t know that Stephen was already holding the bracelet Daniella had given him eleven years ago.
And this time, he was determined to discover why the woman he hated still felt so familiar.
To be continued…
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