The Tycoon Reluctant Bride

finally

Book 1 FINALE.

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*Chapter 20:

Everything was loud. Then silent.

I hit the floor. Hard.

Arms around me. Damian.

"Amara! Amara, look at me." His voice was shaking.

I opened my eyes.

Chaos. Police yelling. Tunde tackling Uncle Okoye.

A g*n on the ground.

And blood. On Damian’s white shirt.

"Damian?" My voice broke. "You’re bleeding."

He tried to smile. "It’s not mine."

Liar.

There was a bullet wound on his side. Right under his ribs.

"Call an ambulance!" I screamed. "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Tunde was already on the phone. Uncle Okoye was in cuffs, still smiling like a psycho.

"You’ll never prove it," he spat. "It was self defense."

Damian gripped my hand. His was cold. "Don’t listen to him."

"Stay with me. Please stay with me." Tears were falling on his face.

The paramedics came. Too slow. Too loud.

They put him on a stretcher.

"Ma’am, you can’t—"

"I’m his wife," I said. "I’m coming."

*3 Hours Later. Lagos General Hospital.*

Waiting room. White walls. The smell of disinfectant.

I hadn’t let go of his jacket. It still smelled like him. Like cologne and blood.

Tunde sat next to me. "He’s going to be okay, Mrs. Adeleke."

"Don’t call me that." I whispered. "Not yet."

The doors opened.

Doctor. Mask down. Serious face.

"Family of Damian Adeleke?"

I stood up. My legs were shaking.

"He lost a lot of blood," the doctor said. "But the bullet missed all vital organs. He’s in surgery now. He’ll be okay."

I collapsed into the chair. And sobbed.

Relief. Terror. Everything at once.

*Hour 8.*

I was asleep in a chair when I felt a hand on mine.

"Amara."

Damian. Pale. IV in his arm. But awake.

"Hey," he whispered.

I grabbed his hand and kissed it. "You i***t. You stupid, brave idiot."

He chuckled. It hurt him. "Had to protect my wife."

"Don’t you ever do that again." I was crying and laughing. "Do you hear me?"

"I hear you." His thumb brushed my knuckles. "Is he...?"

"In jail." Tunde answered from the corner. "Arrested for blackmail, assault, attempted murder. Zara’s giving a statement too. She was forced to help him."

Damian closed his eyes. Exhaled. "It’s over then."

"It’s over," I said.

*One Week Later. Adeleke Estate.*

He was home. Annoying. Bossy. And mine.

The board had resigned. All of them.

The SEC dropped the investigation.

#DamianHero was trending.

And me? I was sleeping in his bed every night. No contract. No rules.

Just us.

Tonight, he was sitting up in bed, laptop closed for once.

"Come here," he said.

I climbed in next to him.

"Amara," he said quietly. "When I thought I was going to die in that room... all I could think about was you. About not getting to grow old with you."

I nodded. Couldn’t speak.

"So I have a question." He pulled something from under his pillow.

A small box.

My heart stopped.

"Not that kind," he laughed. "We already did that."

He opened it. Inside was a key.

"To my office. To my company. To my life." He looked at me. "I want you to be COO of Adeleke Conglomerate. My partner. In business. In everything."

Tears fell. "I’m not qualified—"

"You are." He kissed my forehead. "You’re the strongest person I know. You survived me. You survived my family. You survived a gun."

He tucked my hair behind my ear.

"So? Deal? No contract this time. Just... us."

I smiled through tears. "Deal."

He pulled me down and kissed me. Soft. Real. Home.

Rule #1: Keep it professional. - *We rewrote it*

Rule #4: No attachment. - *We broke it*

Rule #7: No love. - *We chose it*

*THE END OF BOOK 1*

_Thank you for reading "The Tycoon’s Reluctant Bride"_

_Book 2: "The Tycoon’s Heir" coming soon

*Title*: `Chapter 20: The Gunshot [END OF BOOK 1]`