My Contract Husband

Chapter 8 : It was always you

The jet shook violently.

Emma gripped the armrest so hard her knuckles went white. Outside the window, a black jet was closing in on them. Same model. Same color. Daniel.

“Pilot,” Alexander said, voice calm. Too calm. “Options.”

“Sir, we can outrun them for maybe 20 minutes. After that, they’ll force us to land or shoot us down.”

Emma looked at Alexander. “You said destiny. You said you planned this. So what’s the plan NOW?!”

Alexander didn’t answer immediately. He stood up and walked to the small bar in the jet. Poured himself water with hands that didn’t shake. That pissed Emma off.

Dane was in the cockpit, talking fast into the radio.

“Boss,” Dane called back. “We have a problem. And an opportunity.”

Alexander turned. “Explain.”

Dane grinned. “Remember 6 months ago? When you told me to ‘make friends with the airport security chief’ and I said ‘boss that’s weird’?”

Alexander’s eyes flickered. “Go on.”

“I did,” Dane said. “Bought the man suya every Friday. And his brother is the pilot of that jet chasing us. Family man. Has 3 kids.”

Emma blinked. “Wait. What?! You bribed people with suya?!”

Alexander finally looked at her. He sat down across from her.

“You want to know about destiny, Emma?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, still shaking.

“6 months ago,” Alexander began, “my father called me into his office. Hospital room. Smelled like medicine and regret. He was dying. Cancer. He told me Daniel was going to take everything when he was gone. The company. The money. The name. Everything.”

Emma listened, heart pounding.

“My father gave me one file,” Alexander continued. He pulled an old folder from inside his jacket. “It was your father’s file. He was the accountant for both our families for 20 years. He kept records Daniel didn’t know existed. Offshore accounts. Shell companies. Dirty deals. Proof that Daniel sold weapons to terrorists 5 years ago.”

Emma’s breath caught. “My dad... he never told me.”

“He died 8 months ago,” Alexander said softly. “Car accident. Brake failure. Daniel thought the files died with him.”

“But you found me,” Emma whispered.

“I found you,” Alexander nodded. “3 months of digging. Coffee shops. Your workplace. Your gym. And I made a decision. If Daniel was going to come for you, then I would get to you first.”

“So the contract—”

“Was real,” Alexander cut in. “But it was also protection. Legal protection. If you were my wife on paper, Daniel couldn’t touch you without starting a war. And he’s a coward. He only fights dirty.”

Emma stood up. “You used me!”

“I protected you,” Alexander said, standing too. “There’s a difference.”

“Is there?!” Emma shouted. “You lied to me! You planned this from the beginning! Was our first date planned too?! The rain?! The movie?!”

Alexander opened his mouth. Closed it. “...The restaurant was my choice. The rain was God. The movie was terrible. You slept.”

Emma threw a pillow at him. “YOU!”

“I planned to keep you alive,” Alexander said. His voice was low now. “Daniel has been looking for those files for 8 months. The day I saw you at the coffee shop, arguing with the barista about your order, I knew. You were the key. You argued about oat milk like your life depended on it.”

Emma laughed. Bitter. “So I was just a pawn in your chess game?”

“No,” Alexander said. He stepped closer. “You were the queen. The most important piece. And I would burn the whole board before I let Daniel take you.”

The jet shook again. Harder this time. Alarms started blaring.

“20 seconds to forced landing!” the pilot shouted. “They’re locking onto us!”

Dane ran out of the cockpit. “Boss, plan B. And plan C. And plan D because I’m paranoid.”

Alexander looked at Emma. “Do you trust me?”

Emma hesitated. Then nodded once.

“Good,” Alexander said. He turned to Dane. “Call him.”

Dane dialed a number and put it on speaker.

Two rings. Then a voice. “Yeah? This better be good, I was eating. My wife made egusi.”

“Officer Martins,” Alexander said. “It’s time.”

There was a pause. “You owe me big for this, Alexander. And I want jollof, not that dry chicken you people eat. And plantain. Dodo.”

“I know,” Alexander said, fighting a smile. “5 million to your charity. 10 plates of jollof. And dodo. Like we discussed 6 months ago.”

Another pause. Then: “Copy. Executing now. Tell your girl to cover her ears, e go loud. And tell Dane his suya was dry last week.”

Dane: “HEY!”

Click.

30 seconds later, three police helicopters appeared out of nowhere. They surrounded Daniel’s jet with sirens blazing and spotlights.

A voice came over the radio, loud: “THIS IS THE AIR FORCE. YOU ARE ORDERED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. CUT YOUR ENGINES NOW.”

Emma ran to the window. Daniel’s jet banked hard, trying to escape.

It didn’t work.

On the radio, they heard Daniel screaming. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! WHO CALLED THEM?! ALEXANDER YOU—”

Static.

Then another voice. Daniel’s voice. Calm now. Too calm.

“Brother,” Daniel said over the radio. “You think this is checkmate? I have 3 more moves.”

The line cut.

Alexander sat back down. He picked up the fallen pizza slice and handed it to Emma.

“Eat,” he said simply.

Emma stared at him. “You... you planned for the police too? And bribed them with jollof and dodo?”

“6 months ago,” Alexander said. “The same day I found you. Officer Martins likes jollof and hates corruption. We had a lot in common. He also hates people who cut in line.”

Emma took the pizza. Her hands were shaking. “That’s insane.”

“That’s survival,” Alexander said. “In my family, if you don’t plan 10 moves ahead, you lose.”

The pilot’s voice came on. “Sir, we’re clear. We can land safely now. Also... there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“Daniel’s jet. It’s not landing. It’s... it’s breaking formation and heading for the mountains. North side.”

Alexander stood up immediately. “He’s running.”

“Into a mountain?!” Emma asked.

“No,” Alexander said. “There’s an old airstrip there. Abandoned since 1998. He has a backup plan. He always has a backup plan.”

Dane cursed. “Boss, we can’t follow. Air force will shoot us down. And we’re low on fuel.”

Alexander’s jaw clenched. “Then we let him run. For now. Track him.”

The jet started descending. Bumpy. Loud.

As they landed, Emma saw them on the news playing on the jet TV. Daniel being pulled out of his jet in handcuffs. He looked up at the camera and smiled. Waved.

Then the screen cut to black.

“He cut the feed,” Dane said. “He’s not in custody. 10 minutes max before he disappears.”

Alexander’s face went dark. “He planned an escape too. Inside the handcuffs. Probably a key in his watch.”

Emma felt cold. “So this isn’t over.”

“No,” Alexander said. “It’s just beginning. Round 2.”

Later, in the safehouse, Emma couldn’t sleep.

The house was big. Too big. Too quiet. Security everywhere.

Alexander knocked on her door.

“Can I come in?”

She nodded.

He sat on the edge of her bed. “I know you’re mad.”

“I am,” Emma said. “You planned my entire life. My job. My apartment. Even the coffee shop.”

“I would do it again,” Alexander said honestly. “Every single move. Because you’re alive.”

Emma looked at him. “Did you... did you ever actually like me? Or was it all part of the plan? The contract? The dinners?”

Alexander was quiet for a long time.

“The plan started 6 months ago,” he said. “But the liking you? That started the day you told me my coffee was trash and I should order tea instead. Then you stole my fries. Then you laughed when I dropped my pen.”

Emma almost smiled. “I did not steal—”

“You did,” Alexander cut in. “And I let you. Because nobody had ever done that to me before. Everyone is afraid of me, Emma. You weren’t.”

Emma sighed. “I hate that’s kind of romantic.”

Alexander smiled. Small. Real. Tired.

“Get some sleep,” he said. “Tomorrow we deal with Daniel. And the company. And... us.”

He stood to leave.

“Alexander,” Emma called.

He turned.

“Next time you plan my life, tell me first. Okay? And involve me in the jollof negotiations. I make better jollof.”

He nodded. “Deal.”

As he closed the door, Emma’s phone buzzed. Unknown number.

She opened it.

Text: `You think you won? Checkmate comes next. Meet me at the old airstrip. Alone. -D`

Emma dropped the phone. Her heart was pounding.

Down the hall, Alexander’s phone buzzed too.

Same message.

He looked up at Emma’s door. His eyes were hard.

He wasn’t the only one playing chess.

And Daniel had just made his move.