FAMILY DUTY

chapter six

**FAMILY DUTY**

**Chapter 6: The Move**

The finality of the decision hit Imani on a rainy Tuesday morning.

Three large, unmarked moving vans stood outside her sleek Ikoyi apartment block. Her life, neatly packed into cardboard boxes labeled with precise corporate efficiency, was being loaded away. She wasn't just moving houses; she was handing over her sanctuary. For the next twenty-four months, her personal space would be a shared variable.

Clara, her assistant, stood near the doorway holding a digital tablet, looking unusually emotional.

"Everything from the master bedroom is securely loaded, Ms. Okafor. The movers have strict instructions regarding your home office files. Nobody touches the tech blueprints."

"Thank you, Clara. Go back to the office. I’ll handle the arrival myself."

Imani took one last look at the empty apartment. This was the place she bought when Okafor Technologies hit its first billion-naira valuation. It was her proof that she didn't need a man, a father, or a legacy to survive. Now, she was willingly walking into a lion's den built by old money.

She adjusted her dark sunglasses, gripped her leather handbag, and walked down to her waiting car.

***

The iron gates of the Sterling Estate parted slowly, like the entrance to a fortress.

When Imani’s car pulled up the paved driveway, Roman was already waiting on the front portico. He looked entirely casual in a black cashmere sweater with the sleeves pushed up, yet he still carried that unyielding air of authority.

As she stepped out of the vehicle, he walked down the steps to meet her. Without a word of warning, he slipped his arm smoothly around her waist, drawing her close as the moving crew began unloading the vans.

"Smile," Roman murmured near her ear, his breath warm against the chill of the morning rain. "My grandmother’s head housekeeper is watching from the second-floor window. She reports everything."

Imani forced a polite, radiant smile for the imaginary audience, though her body went taut against his. "You could have warned me."

"Consider it on-the-job training. Welcome home, fiancée."

He guided her inside, his hand remaining firmly on the small of her back until the heavy oak front doors clicked shut behind them, sealing out the eyes of the staff.

The foyer was cavernous, smelling of beeswax and history. Roman turned to her, his professional demeanor snapping back into place. "Your wing is on the east side of the house. I’ve already instructed the staff that your quarters are strictly private. No one enters without your explicit permission, including the cleaning crew."

"Good," Imani said, letting out a breath she felt like she’d been holding since she left her apartment. "I need to set up my secure server line before the close of business today."

"I’ll show you the way."

They walked through a maze of portrait-lined hallways until they reached a heavy double-door entry at the far end of the estate. When Roman opened it, Imani stopped in her tracks.

The suite was massive, easily the size of her entire previous apartment. It featured a private living area, a limestone fireplace, a massive bedroom, and a separate study with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a manicured courtyard. It was luxurious, pristine, and completely isolated from the rest of the house.

"Is it to your satisfaction?" Roman asked, watching her expression closely.

"It’s more than enough, Roman. Thank you."

She walked over to the desk in the study, running her fingers along the polished wood. But as she turned around, she realized Roman hadn't left. He was leaning against the doorframe, his dark eyes tracking her movements with an unreadable intensity.

The silence between them grew heavy, charged with the lingering memory of his words in the courtyard days prior. *I can't tell where the acting ends and the reality begins. Can you?*

"We have a meeting with the legal teams tomorrow at three," Roman said, breaking the quiet. "To finalize the logistics merger details. Our public unity is already driving Sterling and Okafor stocks up. The board is thrilled."

"Good. The business side of this arrangement needs to remain flawless," Imani replied, her voice dropping into its defensive, corporate register. "Especially now that we are under the same roof."

Roman took a slow step into her room, his eyes dropping to the emerald-cut diamond shining on her finger.

"Are you keeping up the walls for my benefit, Imani, or your own?" he asked softly, his tone dangerously perceptive.

Imani straightened her posture, her expression hardening. "My walls are the reason I am the CEO of a top tech firm at twenty-seven, Roman. They protect my company, and they protect me. Don't mistake a shared address for a shared life."

Roman stared at her for a long moment, a slow, enigmatic smile spreading across his face. It wasn't a smirk of arrogance; it was the look of a man who enjoyed a challenge.

"Fair enough," Roman murmured, stepping back toward the hallway. "Get some rest, partner. Dinner is at eight. And remember... down there, we love each other."

As the heavy door closed behind him, Imani sank into the leather chair at her new desk. Her heart was beating entirely too fast. She had built an empire on logic and predictability, but looking around this room, she realized the terrifying truth.

Roman Sterling was completely unpredictable. And he was now living just down the hall.