AHMIR
Morning came slow, the kind that didn’t rush to break the spell of night. Golden light seeped through the blinds, spilling across the sheets and tracing the curve of her back where the silk had fallen away. Imani slept like she fought—quietly, fiercely, one hand still curled against her chest, as if even in rest she guarded something no one could touch. I’d never seen her this still, it was peaceful. For a man like me, peace was the most dangerous feeling. It made you forget what you were built to do.
I lay there, watching her breathe. The city outside was already woken — horns, elevators, ambition — but none of it mattered, I wasn’t ready to move. There were deals to finalize, numbers waiting for signatures, people expecting me to be the man they feared. But right now, I wasn’t th
