The city of abuja

Abuja had changed far more than Nelly was willing to admit. The cluster of high-rise buildings surrounding Agu Corp hadn't existed ten years ago. Her old school had been demolished to be replaced with it. The city had evolved, reshaped itself into something almost unrecognizable.

She now lived in Wuse. in the past 3 months, sharing an apartment with Amanda. Unlike the rest of the city, Wuse hadn't changed much —its streets and commercial centres still carried a sense of familiarity. But beyond Maitama, where Agu Corp towered over the skyline, lay Guzape, a haven for the city's elite. Further still was Asokoro, where the country's president resided, untouched by the passage of time that had rewritten the rest of Abuja.

Nelly had begun preparing for her resumption at Agu Corp. Something had gotten into Amanda, and she had joined league with lucky to convince her.

"It's so you can teach that bastard a lesson." She said with a devil's smile.

Part of her still questioned why she had accepted the offer. Over the weekend, several other opportunities had come her way, even from organizations she didn't apply for—some even better than what Agu Corp had offered. Considering how long she had spent job hunting, it was strange. What changed? She wondered.

At long last one thing was certain—she wouldn't get lost again. She had memorized her routes as Lucky had taught her, feeling confident in navigating the city this time. Or he'll save me again, a stray thought flickered in her mind before she quickly shut it down, shaking her head at the absurdity of it.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a news alert. She glanced at the screen:

"Famous Playboy Lucky Dante and Vice President's Daughter in a Rumored Relationship."

Nelly scoffed, hissing under her breath. Speak of the devil.

It didn't take long to arrive at Agu Corp, taking a deep breath as she stepped through the grand entrance. Her mind raced as she debated how to approach Nadia, she had been kind to her, even though it seemed she was just doing her job. Yet a part of that job would have been not to let her through. Should I apologize for slipping past her last time? She wasn't sure if Nadia would still be upset, approaching the front desk cautiously, thinking of the best way to start a conversation. Before she could open her mouth, the receptionist greeted her with a warm smile.

"It's all right," Nadia said as if reading her thoughts. "I didn't even see you leave."

Nelly let out a relieved sigh. She hadn't bothered to check in her rush to get out that day, but she could have sworn the receptionist's desk had been empty when she fled. Either way, the last thing she needed was to trigger the memory of her disastrous interview—or worse, explain it.

"It went well," she lied, suprised at hersel at how easily she did. If no one saw her leave and she got the job. It should be the only logical explanation.

"Yeah it sure did."

Nadia handed her a stack of documents. "Go through these," she said with a knowing grin.

"You won't be seeing that meanie for the next two weeks."

Nelly blinked. Kevin's not around? A wave of relief washed over her. Maybe resuming at Agu Corp wouldn't be as unbearable as she had feared.

Lucky had been right, her office was located far from Kelvin own, it wasn't even on the same floor. Her probability of running into him was close to zero. It brought her some comfort.

settling into her chair. The space felt… too perfect, she.kept reviewing the document given to her which fully explains her role. A small name tag caught her eye, resting neatly on the desk. She picked it up, running her fingers over the engraving: Nelly and just below her name, data analyst. She figured she'd wear it on the left side of her chest, just like Nadia.

As she took in her surroundings, her gaze drifted toward the large office window overlooking the parking lot below. Her heart skipped when she noticed a reserved space marked under his name.

Then it hit her.

This office was prepared for her in advance.

Kevin knew she was going to come back.

It couldn't have been a coincidence, the couch was the same milky color as the dress she wore. She remembered being caught up admiring his expansive window. And now here's here almost exactly the same.

A shiver ran down her spine. Had she made a mistake?

From the positioning of her office, she wouldn't run into him, but she would always watch him arrive and leave.

Nelly felt powerless, it had become obvious he wasn't done with her. A question Had lingered in her thoughts.

"What does Kelvin want."

At the same time a strange sense of curiosity had swept through her mind.

"If he was cruel, why the warm reception?"

Maybe what happened between them previously was a huge misunderstanding.

The smirk on his face flashed in her mind, bring a storm of rage.

He had known what he did. He was in every position to straighten things out but didn't.

Yet here she was. Trapped. Watched, the lot of random offers she got over the weekend felt like his doing too.

He seem unpredictable, yet cruel. The atmosphere around the entire office carried a calmness which would have been impossible if he was that cruel.

Sandra had called him a meanie, she tried to imagine if she had gone through the same thing too, or there was a more annoying side of him.

Nelly sighed as she stepped into their apartment, already bracing herself for Amanda's inevitable interrogation.

"So? How was your first day?" Amanda asked the moment Nelly shut the door behind her. She was curled up on the couch, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It was fine," Nelly replied, kicking off her shoes and dropping onto the chair beside her.

Amanda narrowed her eyes. "That's it? 'Fine'?" She leaned in, grinning.

Nelly knew what she was really asking "If She had encountered Kelvin. Her first day at office had seem pretty boring, she was not a fan of the usual new colleague ritual- where old employees try to make you as comfortable, as well as the unnecessary conversations. A part of her had hoped for an extra bit of drama.

"Yes just fine,"Nelly exhaled sharply. " and No, I didn't see him."

Amanda clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Well, that's no fun."

Nelly rolled her eyes. "I wasn't looking for him, Amanda."

"Uh-huh," Amanda teased. "And yet, you sound relieved."

Nelly didn't bother denying it. She was relieved—she thought of telling amanda how an office was prepare in anticipation of her resumption. She hesitated, as Amanda would squeeze the every single detail out of her.

She pushed the thought aside. "I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

Amanda huffed but let it go, stretching as she stood. "Lucky for you, I made something special. Now come help me set the table."

Hearing Lucky in a conversation about food made his sly smiling face flash in her mind.

She thought about where he was and what he was doing.

"Probably out chasing another girl."

The food had been delicious. Lucky's was better.

Her phone Buzzed.

A text.

Mom: how was your first day.

She smiled. Her day had been normal. Her expectation for extra drama had made her almost miss the calmness of what a normal day should be.

For the first time that day, Nelly allowed herself to relax.

Nelly's new job routine quickly settled into a predictable rhythm. Mornings were spent going through emails, reviewing reports, and attending briefings with her team. Occasionally, she had to sit through meetings she barely contributed to, nodding along as senior executives discussed strategies that didn't concern her yet.

Afternoons passed in a blur of tasks—drafting presentations, and organizing files. Nadia sometimes stopped by her office for quick chat. She was mostly helpful in warding off the rest of her male colleagues and remained friendly but mostly distant, respecting her polite but firm disinterest in their advances.

It was... normal.

For the first time in two weeks, there was no unexpected chaos, her mornings had been peaceful-no nighmares, Amanda prepared most of the meal or she orders food if out. The only thing she focused on was just work.

Kelvin was nowhere to be seen. His office remained empty, the reserved parking spot below kept her from forgetting to expect him soon. Even though Nadia had said he would be out for a week- it had been two.

And Lucky—well, she needn't bother where to look for him. Local blogs always made it clear where he was. The playboy was out there, living up to his name.

Not that it mattered.

She dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. They weren't close, not really. Remembering how his eyes gad shown geniune care back at the club. She was definitely imahining things. Sure, he had saved her—twice—but that didn't mean anything.

Still, sometimes, in the quiet moments, she caught herself scanning the parking lot. Maybe out of curiosity. Maybe out of something.

Nelly had barely begun rounding up on Friday afternoon, when a Rolls-Royce pulled up in the reserved parking spot.

Her chest tightened as the door opened.

He stepped out. Looking effortlessly put together, dressed in a fitted navy suit that accentuated his broad shoulders. He began walking towards the building, with enough confidence to command attention effortlessly. Her mind lingered where she had seen a familiar composure.

Lucky Dante. Her answer quickly answered.

Nelly quickened her pace, if she could round up in 10 minutes- her estimated time for him to get settled. She would have to worry about seeing him till next week.

Just then her office line rang. It was the first time it did since she resumed.

"Miss Nelly kindly come to my office." A cold broad voice echoed. Nelly swallowed, she needed no magic to know it was him

She tried hard to maintain her composure as she headed to his office.

she had known it was futile from the very beginning there was no escaping running into him.

she stood in front of her door trying to steady her thoughts, when his voice beckoned her to come in. He sat in the same position he had did last time barely looking up as he offered her a sit. The room was the same, but notably missing was the portrait of the man with 3 faces. If it wasn't for what had happened she would have been asking him what happened.

She felt a strong gaze piercing her, as she turned slowly to look at him.. lost completely for words.

He muttered the most unexpected words she was hoping to hear.

"Miss Nelly I am sorry."