Emmanuel_Tondo

Beneath Emerald Skies.

A Novel of Redemption, Passion, and Unbreakable Love.

Melissa Vauhn has everything—wealth, beauty, privilege. Born into the opulent world of Ireland’s elite as the only daughter of billionaire tycoons James and Candice Vauhn, her life sparkles on the surface. But beneath the glitter lies a darker truth: Melissa is drowning in a spiral of parties, addiction, and self-destruction, leaving her parents heartbroken and helpless.
Enter David, a brilliant, calm, and quietly charismatic African scholarship student studying engineering at Melissa’s university. Their paths cross under unlikely—and almost fateful—circumstances, igniting a connection that challenges everything Melissa thought she knew about love, strength, and self-worth. With his unwavering standards and soulful presence, David becomes both her mirror and her compass, guiding her through the chaos toward something she never imagined: healing.
But just as Melissa begins her journey of transformation, a new threat emerges—Sierra, a beautiful and ambitious classmate from the United States who’s harboured a long, unreciprocated crush on David. Jealousy turns dangerous as Sierra sets her sights on sabotaging the blossoming romance. As silent rivalry erupts into confrontation, Melissa must decide how far she’s willing to fight for the man who helped her find herself.
Spanning the emerald coasts of Ireland to the vibrant heart of Africa, Beneath Emerald Skies is a sweeping, sensual love story about second chances, cultural bridges, and the courage to rewrite your story—even when the world says it’s too late.

Beneath Emerald Skies

The invitation arrived in the form of a weathered envelope sealed with red wax.

David's mother, Mama Terverem, had written it herself in her slanted Tiv script: a personal request for the young family to return to the ancestral village for Yam Festival—a sacred celebration of harvest, unity, and gratitude.

It had been over two years since their last visit to Tivland, and Melissa felt the timing was right. After months of public scrutiny, business travel, and constant momentum, the idea of reconnecting with quiet earth and deep family resonated like a lullaby.

They arrived in Nigeria on a humid afternoon and took the long road through Benue State, a ribbon of loamy, fetile land winding through rolling green fields and scattered villages. Aria, now a toddler, clapped her hands against the car window, laughing at goats crossing the road and women balancing baskets on their heads.

At the Terverem compound, relatives poured out to welcome them. Mama Terverem wrapped her arms around David, then Melissa, blessing Aria with whispered prayers and kisses to her forehead.

"You've brought her home," she said, eyes gleaming with tears. "She is soil and sun, just like us."

The festival itself was a blur of sound and color—drumming, dancing, woven fabrics in vivid hues. Melissa wore a custom wrapper in green and gold, her hair braided with beads that clicked softly as she moved.

As the honored guest, David was given a ceremonial seat near the village elders. But he stood instead, taking Melissa's hand and drawing her forward to the center of the open field.

He raised his voice above the crowd.

"My wife is not a stranger here. She is part of this harvest, of this joy. What we sow together, we now begin to reap."

Later that night, beneath the sunset, so full it seemed to swell with memory, Melissa leaned against a mango tree behind the compound.

David joined her, barefoot, with a knife in one hand and a bowl of water in the other.

She watched him climb the mango tree like a monkey, eyes bewildered "you...." she couldnt find her tongue. she was impressed as she was suprised.

He emerged from the cover of the cover of branches and leaves with three well riped mangoes, "these are the biggest mangoes I've seen in my life" she could finally speak....and...David could only smile.

She closed her eyes "This is the best natural thing I have tasted since I can remember! OMG!"

"better than me??" David teased sharply, "nothing tastes better than you...killer man" her eyes sparkled with a familiar glow.

Their attention quickly turned to a herd of cattle grazing at a little distance from where they sat. "your father owned those too?"

"yes, he was a true farmer-crops and animals, you should have seen the herd before we sold off most of it to raise money for my education" He looked in the distant, as if studying a hologram of his father in the vast green field that lay before them.

"Now...there are rumors of war. Do we have to fight to keep our mother-land?" his voice was quieter and his words internalised.

She heard him, but didn't understand. She shrugged it off. He is probably emotional about coming home again.

"You belong here," he said. Turning to face her.

She smiled. "I feel it. And… I've been thinking. About this place. About Aria."

"oh! my Aria, did I tell you she spoke a Tiv word to me yesterday?" They both laughed out loud in a synchronised way, then shared a brief kiss.

"We talk about legacy. What if we built a school here? Not just for Tivland—but for all the surrounding villages. A place where children—especially girls—can grow into leaders."

He stared at her, then slowly smiled.

"You surprise me in the most beautiful ways."

CHAPTER 21 - Tivland