Chapter 3 PRESSURE FROM BOTH SIDES

PRESSURE FROM BOTH SIDES

Ema stood quietly beside the gate of her compound, her fingers rubbing the strap of her handbag nervously. The late evening breeze brushed her skin, but it didn't cool the tightening in her chest. Chuka's text still sat on her screen, sharp like a warning.

"I'm close. Don't make me wait."

She spotted his red Corolla turning onto the street, music booming before the car even stopped. She forced a smile as he parked, even though her heart was not smiling with her.

Chuka stepped out tall, athletic, tattoos snaking up his left arm, gold chain dancing on his chest. He wasn't a bad-looking guy. In fact, most girls admired him. But those who knew him closely understood the truth:

His temper was a knife-sharp, unpredictable.

"Baby," Ema greeted softly.

He looked her up and down.

"You're finally outside."

"III-I was just closing the shop."

"Hmm." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, his grip on her chin a little too firm. "Get in."

Ema entered the car quietly.

The inside smelled of expensive cologne mixed with cigarette smoke. He turned down the loud music and began driving, but his silence wasn't peaceful it was heavy, like he was holding something.

She knew that silence.

"Are you okay?" she asked carefully.

Chuka scoffed. "You tell me. You didn't pick up your calls this morning. And when I invest in a woman, I expect loyalty. Full loyalty."

Ema swallowed hard.

Here we go...

"I was busy with deliveries. The network was

"Network?" He laughed sharply. "Ema, you think I'm stupid?"

She looked away, staring out the window.

Chuka continued, "Tell me why you dey waka around with dirty dress today. I saw mud on your leg."

Her chest tightened.

She didn't want to mention the stranger.

Or the car.

Or the voice that still echoed in her mind.

"It was nothing," she whispered. "A car splashed water. That's all."

Chuka turned his head slowly and stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"What kind of car?"

"Just... big black SUV. I don't know the brand."

His eyes flashed.

"You didn't collect the driver's number? Didn't you drag him? Ema, wetin dey do you? Are you this slow?"

"It was an accident," she whispered.

He shook his head. "Na so you want to make people embarrass you up and down? I don't like it."

He said it like he was protecting her, but Ema knew better; this wasn't protection.

This was ownership.

.............

Meanwhile, across town...

In his penthouse office, Shedrack stood by the massive glass window that overlooked the city, arms folded, eyes distant.

"Sir, this is the footage you requested," his driver said, placing a laptop on the desk.

Shedrack nodded.

The driver played the video.

CCTV from a supermarket camera nearby showed the moment his SUV passed the junction... the splash... and then her.

Ema.

The video quality wasn't perfect, but it was enough. Shedrack stepped closer, studying her face. Something in his chest tightened.

She wasn't drop-dead glamorous.

Not overly flashy.

Not dressed to impress anyone.

But she had something much rarer.

A soft dignity.

A quiet strength.

A presence that wasn't loud but couldn't be ignored.

"What do you want to do about it, sir?" the driver asked.

Shedrack stared at the frozen image on the screen.

"Find out her name. And where she works."

The driver hesitated, confused but obedient, responded;

"Yes, sir."

As he left the office, Shedrack exhaled slowly and rubbed his jaw.

He didn't chase women.

He didn't do emotions.

He didn't do distractions.

But this girl had unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain.

Why her?

Why now?

He didn't have the answer.

And for the first time in a long time... he wanted one.

..........

The car stopped in front of a local grill restaurant. Chuka removed the key and turned to her.

"Ema," he started, his voice calmer now. "I want to tell you something."

She nodded.

"You know everything I've done for you, right?"

She nodded again.

"I helped you start the wig business. I cleared your debts. I even spoke to that supplier in Lagos for you."

"Yes... You did," she whispered.

"So you belong to me and I don't share."

Ema's stomach twisted.

Belong.

Not Love, not Partner.

But, Belong.

"Babe... I didn't do anything wrong," she whispered.

Chuka leaned closer, his hand cupping her cheeks gently, but with pressure.

"You better not. Because I swear, Ema... if any man tries to take you from me, I'll show him that I'm evil."

Her breath hitched.

Chuka smiled, kissed her cheek, and stepped out to open her door, gentleman style, but with a threat buried under it.

Ema followed him into the restaurant, her heart heavy.

She wasn't cheating.

She wasn't even considering it.

So why did she feel like she was standing on a thin rope over fire?

............

Later that night, Shedrack stood in his apartment, shirt off, towel around his waist after a hot shower. But instead of relaxing, he found himself scrolling through business reports with half his mind elsewhere.

Her.

The muddy splash moment replayed again and again.

She didn't shout.

She didn't beg.

She didn't flirt.

She didn't act like she knew who he was.

She simply carried herself with quiet grace.

He liked that.

He wasn't supposed to like anything right now not with the investors' meeting coming up, not with the company expansion.

But something told him this girl mattered.

And Shedrack had learned to trust his instincts.

He closed his laptop with a soft click.

"Tomorrow," he murmured to himself.

"I'll find her tomorrow."

..............

Back in her small apartment, Ema sat on her bed, removing her earrings slowly. The house was quiet. Too quiet. She could still hear Chuka's voice in her head.

"You belong to me."

She closed her eyes and exhaled shakily.

"Why does love feel like a cage sometimes?"

Her mind drifted to the stranger in the SUV.

His voice.

His aura.

His unexpected concern.

For a brief second, she wondered what kind of life a man like that lived... what world he came from... and why he felt different.

But she shook her head immediately.

It didn't matter.

Their paths crossed once.

That was all.

She lay down, pulled the blanket over herself, and tried to sleep.

Little did she know that across the city, a billionaire was already looking for her name.

And her boyfriend was getting more possessive by the day.

And fate silent but powerful was moving things into place.

Two worlds were about to collide again.

Stronger.

Deeper.

Irresistible.

And this time...

They wouldn't walk away unchanged.