Chapter 9 POV Mande

Trust was a fragile thing in Makidi's world, and I saw it crumble day by day. The weight he carried after Julianna's death was unbearable. He became a man who trusted no one-not even Nicholas, the boy we had brought into his life as Julianna's last wish. That child, though innocent, was a constant reminder of what he had lost, of the lies he was now forced to carry. And me? I was the only one he kept close, though even I could feel the walls between us.

Makidi spent his days sharpening his edge, running his operations with precision and ruthlessness. But at night, the cracks in his armor showed. He would sit alone, staring at nothing, a glass of whiskey in hand, his mind lost in the past. I often wondered if he thought of Julianna, of the moments they had shared-moments I wasn't supposed to know about but had come to understand from the way he spoke her name in the quietest of moments.

One evening, after a particularly tense day, he called me into his study. The room was dark, the air heavy with the scent of cigar smoke. He was sitting in his chair, his face half-lit by the lamp on his desk. Nicholas's laughter echoed faintly from another room, but it only seemed to deepen the shadows in Makidi's expression.

"Mande," he said, his voice low, almost a growl. "Do you ever feel like you're living someone else's life?"

I hesitated. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I knew better than to give him a simple answer. "What do you mean, sir?" I asked carefully, stepping closer.

He looked at me, his eyes cold and calculating, but there was something else there too-a hint of vulnerability he rarely let anyone see. "Nicholas," he said, the name heavy on his tongue. "He's supposed to be my son, but every time I look at him... I don't know if I can believe it."

My heart ached at his words, but I kept my expression neutral. "He's all you have now," I said softly. "Julianna wanted you to have someone to love, someone to trust."

Makidi laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Trust? You think I can trust a child? I've seen the way the world works, Mande. Blood isn't enough. Loyalty isn't enough. Everyone has a price."

I stayed silent, unsure of how to respond. He was right, in a way. His world was built on betrayal and survival, and trust was a luxury he couldn't afford. But I also knew that without it, he would be consumed by his own darkness.

"You're the only one who's been with me through it all," he continued, his voice quieter now. "But even you... I don't know how much of you is loyalty and how much is fear."

I swallowed hard, his words cutting deeper than I expected. "I've stayed because I made a promise," I said finally, my voice steady. "To Julianna. To protect what she left behind."

He looked at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something softer in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came. He stood, walking to the window and staring out into the night.

"I don't even know if I loved her," he said after a long silence. "Or if it was just... need. She was the only person who made me feel like I could be more than this." He gestured to the room, to the empire he had built and the blood that had been spilled to sustain it.

"You did love her," I said, my voice firm. "Maybe not in the way she wanted, but you did. And that's why you should let Nicholas in. He may not be your blood, but he's a part of her. He's the future she wanted for you."

Makidi turned back to me, his expression unreadable. "I don't know how to let go, Mande," he admitted. "Not of her. Not of the things we did. Not of... anything."

I stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "You don't have to let go," I said. "But you do have to move forward. For her. For Nicholas. And for yourself."

He nodded slowly, though I could tell the words hadn't fully sunk in. Makidi was a man at war with himself, torn between the past and the future, between love and survival. And all I could do was stand by him, hoping that one day, he would find the strength to trust again.