Chapter 1 The Meeting

The first time I saw him, I almost didn't recognize who he was.

The school hall was buzzing with chatter from parents waiting for the PTA meeting to begin. The air carried the faint smell of floor polish and chalk dust, a scent I'd grown used to after years of working as the secretary at St. Clare's Academy. I was busy arranging attendance sheets at the front desk when a hush seemed to fall over the room. It was the kind of hush that follows someone important.

When I looked up, he was there-Mr. Iyke Obiora. Tall, broad-shouldered, impeccably dressed in a tailored navy suit that hugged his frame in all the right places. His presence filled the room effortlessly, commanding attention without a word.

Everyone knew who he was. The oil magnate. The billionaire. The man who never attended these little school meetings but sent assistants in his place. Yet here he was, walking toward my desk with the confidence of someone who owned the very ground he walked on.

"Good evening," he said, his voice deep and smooth, with just enough authority to make me straighten unconsciously. "I believe I'm supposed to sign in here?"

I swallowed, suddenly aware of the way my blouse clung to my skin in the humid air. "Yes, sir," I replied, sliding the attendance sheet toward him. Our fingers brushed as he took the pen, a fleeting contact, but enough to make my pulse quicken.

His eyes lifted to mine-dark, piercing, and unreadable. The kind of eyes that could strip away your defenses if you weren't careful. For a moment, it felt as though the noise of the hall faded, as if he and I existed in a private bubble.

"You're new here?" he asked casually, though something in his gaze lingered.

I managed a small smile. "Not exactly, sir. I've been secretary here for three years."

"Hmm." He signed his name with a flourish, then handed the pen back. "Strange. I think I would have remembered meeting you."

The words were simple, polite even, but the way he said them-low, deliberate-sent a ripple of heat through me. I forced myself to look away, pretending to shuffle papers, though my hands betrayed me with a slight tremor.

He didn't move immediately. Instead, he studied me a second longer before giving a faint smile, almost secretive, and walking into the hall.

I exhaled only when he was gone, clutching the pen like it might steady me.

That was the first moment. The beginning of something I didn't yet understand-something I should have run from, but instead, felt dangerously drawn toward.