CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT —
NATHANIEL
I walked into my office, pissed off. It looked like Caroline had decided to vanish from the surface of the earth.
I had calmed myself that evening after her visit to my office and tried calling the line she gave me when we first met in her office—but it was dead. Disconnected. Gone.
So, the next day, I took a trip to her workplace, only to be told she had resigned two months ago. No forwarding address. No trace. Just gone.
The annoying florist downstairs had the nerve to hit on me. I put her in her place real quick. She knew nothing about Caroline's whereabouts anyway.
Dropping my pride, I decided to check the dump she once called home, but even there, the strangers who now lived in her room told me she'd moved out.
At that point, I was beyond angry.
I searched her social media—no updates, no clues, nothing. Just the same old silence she used to hide behind when things got tough. I tracked down a few of her old friends from school—Queen and Safarat. Both claimed they hadn't seen her in years.
This morning, I chased another lead, and that, too, came up empty. So now I'm sitting in my office, furious, restless, and thinking about the one person who might still help me.
Matt.
We hadn't spoken since the day I threw him out of my house. But what are friends for, if not for fighting, forgiving, and moving on? I was out of options.
I picked up my phone and dialed.
"Hello, who's this?" Matt's voice drifted in from across the line.
"I'm sure you know. Unless that tiny fight made you delete my number."
"You told me to disappear from the face of the earth, isn't that enough." he shot back.
"Man, get over it. Are you a child?" I said adjusting my tie.
"As you got over someone I know?" he fired back.
"Please don't go there again. This isn't about her." I said claimly.
"So why are you calling me? If it's to cry about your loss, count me out—I'm busy." he said his voice crispy.
"Busy? Or still enjoying that you were right all along? Come on, Matt, I need your help."
"What this time?" he said faking irritation.
"It's Caro—"
He hung up.
I laughed. Then called him again.
He picked up after seven rings.
"Yes, who's this again?" he drawled.
"I probably deserve that, but I need to find her." I said, injecting seriousness back into my voice
"Why? So you can kill her? You already got your revenge." he said his voice now showing so leave of irritation.
"Please, just hear me out." I said quickly afraid he will hang up on me again and won't pick the next time.
"Go on." he said like he his barely tolerating me.
"Caro was in my office three weeks ago. She claimed she was pregnant, and it's true. Then she disappeared—with my baby. I've looked everywhere." I said quickly rushing my words but still been very clearly.
"She probably doesn't want you in their lives. Leave her alone."
"That might be easy for you to say, but if it were you, what would you do?"
Silence. A long, heavy pause.
"Okay," he finally said. "I'll look into it."
"Thanks, man. I owe you one."
"No. You owe me much more." Click.
---
Two weeks later, still no word.
No call from Caro. None from Matt.
Every night I drowned my thoughts in whiskey. Every morning, I woke up angrier.
Then one evening, I walked into my bar and saw someone sitting in my chair. Before I could react, he turned—Matt.
"Man, what up?" he said with a broad smile then drawn at my sorry state.
I slumped into the nearest couch. "Don't tell me you're drunk again," he said, visibly displeased. "Your PA said you haven't been to work in a week. You want some gold-digging bastard ruining your empire?" he asks with fake sympathy.
"I don't care." I said turn it away.
"Then what will you have left to give the one woman you've been slaving for?" he said laughing
"I didn't slave for her."I said, but he only laughed out very loud.
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, good news—I found her." you said with a smog look.
My head cleared instantly. "You did? you found them?"I asked, sitting up straight.
"Yes. Just her, not the baby yet. You'll have to wait a few more months, my guy." he said still laughing but softly this time
"Where is she?" I asked anxiously. "Please give me the address quickly" I said leading towards him with my hand stretched waiting for the address. when you picked up his phone I quickly picked up mine checking for any notification
He shook his head. "I'm coming with you this time. Last time you wrecked half her world. Not again." he said relaxing into a seat.
"Fine. When do we go?" I said trying to mask my anxiety with a shoulder struggle.
"Now." I sobered up instantly. I looked at him to see he was joking but so how serious he was so I quickly said
"Give me five minutes."I stood up instantly, surprise I no longer feel wobbly. I picked my phone from the sofa I hard dropped it when I had heard this great news- straighten up and mashed out of the dining room
Matt smirked. "Make it fast." I can hear his light laughter as I work out of the dining room.
I ran upstairs, washed my face, changed into my Brioni Vanquish II suit, Rolex, and cobra-skin shoes. When I came down,
Matt took one good look at me and laugh harder than before.
"You still think money impresses this girl?" he said between hiccups and laughter.
I shook my head. "Not anymore. Let's go."we bought walked out of the dining room out of my house into his car.
---
As we drove to her compound, Matt briefed me—she lived with her friend Lovett and ran a small egg-supply business. Impressive. She'd built a life. A quiet one.
When we arrived, Matt stopped me before I got out of the car. "Let me talk first." he said and I nodded. understand him perfectly.
We walked to the door. Lovett opened it. She looked older, tougher. The years had not been kind.
Seeing us, she tried to shut the door, but Matt held it open.
"What do you want? Caro's not here," she said sharply.
"I know she is," Matt replied calmly. "My men saw her come in forty-five minutes ago." Mat said strolling into the sitting room like he belongs there.
"Are you stalkers now?" Lovett said, anger evidence in demor
"Call us whatever you like," Matt said, sitting down in one of the couch.
"Leave her alone," she snapped at me. "She doesn't want you." I was thinking about her aggressive words, but I recover quickly.
"I know she thinks that," I said, smirking, "but her body says otherwise." I said given an air of someone in charge
"That died the day you left her broken." she said really out for blood.
Her words cut deep. I tried not to flinch.
"That's not what she said the last time she was in my office," I said without thinking. but also didn't regret what I said.
Both Matt and Lovett froze.
"What happened at your office the day she visited?" Lovett asked. are eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"That's for her to tell," I said coolly.
Just then, Caroline appeared.
"Nat, what are you doing here?" I could clearly see that she was extremely angry
Even angry, she looked breathtaking. Her frown could slice through my heart, and still, I wanted her.
"Caro, please—we need to talk." there was so much pleeding in my voice, I hope she will pick it up and give me a chance to talk to her
"There's nothing to talk about," she said, standing firm, one hand on her waist.
"Yes, there is," I pressed. determined to get to her. determines to win her back.
"No. Whatever it is, I don't care to know." she said stubbornly.
"It's about this." I moved toward her, hand hovering near her stomach, but she slapped it away so angry that I staggered back.
I recover slowly and follow her a ga.
She looked at Lovett, and I followed her gaze—Matt was whispering something in Lovett's ear, and they were giggling. Typical.
Before we could react, Matt stood. "Lovett, let's give these two lovebirds some space."
"There's nothing to find here!" Caro snapped.
Lovett only smiled, whispered something to her friend that made Caro's eyes widen, then picked up her purse. "Traitor!" Caro shouted.
Lovett laughed and left with Matt, closing the door behind them.
---
NATHANIEL (continued)
Now it was just us—me and her. The silence pressed between us like a wall.
She crossed her arms, refusing to meet my gaze. I watched her—every nervous breath, every twitch of her fingers.
"Why are you really here, Nat?" she asked finally, her voice tired, resigned.
"For you. For the baby."
Her eyes flashed. "Your baby?"
I nodded slowly. "Ours."
She let out a bitter laugh, tears glinting in her eyes. "You think everything you touch still belongs to you."
I didn't answer. I just looked at her—really looked. The woman before me wasn't the same Caroline I'd once loved or the one I'd hurt. This one was harder, stronger, but also more fragile in ways that scared me.
"I messed up," I said quietly. "But I never stopped caring. Not for a second."
"You cared enough to ruin me."
Her words hit like bullets. I wanted to defend myself, to remind her why I'd done what I did, but the truth weighed heavier than any excuse.
"I just want to make things right," I said finally.
She looked up then, her expression unreadable. "You can't."
And maybe, deep down, I knew she was right.
But I wasn't ready to walk away. Not this time.
Not when fate had thrown us back into each other's storm.