Chapter 10
Hakeem had that look in his eyes again. That storm brewing right behind his lashes, ready to spill over and destroy whatever stood in his path.
He slammed the hacker against the wall, fist balled, jaw tight.
“Say that shit again.”
The guy flinched but didn’t break. Just swallowed hard and said, “Boss… I don’t think the photos are fake. Some of those files had metadata from real hardware. Real timestamps. Al can fake a lot, but not that.”
For a second, I thought Hakeem would crush him right there.
I stepped in fast. Gently. Hand on his chest, voice soft. “Baby, stop. He’s just trying to stir doubt. They’re all jealous. They want to see us fall. They’ve been wanting that since the second you picked me over her.”
He looked down at me, still breathing hard. But his fist lowered. Just like I knew it would.
I turned to the hacker and gave him the sweetest smile I could pull. “Thank you for your concern,” I said kindly. “But we’ve got it under control. You can go now.”
He left without another word.
I waited until the door closed before I turned to Hakeem again. Took his face in both hands. “Baby, don’t let them get to you. Don’t let Harmony win by planting seeds of doubt. You know me. You know my heart.”
He kissed my forehead and didn’t say a word.
The next morning, when the paparazzi tried to ambush us outside the hospital, I gave them a show.
A single question about Harmony and I collapsed right there on the pavement, clutching my chest and gasping like the air had turned to poison.
People rushed. Cameras flashed. Reporters panicked. Hakeem lifted me up like I was made of glass and held me close.
He growled at them all, “Back the fuck up or get buried.”
Headlines exploded by noon:
“Poor Bride Targeted by Jealous Ex–Wife.”
“Margaret Lawrence Suffers Panic Attack Amid Scandal.”
“Masterson Empire Under Attack–From Within.”
Perfect.
Hakeem burned the rest of the photo files that night. He stood over the barrel out back and didn’t flinch as the flames swallowed every piece of evidence. He didn’t even blink.
He called off the bounty on Harmony. “No more kills. I want her alive. Breathing. Caged if My Husband Begged for My Love after Destroying Me
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that’s what it takes,” he muttered, voice rough.
But I could see it. I could see her in his head.
That damn smile.
That look she gave before she vanished.
It haunted him.
She still had a piece of him, and I couldn’t stand it.
So, I gave him a new reason to focus.
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I waited until his head was heavy in his hands. Until the silence was loud enough to crack.
Then I said softly, “Baby… what if she tries to take Aziel abroad?”
He looked up fast. His jaw clenched.
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“She knows things, Hakeem. She’s been around your empire long enough. She may try to sell information to your enemies. I don’t want to scare you, I just…” I looked down like I was breaking inside, “I don’t trust what she’s capable of anymore.”
He didn’t speak, so I kept going. “But I know someone. Someone who’s done quiet tracking before. No blood. Just precision. Let me talk to him.”
He finally nodded. “Do it.”
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I kissed his cheek. “I’ll keep everything off the radar. We’ll get her back without turning this into a mess.”
He wrapped his arm around me and whispered, “You’re my safe place, baby.”
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And I smiled against his chest. Because he had no idea… The contact I was hiring? He wasn’t loyal to him.
He was mine. Every piece of information would pass through me first. What Hakeem saw, what he knew, what he believed…
All of it… filtered. And just in case this all fell apart someday?
I’d already been recording. Every conversation. Every confession. Every soft whisper and rough promise. All edited perfectly.
So when the world turns on me–if it ever dares-
They’ll see me exactly how I want them to.
The loyal wife. The brave survivor. The woman he trusted more than anyone else. And Harmony?
She’ll look like the villain even if she saves the world.
But then…
Hakeem was pacing the room again. Jaw tight, eyes darker than usual. The media was still biting like sharks, and the whispers about Harmony weren’t dying down fast enough. I
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So I stood up slowly, wearing one of those soft beige sweaters that made me look delicate and untouchable, and walked over to him. I placed both hands gently on his chest. “Baby, I’ve been thinking… we need to change the story. Right now it’s about drama, chaos, pain…and I’m always at the center of it.” I leaned my head against his heart, just long enough for him to soften. “What if we made it about healing instead?”
He raised a brow. “Healing?”
I nodded, then looked up at him. “A campaign. For women like me. Abused, publicly humiliated, dragged by the media. You know how hard it is for women to survive something like this… but we survived, Hakeem. Together.”
He didn’t say anything right away, so I kept going. “We launch a foundation. Donate something big. Help and kindness. We’ll look untouchable. The media will eat it up.
women rebuild. Make this about strength a foundation. Donate
He studied me for a second, then ran his hand through his hair and said, “You’re something else, you know that?”
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gave him the sweetest smile I could. “I just want to help, baby. Help others. Help us.” And just like that, he agreed.
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