Chapter 5

• “Don’t worry, Cole,” Kemi’s voice is a whisper in the dimly lit room. Her hand rests lightly on my arm, just enough to send a jolt through me. “You don’t have to make this so hard on yourself.”
• I freeze, my eyes narrowing as I stare at her. The cold, calculated glint in her eyes is unmistakable. She knows exactly what she’s doing, how she’s playing this game. But the problem is, I don’t know how to stop her.
• I pull my arm away, instinctively distancing myself. “I’m not playing games, Kemi.”
• She smiles—soft, like a cat that’s just spotted a bird. “Of course not. But you are trying to hold on to something that’s already slipping away. You don’t have to keep pretending, Cole. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
• I grit my teeth. “I don’t need your help.”
• “But you do,” she counters, stepping closer. “You’re caught between duty and desire, and you don’t even know which side to choose.” Her voice is soft, but it cuts through the tension between us like a razor.
• My hands ball into fists at my sides, the weight of her words pushing me further into the corner. I can feel my resolve slipping, the familiar pressure of family expectations threatening to crush me. I can’t breathe, can’t think.
• “Stop it,” I say, my voice harsh, but it’s more for me than for her. I need her to stop. I need to clear my head.
• She leans in closer, her breath warm against my cheek. “You’re not just doing this for your father. You’re doing it for you. For the legacy, for the company. I’m your perfect match, Cole. I’ve always been.”
• I take a step back, trying to regain some sense of control. “This isn’t about me. It’s about the business. About Bruno Global.”
• Kemi lets out a soft laugh, almost like she’s amused by my naivety. “Don’t fool yourself. It’s always been about you. About what you want. What you need.”
• I shake my head, trying to fight the confusion that’s swirling in my chest. “You don’t get it, Kemi. I don’t want any of this. I don’t want to be tied to this family’s expectations, this legacy. I don’t want to be your pawn.”
• Her eyes darken slightly, but her smile remains fixed, perfect, and utterly disarming. “Oh, I understand perfectly. You think you’re different. That you can break free. But you can’t. You’re already in too deep, Cole.”
• I can’t breathe.
• “You’re already mine,” she finishes quietly.
• I push past her, moving toward the window, trying to clear my head, to rid myself of her words. They cling to me like smoke, thick and suffocating. I try to focus on the view outside, but all I can see are the flashing images of what’s been placed before me—the contract, the business, my father’s demands.
• It’s suffocating.
• Kemi follows me, her footsteps quiet, but I can feel her presence behind me like a shadow. “I’ll make this easy for you, Cole. I know what you want. I know what you need.”
• I turn to face her, my voice sharper now, desperate. “And what’s that? What do I need, Kemi?”
• Her lips curl into a knowing smile. “You need someone who understands the weight of your world. Someone who won’t judge you for the choices you’ve had to make. Someone who will stand beside you.”
• I feel a flicker of unease settle in my chest. Her words are too smooth, too perfect. There’s something in the way she speaks, like she’s not just trying to win me over, but control me. I know I’m not the only one playing a game here. Kemi’s always had a way of making people bend to her will, making them feel like they have no other choice.
• And I’m starting to feel like I’m one of those people.
• “You don’t know me,” I mutter, my words barely above a whisper. “You don’t know anything about what I want.”
• She takes a step forward, her eyes never leaving mine. “I know more than you think. You think you’re different from your father, from the men who’ve come before you, but you’re not. You’re just like them.”
• Her words strike a nerve, hitting too close to home. I want to argue, to tell her that she’s wrong, that I’m not my father, that I’m not going to let this family and its legacy control me. But something in her eyes makes me hesitate.
• Kemi’s smile widens, and I feel the weight of her gaze pressing into me. “I know what you’re afraid of, Cole. You’re afraid of being trapped. Afraid of having no control. But that’s exactly why you need me. I can give you control. I can make this easier for you.”
• I take a deep breath, forcing myself to steady my racing heart. “You can’t control me, Kemi.”
• She moves even closer now, her hand brushing against mine, sending a shiver down my spine. “I’m not trying to control you, Cole. I’m trying to give you what you want. All you have to do is accept it.”
• I pull my hand away from hers, my heart hammering in my chest. This is all a game to her. A carefully calculated move to win me over, to make me feel like I have no other option. And I hate it. I hate how much power she seems to have over me. How much I want to believe her.
• “You think I’m weak,” I say, my voice low, barely audible.
• Kemi tilts her head, studying me with a mixture of amusement and pity. “No. I think you’re just confused. And confused people make bad decisions.”
• I stare at her, a mixture of anger and frustration building inside me. This isn’t what I want. This isn’t what I asked for.
• But I feel myself faltering, my mind swirling with doubt.
• Kemi takes a step back, her voice softening, almost coaxing. “You don’t have to decide right now, Cole. But know that when the time comes, I’ll be here. And I’ll make sure you know exactly what to do.”
• I watch her walk out of the room, her presence lingering like a cloud of uncertainty, a whisper in the back of my mind that I can’t shake. The tension in the air is thick, almost suffocating, and I feel like I’m losing control over everything.
• I look down at my hands, the weight of the world pressing on me once again. The legacy, the business, my family—it’s all a storm I can’t outrun.
• And Kemi’s manipulation is the storm’s eye.