Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter

Abeni sat on her bed, staring at the laptop screen that read, "Sorry, you have not been accepted for the job. We will contact you if a position becomes available." With a sigh, she closed the laptop and leaned her head back against the headboard. It had been 3 months since she lost her job, and the bills were piling up. Rent was due, her sister was hospitalized, and her mother was too weak to find work. The responsibility for it all fell on Abeni. She paid the rent, her mom's care home fees, her sister's hospital bills, and living expenses.

Standing up from the bed, Abeni walked to the small apartment's living room. As she got a drink of water, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Looking at the caller ID, she rolled her eyes. It was her dad.

“Abeni omobinrin mi ololufe” said her dad.

{Abeni my dear daughter}

“What do you want?” she asked, annoyed.

“Please lend me some money to pay off my debts”, he pleaded

Abeni rolled her eyes again. This man was always asking for money, despite having no job and perfect health. All he did was gamble.

“I don’t have money to lend you” she stated flatly before hanging up.

"Foolish man," Abeni muttered, dropping her phone back on the table. She had enough problems of her own to solve before trying to fix other people's.

There was a knock at the door. Abeni opened it and Naledi jumped into her arms, her beaded braids hitting Abeni's face. Naledi was Abeni's childhood friend, having met in elementary school. She was dark-skinned with brown eyes and tall.

"Whoa!" said Abeni. "Naledi, why are you so excited?"

"Girl, you won't believe what happened!" Naledi exclaimed.

"What?" asked Abeni, intrigued.

"Chris..." Naledi started.

"Chris what?" Abeni asked.

"He asked me out on a date!" Naledi shrieked.

Abeni scoffed but was happy for her friend. "You and white men," she said, going to sit on the couch.

"Who doesn't want pasta and lobster?" said Naledi, sitting next to Abeni.

"What about your ex? Wasn't he Gambian?" Abeni asked.

"Ons praat nie van daardie bedrieglike skelm nie," said Naledi.

{We don't talk about that cheating scumbag}

Abeni laughed as Naledi threw a couch pillow at her.

"So how's the job hunt?" Naledi asked.

"Horrible! Who would've thought finding a job in New York was so hard?" Abeni shouted.

"Uhm, everybody thinks jobs are hard to find in New York!" said Naledi.

Abeni looked at her friend before screaming into the couch pillow.

Just then, Abeni's phone rang on the coffee table. She grabbed it quickly.

"Who is it?" asked Naledi.

"It's Camille, and she wants to FaceTime," said Abeni. They looked at each other in surprise, as Camille was supposed to be in Fiji with her boyfriend. Camille was Abeni's friend from her last job before the bookstore closed down. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and though they had both lost their jobs, Camille had a rich boyfriend supporting her while Abeni struggled.

Answering the call, Abeni and Naledi's faces appeared on the screen for Camille.

"Hey girls!" shouted Camille brightly.

"Hey," Abeni and Naledi responded in unison.

Then another person joined the FaceTime - it was Elena. Abeni and Elena had met in high school. Elena had tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes.

"¡Hola chiquillas!" Elena shouted excitedly.

"Hola!" the three responded together.

"So Camille, what's up?" asked Naledi.

"Something happened..." said Camille, drawing out the suspense.

"What?" they all asked eagerly.

"I'M ENGAGED!" Camille screamed.

Abeni's mouth dropped open, Naledi covered her mouth with her hands, and Elena froze. Then they all screamed in excitement.

"Oh my gosh!" Naledi shouted.

"I can't believe it!" said Abeni.

"Took him long enough!" said Elena.

"Congratulations!" they yelled together.

They continued congratulating Camille, thrilled about her engagement news.

Later that night, as Abeni lay in bed, she felt happy about Camille's engagement, but her mind wandered to her own love life. She had never been in a relationship, never held a boy's hand or had any romance. She had never even had her first kiss, obviously still a virgin. Abeni had always wished for a relationship but was too shy to approach men. She pushed those thoughts away - she had too many problems for romance to be a priority now.

Then her laptop dinged with a new email. Checking the time, she saw it was 10pm - who could be emailing so late? Opening it, she read: 'Thank you for applying to Haven Bakery. We reviewed your resume and would like to schedule an interview on Monday, September 10 at 10am.'

Abeni stared in shock. She didn't remember applying but had an interview! Letting out a silent scream, she checked the date - today was the 8th, so the interview was in just 2 days!

Closing her laptop, Abeni smiled as she placed it on the bedside table. She had been wondering how to pay next month's rent after draining her savings. Now she just had to ace this interview and get the job!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, Abeni was getting ready to visit her sister in the hospital. She put on a crop top, jacket and baggy jeans and left her hair out in her afro. Putting on light makeup, she picked up her phone and checked the time.

“Oh shoot, its 12.30! The bus is coming in 10 minutes!” she said before grabbing her bag and running out of the apartment. She locked the door before running to the bus stop. The bus stop was 5 minutes away from her apartment complex. Reaching the bus stop, she saw the bus. Entering the bus and paying for herself, she sat down on the bus waiting for her stop. When she stopped at her stop, she started walking to the hospital. The hospital was a 35-minute walk. After the long walk, Abeni arrived at the hospital. As she entered the hospital she heard a lot of commotion, ignoring the noise, she walked towards the reception.

“Hey Grace!” said Abeni.

“Abeni! So good to see you!” she said “Ada is being moved to room 120!” she said.

“120? Why is she being moved?” Abeni asked.

Grace looked around before leaning to whisper to Abeni.

“You see the Kuznetsov family is here.”

“Who?” asked Abeni

“What do you mean who?” asked Grace, confused. “You are telling me, you don’t know one of the richest and dangerous family in New York?”

“One, no and two, what the heck does that have to do with moving Ada onto the lower floor?” asked Abeni slowly getting annoyed.

Grace sighed “Well you see, someone in the family got hurt, and they are currently staying in a room on that floor, so they asked us to move ‘regular’ patients off the floor” said Grace.

“What?” shouted Abeni. People looked at her and she whispered a quite, sorry.

“So, because an obnoxious rich family asked for something unethical, you complied?” asked Abeni.

“They own the hospital…” continued Grace.

Abeni rolled her eyes, tired of this conversation. She thanked Grace before walking to room 120. When she got, there was nobody there – not her mother nor her sister. Confused, Abeni decided to walk to the floor where Ada was, room 550. She walked towards the elevator as she entered the elevator. It was full and she managed to squeeze in. Then, when it arrived on the 2nd floor, a hushed tension filled the air. A line of imposing figures, all dressed in sleek black attire, formed a protective barrier around a man of undeniable authority. His presence commanded attention, and a subtle air of danger surrounded him.

The man they guarded possessed piercing dark eyes. His gaze was intense, betraying a depth of experience that spoke of a life lived on the edge. Those eyes, a shade of deep brown, bore witness to both the ruthlessness and resilience that defined his existence.

His sharp jawline accentuated a face that exuded a mysterious charisma, with a hint of ruggedness that hinted at a life filled with both struggle and triumph.

Tousled dark hair added to his allure, falling effortlessly in waves that hinted at a disregard for conformity. Despite the controlled chaos that surrounded him, his appearance remained impeccably composed, from the tailored cut of his suit to the polished leather of his shoes. Abeni's heart started pounding, this man was FINE!

He looked like he was around his mid - thirties. Everyone stared at them before they all exited the elevator. Confused by what was happening, Abeni stood still. They looked at her, and she looked at them. Although she found this man fine, she was starting to get annoyed.

“Are you coming in or not?” she asked, annoyed.

The men dressed in black looked at the man, most likely their boss, Abeni thought. The man looked at her and an undeniable expression on his face before he smirked and walked into the elevator. The men followed behind him as people looked at what they had just witnessed.

“What floor?” Abeni asked.

“The 5th floor” said one of the men in black. Abeni pressed the button as the elevator closed and started moving. The elevator ride was awkward, Abeni felt the man staring at her and her heart almost popping out because of how handsome this man looked. Arriving at the floor, she exited the elevator quickly. Coincidently, the men also exited the elevator. Abeni walked through the hallway when she saw her mother. Her mother was holding her sister’s hospital bed. The nurses looked like they were trying to move her bed to the first floor where room 120 was.

“You cannot do that!” she cried “She is a cancer patient! Do you think its safe to keep her in the same room as random strangers!” her mother cried at the nurse. Running towards her mother, she held her mother’s hand.

“Abeni, ọmọbinrin mi {my daughter}” her mother said “They can’t do this to your sister!” she said.

Abeni turned to the nurse. “Why is there a requirement for her to move?” she asked.

“It is what a family requested, they would like the whole floor to themselves, and they have paid for the whole floor!” said the nurse.

Abeni laughed sarcastically “What use is a whole floor for 1 person?” asked Abeni. “Does each room have magical powers that heal people?” asked Abeni.

"My client would like privacy," a voice suddenly boomed, loud enough to carry through the entire floor.

Abeni and her mother turned to see the handsome man from the elevator. The nurse quickly bowed her head at his words.

Abeni stood there, shocked. Who on earth was this man? And why did everyone treat him with such reverence and fear?

As he stared intensely back at her, Abeni realized she was dealing with someone very powerful and dangerous. Her heart pounded with a mix of fear and something else... unrecognizable.

What did this mysterious man want? And what would he do now that she had dared to defy his wishes? Abeni held her breath, unsure of what was to come next...