Chapter 30

The morning sun crept lazily through Regan’s window, but there was nothing bright about the day for him.

He sat at the edge of his bed, staring down at his phone as if it could change the situation. His thumb hovered over Zara’s number for a full minute before he finally pressed it.

It rang twice before she answered.

“Hello?” Zara’s voice was soft, hopeful even.

Regan swallowed hard. He hated what he was about to say.

“Zara… I’m sorry, but I can’t make it today. Something urgent came up,” he forced out.

There was a long pause.

He could almost hear her heartbeat through the silence.

When she finally spoke, her voice was icy.

“You know what, Regan? Don’t ever call me again to invite me anywhere,” she said sharply. “Don’t ever bother. Just stay in your lane. Stay there until our parents are ready to throw me into your family like some unwanted thing!”

“Zara, please just listen—” he began desperately.

But she wasn’t having it.

“I don’t want to hear it!” she snapped. “I don’t care what your excuse is. Just stay away from me!”

And with that, she ended the call.

Regan sat there frozen, the harsh beep of the disconnected call ringing in his ears.

He deserved her anger.

Hell, he deserved worse.

Still, a bigger storm was brewing — the reason for the cancellation in the first place.

Imani.

He didn’t even want to think about her, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer.

Even though his gut screamed for him to stay away, he got dressed, grabbed his car keys, and headed toward Eko Hotel.

**

The ride felt endless.

His mind was racing.

Would Imani even listen to reason? Would she cause a scandal?

Would she destroy everything?

When he arrived at the hotel, he walked past the bustling lobby like a man with no soul, ignoring the noise, the laughter, the world moving around him.

Room 305.

He stood in front of it for a moment, fist clenched, then knocked.

Almost instantly, the door swung open — and his blood boiled.

Imani stood there, practically naked, wearing only a black G-string and a see-through netted top that exposed far more than it covered.

Regan turned his face away, anger flashing in his eyes.

“What the hell, Imani?! Cover yourself!” he barked.

She only smiled lazily, the picture of calm wickedness.

“Relax, Regan. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” she purred, leaning against the doorframe in a way that made her curves even more obvious.

“I said cover yourself!” he snapped again, stepping back.

Imani rolled her eyes like a spoiled brat but turned and disappeared into the room.

He waited, jaw tight, while she pulled on a large hotel robe, tying it loosely around her slim waist.

When she returned, she gestured grandly.

“There. Happy now, Daddy’s Boy?”

Without a word, Regan stepped inside.

The air was thick with expensive perfume and something else — something rotten underneath the sweetness.

He stood stiffly by the door, arms folded, refusing to sit.

“Talk,” he ordered.

Imani flopped onto the bed dramatically, letting her robe slide dangerously low.

“You’re so tense, Regan. You used to be more… fun,” she said, laughing lightly.

“I’m not here for your games. What do you want?” he said, voice cold.

She pouted.

“You’re no fun anymore. Fine, let’s get straight to business. My doctor says I need a lot of rest, attention, and care for the baby. And guess what? Living alone isn’t ideal for that.”

Regan narrowed his eyes.

“So?”

“So,” she said sweetly, “I’ve decided.

I’m moving into the Kareem mansion.”

Silence.

For a heartbeat, Regan thought he had heard her wrong.

Then he exploded.

“Are you out of your damn mind?!” he roared. “Stay where?! In my house? With my family? Are you crazy?”

She smirked, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers.

“Why not? After all, I’m carrying your first child.”

“My family will never agree to that. I won’t agree to that. You can’t just barge into my life like this!” Regan’s hands were shaking.

Imani shrugged carelessly.

“You should have thought of that before you decided to have fun with me, darling.”

“You’re insane,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

“And you,” she said, rising to her feet, “are a hypocrite. You want to play perfect fiancé now? When just a few weeks ago, you couldn’t keep your hands off me?”

Regan’s fists clenched.

“That was a mistake.”

“Was it?” she whispered, moving closer, her voice sultry. “You didn’t seem to think so then.”

He took two steps back.

“I’m not doing this with you, Imani.”

She smiled wider.

“Relax. I’m not asking for marriage. I’m just asking for some… compensation.”

“What do you mean?” he asked warily.

She leaned in, voice a whisper against his ear.

“One night, Regan. Give me one night of what we used to have. After that… I promise, I’ll stay out of your life.”

He stiffened.

“You’re blackmailing me.”

“Call it whatever you want,” she said with a shrug. “But you owe me. You owe this baby.”

Regan’s heart thundered in his chest.

Everything inside him screamed to walk away.

But the thought of Imani storming into his father’s house, the thought of Zara finding out — it was too much.

Slowly, against everything he believed, he nodded stiffly.

“Fine.”

Imani wasted no time.

Imani’s eyes gleamed with triumph.

Without wasting a second, she closed the distance between them, her hands sliding up his chest, her lips pressing insistently against his.

Regan stood frozen at first, but then — his body betrayed him.

A groan escaped his throat as heat surged through him, hardening him almost immediately against her. It was muscle memory, a weakness he hated himself for.

Imani felt it too and smiled against his lips.

“You missed me,” she whispered, her voice dripping satisfaction.

Regan’s hands clenched at his sides, his mind screaming no, but his body — traitorous, disobedient — pressed closer.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in despite himself, and in a hoarse, broken whisper, he muttered, “Oh my goodness… you still feel the same… sweet and warm.”

Imani shivered at his words, knowing she had him exactly where she wanted.

She deepened the kiss, pulling him toward the bed, and this time, he didn’t resist.

Everything blurred — the shame, the guilt, the knowledge that he was betraying Zara.

All of it drowned under the heavy tide of lust and regret.

When it was over, Regan dressed in silence, avoiding her gaze.

He felt used.

Empty.

Broken.

“You can leave now,” Imani said cheerfully, adjusting her robe with a smug smile.

Without a word, he opened the door and stepped out.

As the door clicked shut, Imani lay back on the bed, stroking her stomach.

“You think you’re playing the game, Regan?” she whispered to herself.

“But the real game… is just beginning.”

And this time, she planned to win.