Six years later…
The city of Lagos buzzed with its usual madness. Honking cars, shouting traders, and the blaring music of a nearby bus all created a familiar kind of chaos. Alexander Madu sat in the back seat of his black Range Rover, his eyes hidden behind dark designer sunglasses as the car crawled through the traffic of Balogun Market.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
But sometimes, the best business deals hid in unexpected places. And sometimes, a ghost from your past showed up when you least expected.
He wasn't even paying attention at first. His mind was full of numbers and meetings—until he looked out the window and saw her.
A woman.
Slim. Brown-skinned. Hair tied back in a simple scarf. She wore a plain dress and held a baby boy on her hip, haggling over the price of yam with a market seller. But it wasn't the dress or the child that caught his attention.
It was the face.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Stop the car," he ordered sharply.
His driver slammed on the brakes.
Alexander stepped out, ignoring the eyes that followed him. Everyone recognized him—even in the dusty streets of the market, his name carried weight. But he didn't care. He pushed past a crowd of women selling tomatoes and went straight to where she stood.
But when he reached the spot, she was gone.
Only the echo of her voice remained. A soft laugh. A word spoken to the child. A memory he had buried deep.
"Sir, what's wrong?" his bodyguard asked, catching up to him.
Alexander scanned the crowd again, frustration bubbling in his chest. "I saw someone," he muttered. "Someone I knew. A long time ago."
He turned back to the car, jaw clenched. It couldn't be her.
Could it?
He had looked for her before—searched high and low when the guilt became too loud to ignore. But she had vanished like a ghost. No record. No phone number. Not even a last name.
Yet that face…
That child…
His heart thudded faster.
He climbed into the car, eyes still locked on the crowd.
"Find out if there's a woman named Maria working around this area," he said coldly. "She has a son. Start asking questions."
"Yes, sir."
As the car pulled away, Alexander leaned back in his seat, a strange mix of regret and curiosity settling in his chest.
This time, he wasn't going to lose her again.