Second Chance at Finding Love .

It was a Thursday night when she got the news—her mother was gone.An eerie wave of fear gripped her, wrapping around her like a suffocating cloak. Loss. A loss like no other.Her mum was her best friend. People say you never truly value what you have until you lose it—but that wasn’t the case for her. She had valued and cherished her mother deeply, every single day.Her mum was strong, beautiful, and intelligent—the kind of woman she aspired to be but never could, because their bravery was different. When her mother set her mind to something, she never failed to amaze with the results. Marriage to her father never stopped her; she refused to be controlled or pinned down. She challenged her father to be a better man, pushed him to rise above. Their marriage had its ups and downs, yet she had believed love existed between them—until her mother’s passing.That was when she realized her mum had been hiding a lot from her.Protecting her from the harsh reality of relationships.If anyone

Imani barely slept that night. She tossed and turned, closing her eyes, but all she could think about was what her father had said and the cold indifference in his voice. Every word echoed in her head like a curse she couldn’t shake: “You will do as I say… the deal is final.” Like hell she would follow his wishes. She sat up, opened her drawer, and took out the photo in its silver frame. Her fists clenched around the old picture of her mother smiling, radiant, alive. She remembered the day they took it: a picnic, just her and Mum. Father had said he was busy something she didn’t believe anymore. Now she could see the strain between them, the small cracks she’d ignored. Was it really a heart attack? Or something darker? The thought sent chills down her spine and anxiety nearly crippled her. Father wouldn’t, right? she asked the empty room. Night answered with silence. She held the frame to her chest and let the tears fall. Sleep finally won the war. By morning the house felt empt

The flicker of the monitor cast a blue glow over the room, the hum of the air conditioner filling the silence between them. Lines of code danced across the screen while the decryption program worked its magic. “We might be here all night,” Jade sighed, pushing her curls out of her face. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, a study of determination as she worked to decrypt the coded file. "Remind me again why we encrypt things we'll eventually need to decrypt? I can't tell if I'm decrypting data or summoning the underworld." Passion flared in her eyes as she kept typing, her hands moving so fast Imani feared the keyboard would catch fire. Imani snorted softly. “You’re the one who insisted on doing it yourself... Don’t act like you don’t enjoy this.” She gestured toward the screen. “I offered my assistance and you outright refused to even get close to the system.” “Because I don't believe anyone is better at this job than I am, and the last time you clicked ‘open file,’ my enti

But even then, she wasn't weak. She had always been quick and smart. She knew if she didn't act fast, she could become a victim of sex trafficking or worse. So she made them a deal, claiming she could program and hack. At first, they laughed in her face. But then she noticed the man's phone on the table, the open laptop, the half-inserted flash drive. By the time they realized what she was doing, she'd already emptied their accounts and locked them out of their own system. Their shock turned to anger, then to amusement, and finally to respect. That was how she began working for them—hacking and helping them siphon funds. But over time, she grew weary and longed for freedom. They wouldn't let her go; she was an asset her father had sold. An asset to exploit. So she planned her escape meticulously, and when the time was right, she ran without looking back, leaving a warning they knew better than to ignore. With nothing but a backpack, her laptop, and her skills, she disappeared

The screen filled with the face of the man who had given her the USB. His voice was rough as gravel, his deep gray eyes shadowed with a weariness that lined his face.“Hello. It's me again, Marek Daneuls, in case you're wondering.If you're seeing this, it means Roura's gone.He paused for a long moment, then gave a heavy sigh."She found Celestium in the mine she inherited and believed it could fix things—Global power, water desalination, stability for nations. But other men saw only profit. She had to make it look like a failed gold mine to divert attention. But Kane pressured her to sell it, said it was worthless since it yielded no gold. So... she finally told him what she had found. That was her biggest mistake."His voice tightened with regret."Though I warned her not to. She believed in him as her husband. But Kane wanted control, and Greenberg wanted access. They formed an alliance built on greed, right behind Roura's backI hid what mattered and buried the conversion sche