CHAPTER 91

DO IT CLEAN...

Luke came home earlier than usual that evening. The house was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the distant clinking of dishes in the kitchen. He loosened his tie as he walked through the hallway, his mind already reaching for Abigail, for the comfort of her presence. But when he found her in the living room, she wasn’t alone.

Maya sat beside her on the couch, eyes swollen from crying, fingers fiddling nervously with the hem of her blouse. Abigail had her arm wrapped around her, whispering something soothing. When Luke entered, both women turned toward him.

The look on Abigail’s face told him everything before a word was spoken.

Luke’s chest tightened. He stepped closer, his gaze flicking between the two of them. “What happened?”

Maya lowered her eyes, shame written across her face. Abigail squeezed her hand gently, then looked up at Luke. “Sit down. There’s something you need to know.”

He obeyed without question, settling into the armchair across from them, his jaw clenched. Abigail took a breath, her voice steady but edged with anger. “Obetta threatened Maya. She cornered her a few days ago, and she’s been carrying it alone. That’s why she’s been so quiet.”

Luke’s hands tightened into fists. His blood ran hot, but he kept his eyes fixed on Maya. “What exactly did she say?”

Maya swallowed hard. “She said she has… information about me. From my past. Things that could be twisted into something ugly. She told me if I didn’t stay away from Abigail, she’d ruin me. And maybe even her.”

The silence that followed was heavy, sharp as glass. Luke leaned back in his chair, his jaw working. His eyes darkened, hard and unyielding.

“Obetta,” he muttered, the name rolling off his tongue like poison. “Of course.”

Maya’s voice cracked. “I didn’t want to tell anyone, but it was too much. I couldn’t carry it anymore. Abigail told me you should know.”

Luke turned his gaze on Abigail. She met it without flinching. “She thought it would make you look at her differently,” Abigail said softly. “But I knew it wouldn’t. You deserve to know, Luke. And she deserves to feel safe.”

Something shifted in him at that moment, the part of him that had been waiting patient, calculating, biding his time. Now it surged to the surface. He rose to his feet, pacing slowly, his tall frame casting shadows across the room.

“Obetta thinks she can play this game and walk away unscathed,” he said, his voice low and controlled, the kind of tone that made Abigail’s skin prickle. “She’s wrong.”

Maya looked at him with wide, uncertain eyes. “What are you going to do?”

Luke paused by the window, his reflection staring back at him. He lifted his phone from his pocket, scrolled to a number, and pressed call. His expression didn’t soften, even when Abigail stood and touched his arm gently.

“Luke…” she whispered.

His eyes softened for her, but his voice stayed firm. “This ends now.”

The call connected, and a man’s voice answered on the other end. Luke’s demeanor shifted immediately cold, commanding, every word precise.

“It’s me. I need a favor.”

There was a pause, then a murmured response. Luke’s eyes darkened further. “Obetta. She’s planning something. I want eyes on her, around the clock. I want to know who she speaks to, what she does, every place she sets foot in. I don’t care how much it costs discreet surveillance, tight and fast.”

He listened for a moment, then nodded. “And another thing. She’s been digging into people’s pasts, using whatever filth she can find as leverage. I want her sources cut off. Quietly. Every string she’s pulling I want it snapped.”

The voice on the other end murmured agreement. Luke’s tone sharpened. “Do it clean. No traces leading back to me. I want her scrambling in the dark before she even realizes what’s happening.”

He ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. Turning, he found both Abigail and Maya watching him Abigail with a mixture of pride and worry, Maya with something close to awe.

“It’s done,” he said simply. “From this moment, Obetta won’t take another step without me knowing. Whatever plan she thinks she has, it won’t see daylight.”

Maya’s lips parted, but no words came. She blinked rapidly, tears forming again. “You… you’d really do all that for me?”

Luke stepped closer, his gaze steady. “You’re important to Abigail. That makes you important to me. And no one no one hurts the people I care about and walks away free.”

Abigail reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. “Luke…” she whispered, her heart swelling at the fierce loyalty in him.

He squeezed her hand, grounding himself in her presence. “Don’t worry. She won’t get far. By the time I’m done, Obetta will regret ever whispering your name.”

For the first time in days, Maya let herself breathe. The suffocating fear that had been clinging to her began to loosen, replaced by something steadier hope. She wiped her cheeks, smiling shakily. “Thank you… both of you.”

Abigail leaned against Luke’s side, and he wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close. His mind was already moving, calculating the next steps. But in that moment, he allowed himself to hold them, to remind himself of what he was fighting for.

Later that night, when Maya had gone to bed, Abigail found him out on the balcony, staring into the night sky. The city lights glittered below like distant stars, but his mind was far away, fixed on the shadow of Obetta.

She stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back. “You scared Maya,” she murmured softly.

“She needed to see I wasn’t going to let anyone touch her,” Luke replied. “I wanted her to know she has protection, no matter what Obetta thinks.”

Abigail smiled faintly, though she could feel the tension still thrumming through him. “And what about you? Who protects you?”

Luke turned then, pulling her into his arms, his eyes searching hers with quiet intensity. “You do. Every time you look at me, every time you remind me who I am, you protect me more than you’ll ever know.”

Her chest tightened, and she reached up to touch his face. “Then let me keep doing it. Don’t carry it all alone.”

He kissed her gently, a promise more than anything else. “I won’t. Not anymore.”

The night wrapped around them, heavy with unspoken vows. Somewhere out there, Obetta was weaving her schemes, but Luke had made his move. The first pieces were already in play, and he would not stop until the threat was dismantled.

For Abigail. For Maya. For himself.

And for the love that gave him strength.