Chapter 157:: To love is secret

Chapter 157:: To love is secret
Five Hours Earlier
The dull hum of Jayden's phone broke the stillness of the early morning; it was 4 AM, a time when most people were blissfully unaware of the skirmishes of life. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he glanced at the caller ID. A name he would have preferred to forget flashed on the screen.
“Hello?” he mumbled, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.
“Open the door, I’m outside your house,” a female voice urged, firm and insistent. It took him a second to recognize the voice—BiBi, an old close friend who was far from welcome on a morning like this.
He dropped the call, muttering under his breath. After a quick, resigned sigh, he slipped on his robe and shuffled down the creaking stairs, each step heavy with apprehension. As he peeked through the window, he saw her silhouette standing outside, the streetlight casting a flickering glow around her.
Jayden opened the door, and cold air rushed in, ruffling his hair. “Why are you here?” he asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.
BiBi chuckled lightly, a sound that annoyed him more than it should have. “That’s no way to greet an old friend.”
He frowned, crossing his arms, though he couldn’t suppress the rush of warmth her familiar presence stirred. “If you’re here, something is definitely wrong.”
“Not my fault,” she replied with a shrug. “Andrew tells me you’re starting to let your guard down.”
He stiffened at the mention of his wife’s name. “You think I shouldn’t trust her?”
BiBi’s nod was slow, deliberate. “I don’t think you should trust her. Just wait. Don’t do anything you might regret. This might all be a front.”
He walked into the kitchen, fighting back a swell of frustration. Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, he gulped it down. BiBi had always had a way of getting under his skin. Perhaps that’s what old friends were for.
“What did you hear?” he asked, his voice lowering as he felt the weight of impending betrayal looming over him.
BiBi hesitated. The tension in the air was palpable. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a small device, the kind of recorder that made every nightmare feel a bit more real. “I’ll leave this here. Please be careful. Better safe than sorry.”
She turned to leave, but Jayden’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist. “No, play it. I need to know.”
With a deep breath that seemed to echo through the chilly air, she pressed the button and the recording began to play.
“Wow, small world. How is it the owner of Actech my new client?” a voice crackled through the speaker, smooth yet laced with ambition.
“No, Kali, you are not taking that job.” Another voice, familiar and biting.
“What? I promise this is the last. I’m just trying to confirm something, and when I do, I will leave the job.”
“Why don’t you get it? I’m protecting you from these people who want to ruin your life!”
Jayden felt a quiver in his knees as the full impact of the conversation sank in. He looked up at BiBi, his expression a twisted blend of confusion and pain. “What are you trying to confirm, Mimi?” he murmured, tears pooling in his eyes.
The recording ended abruptly, leaving only silence. His heart raced as he felt a mix of betrayal and despair.
“Jayden…” BiBi began, but he waved her off as if brushing away a confounding fog filling his mind.
“I promise I will ruin you if you had a hand in my attack.” He felt cold and sharp, like the blade of a knife hovering too close to his throat.
BiBi, feeling the weight of his despair, stepped outside and slipped into her car. Zion was already sitting inside, his brow furrowed as he glanced at BiBi with concern.
“Do you regret giving him the recording? It could be nothing,” Zion asked, attempting to gauge her state.
BiBi looked out into the night, her emotions swirling like winter clouds. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he deserves to know. If it’s nothing, then it’s nothing. But I’d rather protect him even if it hurts him.”
Zion chuckled softly, shaking his head. “BiBi, you can’t fall for him. No matter who she turns out to be, he is still madly in love with Kia. You’re only going to get hurt.”
Her cheeks flushed, but she met his gaze earnestly. “I just care about him like I do my own brother, Andrew. But I am not falling for him.”
Inside the house, Jayden paced, torn between anger and despair. The message was clear: who could he trust? Checking his phone, he noticed a text from Kia that had come through while he was distracted.
“I need to talk. It’s urgent.”
Suddenly, the fog of uncertainty dissipated slightly, replaced by another wave of fear. He grabbed his keys, heart racing as he prepared to confront the lingering shadows of suspicion creeping into his life.
Five hours earlier, everything seemed fine. Now, he found himself teetering on the precipice of betrayal, with every second ticking louder than the last.

Ben drove into the old park, now transformed into a mechanic workshop, the moon's light casting eerie shadows against the dilapidated structures that once bustled with laughter and light. He turned off his headlights, the call of the night settling like a heavy cloak over him. Just then, the rumble of another engine broke the silence. A sleek black SUV pulled in, and instinctively, Ben flashed his front lights three times—a silent code that spoke of trust and caution.
The SUV halted a few feet away, and a man emerged, his stature imposing yet unassuming. He moved toward Ben’s car with a deliberate pace, sliding into the front passenger seat. Ben turned to him, sensing an unnerving stillness enveloping their surroundings.
“Nothing suspicious about this guy, huh?” Ben muttered, a frown etching deeper onto his forehead. “He gives me the creeps. His biography is too clean. Makes me wonder what you missed, Chris.”
Chris chuckled lightly but his eyes flickered with concern. “Funny, Ben. You’re starting to sound paranoid. I mean, we watched Aldwin Rush burn to ashes in front of us, didn’t we? Kia can’t remember her past after that accident. You really think he’s come back to haunt us?”
Ben rubbed his hands over his face, the weight of his thoughts pressing heavily against his skull. “This guy... he’s all wrong. And now this Amy girl is complicating things. She’s getting into Kia’s head, wanting to date her.”
Chris flushed. “Then ask her to marry you. It’s part of the plan to get everything Aldwin left to her. You two have to be married.”
With a slight nod, Ben turned his gaze to the night sky, seeking the answers among the stars. “I would if she wasn’t entangled with that guy. I can’t believe he slipped past my surveillance right into Zola’s office.”
A shadow of worry crossed Chris’s features. “I hear Amy is starting to ask questions. We don’t need her anymore.”
Ben’s expression hardened. “She knows too much. If she goes missing, that’ll bring trouble crashing down on us. Just keep an eye on her for now.” He took a deep breath, the air thick with tension. “Since you called off the wedding, Mimi suddenly retreated, but today, she acted out of her usual routine.”
In response, Chris retrieved a small bottle of prescription drugs from his jacket pocket, handing it to Ben with a practiced ease. “Do you think her memory is coming back? The doctor said it was temporary.”
A soft chuckle escaped Ben. “She’s lost in whatever I tell her. But I’ll take these just in case her memory interrupts our plans.” He pocketed the pills, the weight of them a grim reminder of the delicate balance they were maintaining.
As they sat in the stillness of the parked car, an undeniable tension loomed in the air. The shadows danced as the wind rustled through the trees, echoing secrets buried under years of dirt and deceit. Ben knew they were playing a game filled with danger, and only time would reveal its true stakes.
“Tomorrow,” Ben finally said, breaking the silence, “we’ll confront this guy. If he’s a ghost from our past, we need to put him to rest once and for all. And Amy… if she gets in our way…” He paused, letting the threat linger unspoken in the air.
Chris nodded, understanding the depth of Ben’s concerns. “Just remember, we can’t afford any mistakes. Not now.”
Ben resumed staring out into the night, determination hardening within him. Their journey was far from over, and amidst the shadows of the past, new dangers lurked, waiting to be unveiled.