Chapter 107 REJECTED.

Chapter 107 REJECTED.

THANE'S POV:

The capital rose before me, not just a city, but a dream in reality. The world would definitely call  here a myth because no one would believe something so perfect existed.

Modern skyscrapers stood beside traditional architecture, mud brick and thatch integrated with glass and steel. Solar panels covered every roof. Vertical gardens climbed buildings, making the city breathe.

No poverty. I'd walked the streets with guards, seen it with my own eyes. Clean water in every home. Electricity that never failed. Schools that looked like universities. Hospitals with equipment that would make American facilities jealous.

The military was small but sophisticated. Elite training. Technology decades ahead of what most countries could access. Not because they wanted to conquer, because they wanted to be left alone.

Education was universal. Free from age three to PhD. I'd met teenagers speaking five languages fluently, coding AI programs, conducting chemistry experiments that would win international prizes if Azuvia participated in such things.

Being here, I felt something shift inside me: envy, admiration, maybe even guilt. Azuvia had achieved everything we claimed to be fighting for back home.

Healthcare was a right, not a privilege. I'd toured hospitals where cancer treatment was standard, where genetic disorders were mapped and managed, where mental health was treated with the same seriousness as broken bones.

Technology thrived. They'd developed their own internet, separate from the global web. Their own satellite network. Energy systems that ran on nothing but sun and wind and ingenuity.

Yet culture remained untouched. Traditional festivals filled streets with music and dance. Elders were honored. Languages preserved. Rituals practiced with the same reverence they'd held for centuries.

Peace reigned. Not forced. Natural. Because people who had enough didn't fight over scraps.

"This is what we built," Kwame had said, showing me everything. "This is Adanna's birthright."

But finding me, hearing about Madison, had made Kwame question everything.

The attack that night. The convenient timing. The fact that no body was ever found.

He'd reopened the investigation with resources that made my head spin. Satellite imagery from twenty-three years ago. Financial records reconstructed from corrupted databases. Interrogations of people I didn't want to imagine how they'd found.

The truth emerged like poison from a wound.

Adeyemi had orchestrated everything.

Kwame and Liana had made him heir before Adanna's birth. No children meant their wealth, their legacy, their country would pass to Kwame's beloved brother. They'd trusted him completely.

Then Adanna arrived. An obstacle to unlimited power and wealth.

Adeyemi had hired rebels, not the opposition, but mercenaries who'd work for anyone. Staged the attack. Given them simple instructions: kill the baby.

But the rebels had split. Some couldn't murder an infant. Others thought it was easiest money they'd ever make. They'd fought amongst themselves.

The faction that won decided to abandon the baby instead. Drop her at an orphanage in Zambara, far enough that she'd never be found, close enough that they could confirm the job was done. Let fate decide if she'd survive.

They'd reported mission accomplished to Adeyemi, who'd immediately launched his second plan: eliminate Kwame and Liana through their enemies, then "reluctantly" assume power while allowing opposition parties to take the presidency. He'd wanted the wealth, not the responsibility.

I felt sick. There were no words for that kind of evil. It was deadly to have someone who could sit and smiles at family dinner knowing what it’s done.

Kwame had defeated every threat. Killed or imprisoned opposition before they could strike. Adeyemi had waited, patient, for an opening that never came.

Until I showed up with photos of Madison and that necklace.

"He tried to kill you," Kwame had said flatly. "Tried to make you disappear before you could tell us anything. But thank the gods we met before his plans became successful."

Adeyemi’s execution was swift. Silent. No parade of justice, no public reckoning ,  just a name erased from history, the way Azuvia handled its ghosts.

Harper's arrest had been equally efficient. Touching the daughter of the wealthiest, most powerful president alive though much of that information would never make it into the public domain. Azuvia was rich, but quietly so.

Now I stood in the palace, watching Madison walk along the shore with her mother. Both wore flowing ankara bubu prints, Madison in deep purple, Liana in gold. The fabric caught wind, making them look like goddesses descended to walk among mortals.

My heart swelled. I'd done it. Given her the impossible gift. Her family. Her identity. Her place in the world.

"They are the best gift from the gods."

I jumped. Kwame had entered without sound, hands clasped behind his back, smile warm.

"Don't be frightened. It's just me."

I laughed, tension releasing. "Yes, they're precious. More than precious."

"I heard you're getting married in a few days."

"Yes, sir." I turned to face him fully. "It would be an honor if you'd give us your blessing. And—" I gathered courage "—possibly walk Madison down the aisle. I know you've only known her a short time, but—"

His face went hard. Smile disappearing like it had never existed.

"That wedding isn't going to hold."

The words didn't register at first. I'd heard them. But they didn't make sense.

"Excuse me?" I took a step toward him. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly."

"You heard me perfectly." His voice was louder now, commanding. "You can't marry my daughter."

He must be joking with his future son-in-law. "What?"

"The wedding is canceled. You will not marry Adanna."

My blood turned to ice. "You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious." He moved to the window, looking out at his daughter walking in paradise. "You're a good man, Thane Slade. You found her. Brought her home. For that, you have my eternal gratitude."

"But—"

"But you're not Azuvian. You're not royal. And my daughter is the heir to a kingdom you can't begin to understand." He turned back to me, looking displeased. "She has responsibilities now. A destiny. And you—" His eyes softened with something like pity "—you're not part of it. You'll be a distraction."

The room spun. After everything, after finding her, rescuing her, loving her through hell and back, this was how it ended?

"I love her."

"I know." Kwame's voice gentled. "But love isn't always enough. Not when kingdoms hang in the balance."

Below us, Madison threw her head back laughing at something her mother said. All I could think was how easily joy could exist a heartbeat away from heartbreak. She was completely unaware that her father was about to tear us apart.

Again.