PROMISED TO HIM
CHAPTER 14
JAYDEN SMITH
I woke up after Roy left. Sleep wasn’t even an option anymore — my mind was a battlefield. I kept tossing and turning, thinking about what he said . His words still echoed in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake off.
“Stay away from what is mine, Jayden.”
He said it with that cold tone that made my blood freeze. Roy never repeated himself twice — if he did, it usually ended badly for someone.
I sat up, rubbing my face, and glanced at the clock. 06:00 a.m. The house was dead quiet, but I could still feel his presence lingering — his scent, his authority, the invisible line he drew around everything he claimed as his. Including her.
Mayi.
I threw on my hoodie and went downstairs to grab some water, hoping it would calm the storm brewing inside me. The marble floor was ice-cold beneath my feet as I poured the water, staring blankly at the glass. My hands trembled a bit — not from fear, but frustration.
How did it come to this? Roy got everything — the business, the power, the respect.
I sighed and grabbed my phone. There was only one person who could make sense of this — Mom.
I dialed her number. The phone rang only once before I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Jay, it’s too early for this nonsense,” she muttered, her robe loosely tied, hair all over the place, eyes filled with irritation more than concern.
“Mom, Roy was here,” I said quietly.
She froze halfway through adjusting her robe.
“What do you mean he was here?”
“He came last night — told me to stay away from his wife.”
Her expression shifted instantly — from annoyance to anger. Not at Roy… but at me.
“Roy doesn’t care about that girl,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.
“You’re making something small into a problem, Jayden.”
“how did he find out?” She asked, lowering my voice. “Did Pretty tell him?”
My lips tightened. “I don’t think so,” i said slowly. Then her eyes narrowed at me.
“What exactly did you say to Mayi?”
I hesitated, swallowing hard. “I just told her I missed her… “
Her hand came fast — a sharp, burning slap across my cheek that made me stumble back.
“You idiot, Jayden!” she snapped, voice dripping with venom. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“Mom—”
“You continue with that girl and be carefully cause you’ll destroy everything!” she hissed, stepping closer, her voice low but deadly.
“You know the rule. If Roy’s wife isn’t suitable — if she’s unfaithful or even rumored to be — he loses his shares. Everything your grandfather built collapses. And Roy will kill her for that!”
“Mom, I don’t want to cross Roy,” I muttered.
“You already did,” she said coldly.
“But don’t worry. I’ll fix this.”
Her eyes softened for a second, a cruel smile forming.
“Roy may be his father’s son, but he’s not as untouchable as he thinks. I’ll deal with him.”
“And me?” I asked.
“You,” she said, leaning in,
“keep pressing Mayi. Make her bend. Make her weak. A woman like that doesn’t belong beside a man like Roy. She’ll break eventually — and when she does, it’ll be his downfall, not yours.”
She straightened her robe, turned, and started walking back up the stairs.
“And Jayden,” she added without looking back, “don’t ever call me this early again for nonsense.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
I stood there, still holding my glass, her words swirling in my head like poison. I wasn’t sure who was worse anymore — Roy with his control or Mom with her schemes.
Maybe both.
But one thing I knew for sure — I was caught in the middle of a war I didn’t start, between loyalty and temptation, between blood and desire.
I sat on the couch, my phone still in my hand. The screen glowed in the dim light. I shouldn’t text her. I really shouldn’t.
But my thumb hovered over her name anyway.
“Are you awake?”I texted
No reply.
I leaned back, exhaling deeply, staring at the ceiling. Maybe she was still asleep. Or maybe she was next to him. That thought made something inside me twist painfully.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.
“Jay… it’s too early. What’s wrong?”
Just seeing her name made me smile — but it faded as quickly as it came.
“Roy came to me today”.
There was a long pause before she typed again.
“What did he say?”
“To stay away from you.”
I could almost imagine her face, the small gasp, the way her eyes widened.
“Jayden please… don’t make things worse. He already suspects something.”
I clenched my fist. Suspects something?
“You will stop to talk to me because he doesn’t trust you….don’t let him control “
“You know it’s not like that. Please don’t start.”
“Can we meet?:
No response. For a long moment, the typing dots blinked, then disappeared.
Finally, her message came.
“Jay… don’t do this. I can’t afford another mistake. Roy isn’t someone you want to cross. Please, just stay away before this gets out of hand.”
I stared at her message until my vision blurred.
Too late for that. It was already out of hand.