PROMISED TO HIM
CHAPTER 16
ROY SMITH
The plane touched down in Thailand at exactly 2:04 a.m. The city was quiet, glowing under dim amber streetlights and the distant hum of nightlife that never truly slept. A black Mercedes was already waiting for me outside, the driver bowing his head slightly when I approached.
No words were exchanged. Just the familiar silence that followed me everywhere.
The drive to the hotel was long, but my mind wasn’t on the mission — it was on what Jayden may do while I’m gone
By the time I got to my suite, exhaustion clung to me like a shadow. I dropped my bag, poured a glass of whiskey, and loosened my shirt buttons. The air smelled of sea salt and danger — both familiar comforts.
Then my phone buzzed.
Incoming video call: Mayi.
I almost didn’t answer. Almost.
When I did, her face appeared on the screen — sleepy, hair messy, eyes wide. God, she looked beautiful even in chaos.
“Why aren’t you sleeping, Bayi?” I asked, my voice low.
She rolled her eyes softly. “I was… worried.”
“Sleep,” I muttered, trying to sound cold but failing miserably. I couldn’t stop staring at her lips.
“Roy?” she said softly.
“Mhmm?”
“Good night.”
A smirk tugged at my lips. “Good morning, Bayi.”
She laughed — that gentle sound that always disarmed me — and the call ended.
I stared at the screen long after it went dark. Then I stepped out onto the balcony, lit a cigarette, and watched the smoke twist into the early dawn sky.
I made a call to my contact here — a man named Tao — to set up a meeting about Sean’s hideout. Everything was falling into place.
Finally, I called Msizi.
“Keep an eye on Jayden,” I said, exhaling smoke.
Msizi chuckled. “Thought you didn’t care about the L word, boss.”
I ignored that. “I want to know his movements. Every step, every breath.”
“Noted,” he said, his tone turning serious.
When I hung up, I looked back at the screen again.
Her smile still haunted me.
And that scared me more than any bullet ever could.
JAYDEN SMITH
Morning sunlight spilled through the café window — our café. The one where we used chill
I’d texted her early:
Meet me at our spot.
She took long to come. Maybe she was avoiding me… or avoiding what we both knew was bound to happen again.
When she finally walked in, I forgot how to breathe.
Mayi wore a simple cream dress, the kind that clung to her body in all the right ways, and that ring — his ring — glimmered mockingly on her finger.
“Jay…” she whispered, sliding into the seat across from me. Her voice trembled like she was fighting herself just to be here.
“We can’t keep seeing each other like this,” she said quickly.
I leaned forward, my heart pounding.
“Because of him? Because of a man who barely makes time for you?”
Her eyes hardened. “He’s dangerous, Jayden! You don’t understand what he’s capable of—”
“He is my brother I know him and i don’t care!” I snapped, cutting her off.
“You think I don’t see how he treats you? You think I don’t notice the sadness in your eyes?”
She looked away. Silence.
Something in me broke. I stood, reached for her hand, and before she could pull away — I kissed her.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was everything I’d been holding back for weeks— frustration, longing, guilt.
For a moment, she kissed me back. God, she melted into me, fingers tightening around my shirt. But then — she pulled away, tears burning in her eyes.
SLAP.
The sound echoed louder than my heartbeat.
“What are you doing, Jayden?” she whispered, voice trembling.
“I’m your brother’s wife.”
“I love you,” I said, my voice cracking under the weight of it.
“And he doesn’t. Can’t you see that, Mayi?”
She stared at me for a long, painful second — and then she turned, walking away without another word.
I stood there, frozen, watching the only woman I’d ever loved disappear into the sunlight — wearing his ring.
And for the first time, I hated my brother.
But more than that…
I hated myself for loving her.