PROMISED TO HIM
CHAPTER 25 short insert
ROY SMITH
We were sitting in the study, the air thick with tension and the faint scent of cigar smoke. The room was dimly lit, only the desk lamp casting a golden hue across the oak table.
Msizi sat across from me, his elbows resting on his knees, trying to read my mood before saying anything stupid.
“Calm down, man,” he said, voice low, cautious.
I leaned forward, jaw clenched.
“He had her pictures, Msizi. Pictures of my wife. What if he uses them to—” I stopped myself, my voice tightening with disgust. “To masturbate with it ? You expect me to calm down?”
Msizi exhaled slowly. “Roy, we’ll find him. I’ve got our guys combing through the streets. Jayden won’t hide for long.”
He was taking this too lightly, like this wasn’t my wife we were talking about, like my blood wasn’t boiling from the thought of another man possessing even a trace of her.
I stood, pacing the room. “Arrange bodyguards for Mayi. No one—no one—gets near her. I want her protected twenty-four-seven.”
He nodded immediately. “I’ll handle it.”
“And spread word on the streets,” I added. “There’s a reward for anyone with information about Jayden’s whereabouts. Dead or alive.”
That got his attention. His eyes flicked up. “Roy—dead or alive?”
I turned sharply, meeting his gaze. “You heard me.”
Before he could say more, the door creaked open and my father walked in. His expression was unreadable, the same stoic face he wore whenever there was business to discuss. Msizi stood up quickly.
“Sir,” he said respectfully before glancing at me. “I’ll let you two talk.”
When the door closed behind him, silence took over the room. Dad walked slowly to the minibar, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and turned toward me.
“Roy, what happened?” he asked, voice deep, patient but probing.
I crossed my arms, feeling the anger rise again. “Your son has feelings for my wife.”
He didn’t even flinch. He took a slow sip of his drink, eyes still locked on mine.
“Have you found him and talk to him?”
“Probably in the hands of the enemy,” I said bitterly,
“or with someone who would do anything to keep him safe.”
The meaning behind my words hung heavy in the air. His brow arched, barely.
“Are you accusing me of something, Roy?” he asked, pouring himself another drink.
I smirked faintly, though there was no humor in it. “Why would I?”
He chuckled, but it was dark and sharp. “You think I’d protect Jayden?while i don’t like this shit he is doing ?”
“I think,” I said coldly, stepping closer, “you’d protect anyone who benefits your empire.”
His eyes hardened. “Watch your mouth.”
“You taught me to,” I shot back.
“You taught me that loyalty only matters when it’s convenient.”
He slammed the glass down on the table, the sound echoing like a gunshot.
“You think you’re the only one who’s angry? Don’t test me, Roy.”
I stared at him, every nerve in my body on edge.
“I’ll find Jayden,” I said finally, my voice quiet but firm.
“And when I do, I’ll make him regret ever breathing in her direction.”
Dad exhaled, taking another slow sip. “He is brother, and the family can’t afford another scandal.”
I turned toward the window, the night lights burning through the curtains like silent witnesses.
“I don’t care about the family,” I murmured. “I care about my wife.”
And for once, he had no response. The silence said enough—he understood.
But it also told me something else.
Someone was protecting Jayden
And I was going to find out who.
Even if it meant going to war with my own blood….I would Jayden has crossed all the limits