The campus looked deceptively peaceful under the warm Nairobi sun. Students lounged on benches, headphones in, talking, laughing, or simply scrolling through their phones. The buzz of normalcy veiled the brewing chaos behind the scenes—where power plays unfolded like silent wars.
Damon sat alone in the upper corner of Java House, his back to the glass window overlooking the student union. The aroma of coffee hung in the air, mingling with the low murmur of conversation and the soft clatter of ceramic cups. He wasn't here for the coffee.
He stared at his phone screen, his thumb hovering over a name—Jasmine.
It had been three days since she left without a word. Three days of silence that felt louder than anything else. He hadn't even told Victor. Hell, he hadn't told anyone. There were too many moving parts already. Between Lena's return, the bitcoin fraud connections surfacing in their marketing firm, and whispers of insider leaks from within Talon Digital, Damon was fraying at the edges.
But it was Jasmine's silence that cut deepest.
He pocketed the phone as Victor arrived, dressed down in a white t-shirt and grey hoodie, a sharp contrast to Damon's black designer trench and boots.
"You look like someone ripped your soul out and left you with their receipts," Victor said as he slid into the seat.
Damon offered a dry smirk. "Close enough."
Victor dropped a thick manila envelope on the table. "That's from Tasha. Background checks, company transactions, and Lena's movements from the last six months. She's been building something on the side. A shell company registered in the Caymans. Name sound familiar? L&D Ventures."
Damon froze. "L&D... Lena and Damon."
Victor nodded grimly. "She used your name as cover. Smart. Every investor thinks you're involved. She's raised millions. Bitcoin laundering, NFTs, virtual land scams… Her digital footprints are everywhere."
Damon leaned back, hand on his jaw, trying to steady his breathing. "She's not just coming back for revenge. She's trying to burn my legacy and raise hers on its ashes."
"And Jasmine?" Victor asked, softer now. "You talked to her?"
Damon's eyes narrowed, then dropped to the empty coffee cup in front of him. "No. She disappeared. After that night Lena showed up. And then…" he hesitated. "I saw a post on Jasmine's alt account. Just one word—betrayed."
Victor's eyes widened. "You think Lena got to her?"
"I don't know," Damon said. "But I can't afford any more emotional fog right now. We need to move."
Victor leaned forward. "You sure you're ready for what this means?"
Damon met his gaze. "We hit L&D Ventures from the inside. We expose her. Financial audit, digital trails, social media leaks—we dismantle everything she's built."
Victor gave a sharp nod. "I'll talk to Rita—she's got access to the financial watchdog forums and crypto legal networks. We'll need a burner team. Hackers, forensic analysts, whistleblowers."
"But quiet," Damon added. "No noise. Lena loves control. If she thinks we're coming, she'll bury everything."
Just then, Damon's phone buzzed. A single notification lit the screen.
Unknown number: "Meet me at the rooftop, Business Complex. Come alone. –J"
His breath caught.
Victor saw the change in his face. "What is it?"
"Jasmine."
Victor straightened. "You think it's a trap?"
"Only one way to know."
---
The rooftop was quiet. The air smelled of distant traffic, and the city skyline spread before him like a painting drenched in fading gold light. Damon stepped out slowly, his eyes scanning the perimeter.
Jasmine stood near the railing, her back to him, wind tugging at her long, curly braids. She wore a black blazer, dark jeans, heels—powerful and soft all at once.
He stopped a few feet away. "You've been ghosting me."
She turned slowly, her eyes unreadable.
"You lied to me," she said.
"About what?"
"About Lena. About your past. About how deep you're in this mess."
Damon ran a hand through his hair. "I was trying to protect you."
"You don't get to make that decision," Jasmine said, voice tight. "I found out from her, Damon. From the woman who almost destroyed you. Not from you. From her."
"I didn't want you involved."
Jasmine laughed bitterly. "Involved? Damon, I've been involved since the day I walked into your office and you offered me that PR internship. Don't act like you didn't know I'd fall for you."
He stepped closer. "Then why are you here?"
"Because I needed to see if you were still the man I believed in. Or if she was right—that you're no different from the others."
His jaw tightened. "You think I'm like Lena?"
Jasmine walked toward him now, slow, measured. "No. But I think you've been blind. And that blindness is going to cost you everything."
He reached for her hand. "Then help me see."
She pulled back. "I'm not your therapist, Damon. But I'll tell you this—L&D Ventures? It's a front. But Lena's not working alone."
"What do you mean?"
"I have a friend in the crypto space. She tracked transactions tied to the shell account. They're being funneled through a Nigerian exchange—owned by Empire Lux Capital."
Damon's eyes widened. "That's a trillionaire hedge fund."
"And one of their junior partners?" Jasmine said. "Is your cousin, Brandon."
Damon blinked. "No. That's impossible. Brandon and I… we haven't spoken in years."
"Well, apparently you're worth stabbing in the back now."
A gust of wind swept between them.
Damon exhaled slowly. "If Brandon's in this, then Lena's not the only enemy. This goes deeper."
Jasmine nodded. "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take my company back. My name. My future."
"And me?" she asked quietly.
Damon looked at her, heart pounding.
"I want you by my side," he said. "But only if you believe I'm still the man you fell for."
She held his gaze, then turned back toward the skyline. "We'll see."
---
Later that night, in a rented loft above a co-working space in Westlands, Damon and Victor gathered the core team—Rita, the digital forensics expert; Zeke, a former whistleblower turned data analyst; and Kyra, Damon's ex-security head who had left the corporate world to teach martial arts but was now back for one last war.
"You'll all be compensated generously," Damon said. "But this isn't about money. It's about truth. Power. Taking back what matters."
Kyra cracked her knuckles. "I've been waiting to punch something since I left."
Zeke raised a brow. "Just don't punch the servers."
Laughter flickered briefly.
Then silence.
Because they all knew—this was the beginning of the real war. And no one leaves a digital war unscathed.
Damon stared at the digital map projected on the wall—nodes of Lena's shell companies, Brandon's links to Empire Lux, cryptocurrency wash accounts, social media influencers paid to clean up Lena's image.
It was a mess.
But it was also a plan.
One he was about to dismantle.
Brick by brick.
Click by click.
Betrayal would be paid for.
And in the middle of it all—Jasmine.
Still watching.
Still wondering.
If the man she loved would survive the war he was about to start.
---