Gone was the mellow jazz—it turned slower, moodier, like something was about to snap.
Ochieng felt it before he saw it.
A whisper. A chill. A memory dressed in red.
She walked in—Sylvia Kemboi, the woman whose name was both a thrill and a threat in his past.
---
Sylvia Kemboi
Age: 27
Profession: Former fashion mogul turned investor. Currently funding high-end tech startups.
Appearance: Long legs, honey-bronze skin, bold cheekbones, blood-red lips. Her figure curved like sin, and her eyes always carried a dare.
Flaws: Manipulative. Addicted to winning. Craves dominance in relationships.
Enticing Background: Once Ochieng's secret lover. She disappeared after a scandal involving one of his father's companies—and now she was back, not just to stir his life, but to own it.
---
Sylvia's arrival turned heads, but her gaze only searched for one person.
Ochieng.
And when she found him dancing with Ivy, her smile twitched—not in jealousy, but in anticipation.
"Still picking strays?" she whispered as she glided past him, her voice a knife wrapped in perfume.
Ochieng tensed. Ivy tilted her head.
"Who was that?" Ivy asked.
He looked her dead in the eyes. "A ghost."
---
Lucien Moretti had cornered Ivy gently.
"You don't know who you are, do you?" he murmured.
"What does that mean?"
He smiled, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, causing Ochieng to clench his fists across the room. "It means… you're much more dangerous than you appear. And that excites me."
Before she could respond, Clara appeared.
"Lucien," she purred, "Daddy's looking for you. And you know how he gets when you ignore him."
Lucien smiled at Ivy, bowed slightly, and vanished into the crowd.
Clara turned to Ivy, eyes flashing. "Stay away from things you don't understand. You might get crushed."
Ivy only smiled. "Then maybe they weren't that strong to begin with."
---
"Why are you watching her like that?" Sylvia asked, sipping a dark cocktail.
Bianca didn't bother to lie. "She's ruining everything. He was mine before he ever knew she existed."
"Men are not won," Sylvia smirked. "They're trained. Watch me."
--
Ochieng stepped out to the balcony, needing air. But Sylvia was already there.
"You haven't changed," she said.
"You shouldn't have come," he muttered.
"I came for business."
"Lies."
"And maybe…" she walked closer, pressing a single red-nailed finger to his chest, "…a little pleasure."
"I'm not yours anymore," he said.
Sylvia laughed softly. "You never were. But I can still make you forget her name."
Before he could answer, Ivy appeared at the balcony door, pausing at the scene.
Sylvia turned, eyes gleaming. "You must be the campus charity case."
Ivy met her eyes. Calm. "You must be the one that taught him how to lie."
Ochieng stepped between them. "That's enough."
But the war had already begun.
--
Bianca faked a stumble, spilling wine on Ivy's dress.
Zahra tried to kiss Ochieng in front of everyone during a fake photo-op.
Lucien? He had sent Ivy a note:
> "If you want to know the truth about Ochieng, meet me at midnight. Suite 907."
And Sylvia?
She had just signed a deal to become a 45% shareholder in a rival tech firm targeting WekesaTech. Her goal was clear:
Destroy the man who once chose silence over loyalty.
---