Rain danced on the windowpanes of the Rosemont Tower Penthouse. Inside, candles flickered like hesitant hearts, and soft jazz filled the space. A diamond ring sat in velvet silence, waiting for the moment it would redefine everything.
Ochieng stood by the balcony, his silhouette outlined by lightning flashes. He wasn't nervous—he never was—but tonight, his hands trembled slightly. It wasn't the fear of rejection… it was the fear of truth.
Behind him, Ivy walked in wearing a wine-red satin dress. Her beauty had always been obvious, but tonight, she looked like temptation dressed as royalty. Still, her eyes were clouded, haunted by Bianca's revelation.
"Why here?" she asked softly.
"I needed the sky to witness," he said, turning with a half-smile.
He walked over, took her hands. "Ivy, you've given me peace in a world that never rests. Laughter in halls full of lies. I want you beside me—not just in this moment… but in every chapter that follows."
He dropped to one knee.
"Ivy Wambui… will you marry me?"
The world stood still.
She looked at the ring. At the man. At the shadows behind his smile.
Tears slipped from her eyes—not from joy, but from war.
"Ochieng," she whispered, "who are you really?"
His smile faltered.
"What do you mean?"
"Bianca told me everything… about your family. About hers. About that fire."
The silence between them was louder than the thunder outside.
-
Zahra sat across from a mysterious man in a café in Mombasa.
"She's going to destroy him," she said. "Bianca's not here for closure. She's here for revenge."
The man—Elijah Moretti, Lucien's older brother—nodded slowly.
"Then we'll help her."
---
Ochieng stood up, his face unreadable.
"I did not start that fire. But my father may have. I've spent my life cleaning his ashes off my soul."
"Then why keep it from me?"
"Because the truth isn't noble, Ivy. It's a loaded gun. And once you pull the trigger, nothing stays the same."
She looked down at the ring again, then met his eyes.
"I need time."
He nodded, silently. The ring remained between them like an unspoken ultimatum.
---
The Mid-Year Prom Gala was in chaos.
Sandra, 22, new beauty from Eldoret, stirred attention with her exotic looks and fake French accent.
Tobias, 24, captain of the Debate Team, was caught in a love triangle between Sandra and Professor Achieng, a 30-year-old woman with a sharp mind and a darker secret.
Professor Achieng – respected, feared, and privately involved with Tobias. But now, Tobias was drifting… into Sandra's claws.
The prom turned into a mess of accusations, slaps, and Instagram live scandals.
---
Boardroom tension.
"Shareholders want answers," said Zahra.
"I'll give them a wedding," Ochieng muttered.
"What if she says no?"
"Then I'll give them war."
---