Chapter 22: Negotiations and Boundaries
The private office of Rose Ikemba was cloaked in the kind of silence that hummed with power. The distant noise of the city below Lagos—honking horns, bustle, and ever-churning life—felt like another world, one far removed from the sharpened precision of this sanctum.
Joshua stood across from his aunt, his hands folded behind his back. He'd faced dragons, cursed zones, and the Veil's most dangerous operatives—but standing in Rose Ikemba's office, under her steady, soul-weighing gaze, required a different kind of strength.
"I need your protection," he said finally, voice quiet but firm. "Personal protection. For Karen."
Rose didn't blink. Her gold-plated pen paused mid-signature as she looked up.
"I've already authorized resources—soul-screening arrays, a high-threat containment team, surveillance wards, and a tactical transport route in case of emergencies," she said, measured and cool. "You asked for protection. I delivered."
Joshua didn't move. "That's not enough."
A beat passed. Rose slowly set her pen down.
"Excuse me?"
"She's not just any target, Rose," he continued. "The Veil is moving faster than anyone expected. They sent Voth after her. Voth. She's a Proto Domain wielder. A soul-bound weapon user. And she hasn't even reached the Second Spirit Cycle yet."
Rose leaned back in her seat, fingers interlaced, her expression unreadable.
"You're asking me to leave my corporate duties, compromise my own safety, and publicly align myself with a girl I know nothing about—because you've taken it upon yourself to adopt her cause?"
"I'm not asking you to abandon anything," Joshua replied, keeping his tone even. "Just your name, and your presence. A declaration. No one crosses the Ikemba line lightly—not even the Veil. And you know it."
The room darkened slightly, shadows sharpening along the edges of the walls as Rose's spiritual presence surged. Her voice lowered, velvet and iron.
"Be careful, boy. You forget who you're speaking to."
"I know exactly who I'm speaking to." Joshua met her gaze with steady resolve. "The one member of this family I can trust to scare entire factions with a raised eyebrow. That's the kind of shield Karen needs."
Silence stretched between them. For a long moment, neither moved. Then Rose slowly stood, heels clicking on marble, her aura retracting like a serpent back into its coil.
"Your sentiment is noted. Your recklessness, more so."
She turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window behind her desk, watching the clouds over Lagos shift under the fading sun.
"I will not become her shadow. But I'll send one of mine. You'll have my resources, intelligence support, and any asset within my division—including Sia."
Joshua opened his mouth to speak again, but she cut him off with a glance over her shoulder.
"Push further, and I revoke the offer entirely."
He nodded reluctantly, understanding the line she had drawn. She was giving as much as she would, for now.
"…Thank you," he said, his voice low.
Rose turned back to her desk, picking up her pen. "Be smart, Joshua. Don't let your attachments cloud your judgment. That girl's fate is not your burden to bear alone."
As he left the office, the door closing behind him with a soft click, Joshua breathed out slowly.
It wasn't everything he hoped for. But it was enough—for now.