Chapter 1: The Funeral & the Flame
The rain wouldn't stop.
It was as if the sky itself mourned the death of Jayden—Zayden's older brother, his protector, his blood. The thunder growled like a beast in the clouds, and every drop that hit the casket felt like a dagger to Zayden's chest.
He stood silent.
Black hoodie. Bloodshot eyes. Fists clenched.
He didn't cry. Not because he wasn't in pain… but because the pain had gone numb. His soul was hollow now. Everyone kept whispering, "He was a good boy..." but Zayden knew the truth.
Jayden was murdered.
And no one was going to do a damn thing about it.
---
"Your brother got in the wrong lane," a cop had told him.
Wrong lane?
Jayden didn't do drugs. He didn't fight. He didn't even stay out late.
But he died anyway — gunned down in cold blood, in front of the corner store, by some masked boys in a black Benz.
Rumor said it was a message from the Orekas — a powerful underground family that ran the streets like a business. Corrupt. Untouchable.
---
That night, Zayden made a decision.
> "No law will fix this. No tears will bring him back.
Only vengeance... Only fire."
---
2 Years Later — Badagry, Lagos State
Zayden moved like a shadow through the alley behind Eleganza High. He wasn't a student anymore, but he passed by sometimes... to remember what life looked like before it burned.
His name was whispered now.
"That's Zay... don't mess with him."
"He moves with the Phantom Crew."
"He doesn't talk. He strikes."
He didn't want fame.
He wanted justice — or blood.
---
Then she came.
Mariella.
Transfer student. Light-skinned, soft voice, fiery eyes.
She bumped into him by mistake. Dropped her books. Apologized twice.
And he just stared.
> "You good?" she asked, confused by his silence.
"Yeah…" he muttered. "You just… reminded me of someone."
It wasn't a lie. She reminded him of peace.
Of what his life could've been.
But fate has a wicked sense of humor…
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That Night
Zayden stood outside a bar in Ajara. A text buzzed on his burner phone:
> "Target confirmed. Oreka's daughter attends Eleganza. Get close. Wait for greenlight."
He froze.
Oreka's daughter? Mariella?
His hand trembled.
His revenge had a name now.
But that name… came with a face he couldn't hurt.
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End of Chapter 1
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Zayden is torn between orders and emotions. Can he love the girl he's supposed to destroy?