The rain had not stopped when Adrian returned to the small, abandoned courtyard the family had thrown him into. His body was bruised, his pride shattered, but his heart burned with fire that no storm could extinguish.
As he lit a dim lantern, a knock echoed against the wooden door.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. Who would come here at this hour?
When he opened it, a servant girl bowed deeply. Her hands trembled as she delivered the message.
"Young Master Adrian… tomorrow, your engagement with Lady Amara of the Okafor clan will be annulled."
The words struck harder than any blade. Adrian froze, his knuckles white around the doorframe.
Amara… the childhood sweetheart who had once promised to stand by him no matter what. The one who had laughed with him under the peach blossoms, who had whispered dreams of a shared future.
Now—discarded, just like him.
"Who decided this?" Adrian asked, his voice low and dangerous.
The servant swallowed hard. "The Okafor clan demanded it. They said… they cannot allow their daughter to marry a man who has been cast aside."
A bitter laugh tore from Adrian's throat. "So even she abandons me. Good. Very good."
He closed the door and stood in silence, his shadow flickering in the lantern light. His chest tightened, but his gaze only grew sharper.
The next morning, the great hall filled once again with nobles, relatives, and mocking whispers. Lady Amara stood there in her crimson veil, her beauty flawless, her eyes avoiding his.
The Okafor clan's patriarch spoke first. "For the honor of our clan, we hereby dissolve this engagement. From this day forward, there shall be no ties between Amara and Adrian Adeyemi."
Gasps swept the hall.
Damian smirked openly, his voice cutting like a blade. "How fitting. Even your fiancée can't stomach a failure like you."
Adrian clenched his fists, nails biting into his palms, but he stood tall. His voice thundered through the hall:
"Mark my words—today, you laugh. Tomorrow, you kneel. I will rise, and when I do, the Adeyemi family, the Okafor clan, and every snake that spat on me will beg for mercy they do not deserve!"
His words echoed like lightning, silencing the hall for a heartbeat. Then, laughter erupted.
But no one noticed the fire in Adrian's ey
es, nor the storm gathering in his soul.