The night air was thick. Not just with the Nairobi heat, but with the weight of words unspoken.
Anya stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in Elijah’s apartment. Behind her, the city buzzed — headlights blurred like rivers of molten gold, and sirens echoed like ghosts caught between buildings.
But her mind wasn’t on the city.
It was on the man sitting behind her.
Elijah.
“So…” he said, swirling his glass of red wine like a man who’d seen too many betrayals. “You think I’m dangerous?”
Anya turned slowly. “I know you are.”
There was silence.
Then he smiled.
And not the kind of smile that comforted.
The kind that warned.
“You’re smart,” he said, standing. “But smart girls don’t always survive in this world.”
Anya felt her breath tighten.
She wasn’t scared.
But she wasn’t safe either.
---
5 Days Earlier
Before Elijah.
Before the rooftop.
Before the glass of red wine that tasted like sin.
Anya was in her friend Malia’s apartment, going over a design contract for a real estate client. She was a rising architect young, ambitious, respected. Her portfolio was growing, and so was her hunger for something more thrilling than buildings and balance sheets.
Malia threw a grape at her. “You work too much. You need to fall in love.”
Anya dodged it. “Love is a distraction.”
“Or an adventure.”
Anya rolled her eyes. “Says the girl who dated a guy that stole her laptop and dog.”
“Max was misunderstood.”
Anya chuckled. “Max was a walking red flag.”
Malia got serious. “But not everyone is like him. One day, someone will surprise you.”
That night, someone did.
His name was Elijah.
----------
Back to Present
He lit a cigarette, walked to the balcony, and stared down at the city below. “Let me ask you something,” he said. “What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever owned?”
Anya tilted her head. “Why?”
“Because I’m about to offer you something more valuable.”
He turned to face her.
“A job.”
Anya blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve seen your work,” he said, tossing a tablet on the table. It showed building blueprints — security layouts, vault designs, camera positions.
All hers.
“Someone’s been watching me?” she whispered.
“Research. Call it due diligence.”
“And what exactly do you want from me?”
Elijah’s smile disappeared.
“I want you to help me steal from your next client.”
Anya froze.
“That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
She stared at the screen. It was the exact vault design she submitted just a week ago. How did he even get access?
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“Because you know the layout, and you hate him.”
Anya flinched. The client—Mr. Langston. A corrupt politician hiding millions in bribes behind fake real estate deals. She had sworn she was done being silent.
But to cross that line? To actually help a thief?
“Think about it,” Elijah said, walking away. “You could hurt a bad man, walk away clean, and still get paid.”
Anya whispered, “And if I say no?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Then I’ll assume you already said yes.”
That night, she couldn’t sleep.
Elijah wasn’t just seductive; he was dangerous, persuasive, and always three steps ahead.
She looked at the vault design again.
Would stealing from someone corrupt make her a criminal… or a hero?
And why was her heart pounding every time Elijah’s name crossed her mind?
The glass of secrets had already been poured.
She had taken the first sip.
And there was no going back.
---
🔺 End of Chapter 2
If YOU were Anya, would you take Elijah’s offer?
Or walk away and lose the one chance to destroy a corrupt man? 🚫😈
Drop your thoughts in the comments below — I'm reading every one of them! Let's dive deeper together. 📃🤍
#Chapter3Coming #StayWithAnya #TheOnesWhoStealLove
